Udupi: The new building of the Stella Maris Church in the shape of a boat, along with a bell tower in the shape of a light house, will be inaugurated at Kalmady here on January 6. It is the first boat-shaped church in the State.

Addressing presspersons here , Alban D’Souza, parish priest of the church, said the new church building is an architectural marvel. It has come up in the place of the old one and will be able to accommodate 1,000 devotees. Besides this, a bell tower in the shape of the light house of Kaup, has been constructed.

The Stella Maris Church had a humble beginning dating back to February 6, 1972, consequent to the collective initiative of a handful of faithful, who until then were parishioners partly of Udupi and partly of Thottam. Late Rev.Fr. Charles D’Souza, was the first officiating priest at Kalmady. It was during the tenure of Rev. Fr Denis Castelino that Stella Maris gained devotional acclaim.

This devotion was further enhanced by Fr. Castelino by the solemn installation of the icon of Our Lady of Vailankanni in 1988. A large number of devotees — not just from Udupi district but also other places — offer prayers at the shrine of Our Lady of Vailankanni. A new shrine too has been constructed on the premises of the church. The cost of construction of all new buildings taken together has been estimated at ₹5 crore.

A “Hore Kanike” procession will be flagged off by Pramod Madhwaraj, Minister for Fisheries, Youth Empowerment and Sports, at 2.30 p.m. on January 3 at Malpe. The procession will be followed by an inter-religious meet at 4.30 p.m.

The inauguration ceremony of the newly built church will commence at 9 a.m. on January 6, followed by Solemn Thanks Giving Eucharistic celebration. Gerald Isaac Lobo, Bishop of Udupi, and three other bishops, will lead the worship. The felicitation programme will follow the Eucharistic celebration.

Mr. Madhwaraj and Shobha Karandlaje and Oscar Fernandes, MPs, will be among those present. More than 10,000 devotees are expected to take part in the inauguration and fellowship meal, Mr. D’Souza said.