Gunadala Tirunallu concludes

Vijayawada: The 102nd annual festival of Gunadala Tirunallu (Gunadala Lourdes Matha Festival) concluded on Wednesday, with thousands of devotees offering prayers to the Immaculate Mother amid deep spiritual fervour.

A grand concelebrated Holy Mass was offered at the specially decorated altar by Bishop Joseph Raja Rao along with Bishop Shamindra Jayawardena (USA), Monsignor Fr Muvvala Prasad, Vicar General Fr M Gabriel, Shrine Rector Fr Yeleti William Jayaraju, Fr Telagathoti Paul (Germany), Social Service Centre Director Fr Thota Sunil Raju and nearly 500 priests. Delivering his concluding message, Vijayawada Catholic Diocese Bishop Raja Rao emphasised that in a diverse country like India—home to various cultures, traditions, castes, religions and communities—the path of Christ alone offers guidance to eliminate inequalities and promote true equality.

He observed that the increasing number of devotees visiting Gunadala every year stands as testimony to the blessings received by the faithful. Despite India emerging as the world’s fifth-largest economy, he said that the country has not achieved its desired level of progress due to prevailing social disparities. Among those present were Director Fr Kolakani Marianna, SSC Director Fr Thota Sunil Raju, Procurator Fr G Kiran Babu, Fr Merugumala Chinnappa, Fr Telagathoti Paul, Fr Gujjala Michael, Fr N David Raju, Fr S Vinay Kumar, members of the clergy, Sisters led by Gunadala Council President Nuvvula Vijaya Raj, and lakhs of devotees.

MP promises development of shrine

Vijayawada MP Kesineni Sivanath (Chinni), Vijayawada East MLA Gadde Ramamohan, YSRCP NTR District President Devineni Avinash and Ongole Mayor G Sujatha attended the concluding celebrations and received the blessings of Lourdes Matha from Bishop Raja Rao.

Addressing the gathering, MP Sivanath assured that he would work jointly with the MLA for the development of the Gunadala shrine and the surrounding area.