Lankem Robbialac paints Madhu Church
Lankem Paints Ltd, manufacturers and marketers of Robbialac Paints
has completed painting the centuries-old Madhu Church for the Feast of
the Blessed Virgin Mary and Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary to
Heaven.
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Madhu
Church |
This project was done under the guidance of the Bishop of Mannar Rev.
Dr. Rayappu Joseph and the supervision of the Parish Priest Rev. Fr.
Emilianuspillai.
The Madhu Church is one of Sri Lanka's most important Catholic places
of religious worship and dates back to the 1670s. At that time the
invasion by the Dutch led to 20 Catholic families fleeing from Mantai,
along with the statue of Mary to a safer locality in Madhu. Around the
same time around 700 Catholics from the Jaffna peninsula also migrated
to the Wanni forests. These two communities met in Madhu where they
built a new shrine and installed the statue. This is how the Madhu
shrine came into existence.
Over the years the jungle shrine at Madhu began attracting pilgrims
from all over the country. In 1924 it was officially crowned by the
Papal Legate, who came in the name of Pope Pius XI. Two decades later
despite travel restrictions and difficulties finding conveyance during
World War II, more than 30,000 people came to the jungle shrine of Our
Lady of Madhu for the consecration in 1944. It was in 1870 that the
annual feast Feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary began to be celebrated on
02 July. However in recent years it is the August 15th feast which draws
the biggest crowd. It is one of the most hallowed days for Catholics who
celebrate the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into Heaven.
Ruwan T. Weerasinghe, Director Lankem Ceylon PLC said, "We at Lanken
consider it both an honour and a privilege to paint the Madhu Church for
the annual feast. This is part of our continuous dedication to
contribute to Sri Lanka's rich culture and heritage through initiatives
such as this. It was only recently that we painted the Dalada Maligawa
in preparation for the Kandy Esala Perahera. Since Lankem Robbialac is a
fully Sri Lankan company and one that touches the lives of hundreds of
thousands of citizens, we do owe a debt of gratitude to the people of
Sri Lanka".
Resident Priest is Rev. Fr. Emilianus Pillai thanked Lankem Robbialac
for its generous gesture in painting the Church for the annual feast
this year. "We warmly welcome all devotees and pilgrims to Our Lady of
Madhu, the Roman Catholic Marian shrine in the Mannar district of Sri
Lanka. With a history of over 400 years, this shrine is a place for
pilgrimage, miraculous healings and worship for all people".
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