Bukit mertajam: Over 10,000 Catholics gathered at the Minor Basilica of St Anne here to mark the annual Feast of St Anne, the largest religious celebration of its kind in the country.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, devotees began assembling at the church grounds early in the evening. The event commenced with a Mass at 7 pm, followed by a procession featuring a float with the statue of St Anne and her daughter Mary. The faithful, holding candles, joined the procession, which started at Gate 3 at 8.30 pm.

The procession, the highlight of the 10-day religious celebration that began on July 18, covered a 1.6-kilometre route along Jalan Kulim, Jalan Kampung Baru, and Jalan Berjaya before returning to the church via Gate 1 around 11 pm.

R Thhivya Bharti, 32, attended with her husband Jevi Jensan and son J Ebenesh to fulfill vows after answered prayers. Last year, her husband’s health improved following their prayers at the event, and this year they returned to pray for another child.

Factory supervisor Diana Blomindas from Ipoh noted the event was more festive this year, with numerous stalls and increased attendance. She recalled attending the feast since childhood and was there this year to pray for her mother’s health.

Gym owner Valentina Kaur and her husband Tunping attended to seek blessings after their wish for a child was fulfilled. Kaur prayed in March and was confirmed pregnant two months later, prompting their attendance to offer thanks.

The celebrations, themed ‘Celebrating, Listening and Walking as Pilgrims of Hope,’ began on July 18 and included nine days of Novena, culminating with the Feast of St Anne and the night procession on July 26. The Church of St Anne, upgraded to a Minor Basilica in 2019, was originally built in the mid-1800s and is the first of its kind in South East Asia.