Lankan pilgrims walk for peace| Cathnews India

Lankan pilgrims walk for peace

Published Date: March 15, 2010

Tags: Church in Sri Lanka, Lent customs, Lent in south Asia

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Pilgrims walking in a procession, praying for peace

Thousands of people of various faiths walked 100 kilometers over a period of three days in northern Sri Lanka to pray for peace and freedom in the country.

On March 10, war victims, widows, disabled people, fishermen, farmers and state workers, some carrying their children on their shoulders, started their pilgrimage from the cathedral in Mannar city to Calvary, a mountainous area southeast of Mannar.

The 1,500-strong group sang hymns and listened to preaching while taking turns to carry a 1.8-meter cross.

The Diocesan Council of Mannar diocese has been organizing this pilgrimage since 2002. This time, it was specially organized to pray for permanent peace and freedom in Sri Lanka after the 26-year civil war, which ended last May.

This Way of the Cross “is a great spiritual exercise for peace,” Father Surenthiran Ravel Leenus, secretary to the bishop of Mannar, told UCA News.

He said that along the way, another 1,300 pilgrims joined the group, which included Hindus. Twelve priests accompanied the pilgrims, who walked through villages and through checkpoints and barriers that soldiers allowed them to go through.

During the day, the devotees, many of whom were fasting, endured scorching temperatures, while at night they attended prayer sessions held in villages. Kind villagers also supplied the pilgrims with meals, tea and cool drinks along the way.

During the two nights of their pilgrimage, the devotees slept in churches in Kannaddi village and Vavuniya city.

On March 12, they walked from St Anthony’s church in Vavuniya and reached Calvary. About 3,000 other devotees, Sinhalese and Tamils, joined the group here.

“Suffering is part and parcel of Christian life,” said Anton Sebamalai, 49, a shop owner who was seen covered in dust at the end of the journey. “Jesus will give us peace.”

Mannar Vicar General Father Anthony Victor Sosai, presiding over the final religious ceremonies, noted that Sri Lankans long for peace after experiencing decades of civil war.

“We want to give them hope through our joint prayers,” he said.

Source: Sri Lankan pilgrims walk 100 km for peace (UCAN)

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