Report: Meena Serrao Barboza

Pics: Stanley Bantwal

Mangaluru, Aug 8: As part of the spiritual preparation for the annual feast of St Lawrence, a special retreat was held at St Lawrence Church & shrine, Bondel, bringing together a large number of faithful for an enriching time of prayer, praise and spiritual renewal.

The retreat began with praise and worship, which continued until Brother Prakash D’Souza from Bandra, Mumbai, led the faithful in prayer and reflection. Special prayers were offered for the sick and suffering, seeking god’s healing, strength and grace. A large number of devotees participated with deep faith and devotion.

The spiritual programme continued in the evening with special prayers offered for families and children. Brother Prakash once again led the faithful into prayer, encouraging everyone to place their families, children and every concern before the Lord with trust and surrender.

The retreat proved to be a deeply enriching and spiritually uplifting experience, as the faithful gathered in large numbers, opened their hearts to god and surrendered themselves and their intentions to his loving care. The atmosphere of prayer, praise and worship helped the devotees prepare their hearts to celebrate the feast of St Lawrence, inspired by his unwavering faith, love and service to others.

Fr Basil Vas, rector and parish priest of St Lawrence Church & shrine, Bondel, took the initiative in preparing the faithful for the annual feast and encouraged them to enter into the celebration through prayer, reflection and spiritual renewal.