St Anthony's Church feast:

Boosting communal harmony

Ridma Dissanayake

The St. Anthony's Church feast in Kachchativu Island is an amazing Roman Catholic feast that draws thousands of devotees from Sri Lanka and India.

The two day church feast was held in 2010 for the first time after ending terrorism. It was not held for several years due to the conflict situation. Now it has become a special event in Jaffna and the Sri Lanka Navy has taken measures to facilitate the feast annually for the benefit of both Sri Lankan and Indian devotees. This time the annual feast was held on February 23 and 24 for the fourth time since the end of terrorism on a grand scale than previous years. The Navy facilitated the conducts of the feast under the directions of the Defence and Urban Development Ministry and the supervision of Navy Commander Vice Admiral Jayanath Colombage.

The Navy provided infrastructure facilities for the benefit of the devotees in the Kachchativu Island under the instructions of the Northern Naval Area Commander Rear Admiral Shirantha Udawatte.

Jetties were built for the devotees to secure their boats conveniently. Special SLN lifesaving and medical teams were deployed to ensure the safety of the devotees who attended this festival.

This is a special event which provides great support to strengthen friendship and brotherhood between Sri Lanka and India. Sharing good will and religious observances are the main objectives of this feast.

The main mass was conducted by Jaffna Bishop Rt. Rev. Dr. Thomas Savundaranayagam assisted by the Parish Priest of Kachchativu. This is the first time the Jaffna Bishop participated in the annual feast of St. Anthony's Church.

Nearly 7,000 devotees including clergy from here and India attended the event. Food and transportation were provided by the Navy and around 200 Indian boats arrived.

Indian High Commissioner Ashok K. Kantha participated in this special event and said the event, which draws a sizable number of Indian pilgrims, would be a catalyst in further strengthening bonds between the peoples of the two countries.

"Friendship and brotherhood between Sri Lanka and India has a long history. Strengthening this brotherhood is very important for both countries," he said.

"All should try to strengthen the mutual understanding between each other," he said. He also praised the Navy for facilitating the event by building infrastructure and providing amenities to the pilgrims.

S. Krishna and Shanthini, two Indian undergraduates who came to the St. Anthony's feast said this is a great opportunity that they experienced. They said these kind of events are helpful to strengthen mutual ties among the two countries. They also appreciated the way the Sri Lankan Navy facilitated this event and aided devotees who arrived at Kachchativu Island without any discrimination.

K. Arjun, a fishermen who attended the feast from India praised the togetherness among the two countries and said this is one of the greatest opportunities they had ever experienced.

"This is the first time I came here to take part in the annual feast of St. Anthony's Church. I did not think that the Sri Lankan Navy and other Sri Lankans are such friendly and helpful people. They are kindhearted people and I hope to take part in this event annually in the future," he said.

G. Ganeshan, a businessman who attended this event from Jaffna also appreciated the remarkable contribution provided by the Sri Lanka Navy to strengthen friendship and brotherhood between Sri Lanka and India. He also praised the Sri Lankan government and President Mahinda Rajapaksa for creating a peaceful country ending terrorism which prevails in the country for over 30 years.

Traditional Industries and Small Enterprise Development Minister Douglas Devananda and Jaffna Security Forces Commander Major General Mahinda Hathurusinghe also visited Kachchativu on the eve of the feast.

The church built in Kachchativu is named after St. Anthony, the patron-saint of seafarers to whom the annual feast is dedicated. The church is said to have been built in the early 20th century by fishermen.

Navy Commander Vice Admiral Jayanath Colombage, Northern Naval Area Commander Rear Admiral Shirantha Udawatte, Navy Media Spokesman Commander Kosala Warnakulasooriya and Navy Media Unit, the staff of the SLN Uttara, Kankesanthurai receive commendation for making this feast a success.