Embassy and Lankan American community honour victims of Connecticut school tragedy

Sri Lanka Embassy on Friday, 14 December dedicated its annual Christmas Day Celebration to a prayer service in honouring the memory of the victims of the tragic shooting incident at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.

Ambassador Jaliya Wickramasuriya with the Embassy staff decided to forego the festivities of the evening due to the mass shooting incident, which resulted in the deaths of 20 elementary school children and seven adults.

“It is a very sad day for the US, and all peace loving people in the world. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of the tragedy in Newtown, and in this time of mourning we have decided to convert this event to a prayer session”, Ambassador Wickramasuriya informed the Sri Lankan Americans and US nationals gathered at the Embassy.

The Ambassador further expressed his empathy and sympathy, with the families of the victims as Sri Lanka knows only too well the pain of their tragic losses.

“We had experienced many tragedies, losses of life of innocent children due to terrorism, of 30 years. During the dark days, we were worried about our children when they left for school, if they would return home safely. Under the visionary leadership of our President, Mahinda Rajapaksa, that dreadful era came to an end in Sri Lanka. We know the pain, especially when it comes to children,” he added. The event was organised in keeping with the Embassy’s tradition of celebrating, with the community, the main festivals of all four major religions practiced in Sri Lanka.

Parish Priest of the Blessed Sacrament Church in Chevy Chase Fr. Percival D’ Silva, delivered the sermon and offered prayers. The Priest expressed his admiration for the Ambassador for his act of converting the celebrations to a prayer session, as a measure of support and solidarity with the people who lost their loved ones in the terrible carnage in their community. “I don’t think God would want us to celebrate, he would want us to show our support for these children and their parents, to show this kind of solidarity in their moment of grief,” he said.

During his discourse, he urged the audience to reflect on how society is distancing itself from moral obligations and allowing evil to happen. He blessed the gathering, the people of the US and Sri Lanka, and prayed for an end to the needless violence and evil, which plague the world and the human mind.

A traditional Sri Lankan dinner was served for those who attended. President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Saturday 15 December, sent condolences to the US President Barack Obama, conveying his heartfelt sympathies over the tragedy.