Sri Lankan Community to Honour Victims of Tragedy at St Mary’s Cathedral
Date: Thursday 25 April 2019
Subject: Sri Lankan Community to Honour Victims of Tragedy at St Mary’s Cathedral
On Saturday 27 April 2019 at 4.00pm, members of Perth’s Sri Lankan community and invited guests will gather at St Mary’s Cathedral to honour and pray for the victims of the recent Colombo bombings, and all those affected by this dreadful tragedy.
Mr Chris Jayatilake, Chairperson of Sri Lankan Catholic Association WA, has extended an open invitation to everyone - people of all faiths, all beliefs, all backgrounds - to join with members of Perth’s Sri Lankan community this Saturday at St Mary’s Cathedral - to honour those who have died, to pray for those who have and are suffering great loss and hardship, and especially, to pray for peace and an end to the senseless violence seen far too often around the world today.
This special Mass will be celebrated by Rev. Fr. Ajith Perera (OMI) from Colombo, Sri Lanka, who is currently visiting Perth, and will be conducted in both English and Singhalese. Following Mass, an interfaith memorial service will be held on the Cathedral’s southern courtyard.
Dean of St Mary’s Cathedral, Very Rev Dr Sean Fernandez, said “The images of suffering from Sri Lanka tear at the hearts of all of us. We open our arms, hearts and the Cathedral to our brothers and sisters in the Sri Lankan community who are grieving after such barbaric acts of violence were perpetrated against so many innocent people. St Mary’s Cathedral welcomes all those who may wish to join in solidarity with the community’s members, to pray for peace, for those were killed, the injured and the grieving."
Auxiliary Bishop of Perth, Most Rev Donald Sproxton, reached out with a massage of support and sympathy to the Sri Lankan Community this week. In his letter, Bishop Sproxton wrote: “It is with the greatest sadness and horror that Archbishop Costelloe and I learnt about the bombings in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday. Our immediate thoughts were for the hundreds of victims and their families. We brought them to God, our Merciful Father, in prayer as we celebrated the great Christian feast of the Resurrection.
There will be Members of the local Sri Lankan community who have lost family and friends in these attacks. We express our sincerest condolences to you all and we will continue to pray for your loved ones. The people of the Archdiocese of Perth stand with you in faith and solidarity”.
Media organisations are warmly invited to attend the Mass and Memorial Service and respectfully asked to help share this open invitation from Perth’s Sri Lankan community. Anyone interested is most welcome to join us at St Mary’s Cathedral, Saturday 27 April 2019 at 4.00pm.
Brett Mendez
Media Manager
On behalf of the Catholic Archdiocese of Perth