Our Lady of Tewatta blesses pilgrims and the sick

(Sept.01,2009): In Sri Lanka, thousands of pilgrims who visited Our Lady of Tewata Shrine for the 68th annual day received the blessing of the sick. Some 200 priests and 150 men and women religious took part in Saturday’s event at the national shrine for a solemn ceremony, whose theme this year was ‘Reconcile and Heal Us, O Lord’. Celebrations began with the Rosary read in Sinhalese and Tamil, followed by the ‘Prayer for the Country’. During his homily Archbishop Malcolm Ranjith of Colombo told the pilgrims that “Christians can smile through tears and tribulations”. He also urged the faithful to “live with inner calm and righteousness after the terror and the blood bath in the country since 1970.” The Apostolic Nuncio to Sri Lanka .Mgr Joseph Spiteri and several other top prelates also took part in the service. Some Buddhists also joined the largely Catholic crowd assembled at Our Lady of Lanka Shrine.