Mary on the Eastern Front: Apparitions in Sri Lanka and one woman’s healing practices in times of war and peace

In a small fishing village on the outskirts of Chilaw, Sri Lanka, people pack into a room to seek healing from a woman who channels Mary the mother of Jesus. Thushari, who was 44 when I met her in 2016, heals hundreds, it is believed, and prays over the widows of those who “disappeared” during the Sri Lankan Civil War, holding her hands over the photos of these men and giving their surviving widows hope. Married to a fisherman, Thushari ministers also to women who have lost their husbands out at sea. She has no schooling beyond second standard and claims not to be able to read or write. But for years she has “miraculously” been writing reams of messages that Mary has given her: in Hebrew, English, Tamil, and Sinhalese. This paper investigates Marian devotion in Sri Lanka, particularly in relation to war, and Thushari’s healing and writing practice as she sends these messages to the Pope, seeking Papal blessings.