Hyderabad: Apostolic Nuncio to India and Nepal, Rev. Salvatore Pennacchio, formally dedicated the St Mary’s Church, the Basilica of Our Lady of the Assumption, as a Basilica on Sunday. The church is celebrating its 175th anniversary.
The church was elevated as a Basilica last year and was dedicated by Rev. Pennacchio, a representative of Pope Benedict. Rev Pennacchio presented the message from Vatican to the St Mary’s church and addressed the gathering.
He said that anyone who visits the Basilica would get special grace and spoke about the importance of loving one another.
Rev. Salvatore Pennacchio and Archbishop of Hyderabad Rev. Tumma Bala during the 175th anni0versary celebrations of St. Marys basilica church celebrations at Secunderabad. (Photo: DC)
The foundation of the church was laid in 1840 and it was blessed a decade later. It served as a shelter during World War II and is the only Basilica in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh and one of 10 in the country. The celebrations to mark the event was attended by 12 Bishops from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana and 200 priests from both states. The Bishops were felicitated on the occasion.
The celebrations included a choir performing Gloria, an ancient hymn which begins with the words that the angels sang when Christ was born, in Latin, and a dance performance by students of St Ann’s School. A number of youngsters, some of them on drums, took out a procession from the house of Archbishop of Hyderabad, Rev Thumma Bala, to the church.
