In the Catholic Church at Matara is a statue of the Blessed Virgin and Child to which many miracles have been attributed.

Several experts in Europe have pronounced it to belong to the Portuguese type of sculpture (17th century) cut out of one solid piece of ashwood.

Mystery
As to who brought this statue of Sri Lanka, or who the sculptor was or from which country it came is shroudded in mystery; but the fact remains that it was with us when the Portuguese occupies the Western and Southern coasts over 300 years ago.

When the Portuguese were defeated by the Catholics (1658-1796) some devout Catholics fled from the Dutch governed area with this statue and hid it. Later it found its way to Matara.

Legend tells us that a huge wooden-crate was hauled out of the sea by some fishermen of Weligama. When it was opened, this beautiful statue of the Mother and Child was found inside, untouched by the sea water.

The fishermen handed it over to the parish priest who placed in St. Mary's Church, Matara.

Cholera
At a later period during a cholera epidemic, in the district the Catholics rallied round this statue and prayed to be delivered from the terrible disease.

The statue was taken in solemn procession through the streets of Matara and non-Catholics too, participated. After a few days the area was declared safe by the health authorities.

Miraculous statue
Since then the people of Matara have come to look upon this statue as miraculous. Many cures and favours are claimed to have been obtained by devotees, who prayed before it.

This fervour has been increased often the travels of this statue, which after many an adventure came back, over the waves, to take its permanent residence in the very same church in Matara. This is where wonderment comes in!

In the early 1900s, after over 300 years in the church of Matara, the statue looked faded and worn due to exposure and the hands of thousands of devotees touching and kissing it.

A Belgian bishop and some Belgian priests then in the charge of the Galle Diocese made arrangements with the then famous sculptor and painter, M. Zeus of Ghent, to "renovate" it. Accordingly, the statue was sent to him on June 2, 1911.

M. Zeus not only restored the wasted parts; but also brought out its original colours.

With due care the statue was re-packed in a wooden crate and shipped to Matara in the cargo boat 'Beachy" which set sail from Antwerp. This package never reached our shores. It was lost in transit.

Cargo Destroyed
The ship was caught in a fierce storm in the North Sea and was nearly wrecked. However, it managed to limp into Middlesborough the next morning. Most of the cargo had been destroyed and some had been thrown overboard.

At Minicoy, too, the ship encountered trouble and once again a part of the remaining cargo was thrown overboard.

Finally the ship entered Colombo harbour-minus the statue. The Rt. Rev. Dr. Joesph Van Reeth, Bishop of Galle, and the Belgian priest in the Galle diocese wrote to friends, and relatives in Belgium and through their intensive investigations traced the statue to a man in Middlesborough.

This man, an atheist, refused to hand over the statue and demanded a fabulous sum of money which was refused. In his disappointment and rage, he smashed the face of the statue with a hammer and threw it away.

But the statue was recovered and it came back to M. Zeus. He repaired and repainted it.

He was a labour of love and zeal. He spent all his energy and time on it till it was restored to its original beauty.

Return
Bishop Van Reeth went to Belgium on holiday and undertook to bring the statue back to Matara on his return. He set sail with the statue in the steamer, Princess Alice.

When he reached Colombo and looked for his luggage, the crate containing the statue was missing. Three days later a cargo boat, the "Uckermarck" from Belgium arrived in Colombo with the missing Crate. The "Uckermarck" had sailed after the "Princess Alice" had left Antwerp harbour and into this cargo boat had been loaded the excess luggage of the earlier passengership.

And so the Virgin came again, over
The waves, unchaperoned and on her
Own, back to her people in Matara.
Thus, she deserves the name:-
"The Star of the "Ocean"

Our Blessed Mother invites you to celebrate Her Birthday at Her Shrine. Annually all of us flock around Our Mother in the month of September to celebrate her Birthday and also plead for Her intercession in our daily needs; we are convinced that Our Lady of Matara will never fail us in our petitions.

Eucharistic procession will take place on Friday the 11th September, 5.30 p.m. The celebrant will be Rev. Fr. Nihal Nanayakkara.

The services on Saturday the 12th September, 1998 and Vespers will be sung at 4.30 p.m. by His Lordship Oswald Gomis - Bishop of Anuradhapura.

The festive High Mass will be celebrated at 8.00 a.m. on Sunday the 13th September, 1998 by His Lordship Elmo Perera - Bishop of Galle.