Indian HC to attend St. Anthony’s Church feast at Kachchativu Island

Indian High Commissioner Ashok K. Kantha will be on a two-day visit to Northern Province on February 23-24. Besides participating in various events in Jaffna and Vavuniya during his visit, High Commissioner will also attend the annual feast of St. Anthony’s Church at Kachchativu Island.

The Annual Feast of St. Anthony’s Church on Kachchativu Island recommenced in 2012 after a gap of 26 years. Since then, this feast has been conducted every year with the participation of a large number of Indian and Sri Lankan devotees. In 2012, nearly 3500 Indian devotees participated in this traditional pilgrimage. This year the ceremony is scheduled to be held on 23-24 February 2013. About 4,000 Indian devotees are expected to participate in the feast.

The Indian devotees will be arriving on the island on 23 February and will return on February 24 after the morning Mass. The High Commissioner will visit Kachchativu Island on the morning of February 24 to attend the Mass. He will also meet with the Indian devotees during his visit. Facilitation and full support is provided by the government of Sri Lanka for this annual pilgrimage. The High Commission of India, Colombo and the Consulate General of India, Jaffna also deploy officials to the Island to assist the pilgrims.