Two weeks ago I received an invitation from the Cannanore(Kannur) Konkani Catholic Association to celebrate the festal Eucharist in honour of St Anne. Thus I prepared well, was ready and eager to meet the Konkani Catholic faithful of Cannanore. I do remember the memory shared by my Dad that many many years ago when my Dad’s mom (my Grandmother) was a young girl she was sent to work as a housemaid at Cannanore.
This morning I was up by 5’clock. Travelled by Train - Parashuram Express to Cannanore, Kerala. My train started at 5.25am and reached the Cannore station at 7.40. Mr Laveen was ready to receive me, he then reached me to the Holy Trinity Cathedral, Cannaore. There I experience a wonderful hospitality of Fr Martin, the young assistant parish priest of the Cathedral. After a heavy breakfast Fr Kuryakos, Capuchin took me to St Damiano, Capuchin Friary where we had a wonderful sharing of Capuchin history and life in Cannanore and Mangalore.
We began the festal celebration at 11 am. Around 150 people participated in this Eucharistic celebration and preached a homily on the gospel of the day where Jesus broke and shared bread and fish to the crowd of 5000 people.
After the Eucharistic celebration sumptuous lunch was served. The biryani was tasty. I visited the Thalleri parish where they have a newly ordained priest as the Parish Priest. Most of the priests in Cannore diocese are the alumnae of St Joseph seminary Jeppu.
I visited Mrs Joyce’s home. At 2.30 pm I travelled by Mangalore – Nagarkoi express and reached my room in time for a good day’s rest.
During my train journey, I had a wonderful companion in the person of Vinod Mehta, whose ‘Lucknow Boy’ I’m reading these days.
