by Melani Manel Perera

The Archdiocese of Colombo organised the event as part of its celebrations for the Marian Year. Reciting "the rosary every night as if we were one big family was very moving," said a 65-year-old faithful.

Colombo (AsiaNews) - Hundreds of people from the Archdiocese of Colombo (Western Province) made ​​a pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Madhu, in Mannar Diocese (Northeastern Province), followed by a retreat of four days. Youth groups, families, priests and nuns were able to "show respect and gratitude to the Virgin Mary, recite the rosary and pray together."

Organised by the Archdiocese of Colombo, the gathering was held from 14 to 17 May as part of the celebrations planned for the Marian Year proclaimed on 30 November 2013 by Card Malcolm Ranjith, archbishop of Colombo and president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Sri Lanka.

The retreat started with the recitation of the rosary in Sri Lanka's three official languages​​: Sinhala, Tamil and English.

This was followed by the first Eucharistic celebration, presided by Card Ranjith and co-celebrated by the auxiliary bishops and priests present.

The second day was devoted to testimonials about Our Lady and her appearances. Again the readings were conducted in the country's three different languages, ​​by Frs Gyom Nonis, Plasidus De Silva and Ashley Vincent.

The final day ended with a solemn Mass and a procession.

"Sitting down together with members of other parishes to recite the rosary every night as if we were one big family was very moving," Grace Weerathunge, a 65-year-old from Dalugama parish, told AsiaNews.

The Marian shrine in Madhu is one of the most famous in Sri Lanka. Every year on 15 August, almost 600,000 people from all over the country come in pilgrimage.

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