When the three Irish Redemptorist Pioneers arrived in Sri Lanka in 1939, to establish the Cogregation here, they carried with them the icon of Mother of Pertetual Help which is fact was an integral part of their missinery activity, by then. When the Redemptorists finally established a permanent foundation in Kandy on 15th March 1946 ( that is where the present Sancta, Maria is situated), they became the first chapel to our Mother of Perpetual Help, thus, Sancta Maria became the first shrine dedicated to this miraculous icon in Sri Lanka. They named the place itself “Sancta Maria” taking the first two words of the Latin title of this icon, “ Sancta Maria de Perpetuo Succurso”. In early years, there were two or three sessions of Novena every Saturday at sancta Maria, and thousands of pilgrims used to attend them. With the Redemptorists (though always small in number in Sri Lanka) going to every nook and corner of this island, to preach missions and retreats , the devotion to Our Mother of Perpetual Help was propagated all over Sri Lanka. In fact, it was Fr. Christie McCarthy, CSsR who took the initiative with Fr. John Herath, OMI , to start this devotion at all Saints Church , Borella, in 1951 which eventually became one of the most popular centres of this devotion.
The beautiful wooden altar which we see at Sancta Maria Chapel was build in 1946 by Fr. Arthur Maloney, CSsR , himself. The ion enshrined on top of that altar was crowned in 1957 by the then Bishop of Kandy, His Lordship Bernard Regno , OSB, amidst a large gathering of devotees. The Saturday novena at Sancta Maria though now reduced to one session, at 4.45 p.m. has continued, and on 26th June 2010, will mark the 3,500th novena conduced in this hallowed shrine. For the past 64 years, generations of Catholics and non- Catholics have come here to veberate our Mother of Perpetual Help, and have received innumerable favours through her powerful intercessiona with her beloved Son, Jesus Cjrist. It is amazaing to note how devotees come almost dayil ( outside the novena of Saturdays ) to pray at this beautiful shrine, and many are the miracles attributed to this holy place. At each novena, some of the letters of thanksgiving sent in by devotees are read. Unfortunately, we, the Redemptorists, have not kept a careful record of all the thanksgivings sent in by recipients of allsorts of favours, right from the beginning. What we have in our files are only a collection of some of the recent thanksgivings. In this booklet, we re-produce a few selected thanksgiving chosen from them . Some, if not most of them, would surely qualify to be what we believers may call a ‘Miracle’ , signifying God’s continuous intervention in our lives, through the intercession of Mary. These letters of thanksgiving are, thus , presented with the sole purpose of inculcating and enhancing the faith of the readers in the powerful intercession of our Mother of Perpetual Help before her divine son. We hope that eventually they would also enable our readers to be alert in their ordinary daily lives to detect the hand of God, and then, give praise to Him for His powerful never –ending presence in our midst. May our Lady of Perpetual Help be ‘a perpetual help’ to you in your life !
(Please note that these thanksgivings are edited without changing the original versions as far as possible)
Fr. Vimal Tirimanna , CSsR
May 2010,Sancta Maria,Kandy
CONTACT US
Redemptorist Community
‘Sancta Maria’
George E Dr Silva Mawatha
Kandy 20000
Sri Lanka
Tele;94 81 2224268
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