By EmmaLee Italia | Contributing Editor
The universality of the Catholic Church naturally lends itself to multicultural facets of the faith. In recognition of the diverse population that claims both Catholicism and culture from a different homeland, the Knights of Columbus of New Jersey have organized an annual statewide fete that celebrates both.
In honor of Our Lady of Good Health, popularly known as Our Lady of Vailankanni, the Asian Subcontinent Catholics of New Jersey invites all Catholics to a celebration Aug. 17 in St. David the King Parish, Princeton Junction.
Hosted by the Knights of Columbus of New Jersey and its Asian subcontinent associations, the second annual celebration will begin at 4 p.m. with a procession, a call to prayer and recitation of the Rosary at 4:30 p.m. Mass will be celebrated by Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., at 5 p.m., with priests of the Asian subcontinent concelebrating.
A cultural reception at 6:30 and dinner at 7:30 will follow in the parish hall. Dinner will include cuisine from various Asian subcontinent regions.
Knight of Columbus Norbert Mendes, event coordinator and St. David the King parishioner, said the church was an ideal site because of its ability to accommodate a large number of attendees.
“This year’s theme is ‘Unity in Diversity,’ as we are one universal Church,” Mendes said. “This is the second annual event; last year’s event was in the Metuchen Diocese. We plan to rotate the event between the dioceses of New Jersey.”
Participating communities include those from Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. “Members of the Knights of Columbus state leadership will attend, as will the Color Core,” Mendes added.
The multicultural event also coincides with India’s and Pakistan’s celebration of independence from Great Britain – Pakistan on Aug. 14 and India on Aug. 15
The Feast of the Nativity of Mary, Sept. 8, is also commemorated as the feast of Our Lady of Good Health. Our Lady of Vailankanni is the title given to the Blessed Virgin Mary as she twice appeared in the town of Velankanni, Tamil Nadu, India, in the 16th to 17th centuries. A white Gothic-styled basilica stands in Velankanni in memory of the apparitions, erected by the Portuguese and Indian peoples. A procession begins Aug. 30, with people coming from hundreds of miles across India to the basilica, drawing as many as 500,000 pilgrims daily during the week-long celebration.
The iconic depiction of the Madonna is unique in that it is one of two only icons in which Mary is portrayed wearing an Indian sari, while the other statue is thought to have been buried with Aurangzeb, the Mughal Emperor. The basilica is known as a site for pilgrims from all over India and its assembly of multilingual prayers every Christmas. After the Second Vatican Council, then Pope John XXIII declared the pilgrimage site the “Lourdes of the East.”
Tickets for the cultural celebration and dinner will not be sold at the door, and must be purchased online prior to attending. Dinner tickets are $10 for all guests ages five years and older. To register, visit http://bpt.me/4262617.
St. David the King Church is located at 1 New Village Road, Princeton Junction.