Our Lady of Madhu: The miraculous statue of Mary makes peace tour of south
[20 Mar 2001]

The statue of Our Lady of Marudha Madhu, the queen of peace, will for the first time in history be taken from north to south of Sri Lanka as a gesture of peace. The statue has been enshrined in Madhu in the Wanni when the country was under the rule of the Dutch and Catholics were facing persecution.

The statue believed to have miraculous powers and venerated by Catholics throughout the country, has been enshrined at the shrine of Madhu, in the jungles of the northern Vanni District where the rebel LTTE and government forces have been fighting for several years. The past seventeen years has seen a marked decline in the number of southern pilgrims to the shrine.

The Catholics Bishops Conference of Sri Lanka decided to take the Statue of Our Lady throughout the country as a step towards restoring peace, unity and harmony in Sri Lanka. The statue, which began its journey from the Dioceses of Anuradhapura and Chilaw, will be taken through Colombo, Kurunegala and Kandy till end March.

The statue will be brought to Colombo for the first time in its 450-year history. It will then be taken in procession within the Western Province in the Archdiocese of Colombo for veneration and prayer services at the churches of the Archdiocese until March 26.

In a special message, the Archbishop of Colombo, the Rt. Rev. Dr. Nicholas Marcus Fernando said, "The people of the South should have the opportunity to pay homage and pray to Our Lady to restore peace to the war-torn country."

This special veneration comes amidst increasing optimism that the government of Sri Lanka and the rebel LTTE would sit down to talks aimed at resolving the country’s long-running conflict. The Norwegian Government is acting as the facilitator for the talks.

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