Bishop’s Monthly Letter

My Dear Rev. Fathers,

We need to intensify our programs in preparation for the Extraordinary Missionary Month in October. The theme is “Baptized and sent: The Church of Christ on Mission in the World”. We need to rediscover the missionary dimension of our faith in Jesus Christ. We know that the Church exists for mission namely to evangelize and proclaim the Good News of salvation to all creation. Even our country is still full of false nationalism and exaggerated ethno-centrism. The Easter Sunday massacre has brought into focus how important it is to witness to Jesus, the Redeemer and the Gospel even in painful situations. The stand, taken by the Church, through the Archbishop of Colombo Cardinal Ranjith has been a wonderful moment of Christian witness. We see all around us from the comments made by so many non-Christians, including professionals and journalists, how much authentic Christian witness of love, forgiveness and compassion are appreciated. Therefore, let us make every effort to bring back the missionary dimension of our Parish communities and Institutions.

Mission is only possible if the Christians themselves are people of a profound God-Experience in Jesus. It is only possible if we have been converted like the Samaritan Woman and then, we would feel the urgency of sharing with others what the Lord has done in our lives. It was Pope St. Paul VI who said something beautiful in Manila in 1970. He stated “ Yes, I feel the need to proclaim Jesus Christ, I cannot keep silence….. I must bear witness to His name: Jesus is the Christ, Son of the living God…. I could never finish speaking about Him: He is the light and the truth…. He is the bread and the spring of living water to satisfy our hunger and our thirst. He is our shepherd, guide, our model, our comfort, our brother.

It is the same Pope who in his powerful missionary Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Nuntiandi” no:22, who stated “There is no true evangelization if the name, the teaching, the life, the promise, the kingdom and the mystery of Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God are not proclaimed”. Let us therefore make every effort to deepen the faith of our people through prayer and intense Christian living to make our parishes and Institutions truly missionary.

It was a great joy and consolation for me to bless the Parish Church of Talawakelle on the 15th June and the Chapel of Queensbury on the 23rd of June. St. Patrick’s Church is extraordinarily welldone. As I mentioned at our Presbyteral meeting the attention to detail has been the secret of its beauty. Even though it took two and half years to complete the Church, it has been a worthwhile exercise as the people too had done their maximum to complete the Church.  It was St, ( Mother) Teresa of Calcutta who said that even the poor deserve a decent home. The hinterland of the tea country is blessed now with this beautiful Church which we must now maintain. Our heartiest congratulations to Fr. Gabriel Gunasekaran, the Parish Priest and his Parish Community.

Please be good enough to announce the Indigenous Clergy Day one week ahead namely on the 21st of July. Let us try to animate our faithful, on the need to pray for more vocations to the Priesthood and Religious life and the importance in participating in the work of education and formation of our native priests. We wish to congratulate Fr. Darrel Coonghe of Supuwath  Arana on his Silver Jubilee of Priesthood. Fr. Darrel is ever willing to help our seminarians and clergy  in their spiritual growth.

Wishing all of you and our flock God’s abundant blessings.

Yours devotedly in the Lord,

Bishop Vianney Fernando

Bishop of Kandy

 

Bishop’s Engagements in July

 

14th  10.30 am -Declaration of the new Mission of Dayagama   & Holy Mass

16th  10.30 am – Golden Jubilee of Sr. Lourdes     (Enclosed Carmelite)

20th  2.00 pm – Prize Giving– St. Aloysius Seminary, Borella

21st  5.30 pm – Diaconate to the Ordination at  Somascan Scholasticate

27th  10.00 am – Confirmation Service at Matale

28th  7.30 am – Declaration of Gatambe a parish & Holy Mass

29th-30th   – Clergy Monthly Recollection at Lewella

30th  7.00 pm – Silver Jubilee of  Rev Fr. Darrel Coonghe

31st  8.00 am – Addressing the Priests and Religious of PMS Coordinators  at the National Seminary

 

Catechetical Apostolate Diocesan Programme  for the Month of July 2019.

