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Lankan shrine stands tall despite Dutch persecution and civil war

Published

2 years ago

2024/04/28

Thilina Walpola

Devotees at the ancient shrine (UCAN Photo)

Lankan Catholics celebrate the centenary of Pope Benedict XV recognizing their Marian devotion

By Rubatheesan Sandran

(UCAN) When P. Lilly Mary joined the golden jubilee procession of the statue of Our Lady of Madhu in 1974, Sri Lanka’s northern areas had not yet descended into a bloody ethnic civil war.

Fifty years later, Mary returned to her St. Mary’s Parish Church, some seven kilometers from Jaffna, to witness the centenary procession of the blessed statue of the Virgin Mary holding baby Jesus.

The iconic statue was coming to the Jaffna area for the first time since government forces suppressed a three-decade-long civil war (1983-2009) led by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, seeking a separate homeland for Tamil-speaking people.

The procession and festivities mark the centenary of the coronation of the statue of Our Lady of Madhu in 1924 after Pope Benedict XV issued a decree of pontifical coronation on April 7, 1921.

The decree is a formal papal act that recognizes the popular piety of honoring an image and gives the image the right to wear a crown or halo. In effect, the act recognized the unique local piety of Sri Lankan people, honoring the Marian statue.

As part of the celebrations, the statue is taken on procession throughout the Jaffna diocese, including northern areas, from April 4 to 30. The statue, carried in a motor vehicle fashioned as a chariot, is scheduled to visit all deaneries in Kilinochchi, Mullaitivu, Point Pedro, and the northern islands.

Mary said the statue coming to her parish was “a great opportunity for folks like us who are unable to go on annual pilgrimages as we used to due to our age now.”

The procession’s paths are decorated with Marian blue and white ribbons. Parishioners also place kumpams (coconuts placed on pots), which follow the Tamil custom of welcoming the statue to their respective parishes.

Jaffna was intermittently under government and rebel control. Many churches in the nation’s northern tip were destroyed or abandoned. With many of its priests and religious killed or disappeared during the war, the diocese is still reeling under a shortage of manpower to help people rebuild lives.

However, at the height of the conflict, the 400-year-old shrine in Jaffna diocese became a symbol of unity between the warring Tamil and Sinhalese groups. Situated in the heart of the conflict zone, the shrine was shelled several times and had to house refugee camps.

The shrine was set up during the Dutch persecution in the 17th century. Nearly 20 Catholics who escaped the persecution erected the shrine with the statue in a jungle. Later, Oratorian missionary St. Joseph Vaz from India, and other Oratorian priests expanded it further.

During the civil war, the diocese relocated the statue to the nearby St. Xavier parish for safety. In August 2008, the statue was brought back and the shrine was declared a peace zone at the request of former Bishop Rayappu Joseph of Jaffna.

“Our Lady of Madhu has been a ray of hope throughout history, from Dutch persecution in the 17th century to recent wartime years. She blesses all irrespective of their religion or ethnicity,” said Father Anthonypillai Gnanapragasam, the shrine’s administrator.

In 2001, the statue’s procession was extended to southern Anuradhapura, Galle, and Colombo dioceses as the civil war temporarily halted following a ceasefire agreement.

Ahead of the centenary procession to Mary’s parish in Koay village, “many Hindus joined locals to assist, and many came to witness,” said Father Louis Montfort, its parish priest.

Montfort said Our Lady of Madhu has many Hindu devotees, who prefer to call her Puthumai Maatha, named after a Tamil saying.

Amalathaas Rosequil, 64, was one of the Hindus who joined the procession. She said she became a Marian devotee after she overcame a health issue.

At 26, she said, she met with an accident and doctors feared she could lose her eyesight. “I prayed to Puthumai Maatha. Eventually, my eye was healed,” Rosequil told UCA News.

“Not only myself, Puthumai Maatha blessed many of my relatives as well,” she said.The shrine’s annual festival is held on Aug. 15, when the historic church in the war-torn area attracts thousands of visitors.

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PM on inspection tour of newly renovated Colombo Central Bus Stand

Published

5 hours ago

2026/04/10

Priyan

The Colombo Central Bus Stand, which has a history of over six decades and had remained without a proper maintenance for many years, has now been renovated under the current government’s development programme and vested to the public. Following that, the Prime Minister undertook an inspection tour of the newly renovated Colombo Central Bus Stand.

