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| Monday, 4 August 2003 |
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by Ariyaratne Ganegoda and Prasad Poornamal Jayamanne Celebrations of the Annual St.Anne's Feast of the Thalawila shrine, reached a conclusion yesterday morning with the offering of Festive High Mass presided over by Very Reverend Dr. Frank Marcus Fernando, Bishop of Chilaw, followed by the serene procession that took the venerated statue of St.Anne along the streets surrounding the Church. This was the 160th Annual Festival of St. Anne's Shrine, Thalawila. As the choir sang the encomium at 7.00 a.m., as the celebrant priests arrived before the Altar, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and his retinue comprising Ministers and Parliamentarians, accompanied the clergy on their right. A large crowd of devotees, over several hundred thousand in number, participated in the High Mass.They belonged to diverse faiths, races and ethnic denominations all of whom shared the common objective and the will to pay obeisance and receive the blessings of St. Anne, the mother of blessed Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ. Addressing the large assembly of devotees, the Rev. Bishop observed that the journey towards peace which has now come to a decisive stage had been solemn and serene in its course throughout and that he ever wished and prayed for its total success. Parish Priest Rev. Fr. Sunil Wijesinghe, in his address thanked the Premier and the group of Parliamentarians for their participation and paid a special tribute to Power and Energy Minister Karu Jayasuriya for providing electricity needed for the feast at a cost of 2.2 million rupees. He also thanked the organizations that facilitated health and sanitary care during the festive season. |
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