 

2nd Term Test

Date  ; 21st July 2019

 

Deanery Level Bible Competitions

 

Date  ; 27th July 2019

Time  ; 8.30 am

Places   ; Good Shepherd Convent, Kandy      –  (Kandy)

: St. Patrick’s College, Talawakelle   – (Nuwara Eliya)

: St. Agnes Convent, Matale         – (Matale)

 

Diocesan Level Bible Speech Competition

Date & Time    ; 03rd of August 2019 at 9.00 a.m

Place     ; St. Anthony’s Cathedral, Kandy

 

Rev. Fr. Camillus D. Jansz  Director – Catechetical Apostolate

 

 

New Appointment

 

Rev. Fr, Surendra Pragash  has been appointed by the Bishop as the Priest In-Charge of Clergy House  with effect from 1st July 2019

 Contact Numbers – 081 2222 300, 081 2238 725, 077 0371 931

 

NEW PARISH OF DAYAGAMA WILL BE INNAGUARATED  ON   14TH  JULY 2019 AT 10.30 AM  &

REV. FR. JAYANATH PERERA

THE NEW PARISH PRIEST WILL BE  INSTALLED BY  OUR BISHOP

 

NEW PARISH OF GATAMBE  WILL BE DECLARED A PARISH  ON   28 TH  JULY 2019  AT 7.30 AM  BY  OUR BISHOP

 THE FIRST  PARISH PRIEST WILL BE  VERY REV.FR. MILROY FONSEKA

 

 

PONTIFICAL MISSION SOCIETY OF  ST.PETER THE APOSTLE

INDIGENOUS CLERGY/RELIGIOUS SUNDAY 28 – 07– 2019

 

Theme: “YOU ARE ANOTHER CHRIST”

Let us pray and offer sacrifices for more  priestly  and Religious vocations.

 

Recollection Talk given by Rev. Fr. Charles Mariadas on the theme, Priesthood:  to acts in persona Christi Capitis  on 25th June 2019 at Lewella Retreat House

 

The world day of prayer for the Sanctification of Priests takes place every year on the solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. This year the solemnity is on Friday June 28th. Therefore, I thought it is more appropriate at this time to reflect deeply and profoundly about our own priesthood, and the dignity of the same. Most people have some image of what a priest is, but this question goes a bit deeper than that, our image can sometimes be superficial or incomplete.  Therefore I would like to begin this reflection with an old poem attributed to St. Nobert. The poem goes like this, O priest, who are you? Not through yourself, for you are drawn from nothing. Not for yourself since you are mediator of men. Not to yourself, for you are married to the Church. Not your own, for you are the servant of all. You are not you, for you are God. Who are you then? You are nothing and everything.

 

The Priesthood of Jesus Christ was not like the Jewish priesthood then in place in many ways. It was not a hereditary priesthood. Jesus was not born into a priestly family unlike John the Baptist whose father was a priest. He was a member of the tribe of Judah not Levi (Mt 2: 6). His father Joseph is from the house of David. And nothing is said about Mary’s ancestors. Difference of attitude and mentality between the priestly class and Jesus is very evident in his association with the people. The priests at the time of Jesus stood for safeguarding the status quo and upholding the legal system. But Jesus conceived the priesthood for the benefit of the people. “He shows that he is bringing on to the scene a new priesthood and a new religion as well”. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the new wine will burst the skins and will be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed. But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins” (Lk 5:37-38). Thus Jesus refused to let the new priesthood be identified with the Jewish priesthood. In the NT especially in the Gospels Jesus never called himself, a priest. In the New Testament it is the letter to the Hebrews that gives us a systematic and sustained exposition of the priesthood of Jesus. The intention of the author is very clear; he wants to assert the uniqueness of Jesus priesthood, to convey the idea that Jesus’ priesthood is not just the continuation of the Levitical one. Jesus could not have been a high priest on earth according to the Levitical or Aaronic order. Jesus is not a high priest of the same order as Aaron but of the same order as Melchizedek. Christ’s priesthood then derives from the order of Melchizedek. Therefore it is eternal and greater than the priesthood of Aaron and the Priesthood of Levi. The book of Hebrews very especially Chapter 5:1- 5, speaks about the characteristics of a true priest. First “every high priest is selected from among men and is appointed to represent them in matters related to God” (5; 1). Second, such a priest is appointed by God (5: 4). Third, the high priest “offers gifts and sacrifices for sins” (5:1). In addition, the priest makes intercession for the people (7:25), blessing them in the name of God (Lev 9:22). Clearly, Jesus Christ is the high priest par excellence. The author of the book of Hebrews repeatedly speaks of Jesus as a priest. He is transcendent priest, Son of God and his priesthood is definitely connected to the mystery of redemptive incarnation.

