Record attendance at Katchativu festival this year

Organizers see record turnout for St. Anthony's feast on Katchativu after last year's unease and dismay between neighbours

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This image shows pilgrims gathered in record numbers for Saint Anthony's feast on Katchativu Island in the Palk Strait between India and Sri Lanka, on Feb. 26.(UCAN PHOTO)

(UCAN PHOTO)

(UCAN) For 80-year-old S. Devasagayam, it was a long-held wish to witness the feast of St. Anthony's on the uninhabited island of Katchativu, in the Palk Strait between India and Sri Lanka.

On the second Sunday of every Lent season — falling on March 1 this year — pilgrims from the neighboring nations visit the island for the annual festival of Saint Anthony, the patron saint of fishermen.

Devasagayam first heard of this major Catholic shrine as a young man while working on a tea estate in the Indian Ocean island nation's Central Province.

The octogenarian said that, having waited for nearly six decades, he was determined to make the journey this year.

His family was concerned about him traveling alone, considering his age.

But Devasagayam took a bus from his home in Passara, a town in Badulla district, Uva Province, traveling more than 400 kilometers to reach Jaffna.

He then waited for hours before taking a ferry to reach his destination on Feb. 27.

"I firmly believe that you have to have an invitation from St. Anthony to witness him at this pilgrimage site," Devasagayam told UCA News a day before the feast.

He was at a loss for words when asked about his feelings. "I am glad.... I am blessed to undertake this journey," he mumbled as he prepared for the Holy Mass scheduled on March 1.

More than 13,000 pilgrims, including about 4,000 from the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, turned out for this year's annual feast.

The authorities in Jaffna were expecting around 5,000, going by their previous experience.