Take out candle light procession from church to sea

Even as the mismatch between the numbers being provided by the district administration and the fishermen on the number of fishermen died in the recent cyclone is yet to be resolved, residents of Neerodi, one of the coastal hamlets of the district, have offered prayers in memory of 36 fishermen from the village as they firmly believe that they are no more.

According to the administration, 310 fishermen who had ventured into the sea in 13 country boats and 32 mechanised boats from the district were yet to return after the cyclone. But the fishermen say more than 400 persons, including 36 from Neerodi, who were on high seas when cyclone Ockhi crossed the Kanniyakumari coast, were still missing. The fishermen’s efforts to locate them in the sea too failed, and it forced even their families to pay homage to them.

Now, they have offered Holy Mass in memory of the 36 fishermen at the church in Neerodi. After garlanding the photos of the missing fishermen, the villagers offered Holy Mass on Sunday evening. They also took out a silent candle light procession from the church to the sea where they showered flower petals in memory of the ‘deceased fishermen’.

“Since these 36 fishermen are believed to be dead as per the versions provided by their colleagues, we’ve offered the memorial service. The fishermen going for deep sea fishing would usually return to their bases a couple of days prior to Christmas and hence this is the only remaining hope for us,” the fishermen say.