A Protestant Christian mass in tribute to the victims of the murders in Barrhaven was celebrated Saturday morning in the Nepean neighborhood.
Rebecca Kwan (View profile)Rebecca Kwan
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A Protestant Christian mass in honor of the victims of the sextuple murder that occurred in Barrhaven on the evening of March 6 was celebrated Saturday morning in the Nepean neighborhood, west of Ottawa.
More than 200 faithful gathered in memory of the mother, Darshani Dilanthika Ekanyake, of her four children, Inuka Wickramasinghe, Ashwini Wickramasinghe, Ranaya Wickramasinghe and Kelly Wickramasinghe , and a friend of their family, Gamini Amarakoon Amarakoon Mudiyanselage, all killed with knives.
The man accused of murdering six people at a Barrhaven residence, Febrio De-Zoysa, has appeared in court twice since the tragedy.
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Darshani Dilanthika Ekanayake ( right), her four children (center) and a family friend were found dead late Wednesday, March 6, in a residence in the Barrhaven neighborhood. Her husband and father of four children, Dhanushka Wickramasinghe (left), was seriously injured.
Prayers and tributes were said. An audio recording of the wife and two daughters of the slain family friend, Gamini Amarakoon Amarakoon Mudiyanselage, was played in the room.
According to testimonies read during mass, this father was currently following a process to immigrate his wife and two daughters to Canada.
Loading in progress< source srcset="https://images.radio-canada.ca/q_auto,w_600/v1/ici-info/sports/17x6/martin-st-louis-22198.jpg" media="(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 1023px)">Martin St-Louis must be absent for family reasons
Martin St-Louis must be absent for family reasons
ELSE ON INFO: Martin St-Louis must be absent for family reasonsLoadingMartin St-Louis must be absent for family reasons
Martin St-Louis must be absent for family reasons
ELSELSE ON INFO: Martin St-Louis must be absent for family reasons
The husband of the woman killed and father of the four children who died during the tragedy, Dhanushka Wickramasinghe, was not present at this mass.
Abbot Pierre Champoux, pastor at Santa Monica Church, did not know the family personally. Some of the children killed during the tragedy were, however, enrolled in a Catholic school, he said.
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L'abbé Pierre Champoux is a pastor at Santa Monica Church.
It's going to take time for the community to grieve, he regrets. The whole community is affected, I think, because their innocence is destroyed.
It takes a lot of courage in times like these.
A quote from Pierre Champoux, pastor at Santa Monica Church
In his eyes, the best the community can do is be there for the family.
The day after the tragedy, we knew we had to do something as a community, says Damithri Silva, who helped organize the gathering.
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Damithri Silva took participated in the organization of the gathering.
The celebration of a mass of this kind was important for the community, says Ms. Silva.
The mass was Protestant Christian, but it brought together a wide range of faiths.< /p>
An Ottawa Muslim, Muzakir Majeed, took part in the rally.
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An Ottawan by confession Muslim, Muzakir Majeed.
It's nice to see that everyone came together to support each other, all religions, all communities, he slips.
According to him, this mass allowed him to begin the healing process and mourn this loss.
This is a tragic loss for the entire community. I think it's an understatement to say that we are in a state of shock.
A quote from Muzakir Majeed, an Ottawa Muslim
< p class="StyledBodyHtmlParagraph-sc-48221190-4 hnvfyV">It will take a long time for people to grasp the seriousness of the situation and heal from it, he fears.
< p class="StyledBodyHtmlParagraph-sc-48221190-4 hnvfyV">The weekend is marked by gatherings in honor of the six victims of the tragedy. A public funeral in memory of the decimated family will be held at 1 p.m. Sunday at the Infinity Convention Center in Ottawa.
Teilor Stone has been a reporter on the news desk since 2013. Before that she wrote about young adolescence and family dynamics for Styles and was the legal affairs correspondent for the Metro desk. Before joining Thesaxon , Teilor Stone worked as a staff writer at the Village Voice and a freelancer for Newsday, The Wall Street Journal, GQ and Mirabella. To get in touch, contact me through my teilor@nizhtimes.com 1-800-268-7116
