→ Our Lady of Good Health Shrine at Guntakal

   Feast Day Glimpses on the 4th of August 2015

1. Our Lady of Health Shrine, Guntakal: The church at Guntakal was established in 1880. The Mill Hill Fathers worked in this Parish till 1971. The original church was built by Fr. A. Karoot. Fr. G. Goes added two wings to the church. Fr. Louis Rego extended the church in length and width in 1980 and built a Shrine in honor of Our Lady of Good Health. Most Rev. Dr. Joseph Rajappa, the then Bishop of Kurnool, declared the Shrine as a Pilgrim Centre. The major festivals of this parish is Nativity of Our Lady on 8th September. The popular belief in the reported vision of Our Lady of Lourdes to 2 Hindu School Children has spread far and wide and since then thousands of devotees are visiting the Shrine. A magnificent Shrine of Our Lady of Health was blessed and opened by His Excellency on September 8, 2002.


The First Apparition Of Mother Mary In Andhra Pradesh
Great Miraculous Incident
On 4th August, 1999


on August 4th, 1999 was a remarkable day In the history of Diocese of Kurnool. This holy event was happened at Guntakal parish in Anantapur district. This apparition was to two Hindu boys at the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes and on Sep 8th , late . Most Rev. Mulugada John , Bishop of Eluru has solemnly declared our Mother Mary’s Aapparition as the first of its kind in Andhra Pradesh.

A miraculous incident took place at the Grotto of Our Yady of Lourdes, Guntakal, on 4th of august, 1999. Sreenivasulu and Raju two young boys of about twelve years of age, studying in the VI class of the Church School, used to pray at the grotto morning before school started, though they were Hindu boys. On Wednesday, the 4th of august ’1999 , at about 08.30am, when the boys went for the usual prayer at Grotto, they noticed another boy of the same age, fair in complexion and with light eyes, praying at the Grotto . They had never seen him before. He was shivering. So Sreenivasulu held on to him and the boy said “look , mother is looking at me” Sreenivasulu looked at the statue of our LADY, he noticed that she had turned her head and was looking towards the church. Her eyes had changed colour and also her cheeks had turned pink. Our lady’s eyes which were blue had turned to dark grey and remain the same till date. For a moment Sreenivasulu also fell into a trance and when he came to his senses, he noticed the boy walking towards the church. The existence of the strange boy is a mystery and no one has since seen him. Raju the other boy, in the mean while said that he noticed a ray of light come from our LADY with a loud noise; the glass covering the statue also had cracked and since then has been replaced by a donor from Bellary.

The news spread like wild fire and within no time, practically the whole of Guntakal town, irrespective of caste or creed flocked to see and pray at the GROTTO OF OUR LADY. It was decided by the parish priest and parishioners to have Healing Services, Rosary and Holy Mass every Wednesday evening after the miraculous incident took place. Many miraculous healings were being reported by pilgrims who were pouring in from places far and near.

Miracles that took Aftermath of Apparition

A lady by name mariamma, lost her eyesight on 8th august ’99 and was treated by an eye specialist, dr. shrma. She was also admitted in a nursing home for severe head aches and theeye ailment. She was brought for the first healing service and holy mass on 11th august ’99, held at the grotto and conducted by five priests. During the mass there was a heavy down-pour of rain and all the people went in to the church to continue mass, but mariamma and her husband stayed at the grotto ‘ in the heavy rain to continue their prayers.

Maramma asid that she suddently saw a bright light and was able to see again. Her husband sri. Kondareddy, said that he saw OUR MOTHER smile at him. Mariamma walked into the church, unaided, to the surprise of the clergy and the whole congregation, and every one in one voice praised the lord.

Transportation

The Guntakal parish church is situated near to the railway station, it is called junction because all the trains that pass through Bangalore, Chennai and Mumbai pass through the Guntakal division. Bus station is little distance from the church but the number of auto rickshaws is available to reach the parish church.

Its ecclesial, inter-religious and cultural influences in the area

As our India is called inter religious country, so too with the Guntakal town. Here all the religious group of people resides in this town. One thing to appreciate is that there are no kind of threat from any religion. To say there are numerous Christian denominations namely CSI, PENTACOST, BAPTIST and so on . We have here the Christian union forum which includes all the Christian groups including our catholic church, for the welfare of the Christians. Cemetery is combined of all denominations. Every year as a Christian forum celebrates the semi-Christmas with all the cultural items.

Shrine Rector      :   Rev. Fr. G. RajKumar
Shrine Assistant  :   Rev. Fr. Amrit Raj,
                                 Rev. Fr. Fabian
Address                :   St. Anne's Church,
                                 Guntakal PO,
                                 Anantapur Dt - 515 801
                                 Andhra Pradesh, INDIA
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