All priesthood in the Church is based on the true priesthood of the New Covenant instituted by Jesus Christ. It was Jesus as priest and victim who offered his life as a sacrifice on the cross.

 

All those who are called ‘priests’ today in the Church are not priests in their own right, they share in the priesthood of Christ.Christ is the source of all priesthood:  A priest is first and foremost called to give his life completely to Jesus Christ the Church in service to the People of God. To do this he must follow the Lord to the point of leaving everything (Lk5:11) and laying down his life for others (Jn 15: 13). Only those who are called by Christ should enter the priesthood. Christ directs his call, or vocation, to those he wishes. We see in the Gospel of Mark, Jesus calls to him those whom he wanted (Mk 3: 13). Therefore no one can demand ordination. The imposition of hands in the sacrament of Holy Orders is not a  recognition of merit or a response to individual preference. It is the recognition of God’s special call and the Church’s unique role in salvation.

Ordination is not a mere ceremony designating one for a particular position or profession in the Church. It is a sacrament which bestows not only the powers of administering the sacraments and preaching God’s Word, but also the grace that enables one to exercise these powers in a holy manner. The sacrament imparts a special grace of office. “Priestly ordination… means… to be immersed in the Truth” that Truth which is not merely a concept or a collection of ideas to be assimilated and passed on but, rather, is the Person of Christ with whom, for whom and in whom to live and thus, necessarily, the timeliness and comprehensibility of the proclamation are also born. The priestly consecration is such that it can’t be lost. Once ordained a priest, a man remains a priest forever. When a person is ordained a priest, he becomes a sign of God’s presence and power in the world.

 

In the apostolic exhortation of Pope St. John Paul ii Pastores Dabo Vobis, the pope says, indeed, the priest, by virtue of the consecration which he receives in the sacrament of Orders, is sent forth by the Father through the meditorship of Jesus Christ, to whom he is configured in a special way as Head and shepherd of his people, in order to live and work by the power of the Holy Spirit in Service of the Church and for the salvation of the world.   When Saint Pope John Paul ii visited Sri Lanka in 1995 for the Beatification of St. Joseph Vaz during his homily he spoke to the priests in the following words. “Dear Brother Priests, your whole being is permeated by the sacramental configuration to the Lord which you received in your Holy Orders. Centre your lives on Christ, the High Priest, whom you meet each day in the mysteries which you celebrate and minister.   We are the Priests configured to Christ the high priest. We are configured to Christ in order to act ‘in persona Christi Capitis’, which means in the person of Christ the head of the Church.

Pope Emeritus Benedict xvi in one of his general audiences in St. Peter’s square on 14th April 2010 gave a profound explanation on the act in Persona Christi Capitis   According to pope Benedict what it means for the priest to act in persona Christi Capitis — in the person of Christ the Head — and to realize what consequences derived from the duty of representing the Lord, especially in the exercise of the  three offices, namely, teaching, sanctifying and governing. it is necessary first of all to explain what “representation” means.

 

The priest represents Christ. What is implied by “representing” someone? In ordinary language it usually means being delegated by someone to be present in his place, to speak and act in his stead because the person he represents is absent from the practical action.

Let us ask ourselves: does the priest represent the Lord in this way? The answer is no, because in the Church Christ is never absent, the Church is his living Body and he is the Head of the Church, present and active within her. Christ is never absent, on the contrary he is present in a way that is untrammeled by space and time through the event of the Resurrection.

 

Therefore the priest, who acts in persona Christi Capitis and representing the Lord, never acts in the name of someone who is absent but, rather, in the very Person of the Risen Christ, who makes himself present with his truly effective action. He really acts today and brings about what the priest would be incapable of: the consecration of the wine and the bread so that they may really be the Lord’s presence, the absolution of sins. The Lord makes his own action present in the person who carries out these gestures.

That is why the priest speaks in the first person when he celebrates the holy Mass, says “This is my Body, given up for you”, again “This is the chalice of my Blood. When he forgives sins in the sacrament of penance, again in the name and person of Christ. His other specifically priestly functions are preaching, praying for the Church, anointing the sick administering other sacraments and caring in every way for Christ’s flock. It should be noted according to the Encyclical letter, Ecclesia de Eucharistia of St. John Paul ii, that the phrase in persona Christi “means more than offering ‘in the name of or ‘in the place of Christ. In persona means in specific sacramental identification with the eternal High Priest who is the author and principal subject of his , a sacrifice in which, in truth nobody can take his place.

