GEDILAM. MAY 14, 2025: Don Bosco HSS Gedilam with Deepagam has accompanied thirty-three altar children in their pilgrimage to Churches in Archdiocese of Pondicherry and Cuddalore, and have concluded Summer VBS from May 13-14, 2025 at Gedilam (belonging to Salesians of Chennai Province).

This narrative is a pilgrim journal. Children coming together was a new experience of being a community, sharing meals and living in fellowship. On May 12, 2025 evening, thirteen children from Tagore Nagar, Puducherry Parish came with Fr. Selva Kumar SDB (Asst. Parish Priest). On the first day of the Camp, we had rosary followed by a time for recreation. Before retiring to bed we were given good night talk (as per the custom of SDB house) – God speaks to us in every ways through persons, nature and Word of God; and that we must show eagerness and interest in all that we do, no matter how insignificant it may be. Fr. Selvam Kumar introduced Gedilam house and the educational ministry to the children who gathered for the camp.

On the next-day morning, we began with solemn mass celebrated by Fr. John Christy, SDB (Youth Ministry Delegate) along with Fr. Stanley Lawrence (Gedilam Rector) and Fr. Selva Kumar at 7:20 AM. After the mass, twenty more children joined the Altar Children community, thus making into thirty-three children hailing from three parishes: Thennangudi (7), Maranodai (13) and Tagore Nagar-Puducherry (13).

We set out for Children Pilgrimage to Churches in Archdiocese of Pondicherry and Cuddalore. The first experience was Our Lady of Lourdes Shrine, Villianur. The catechist of the place introduced the shrine to our children; he narrated how in 1877, with the help of St. Bernadette, a beautiful statue of Our Lady of Lourdes was miraculously brought intact from Lourdes and installed in the chapel's grotto; we all prayed at the grotto chapel; later we were granted permission to pray at Gratia Plena Church (erected in 2011); it was midday and the time for Angelus. Children were seen quenching their thirst on hot summer day. Altar children were given an experience of inner silence and moment of personal prayer in the presence of God at the serene Gratia Plena Church.

We continued our pilgrim journey onward by Gedilam School Bus to Holy Spirit Church, Tagore Nagar where we received heart-warming welcome by the Salesian parish community. The catechist of the place talked about the history of the parish beginning from 1974. Fr. Selva Kumar, continued introducing the parish apostolate since the time of Salesians coming to the Parish. Tagore Nagar Parish Church is the first and only Church dedicated to the Holy Spirit in the Archdiocese of Pondicherry and Cuddalore. We thanked, Fr. Gilbert Jeyaraj, Rector (Tagore Nagar Parish) who expressed his joy and satisfaction in seeing the group of children enthusiastic in taking part in the children pilgrimage and thanked the fathers for arranging this summer camp; he said, ‘he wishes to applaud himself’ for having helped in organizing the camp for the altar children.

We drove into the heart of the Puducherry city and reached ‘Our Lady of Immaculate Conception Cathedral’ also known as Samba Kovil (Saint Paul’s Kovil). The historic Cathedral was opened for our young pilgrims. Our Catechist, Mr. Santo chose to explain the Sacramental artefact: Paschal Candle to the altar children. The present Cathedral was built by French Jesuits, four times, beginning from 1691 to 1791 due to destructions by wars with Dutch and British.

Our altar pilgrims witnessed in their lifetime the grandiosity of the churches that culminated in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Pondicherry. Bro. Gnanam (Maranodai community) led our children in prayer and exhorted them for a fuller participation in the daily holy mass, especially on Sundays and days of obligations. He also highlighted the importance of Eucharist and the priesthood for our salvific life of being Christians. We prayed three Hail Mary and invoked blessings of St. Joseph in the basilica and offered our intentions silently.

Upon returning from our pilgrimage, the evening was expended with few informal competition prepared for SuperVBS, such as Drawing Competition, Singing Competition and Biblical Recital. Drawing Competition and Biblical Recital were challenging to the children for they weren’t prepared in advance. While, many eagerly participated in the singing by taking initiatives to come to the front. Our Altar kids sang devotional hymns, almost getting engrossed with the songs while they sung. The singers, in a way, prayed twice. Fancy Dress Competition was dropped for lack of preparation. In all, it was a new and unique experience for all altar kids. The day ended with spontaneous recreation.

We began our second-day of the camp by setting out to historic Konankuppam (a thirty-minute drive from Gedilam). Now, Konankuppam is where Fr. Joseph Constantine Beschi (Veeramaamunivar) said to have composed Thempavani in 1726-27 AD. We were granted permission in the Periyanayagi Madha Shrine (which was more than 300 years old) to celebrate Holy mass. Fr. Selvakumar who accompanied us was the celebrant; taking the feast of St Matthias as a starter, preached about the call of God, starting from Old Testament (Moses, Abraham, Samuel, Daniel, Prophets and so on) and then in New Testament (Apostles, Disciples, Paul) all to do a specific mission – namely presence of God in troubled times or conversion of sinners.

At the conclusion of the Mass, Rev. Fr. Devasagayaraj, Rector of the Shrine, spoke to our children and catechized them saying “the presence of God is felt in the Shrine founded by Fr. Beschi”. He went on to explain the folklore of how Marian apparition to local Poligar helped built the humble Church blessed and inaugurated by Fr. Beschi. He passingly remarked the efforts of inculturation in all missionary endeavors of the Tamil Church to our children. 

We concluded our children pilgrimage that definitively made lasting imprint in the mind and heart of our altar children of God’s benevolent love. Most of our children were quiet and reflective when returning back to Gedilam. It was once again summer midday. We had a short informal ceremony of certification for the competitions followed by Fr. Stanley Lawrence, Rector-Gedilam who thanked all organizing this two-day children pilgrimage and the camp. He said that, “he and his community was waiting eagerly for the coming of our altar pilgrims and was most happy for the presence of the kids”. “He wasn’t disappointed”, he continued, “even though he expected large number of children for this summer camp.”

Thanks to the rectors of the parishes, shrines, minor basilica and the Cathedral, wherever we went, the churches were open and welcoming our altar Children for the closer experience of Jesus and His presence.

The takeaway of this camp may be that our faith must not oscillate from facts to fictions, truths and myths, but be founded on the teachings of Jesus Christ and his commandments. Catholic Church has made lasting impact in the history of Tamils and India through the missionaries and pastoral leaders for the past five-hundred years; India’s history is never the same and can’t be so in the future too.