Fr. Administrator writes……
My Dear Fathers, Brothers & Sisters,
Prayerful Greetings in the Lord of Hope!
Let us very humbly and joyfully thank the Good Lord Almighty for the abundant blessings showered upon all of us during the month of March.
May we very sincerely and respectfully thank His Excellency Most Rev. Dr. Joseph Spiteri, the Apostolic Nuncio to Sri Lanka for participating in 5th Anniversary Celebration of CODESEP on Saturday 5th March 2011 at St. Joseph’s Church, Deniyaya. Let us continue to pray for His Apostolic ministry in Sri Lanka.
Let me thank Rev. Fr. Michael Colin, our Youth Director who with the help of Rev. Fr. Dinesh Keerthisinghe and his team at Loyala College, Negombo, for organizing a Diocesan Youth Lenten Programme on 18th and 19th of March at our Hiniduma Calvary Shrine in preparation for Easter. We are very much pleased to encourage similar and traditional exercises for the spiritual upliftment of our youth and also for our faithful in the parishes.
The national festival of the Sinhala & Tamil New Year is celebrated on 13th and 14th of April which provides a rare opportunity to bring together the major ethnic communities in Sri Lanka. This is also an occasion to promote peace, love, harmony and mutual understanding among the Sinhalese and Tamils. Let us wish all Sri Lankans a Happy and Prosperous New Year!
The sixth Anniversary of the Solemn inauguration of the Pontificate of Pope Benedict the XVI is on Tuesday the 19th April. Let us pray in a special manner to bless our Holy Father to continue His Apostolic Ministry as the Chief Shepherd in the Universal Church. May we faithfully show our solidarity, loyalty and obedience to him always by being very faithful to the teachings of the Church.
17th April: Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion, a day on which the Church reflects upon the mystery of the Death, Burial and Resurrection of the Lord, brings together the triumphal procession of Christ as King and the proclamation of His Passion. Both aspects of the Paschal mystery should be explained in the catechesis of the day.
Christ accomplished the work of redemption and the work of perfect glorification of God principally through his Paschal mystery, in which dying he destroyed our death and rising he restored our life. Hence the sacred Easter Triduum of the Lord’s Passion, Death and Resurrection shines forth as the culmination of the whole liturgical year (LY18).
It is also the Major Pilgrimage Day at the Calvary Shrine, Hiniduma. Blessing of palms followed by the Holy Eucharist at the Grotto of our Lady of Lourdes at 07:30 a.m. His Excellency Most Rev. Dr. Joseph Spiteri the Apostolic Nuncio in Sri Lanka will preside over the service. We will be very much honoured with his presence.
19th April Chrism Mass: Concelebrated Presbyteral Eucharist, Blessing and Consecration of the Holy Oils and Renewal of Priestly Promises, at 10:30 a.m. at St. Mary’s Cathedral, Galle. We are pleased to have His Lordship Bishop Harold Anthony Perera who will preside over the Celebration.
The Chrism Mass, which the Bishop celebrates with his presbyterium, and at which the oils are blessed, manifests the communion of the priests with their bishop. For at this Mass priests gather and concelebrate, coming from the different parts of the Diocese, as witnesses at the confection of the chrism and as fellow workers of their bishop, in whose sacred ministry for the building up, sanctification and government of the people of God they participate. Thus is manifest in a clear way, the unity of the priesthood and the sacrifice of Christ living on in the Church.
21st April: Maundy Thursday : The institution of the Holy Eucharist and that of the Priestly Order together with the Lord’s command of brotherly love signified through the washing of the feet makes a radical demand from all of us to an unconditional commitment to service towards God and man, and in fact the service and the love of Christ is manifested in His own life as He came ‘not to be served but to serve’.
May we very sincerely and respectfully thank His Excellency Most Rev. Dr. Joseph Spiteri, the Apostolic Nuncio to Sri Lanka for participating in 5th Anniversary Celebration of CODESEP on Saturday 5th March 2011 at St. Joseph’s Church, Deniyaya. Let us continue to pray for His Apostolic ministry in Sri Lanka.
Let me thank Rev. Fr. Michael Colin, our Youth Director who with the help of Rev. Fr. Dinesh Keerthisinghe and his team at Loyala College, Negombo, for organizing a Diocesan Youth Lenten Programme on 18th and 19th of March at our Hiniduma Calvary Shrine in preparation for Easter. We are very much pleased to encourage similar and traditional exercises for the spiritual upliftment of our youth and also for our faithful in the parishes.
