Come, Holy Spirit, Come!

On this special Feast of Pentecost, Father Varghese and his

altar servers prepared the altar with special care.

People leave sandals at the door and pack in closely together
before the altar. Most sit cross-legged, with just a few
rows of chairs in the back.

During the Presentation of the Gifts (here and next two photos),
many parishioners offer rice or fruit instead of rupees (India's
currency), doing whatever they can to support their mission. 
Fr. uses the food for his meals, and to feed the poor and 
volunteers at his mission.

Faithful pray as temperatures soar in the crowded church.
Open shutters provide little relief in temperatures more than
109 degrees F.

Father heard more than 100 Confessions 
in the open air.

Spiritual preparations continue for those being Confirmed
on June 2. Mr. Srangaram and Mr. Seshu Babu (shown above) from 
the Mariadalem Sodality and the Archdiocese of Visakhapatnam 
came to talk about the importance of the Sacrament of 
Confirmation. About 200 people aged 12-45 are
planning to be Confirmed.