Rev. Fr. Mary Bastian born in Ilavalai in Jaffna district was ordained as a Catholic Priest in the year 1975. He served as parish priest first at Manipay and later in Murunkan and Madhu in Mannar district.

On 6 January 1985, Father Mary Bastian along with 10 others were shot allegedly by the Sri Lankan Army personnel, in the mission house at Vankalai.

His Lordship Bishop Rayappu Joseph, the Rev. Fathers and the religious gathered at St. Anne's Church, Vankalai to remember and pray for Fr. Bastian. His Lordship Bishop Rayappu Joseph presided at the Memorial Mass. Family members of Fr. Bastian, a large number of parishioners of Vankalai participated in the Memorial Mass and the meeting held thereafter.

His Lordship Bishop Rayappu Joseph talked how Fr. Bastian’s deep priestly commitment for the people of God and his struggle against evil and suffering of the people was part of his spiritual mission.

Rukshan reporting from Vankali said, " The most moving sharing, which brought tears to eyes of many present, including the family of Fr Bastian, was the testimony by an exceptionally brave parishioner & school teacher, Ms. Livintha Sritharan Croos. She had agreed to speak the truth in front of thousands and possibly heard by the military, who I witnessed still had a strong presence outside the church."

" With tear streaming down her face, she vividly recalled the events of 25 years ago, which she had experienced and witnessed together with her family. According to Livintha, when there was firing by the military around Vankalai, her father had gone to the Church, and was told by Fr. Bastian to come to the church to seek refuge if they were scared. When they arrived at the church, Fr. Bastian had told the family to hide inside the church and gone to the mission house. While in hiding, Livintha had heard gun shots followed by screams of “aiyo amma” (Ohh mother) in Fr. Bastian’s voice. Later on, from where they were hiding, she and her family had seen soldiers carrying the body of Fr. Bastian, in white cassock."

Rukshan said further, " Fr. Jeyabalan Croos, the present parish priest, had known Fr. Bastian since 1966. He had also been one of the first ones on the scene after the killing, and had helped translate when eye witnesses had recounted the story to Police. According to him, end of 1984 had been a bloody period in that area and Fr. Bastian was at the forefront of trying to protect the people. Two incidents that may have prompted the military to kill Fr. Bastian may have been the fact that he had taken photos of bodies after a massacre of large number of civilians in the nearby Murunkan town and that he had buried the body of Rev. Jeyarajasingham, a Methodist Priest of the area who was also killed. "