The national festival of the Sinhala & Tamil New Year is celebrated on 13th and 14th of April which provides a rare opportunity to bring together the major ethnic communities in Sri Lanka. This is also an occasion to promote peace, love, harmony and mutual understanding among the Sinhalese and Tamils. Let us wish all Sri Lankans a Happy and Prosperous New Year!
The sixth Anniversary of the Solemn inauguration of the Pontificate of Pope Benedict the XVI is on Tuesday the 19th April. Let us pray in a special manner to bless our Holy Father to continue His Apostolic Ministry as the Chief Shepherd in the Universal Church. May we faithfully show our solidarity, loyalty and obedience to him always by being very faithful to the teachings of the Church.
17th April: Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion, a day on which the Church reflects upon the mystery of the Death, Burial and Resurrection of the Lord, brings together the triumphal procession of Christ as King and the proclamation of His Passion. Both aspects of the Paschal mystery should be explained in the catechesis of the day.
Christ accomplished the work of redemption and the work of perfect glorification of God principally through his Paschal mystery, in which dying he destroyed our death and rising he restored our life. Hence the sacred Easter Triduum of the Lord’s Passion, Death and Resurrection shines forth as the culmination of the whole liturgical year (LY18).
It is also the Major Pilgrimage Day at the Calvary Shrine, Hiniduma. Blessing of palms followed by the Holy Eucharist at the Grotto of our Lady of Lourdes at 07:30 a.m. His Excellency Most Rev. Dr. Joseph Spiteri the Apostolic Nuncio in Sri Lanka will preside over the service. We will be very much honoured with his presence.
19th April Chrism Mass: Concelebrated Presbyteral Eucharist, Blessing and Consecration of the Holy Oils and Renewal of Priestly Promises, at 10:30 a.m. at St. Mary’s Cathedral, Galle. We are pleased to have His Lordship Bishop Harold Anthony Perera who will preside over the Celebration.
The Chrism Mass, which the Bishop celebrates with his presbyterium, and at which the oils are blessed, manifests the communion of the priests with their bishop. For at this Mass priests gather and concelebrate, coming from the different parts of the Diocese, as witnesses at the confection of the chrism and as fellow workers of their bishop, in whose sacred ministry for the building up, sanctification and government of the people of God they participate. Thus is manifest in a clear way, the unity of the priesthood and the sacrifice of Christ living on in the Church.
21st April: Maundy Thursday : The institution of the Holy Eucharist and that of the Priestly Order together with the Lord’s command of brotherly love signified through the washing of the feet makes a radical demand from all of us to an unconditional commitment to service towards God and man, and in fact the service and the love of Christ is manifested in His own life as He came ‘not to be served but to serve’.
22nd April: Good Friday of the Lord’s Passion is a day of penance for the whole Church, to be marked by fasting and abstinence from meat.
The traditional Way of the Cross and the Solemn Liturgical Service at the Calvary Shrine, Hiniduma will commence at 02:00 p.m.
23rd April: Holy Saturday: On Holy Saturday the Church waits at the Lord’s tomb, meditating upon his Passion, death and descent into Hell, awaiting in prayer and fasting his Resurrection.
24th April: Easter Sunday of the Lord’s Resurrection. It should be celebrated with Great Solemnity. “If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain & your faith is in vain” St. Paul 1Cor.15/14. Alleluia. He is risen indeed. May the Risen Lord bless all of you abundantly.
May I wish all of you during this graced filled Holy Season a Very Happy and Holy Easter! ALLELUIA!
Let us continue to pray for the quick appointment of a Spiritual Leader for our Diocese.
The traditional Way of the Cross and the Solemn Liturgical Service at the Calvary Shrine, Hiniduma will commence at 02:00 p.m.
23rd April: Holy Saturday: On Holy Saturday the Church waits at the Lord’s tomb, meditating upon his Passion, death and descent into Hell, awaiting in prayer and fasting his Resurrection.
24th April: Easter Sunday of the Lord’s Resurrection. It should be celebrated with Great Solemnity. “If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain & your faith is in vain” St. Paul 1Cor.15/14. Alleluia. He is risen indeed. May the Risen Lord bless all of you abundantly.
May I wish all of you during this graced filled Holy Season a Very Happy and Holy Easter! ALLELUIA!
Let us continue to pray for the quick appointment of a Spiritual Leader for our Diocese.
May God bless you and your ministry.
Yours devotedly in the Risen Lord,
Fr. Nihal Nanayakkara
Diocesan Administrator
Diocesan Administrator
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