Opened in the Archdiocese of Pondicherry-Cuddalore in the Church of Our Lady of Periyanayagi, where Our Lady is invoked for the birth of children. Rector Fr. Zackarias: "The Church must be the first to take care of women and set an example to Indian civil society".
Konakuppam (AsiaNews) - For the first time in Tamil Nadu, a shrine has opened a lactation room, where mothers can breastfeed their babies in a comfortable, convenient and private way, without giving up participating in the liturgy. It happens at the shrine of Our Lady of Periyanayagi, a church with over 300 years of history, located in a small hamlet called Konankuppam in the archdiocese of Pondicherry-Cuddalore, near Ulundurpettai.
The church was built by the Italian Jesuit missionary Fr Giuseppe Costantino Beschi, who also wrote the well-known Tamil epic Thembavani in Konankuppam. The church welcomes millions of pilgrims every year and the annual feast is celebrated from 14 January to 23 January. Sunday Mass at 8.30 a.m. is celebrated in sign language for hearing-impaired children, as there is an upper secondary school for these special children.
The special room for mothers with children was opened by Elizabeth, mother of nine and Chinnamma, mother of eight. "We need to make our churches not only a place of worship, but also a place where we can find peace and happiness," says Jesuit Fr Jayaseelan, who ministers in the parish. "I used to see mothers coming to church with their babies, and most of the time they find it difficult to breastfeed their children because they have no privacy.
Thinking about the fact that Our Lady of Periyanayagi is invoked for the birth of babies, I came up with this idea. "We will decorate the room so that the children can be comfortable in there," Fr Devasagayaraj Zackarias, rector and pastor of the shrine, tells AsiaNews. "Even today there are churches without sanitary facilities, with barriers for people with disabilities. We must be available for everyone at all times," he says.
"I was surprised that some men thanked us for the new arrangements," Fr Zackarias continues. "I was pleased that they too are equally concerned about facilities for women. Society is increasingly concerned about the dignity and honour of women. The Church should be the first to take care of women. Pope Francis always insists on the need to not only give space, but also to share responsibility with women and to show oneself in action. I am sure the Indian Church will be a pioneer in setting an example to civil society in respecting women."