Our Lady of Madhu—inspiration, solace and refuge from the trials of life | Pledge Holidays Travel Blog

OUR LADY OF MADHU—INSPIRATION, SOLACE AND REFUGE FROM THE TRIALS OF LIFE To a casual visitor, the Roman Catholic Shrine of Our Lady of Madhu in this north-western corner of Sri Lanka resembles a refugee camp. As indeed it once was, and in many ways still is. On feast days, particularly August 15, hardly a square meter of Madhu’s teeming tent city remains unoccupied as rich and poor gather to pray, give thanks for small mercies, and walk on their knees up the central isle of the 130-year-old church. Some pray for a miracle. Others seek fellowship and reconciliation after the trauma of the recent civil war. Meanwhile, a few look for a sign that now is the time to get off their knees and stand up for themselves. But for all of them – the tens of thousands who make their annual pilgrimages from all corners of this island paradise famed for tea, karma, and Buddhist monks – it is a welcome refuge from a material world often filled with bad news. Most have driven through the night to arrive at the roadside shrine 50 kilometres south-east of Mannar, with its imposing gateway to the final 12 kilometres of specially built B378 road that cuts arrow-straight through the jungle. Click below for more. #SriLanka #OurLadyOfMadhu
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