Sri Lanka Navy renovates Chapel of Our Lady of Lanka for Papal visit
His Holiness Pope Francis, who was in Sri Lanka as part of His Apostolic journey in Asia, visited the Chapel of Our Lady of Lanka at the Benedict XVI Cultural Institute in Bolawalana on 15th January 2015. His Holiness prayed silently, recited the prayer of blessings and imparted the blessing on the chapel fully renovated by the Sri Lanka Navy for the historic occasion. The Archbishop of Colombo His Eminence Malcom Cardinal Ranjith, the Commander of the Navy Vice Admiral Jayantha Perera, the Commander of the Air Force Air Marshal Kolitha Gunathileke, senior naval and air force officers were also among the large congregation that was present on the occasion.
The renovation of the chapel and the Benedict XVI Cultural Institute was carried out by the civil engineering personnel of the Sri Lanka Navy under the direction of the Commander of the Navy in view of the Papal visit. A workforce of 125 naval personnel was able to complete the renovation project in less than a year, which included the complete renovation of the chapel and its administration building as well as the construction of the accommodation building and the Director's quarters at the Benedict XVI Cultural Institute anew. A special care was taken during the renovation to preserve the original church architecture considering the historical importance and the archaeological value of the buildings.
With the dawn of peace after the eradication of a ruthless terrorism that plagued the country for over three decades, the Sri Lanka Navy has been involved in renovation of dilapidated religious places with a view to build religious harmony among different ethnic groups in the country. The Navy utilizes its assets and the expertise of its personnel for the community development project aimed at promoting true amity and ethnic harmony among fellow citizens for a prosperous nation.
The Navy feels an immense spiritual delight to be associated with the blessed visit of the Holy Father, whose gracious presence is a great blessing to Sri Lanka.
