Tewatte: thousands of faithful pray at Our Lady of Lanka for peace in the country
In order to strengthen the sense of national unity among the country’s various ethnic groups, five masses were celebrated in Sinhala, Tamil and English. Mgr Oswald Gomis (pictured) celebrated the main Mass at 7.30 am on 7 February along with five priests from the capital and the Diocese of Colombo where the Marian shrine is located.
The prelate urged the faithful to offer the Mass in thanksgiving to Our Lady for heeding “our prayers” to end the war. During the homily, he said, “God listened to our prayers through the intercession of Our beloved Lady of Lanka.”
As he mentioned the history of the building, he said that the National Basilica “was built in 1946 to thank Our Lady for saving the island from the horrors of the Second World War.”
The bishop emeritus urged the faithful to “listen to Our Mother Mary and try to put her teachings in practice by being more than ever closer to her, more than in past.”
Such an attitude should be held when we are in trouble or have worries in our daily life. “We should pray and listen to our loving Amma (Mother) and ask her guidance and strength to face life.”
Nalini de Awis was among the more than 3,000 faithful who attended the Mass. The mother of two hails from Wattala parish, but Tewatte is her native village. She is proud that she was born where the Marian shrine now stands because “Our lady is the true symbol of true love and protection”.
Ruben Dharmalingam, a Tamil member of Wattala parish, added, “We were never discouraged and prayed to the Virgin Mary to grant us peace. Now, we are happy because we can live in peace.”
The basilica, which is located in the Diocese of Colombo, was the brainchild of then archbishop Mgr Jean-Marie Masson. In 1940, he vowed to build a church dedicated to the Virgin if the island was spared the horrors of war, which is what happened. In 1946, he got Vatican permission to erect the structure and dedicate it to Our Lady of Lanka. In 1948, Pope Pius XII proclaimed the Blessed Mother, protectress of Sri Lanka. The first brick was laid on 4 February 1951, and a statue of Our Lady was brought to the island in 1952 after being blessed by Pius XII. In 1974 the basilica was consecrated in a Solemn Mass officiated by all of the country’s bishops, led by Card Thomas Cooray.
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