Our Lady of Health feast tomorrow

The century old Shrine of Our Lady of Health in AC Guards, Khairatabad is gearing up for Mother Mary’s birthday celebrations on September 8 with gaiety and fervour.

The birthday of Mother Mary is being celebrated since the advent of the church in 1904. This year, the 115-year-old shrine is being decorated and elaborate arrangements were being made to celebrate the day with prayers and songs in a grand affair.

The festival would begin with birthday mass in the midnight followed by holy mass at 4 am (English mass), 5 am (Telugu mass), 6 am (English mass), 7 am (Tamil mass) and 8.45 am (English mass). Most Rev Thumma Bala, Archbishop of Hyderabad will celebrate high mass at 10.30 am in



Telugu.

A grand car procession with the statue of Mother Mary will be taken out at 4 pm. Apart from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, devotees were expected to come from various parts of Maharashtra and Karnataka. The parish priest of Shrine of Our Lady of Health, Rev Father Gopu Sunder Reddy said there will be night vigil services on September 7 and 8. As part of festivities, there will also be Word of God, adoration, health healing and other prayers for the devotees coming to the church, he said.

“We are expecting a footfall of over 5 lakh for the festival. In view of huge turnouts, TSRTC is running special buses from all major terminals in twin cities to the shrine premises,” he added.