For Assumption more than 450,000 pilgrims visit Madhu shrine

(Aug.08,2010) In Sri Lanka, more than 450,000 pilgrims on Sunday celebrated the Feast of the Assumption at the Marian shrine of Our Lady of Madhu. This was the second such celebration at the Marian shrine, since the civil war ended in May 2009. In previous years, the war did not spare the shrine and its surrounding area, making celebrations difficult.
Most Catholics gathered at the site for vespers on Saturday, a day before the feast of the Assumption, when Archbishop Malcolm Ranjith of Colombo, led a solemn procession, together with other Sri Lankan bishops. A solemn Mass was celebrated the next day - August 15 at the Madhu Shrine by Archbishop Ranjith with other bishops and priests. Prayers were said in Sinhala, Tamil and Latin.
In his homily, Archbishop Ranjith reminded all those present that “in the north there are families who had lost fathers and mothers, sisters and brothers, husbands and wives. He pointed out that some of them lived huddled under makeshift shelters made of thin metal sheets. He said these suffering people belong to the same family loved by God. The family is the source of love, he explained. And love, which comes from God, is passed on from parents to children and between spouses. He lamented that many married couples do not want children; others are postponing them,” he said. However, he reminded the faithful that “for Christians, the family is a small church” and called for reconciliation and rebuilding of family life in the post-war years. .