Media Release
Mangaluru, Jul 28: The faithful of St Lawrence Church and Shrine, Bondel are preparing to joyfully celebrate the Annual Feast of their patron, St Lawrence, on Sunday, August 10, 2025. This year’s celebration holds special significance as it marks the first feast after the church was officially declared a Shrine on November 18, 2024—a historic and grace-filled milestone for the parish.
The theme for this year’s feast is "Pilgrims of Hope." To spiritually prepare for the celebration, a nine-day novena will begin on Friday, August 1. Each day, morning adoration will be held from 10:30 am to 11 am, followed by Holy Mass, the novena prayers, and the blessing of the relic of St Lawrence. Evening adoration will be from 5:30 pm to 6 pm, followed by the solemn Mass, novena, and relic blessing.
Each day of the novena will be dedicated to a special intention, offering prayers for the personal, family, and communal needs of the faithful. The novena will commence with the ceremonial hoisting of the St Lawrence flag on August 1 at 10 am. The flag will be hoisted by MLC Ivan D’Souza, marking the beginning of a sacred journey of prayer and reflection. The inaugural Mass will be celebrated by Dr Rajesh Melvin Rosario, rector of St Joseph’s Inter-diocesan Seminary, Jeppu.
On the feast day, August 10, Dr Peter Paul Saldanha, bishop of Mangalore, will preside over the solemn festal Mass at 10:30 a.m. In the evening, the concluding festal Mass will be celebrated at 5:30 pm by Dr Aloysius Paul D’Souza, bishop emeritus of Mangalore.
In conjunction with the novena inauguration, a Religious Articles Store will be officially opened on August 1. It will offer sacred items, including candles for lighting at the shrine, enhancing the spiritual experience for devotees.
From August 1 to 9, noon meals will be served daily for devotees attending the novena. Priests will also be available during this period for the Sacrament of Reconciliation and spiritual counselling.
All novena and liturgical services will be held under the guidance of parish priest Fr Andrew Leo D’Souza and convener of the St Lawrence Shrine Committee, Prakash Pinto.
The church invites all devotees to participate in the novena and feast, and to offer goodwill offerings and Mass intentions. Blessed articles and religious items will be available at the shrine stalls.