Domed open-air church pavilion with an ornate cross and decorated shrine, tents on either side, St. Anthony's Church, Kachchativu Island

Katchatheevu Island is now Sri Lankan naval base, and no civilians are allowed there, except for 2 days and 1 night, allowing pilgrims and travelers for the island church’s annual St. Antony’s festival.

The St. Anthony’s sacred Church, on Kachchativu Island which locates in close proximity to Indo-Sri Lanka Maritime Boundary Line and owned by Sri Lanka, has long been the pinnacle of reverence of both Indian and Sri Lankan Catholic devotees. Giving precedence to customary rituals, the annual feast of the St. Anthony’s Church was celebrated in the morning today (16th March) 2019, on a successful note. This year’s feast marked the third of its kind conducted upon the completion of new church by the Sri Lanka Navy. As usual, Sri Lanka Navy assisted the Bishop of Jaffna and District Secretary-Jaffna for organizing this year’s feast too.

Large crowd of devotees gathered facing the golden-domed church during the Feast Mass, Kachchativu Island

The Feast Mass was conducted in both Tamil and Sinhala languages. The Tamil Mass was conducted by Revd. Father Joshep Lurduraj of India while Sinhala Mass was conducted by Revd. Father Robinson Wijesinghe. The sacred occasion was attended by the Bishop of Jaffna, His Lordship Rt. Revd. Dr. Justin Gnanapragasam, Indian Council General in Jaffna Mr. S. Balachandran, Chief of Defence Staff Admiral Ravindra Wijegunaratne, Commander of the Navy Vice Admiral Piyal De Silva, Commander Northern Naval Area, Rear Admiral Meril Wickramasinghe, Senior Naval officers and a large number of Tri Forces and Police personnel. Apart from that, 6,500 Sri Lankan Catholic devotees and about 2100 Indian devotees with Catholic dignitaries including sisters were in attendance.

Sri Lanka Navy initiated the process of assistance into annual Kachchativu feast in coordination with the Bishop of Jaffna and District Secretary-Jaffna from first week of last February. Accordingly, Sri Lanka Navy provided meals and all infrastructure facilities, including electricity, installation of sanitary and drinking water facilities. Temporary jetties were made ready for people to secure their boats conveniently, and special SLN lifesaving teams and a medical team with a doctor were deployed to ensure the safety of the devotees attending the annual festival.

Pilgrims resting on the sandy beach near the church at dusk, colorful festival flags lining the shore

we were soon strolling over sandy pavements towards the catholic shrine. On both sides of our path were temporary stalls set up by Sri Lankan vendors, trying to sell anything from Sri Lankan red tender coconuts to tea, water, drinks, clothes, handicrafts, toys, pickle, soaps, perfume, etc. They were especially keen to sell items to Indians, as they knew that Indian money had better value than Sri Lankans and they can use this opportunity to collect some and profit. The total island itself is about 1sq km. And almost nearly a km’s walk for 30 minutes we reached St. Antony’s shrine, located at a small hillock surrounded by sea with clear blue waters and pristine sand. It was small, but a beautiful church, decorated with flower and lightings and candles, and many felt some divinity and serene atmosphere, although we were about 5000 of us in small 1sq km island, going nowhere until we will be permitted to sail back, only next day afternoon. We had to bath in the sea, sleep with other thousands on the ground with sandy grass and rocks with open sky anywhere surrounding the shrine. There was a mass in the evening and went on for hours. The next one was in the following morning. Sri Lankan authorities and the church had arranged free dinner lunch and breakfast packages to everyone in that Island. This visit was my 1st one, but many who had been there in previous years had better arranged their stay, like they had brought tents to shelter from open sky and wind from the sea. However I thought, they had somehow smuggled liquor which was prohibited, but conveniently hidden in water bottles and they had helped themselves inside tents.

  • Yellow and white church building with a bell tower and covered pavilion, Kachchativu Island
  • Canopy shade structure on the sandy shore with Sri Lankan flags on poles and palm trees
  • A surfer riding a small wave on the calm turquoise sea near Kachchativu Island
  • Rocky coral outcrop covered with patches of vegetation along the shoreline
  • Large crowd of devotees gathered outdoors near the church with a flag flying
  • Colorful bundle of balloon-animal toys held up by a street vendor at the festival
  • Dome-shaped shade canopy with pilgrims resting underneath on the sandy ground
  • Colorful festival flags on poles with the church visible at dusk, crowd gathered below
  • Aerial view of blue and green fishing boats docked closely together at the jetty
  • Aerial view of boats moored near the shore with crowds of pilgrims gathered on the beach
  • Aerial view of a boat packed with passengers heading toward shore at dusk

Travel Guide Contents

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I visit Kachchativu Island anytime?

No – it’s a Sri Lankan naval base normally closed to civilians. Access is only permitted for about two days and one night each year, during St. Anthony’s Feast in March.

How do pilgrims get there and where do they stay?

Pilgrims arrive by boat; most sleep outdoors on the sand near the shrine (some bring tents), with the Navy providing meals, water, sanitation, and medical support for the festival.

Is this account from every year’s feast?

This piece describes the 2019 feast specifically – exact dates and access arrangements are set by the Sri Lankan Navy and Jaffna Diocese each year, so confirm current details before planning a trip.

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