Thousands of devotees from India and Sri Lanka gathered on the remote island of Kachchatheevu in the Palk Strait to celebrate the annual feast of St. Anthony’s Church on February 27 and 28, highlighting how faith continues to transcend national boundaries and foster reconciliation between neighboring nations.
Kachchatheevu is a small, uninhabited island located between India and Sri Lanka in the Palk Strait. Administratively, it belongs to the Jaffna District in Sri Lanka’s Northern Province.
In his homily, Fr. Jebaratnam, Vicar General of the Diocese of Jaffna, reflected on the unique spiritual significance of the island.
“This land of Kachchatheevu, who does it belong to? The answer is simple: geographically, it belongs to Sri Lanka. But sacramentally and spiritually, it belongs to everyone. We experience that today. This is an island of divine presence. This is an island of unity and peace. This is the island of reconciliation,” he said.
Record Participation
Official records indicate that 13,667 devotees participated in this year’s feast, including 9,768 pilgrims from Sri Lanka and 3,899 from India.
Although the island officially belongs to Sri Lanka, its location, far from the Sri Lankan mainland but close to the Indian coast, has made it a shared place of devotion for Catholics from both countries.
Feast Mass and Religious Leadership
The feast Mass was presided over by Bishop Justin Gnanapragasam of the Diocese of Jaffna, under whose ecclesiastical jurisdiction the island falls.
Several priests from both Sri Lanka and India concelebrated the Mass, reflecting the cross-border character of the celebration. Among them were Fr. Anton Amaladasi, parish priest of Delft Parish (under which Kachchatheevu falls); Fr. Sampath from the Archdiocese of Colombo, representing Sinhala-speaking devotees; Fr. Arul Joseph from the Diocese of Sivagangai in India; and Fr. Thomas Paribalan from Rameswaram Parish in India.
Government officials from both countries were also present, including the Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy and other senior officers, who oversaw security and coordination for the pilgrims.
Shared Faith Experience
Despite the island’s limited facilities and the temporary shelters available, thousands of pilgrims spent the night under the open sky. The shared experience underscored the deep sense of unity among devotees from different linguistic, cultural, and national backgrounds.
As the feast coincided with the Lenten season, the traditional Way of the Cross was held after the flag-hoisting ceremony on February 27, inviting pilgrims to reflect on repentance and reconciliation.
A Tradition of Over a Century
St. Anthony’s feast at Kachchatheevu has a history spanning more than a hundred years. Each year, it draws Catholics and people of other faiths from both Sri Lanka and India, making it a rare cross-border religious gathering.
For many devotees, the celebration stands as a powerful reminder that spiritual bonds can often rise above political and geographical divisions.
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
Latest News
