The annual festival and pilgrimage week at the St. Paul’s and St. Peter’s Church on the banks of the Pampa at Parumala will be held from October 26 to November 2.
The annual festival will begin with a flag hoisting ceremony on Thursday afternoon. Catholicos of the East and Malankara Metropolitan Baselius Mar Thoma Mathews-III will lead the function to be held on the church premises at 2 p.m.
The Catholicos will also inaugurate the week-long annual pilgrimage to the tomb of St. Gregorios on Thursday. Santosh George Kulangara, member of the State Planning Board, will deliver the keynote address. Tessy Thomas, Director General of Aeronautical Systems at the Defence Research and Development Organisation, Deputy Speaker Chittayam Gopakumar and Health Minister Veena George will inaugurate the various events to be held in connection with the festival.
Believers from different parts of the State will reach Parumala in processions to offer prayers at the saint’s tomb on November 1 and 2. The festival and pilgrim week will come to a close by 3 p.m on November 2.
The authorities have made elaborate arrangements for managing the crowd attending the event. As many as 350 police officials will be deployed on duty and a control room will be opened in the church premises. The Excise Department has intensified patrolling in the area while the Fire and Rescue Department has activated units at Chengannur, Mavelikkara and Thiruvalla to address any eventualities.
A coordination committee headed by the Thiruvalla Tahsildar and secretaries of the Mannar and Kadapra panchayats has been constituted for facilitating the smooth conduct of the event.
