Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT), the national ICT solutions provider has successfully completed the ICT enablement of the famous Our Lady of Madhu Church in Mannar, for the benefit of thousands of pilgrims who visit this church each year. The system was first implemented during the visit of His Holiness Pope Francis to Sri Lanka in January, during which time he conducted a special mass at the Madhu Church in Mannar.

The Madhu church is a highly venerated place of worship with many miracles attributed to the miraculous nature of this holy church which is frequented by a large number of Catholic devotees from all over the island. The church building cannot accommodate the large number of people who flock for mass due to inadequate space, thereby leaving many standing outside and unable to view and properly participate in the service taking place within the church.

This inconvenience was rightfully addressed by SLT with the installation of cameras inside the church with a live feed to 5 LED screens set up in the church premises, enabling thousands of devotees who thronged the church premises from all parts of the country to closely participate in the special service taking place inside the church. This system enabled thousands of people who visited the Madhu church to be blessed by His Holiness Pope Francis.

The service conducted by the Pope was also telecast live via PEO TV to enable Catholics all over the island to participate in the mass from their homes. The Holy Father prayed that through the intercession of Our Lady of Madhu may all people of this land find strength and inspiration to build a future of reconciliation, justice and peace. Through the use of technology this profound message was broadcast to the people of Sri Lanka and the rest of the world.

Giving his views on this CSR project, Lalith de Silva, the Group CEO of SLT said, “The Madhu church is a very special place of worship for Catholics who visit the church from all over the island throughout the year, especially for church feasts. After coming such a long way, it is very unfortunate that they are unable to fully follow the proceedings inside the church due to overcrowding and inadequate space inside the building. Therefore, finding alternative ways for all pilgrims who have taken the trouble to travel so far, to closely follow mass has been a very strongly felt need. We are happy to provide this ICT solution to the Madhu church which will be of immense value to the Catholic community including people of other faiths in Sri Lanka.”