MADHU CHURCH

The Shrine of Our Lady of Madhu is a Roman Catholic Marian Shrine in Mannar Distict of Sri Lanka. With a history of over 400 years, this shrine acts as a center for pilgrimage and worship for Sri Lankan Catholics. The site is considered as the holiest Catholic shrine in the island and is a well known place of devotion for both Tamil and Sinhalese Catholics alike. The church has been a symbol of unity not just between Tamils and Sinhalese, but also between people of different religions, including Buddhist,Hindus and Protestant. 

The Madhu church which stands inside thick jungles of mannar has been historically famous for its miracles and the healing power of its soil.

Background information

During the British colonial period, when  Sri Lanka was known as ceylon, most civil service jobs were (roughly 60%) held by minority sri lankan tamils who were approximately 15% of the population. This was enabled due to the availability of western style education provided byAmerican missionaries and others in the Tamil dominant Jaffna peninsula. The preponderance of Tamils over their natural share of the population was used by populist majority Sinhalese politicians to come to political power by promising to elevate the Sinhalese people. These measures as well as riots and pogroms that targeted the minority Sri Lankan Tamils led to the formation of a number of rebel groups advocatingindipendence of sri lankan tamils. Following the 1983 Bkack july pogrom full scale civil war began between the government and the rebel groups.

feast of madhu

In the liturgical calendar of the Catholic Church, five important feasts that mark important milestones in Mother Mary’s life are celebrated; 25th March - the Annunciation of the Lord when the Angel Gabriel met Mary; 2nd July - the Visitation Day where Mary met Elizabeth, mother of John the Baptist; 15th August - the Assumption when she entered Heaven; 8th September - the day of her Birthday; 8th December - the Day of Immaculate Conception.

Of the five, the 15th August Feast became the most popular at Madhu Shrine and the period of the feast is well known as the Madhu Season. The renowned shrine has been a place of adoration for people from all faiths and walks of life in Sri Lanka for over 400 years. Although, the war that has been raging in the country for three decades stopped the flow of devotees to the sylvan shrine, it nevertheless remained in the hearts and minds of the faithful over the years.

Madhu which is believed by the Catholics to be a shrine of miraculous healing power has bestowed blessings on thousands of people in misery, the destitute and the sick for centuries. History has shown that the Madhu Shrine could widen the ethnic harmony and amity in Sri Lanka with certainty. The shrine has been a symbol of unity not just between the Sinhalese and Tamils but also between people of different religions.