MoD holds special religious blessing ceremony for Easter Sunday bomb victims
July 21, 2019A special three month remembrance alms giving was conducted at the Ministry of Defence to pass merit and remember the victims of the Easter Sunday bomb blast, today (21 July 2019). The programme was conducted in a manner where other religious blessings were summoned with the presence of members of clergy of Hindu, Islam and Catholic faiths in remembering the unfortunate incident on Easter Sunday, April (21), this year.
The Secretary to the Ministry of Defence, General SHS Kottegoda (Rtd) WWV RWP RSP VSV USP ndc graced the event organized by the MoD Seva Vanitha Unit at the Ministry auditorium, this morning.
The ceremony commenced with the placing of the sacred relics at the special dais by the Secretary Defence. The religious observances were led by the Maha Nayaka of the Amarapura sect Ven. Kotugoda Dhammavasa Thera. Hindu, Islamic and Christian religious blessing ceremonies were conducted by the dignitaries of those religions present at the occasion.
Special multi religious prayers were conducted to pass merit on all the victims who had lost their lives and also to the speedy recovery of those injured in the bomb blasts.
Soon after the religious observances were over, alms were offered to the members of the Maha Sangha and other religious leaders.
Chairperson of the MoD Seva Vanitha Unit Mrs. Sonia Kottegoda, Tri Forces commanders, senior Ministry officials, senior tri forces, police and civil defence Department officers, Military Liaison Officer of the MoD, and a large number of Ministry staff were present at the occasion.
A series of suicide bomb blasts rocked the nation on 21st April, 2019 claiming the lives of scores of people and injuring hundreds. These bomb attacks were carried out targeting several churches including the St. Anthony's Shrine in Kochchikade and tourist hotels in Colombo. A number of foreign nationals had also lost their lives in the blasts.