Originally constructed in 1964, the bus stand was refurbished with modern facilities to meet current needs and was officially reopened to the public on April 8. The primary objective of this initiative is to provide passengers with a higher-quality and more comfortable transportation service.

During the renovation process, special attention has been given to the comfort and safety of women, which was commended by the Prime Minister. In particular, a modern rest area designed to ensure privacy for nursing mothers travelling from distant areas received special praise.

The Prime Minister also reviewed the newly introduced passenger seat reservation system and information services established to assist commuters. In addition, the modern surveillance unit and other security measures installed within the premises to ensure passenger safety were also inspected.

During the visit, the Prime Minister engaged in conversations with passengers at the bus stand and inquired about their views on the newly renovated facilities and the quality of transport services.

It was emphasized that the government’s objective is to transform public transportation into a safe, technologically advanced service that can be used with convenience by all citizens.

(Prime Minister’s Media Division)

Latest News

Sun directly overhead Nagawilluwa, Galgamuwa, Sigiriya, Palugasdamana and Mankerni about 12:11 noon today (10)

Published

5 hours ago

2026/04/10

Priyan

On the apparent northward relative motion of the sun, it is going to be directly over the latitudes of Sri Lanka from the 05th to 15th of April in this year.

The nearest areas of Sri Lanka over which the sun is overhead today (10th) are Nagawilluwa, Galgamuwa, Sigiriya, Palugasdamana and Mankerni about 12:11 noon.

News

Opposition tells Minister Kumara Jayakody to resign

Published

7 hours ago

2026/04/10

Thilina Walpola

Prof. Peiris

No-faith motion to be taken up today

Former Foreign Minister Prof. G. L. Peiris yesterday (9) said that President Anura Kumara Dissanayake should remove Energy Minister Kumara Jayakody unless the minister stepped down on his own.Prof. Peiris, addressing a press conference called by the Opposition, said that Jayakody couldn’t under any circumstance continue to serve as a minister after the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) moved the Colombo High Court against the government member over a previous financial scandal.

Pointing out that Minister Jayakody had been indicted of a corrupt deal struck during the yahapalana regime, Prof. Peiris said it was wrong for the NPP to retain him as a minister, claiming that the offence was not committed during his tenure as a Cabinet minister in the current government.

Prof. Peiris and several other Opposition members dealt with the No-Confidence Motion (NCM) against Jayakody that would be taken up today (10) with the academic calling the vote an acid test for the NPP. Having campaigned on an anti-corruption platform at presidential and parliamentary polls, the NPP couldn’t protect Jayakody though he was widely believed to be close to President Dissanayake.

As the Manager of the Procurement and Import Division of the Ceylon Fertilizer Company, Jayakody is alleged to have committed the offence of corruption, according to CIABOC.

Jayakody has been accused of causing a loss of Rs. 8,859,708 to the State by influencing and exploiting the procurement process.

Following the serving of indictments on 27 March, the judge ordered Jayakody’s release on two personal bail bonds of Rs. 1 million each. The court directed that the defendant’s fingerprints be obtained and a formal report be submitted. The case has been scheduled for a pre-trial conference on 6 May.

Prof. Peiris stressed that the CIABOC action against Jayakody is central to the NCM primarily moved over the irregularities ridden coal procurement process launched in 2025 that caused severe disruption to the power generation. Responding to The Island query after the media briefing, Prof Peiris expressed surprise that the JVP/NPP accommodated a person under investigation by the CIABOC. Having taken an utterly irresponsible decision, the JVP/NPP were now playing down the developing issue, prof. Peiris said.

The entire government parliamentary group faced the prospect of having its image tarnished by defending Jayakody, the former lawmaker said.

Prof. Peiris said that they intended to build a campaign around the issues involving the energy minister to expose the government. With yet another electricity tariff hike in the offing due to the growing demand for thermal generation as a result of coal-fired Lakvijaya power plant’s failure to meet the requirement[RA1] , the energy minister and ministry’s performances have to be examined, Prof. Peiris said.The timely release of the Auditor General’s report on controversial coal procurement should compel the government to decide on the energy minister’s fate or be prepared to face the fallout.

By Shamindra Ferdinando