Sunday Mass cancelled

• Private Catholic schools will be closed until further notice   

By Yohan Perera and Sheain Fernandopulle   

Sunday Mass in all churches in the Colombo Archdiocese have been cancelled due to security reasons, the Archbishop’s House said yesterday. 

A spokesman for the Church, Rev. Fr. Edmond Tilakaratne  said a fresh decision was made by Colombo’s Archbishop His Eminence  Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith to cancel Masses next Saturday and Sunday  due to security reasons.   Earlier, the Cardinal had instructed churches to conduct a  limited number of Masses next Sunday (5) but to avoid evening  services.   The churches in Colombo and suburbs have been closed since the Easter Sunday bombings on April 21.   Meanwhile, all private Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Colombo (Western Province) will be closed until further notice considering the prevailing situation in the country in the aftermath of the series of bomb attacks on Easter Sunday, National Director of Catholic Schools Rev. Fr. Ivan Perera told the Daily Mirror.   

Accordingly, he said 26 schools operating under the Colombo Archbishop including Government-aided private schools like St. Joseph’s College Colombo, St. Peter’s College Colombo and Maris Stella College Negombo, would be closed.