They are either engrossed in silent prayer broken only by loud incantations from a well-dressed man seated in a corner, lighting bundles of flickering candles or fervently kissing the glass-encased statue, oblivious to the bustle of the town just outside the door.
Hundreds throng this shrine daily, crawling under the statue and making their way to the altar on their knees, picking up blessed salt or imploring with tear-filled eyes an urgent favour before the numerous statues.
Whatever that draws the crowd, the faith is palpable. Now there is a different kind of expectation – the much-awaited celebration of the 175th anniversary of St. Anthony’s Shrine at Kochchikade on June 13. And it is not just the Catholics who come in their numbers to this shrine, but those from all religions, communities, strata and the remotest corner of the country.
Suddenly, there is a flurry and the glass-encasing of St. Anthony’s statue is opened for a woman to place a gold chain and a ring.
Accompanied by her husband and a relative, she is here to “thank Santha Anthony” for keeping her safe and happy during her long job-stint abroad.
“I went to the Middle East, had a lot of trouble and returned after 10 months. Then I made a vow here, though I am a Buddhist, and went for 14 years to Oman and Cyprus. There were no troubles, all because of Santha Anthony,” says this woman from Hettipola who is back for good now.
For Mary Margaret Perera who is in her eighties the association with St. Anthony has been much longer. She nearly died when giving birth to her second son long years ago and it was then that her relatives sought divine help. Since then she drops by the church almost everyday.
“This is a very miraculous shrine,” says Administrator Fr. Clement Rozairo, explaining that people come here to ask for various favours and also thank St. Anthony for helping them in times of trouble.
Many who have married but have not been able to have a baby do the novena to St. Anthony and see the fulfilment of their wish. They bring the baby for blessing straight from the hospital, he says.
That day, however, H.A. Chryshantha had brought his wife, Samanthi, and little Jasika, because the boy was “getting frightened”.
“When we bring him here and apply the blessed oil he is better,” says the anxious father, who invariably participates in the special weekly services at the shrine.
It is the blessed salt that is of value to M. Mihiri who takes it after a visit to the church. A pinch of salt in their food helps to maintain peace and tranquillity at home, while D. Janana is here to say a “big thank you” for he has got admission to a British university to meet his ambition of becoming a mechanical engineer.
As K. Jackson leaves after lighting some candles he is all smiles because that day was his birthday and a visit to the shrine was a must.
Adds Fr. Rozairo: “St. Anthony is a special saint who brings together those of all religions and ethnicities. I remember even when the war against terrorism was at its height no one, rich or poor, powerful or lowly, of one ethnic community or another, was afraid to come to the shrine.”
Although the devotion to St. Anthony is believed to have been established during the time of the Portuguese who introduced Catholicism to Sri Lanka, there is no evidence of a structure similar to this famed church at that time, says church historian Manel Abhayaratna, explaining that even if it did exist the Dutch who captured the Maritime Provinces after the Portuguese would have destroyed it as they were promoting their own religion.
As the Dutch continued their campaign to destroy the Catholic church and debarred people from giving shelter to priests, Joseph Vaz arrived on the island from India in 1687 disguised as a labourer and ministered to the needs of those in Jaffna, Puttalam and Kandy. Soon after, Fr. Antonio also crossed over from India to minister to the Catholics in the city. Disguised as a fishmonger he sought shelter in a house on Maliban Street, Colombo.
However, when the Dutch got wind of Fr. Antonio and his ministry and despatched soldiers to arrest him, he fled towards Mutwal, being stopped by some fishermen who were fearful about sea erosion. They made him a promise. If he could get God to intervene and stop nature taking its course, they would protect him. That’s what he did by placing a large wooden cross at the spot most threatened by the advancing sea.
When Fr. Antonio placed the cross and prayed, the waves are said to have receded with a sandbank forming to prevent any other waves coming in. The astounded soldiers then hurried to the Dutch Governor and sensing the repercussions of arresting the priest, he instead gifted him a small plot of land in the area, states Ms. Abhayaratna.
Here it was that Fr. Antonio built a small boutique or kade from where he supplied meals to the poor in the morning and ministered to their religious needs in the evening. As he was from Cochin in India, the place has been referred to as Kochchikade – the boutique of Cochin.
Tradition accepts that this little hut was gradually transformed by the priest into a chapel where he was buried when he died (as was the first Archbishop of Colombo Christopher Bonjean) and that the miraculous statue of St. Anthony brought from Goa in 1822 now stands where Fr. Antonio planted the cross.
Among the many highlights of the shrine’s history are the surprise visit by Pope John Paul II who was in Sri Lanka on January 20, 1995 for the beatification of Joseph Vaz, while on his way from the airport and more recently the exposition in March this year of the sacred relic of St. Anthony brought from Italy.
Who is St. Anthony?
He is known by many names – Miracle Worker, Patron of Lost Things, Guardian of Mail, Patron of Seafarers, Patron of Children and most importantly in Sri Lanka as Saint of National Unity.
He was born into a wealthy family in Lisbon, Portugal in 1195 and baptized Fernando by his parents Don Martin de Bouillon and Donna Teresa Tavera, but at 15 left his comfortable life to follow in the footsteps of Christ.
Entering a monastery of St. Augustine at that tender age, he had later taken the vows of the Franciscans, changed his name to Anthony, donned the brown habit and decided to go to Africa to work there among the impoverished. When he fell ill on reaching Africa, he was sent back to Portugal but his ship was caught in a storm and wrecked off Sicily.
This scholar monk well-versed in the Scriptures at a time when heresy was rapidly sweeping through Europe was later sent to France to preach there, where he is said to have performed many miracles.
When the founder of the Franciscan Order died, Anthony was summoned to Rome and put in charge of an important province but it was in Padua that he took up the task of expelling materialism from among the people.
His tryst with God came when he was just 36 years old in June 1231, to which he went willingly having told those close to him “I see my Lord”. He was declared a saint a year later. |
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