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The Bay of Bengal, the Arabian Sea, and Indian Ocean meet at the southernmost tip of India. This body-of-water blend isn’t the only special mélange of the area, though: in the city of Kanyakumari stands Our Lady of Ransom Shrine, one of South India’s most important Catholic pilgrimage sites. Within the church, visitors and parishioners can find a statue of the Virgin Mary in traditional Tamil saree, multilingual masses, and architectural motifs related to the sea.
One such maritime motif is a starfish, linking Mary to the sea and her role as protector of fishermen. The church is a major Catholic pilgrimage site, especially among the fishing community (people who fish, that is; you won’t find any goldfish kneeling by the pews). There has been a Catholic presence in the region dating back centuries. Our Lady of Ransom was initially built in the 15th century, though the current church was rebuilt in 1914.
The church seas about 13,000 regular parishioners, however, each December, hundreds of thousands of Catholics from across the world flock to celebrate the 10-day Feast of Our Lady of Ransom. The feast has been celebrated for at least 200 years. These worldwide visitors come to experience such activities as flag hoisting, daily Masses, benedictions, vespers, Corpus Christi observance, all culminating in the golden chariot processions. The feast also features traditional Nathaswaram music and the Tamil art form pala padal, exemplifying the beautiful blend of local culture with centuries-old traditions.
