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Thousands of people visit St Anthony’s Shrine in Colombo for anniversary
by Melani Manel Perera
Faithful of every ethnic and religious background visit the site on 175th jubilee. The statue is carried in procession through the streets of the city. It contains an uncorrupted piece of the saint’s tongue.
Colombo (AsiaNews) – The 175th anniversary of St Anthony’s Shrine was celebrated last Sunday, 13 June, in Kochchikade, in the heart of the Sri Lankan capital. Thousands of people of every ethnic, linguistic and religious background took part in the Masses, which started at 4 am, and the procession that made its way through the streets of Colombo.
Mgr Kingsly Swamipillai, bishop of Trincomalee-Batticloa, Archbishop Emeritus Oswald Gomis and Apostolic Nuncio Joseph Spiteri celebrated Masses in Tamil, Sinhalese and English
The church of Kochchikade, which officially became a shrine in 1990 following the proclamation of Archbishop Nicholas Marcus Fernando, was embellished with the addition of a statue of Saint Anthony of Padua, which contains a piece of his uncorrupted tongue.
Every day, the shrine attracts people of every caste, language and creed.