Holy Mass was held at Our Lady of Madhu shrine to mark the feast day of the Assumption lon Saturday, August 22.

In his homily, Bishop Vianney Fernando of Kandy (central Sri Lanka) told the faithful “not be afraid and live in communion with the Blessed Virgin Mary who has always come to the rescue of our country, especially in the troubled periods of its recent history.”

The prelate, who celebrated the mid-August feast day together with the bishops of Mannar, Galle and Anuradhapura, noted that in the past 29 years, local Catholics were left without a priest, and yet their faith “did not vanish".

Thanks to the priest who came from Goa, the community has returned to flourish. “History teaches us to live in communion with Our Lady,” he said. “Mary is the Amma (mother) of all of us” he added.

Celebrations were held at a time of serious difficulties and enormous dangers, starting with the COVID-19 pandemic which hit the island, albeit with less devastating effects than other Asian countries.

"We have heard of many people praying for an end to the world pandemic,” the bishop said in his homily. Equally, “we have heard of the thousands of individuals who have died every day in countries considered powerful. We all fear this evil.”

“As a country we have followed the health guidelines given to us; we can thus say that we are safe. Yet, I can also add that the Virgin Mary has come to protect us as well.”

However, the novel coronavirus is not the only emergency facing the country. Sri Lankans, especially young people, must pay attention to drugs. Parents must "protect our children", starting by not "drinking alcohol in front of them" and “not using children in any drug-related deal.”

The bishop told parents that their children are “the greatest treasure you have in the world. They require great efforts and lots of tears. Do everything you can to raise and educate them.”

Yet, beware that “all this is useless if you do not spiritually educate them" starting with the faith which is the basis and foundation of the person.

For the bishop of Kandy, parents are not the only ones who must do the right thing. For him, the country’s leaders are tasked with fighting all forms of violence, corruption, and drugs. They must pay particular attention to the new generation since one of their tasks is “protecting the nation".

Despite the limits and restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 emergency, many people attended the service, carefully listening to Bishop Fernando’s words in order to share his concerns about the country’s fate.

Speaking to AsiaNews, Ranjith Keerthi, a native of Jaela, who came with his family, said that during the Mass, he "prayed fervently for the country and its political leaders,” as the bishop had called for, because "the future is in danger if they do not act correctly.”

"As Christians, our duty is to give priority to prayers and seek the intercession of Our Lady on every occasion,” he added.

One couple, Maala and Dhamma Tissera, pilgrims from Kalutara, noted that “It is a great honour for us to pray once a year at the feet of the Virgin of Madhu. We thank Our Lady for saving our country from the dangerous COVID-19 pandemic".

For those present and for the faithful who followed the service at home via TV, the feast day of the Assumption provided an additional opportunity to call for an end to the global health emergency and give new impetus to the future of the country.