Posted on 01/10/2005 12:36:47 PM PST by It's me
CHENNAI (ICNS) – The tsunami waves have subsided, but a miracle is being talked about across Chennai. It is the story of how St Thomas’ miraculous post kept the invading waves away, sparing the newly renovated Santhome Cathedral.
The Cathedral, the world’s second basilica built on an apostle’s tomb, has been giving shelter to hundreds of tsunami victims ever since the waves ravaged many buildings across the coast.
But even though the killer tsunami waves devastated the Chennai coast, Father Lawrence Raj, the parish priest of the Santhome Cathedral Basilica, says “the sea did not touch our church.”
The reason? “We believe the miraculous post of St Thomas prevented the sea waters from entering the church,” says Father Raj.
The church that sits at the site where St. Thomas, one of the 12 Apostles of Jesus Christ, was buried after his death in the year 72 is located a few metres from the sea. While all the buildings on either side of the church were hit by the tsunami waves, the Santhome Cathedral remained unaffected.
Local people now say it is the St Thomas’ miraculous post that has kept the sea away on December 26.
According to Father Raj, the legend is that when St Thomas planted the post at the top of the steps leading to the Cathedral, he said the sea would not pass that point.
The priest saw from the terrace of church the angry sea in action, as it surged across the road and flooded the huts in front of St Thomas’ post, which is an innocuous looking log of wood, mounted on a cement pedestal.
The belief goes that a village in the Mylapore area was flooded when a huge tree trunk fell across the river. The local king brought a royal pachyderm to lug it away, but the task seemed impossible.
Then, according to legend, St Thomas came along, removed the girdle from his waist and handed it to a bystander and asked him to yank the log with it. He did so and the log was moved easily.
A mural in the Cathedral museum illustrates this incident. Father Raj says the current post is believed to be from that same log of wood.
Hundreds of homeless survivors who have been staying in the church ever since the tragedy hit them have prayed to St Thomas for saving them.
“It is St Thomas who has saved me. This church was untouched by the waters because of the miraculous power of the St Thomas post,” said K Sebastiraj, a fisherman who sought shelter in the Santhome Cathedral.
Wow, it would have been nice if the miracle had been extended to the 150,000 dead.
December 26, 2004: Tsunami wipes out 150,000 in muslim Indonesia and assorted other muslim countries but a Catholic basillica is not damaged.
Who says God is not on our side?
Yeah, but that's not what happened, is it?
This cathedral and the nearly 2,000 people in it, and it's surrounding complex, were saved from death and injury.
I will praise God for His mercy.
We never should have doubted.
There is another photo of the Cathedral from the other side and it shows just how close it really is to the ocean.
Wha'? How'd they do that?
Sorry, sorry, sorry!!
The Velankanni Church church dedicated to Our Lady of Health, the Madonna of Velankanni is the one in which 2,000 pilgrims were saved. The water apparently went up to the first few steps and then receded. the buildings around and behind it were destroyed.
"The Crusaders proved once and for all the fallacy of the Catholic Religion."
The Crusades only proved the fallacy of mankind, which we already about.
So Jesus, The Second person of the Holy Trinity, created a Church and yet made no provision for it to last longer than the life of his apostles? What about all the deacons and bishops appointed by the apostles which are recorded in the Acts of the Apostles and Paul's letters? What about Jesus telling Peter that upon Peter he was building his Church, "and the gates of hell would not prevail against it?"
Thanks. There's even another one taken from the sea.
Someone sent it to me but I can't figure out how to post it. :o(
Read again. I didn't say that. You have me confused with ImphClinton
And it's their", not "there".
Brilliant engineers built the church on carefully selected high ground.
I wasn't even aware that there was a Santhome Cathedral built on the grave of St Thomas, one of only two Cathedrals in existence built on a grave of an original apostle, with the other being St Peter's Basilica! Praise God!
Ooops, I think you misdirected that reply.
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