COLOMBO (UCAN): Mary Nirmala, a Sunday school teacher from Negombo, visited the Shrine of Our Lady of Madhu with her parents every year in her childhood. She continued the tradition with her husband and two children.
This year, Nirmala and her children watched the Madhu feast on television.
Every year on July 2, the shrine is usually filled with thousands of devotees. It is considered the holiest Catholic shrine in Sri Lanka and is a major pilgrimage destination and place of worship for Catholics.
Nirmala vowed to come to Madhu with her youngest child every year after the child was cured of a disease that doctors said couldn’t be cured.
Unfortunately, because of the Covid-19 coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic the government has imposed travel restrictions and religious places are closed. Bishop Emmanuel Fernando of Mannar requested devotees not to visit the shrine on July 2.
Only 30 people including Auxiliary Bishop Anton Ranjith of Colombo, Bishop Harold Anthony Perera of Kurunegala and Bishop Emmanuel Fernando of Mannar attended a service at the church and the faithful participated via television and social media from their homes.
The 400-year-old Madhu shrine, north of capital Colombo, was damaged by shelling in 1999, and about 40 Tamils, including children, were killed. In 2008, a mine exploded close to the church, killing 20 people including 11 children. It became home to thousands of refugees on several occasions.
The 400-year-old Madhu shrine, north of capital Colombo, was damaged by shelling in 1999, and about 40 Tamils, including children, were killed. In 2008, a mine exploded close to the church, killing 20 people including 11 children. It became home to thousands of refugees on several occasions.
Pope Francis visited Madhu when he came to Sri Lanka in 2015.
The shrine remains a special place for Sri Lanka’s Catholics. It contains a statue of the Virgin Mary, which was brought for safe-keeping from the Dutch in the 17th century and was consecrated in 1944. It is reputed to have healing powers and is venerated by Catholics and non-Catholics alike.
Bishop Perera said 30 years of war ended after the Madhu statue visited the southern part of the country.
“This is a time we need Mother Mary’s intervention to save our country from Covid,” he said.
“Many disasters have come to the country after the Easter Sunday attacks. Victims have not yet received justice. The recommendations of the Presidential Commission report have not been implemented. But God can do everything. Let’s recite the rosary together for the country,” Bishop Perera said.
A teacher, Shreenika Subashini, used to visit the shrine every year. She said, “Madhu shrine is a symbol of peace in the north and south. In the shrine, all Sinhalese, Tamils, Catholics and Buddhists can be seen as brothers and sisters working together in unity.”
