Daijiworld Media Network - Kundapur (RD/GA)
Inputs and pics by Stanley Bantwal and Praveen Tauro

Udupi, Jun 13: The annual grand festal celebrations of St Antony’s Shrine, Kerekatte near Basrur here were held on Wednesdays June 13.

Bishop Aloysius Paul D'Souza of Mangalore offered the solemn Holy Eucharist.  Basrur parish priest Fr Xavier Pinto, Udyavar parish priest Richard Coelho, Fr Anthony Lobo, dean of Kundapur deanery and Fr Austin concelebrated the Eucharist.

Fr Xavier Pinto proposed the vote of thanks. 

St Anthony's Shrine at Kerekatte is a sub-station of St Philip Neri's Church Basrur and situated at a distance of 30 kilometeres from Basrur church on the Kundapur-Balebare Ghat Road.

Kerekatte was a place known for the devotion of St Antony by the people of all the religions in the neighbourhood during the time of the Portuguese.   Some Hindus, who found the wooden statue of St Anthony while ploughing a field, kept it by the road side and used to worship it.  Blessed Joseph Vaz might have seen this miraculous statue and it is believed that he blessed it and had it erected in a thatched shed

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People of Kerekatte and the surrounding villagers used to come to the statue to worship it.  A shrine was erected by Bishop Victor R Fernandes. Fr Placid Pereira built a small shed over here in 1967.  Fr Joe Mary Shenoy is responsible for renovating this sub-station and erecting a 13 feet high statue of St Antony on March 15, 1977. 

Joseph D’Costa, a local man carved this statue.  The chapel is served from Basrur.  It is well-known in the vicinity for the devotion of St Antony.  Though a festal committee is set up in recent years, for many years preceding that one Gilbert D'Silva from Brahmavar used to celebrate the feast for almost 25 years.  He used to take pilgrims from Brahmavar and surrounding areas to the High Mass on June 13.  After the mass the devotees were served with family meal at his ancestral house near Barkur.