Feast at Vallarpadom Church
The historic Church of Our Lady of Ransom at Vallarpadom Island in Kochi, was established by the Portuguese missionaries in 1524. The Old Church, then known as the Church of Holy Spirit, is supposed to have been destroyed in a flood in the late 17th century and a new church was built on the same spot in 1676. It was declared a special church by Pope Leo XIII in 1888 and in 1951 the Union Government declared it a major pilgrim centre.
Recently, the Catholic Bishop's Conference of India (CBCI) raised the Church of Our Lady of Ransom at Vallarpadam Island to the status of a National Pilgrim Centre. The Perunal or the feast day celebrations will be organized at the church on September 24th this year, which will commence with a procession to the church from both sides of the Goshree Islands.