The ministerial priesthood has the task not only of representing Christ Head of the Church before the assembly of the faithful, but also of acting in the name of the whole Church when presenting to God the prayer of the Church, and above all when offering the Eucharistic sacrifice    The priest of the old law was a figure of Christ, and the priest of the new law acts in the person of Christ.

As we continue to reflect the precious gift of the priesthood it is also good to appreciate some of the qualities of our own priesthood and the ministry. Dear Fathers we have to be proud about our commitment. It is something highly appreciated.  I am sure that there is hardly anybody who takes priestly commitment for granted. We all know very well we are very serious about our ministry. No one easily takes a day off or holidays on a regular basis. We are always closer to the people. There is a particular point that should be highlighted that none of our priests display any board to indicate the office hours in the mission house to say that this the time when people can meet the priests. There is no proper time for meals no particular time for sleep no siesta etc….

 

Missionary Minded We are very much missionary minded. Each of us take extra effort to organize programmes to keep the parish activities alive. Our resources may be limited, but the vigor to organize the programmes is greater. We may be deadly tired but still we start going in the evening to far away mission stations to celebrate Holy Mass and meet the people. It is very obvious if we take the diary of the each priest here we can see the diaries already filled with Holy masses and other programmes.

 

Solidarity It is well know today that there are many crisis in the priesthood. The crisis are sometime innumerable. But we can overcome. We have to be happy with one another . The solidarity that we have with our brother priests is  remarkable.  If a priest faces challenges or some difficulties in the pastoral field we can easily approach our Lordship, the senior priests or even our own brother priests that is our class mates etc…It is also another significant feature that could be experienced in our diocese that there is no barrier to relate with senior priests. This helps everyone to avoid any crisis and unnecessary problems in the priesthood.

 

While we speak about the joy of the priesthood, it is also good to speak about the hidden enemies in the priesthood. Sometimes the hidden enemies could damage the flavor of the priesthood as well. Pope Francis when he addressed the members of the Vatican curia on 22nd December 2014, spoke or identified fifteen curial diseases. The diseases such as being too official, excessive busyness, petrifaction, rivalry, hypocrisy gossiping so on and so forth. Likewise we also may have some hidden enemies or sickness in our priesthood also.

 

Priestly Identity There is a crisis among some priest in relation to the priestly identity. That’s why some Priests are very much concerned about their recognition, they also feel that they need a good impression, and also some may struggle for the building up of personality. If there is a vacuum in the life of a priest then that person may make use of the priesthood as means to fill that vacuum. We participate in the high priesthood of Christ. Jesus our master is not from the priestly caste, but we project ourselves that we are from the priestly caste….. It is true we also speak about the royal priesthood but should remember that we are not from royal families. The very identity of Jesus is the anointed being. Jesus is anointed; the first anointed one, and the true anointed one. So we have our identity in Jesus the high priest only. Jesus being the son of God emptied himself likewise we should be able to empty   ourselves. Be yourself. No matter what other people think. God made you the way you are for a reason. Besides, an original is always worth more than a copy.

 

Ambition Ambition is another disease in the life of some priests. Priesthood is neither a position nor a title. Priesthood is not for seeking perks and privileges either, Priesthood is not something to gain. Priesthood is nothing but for the service. Service is faith-filled ministry born of the inspiration of the Spirit and to which we are called. We should not forget the words of Jesus “the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve”. No one should seek for the titles in the priesthood. Jesus also did not use for himself all the titles that the Christian community conferred on him later. He was called Messiah, Christ, Lord, Incarnate Word, Redeemer and so on. It is very interesting to note the life of Saint Joseph Vaz. It so happened that Fr.Joseph Vaz begged his superiors for permission to give up his office of Vicar General and superior to father Menezes and continue to remain in the island as a simple missionary. This was only the outcome of his intense humility. He detested being called the Maha Swamy or Great – Father or High Priest, which was the term by which, he was referred to by the other priests and the Catholics. When he heard himself of being spoken of under that designation, he used to declare that he was not great in anything except in age.What a beautiful virtue that Fr. Vaz had. He used to tell it seems,: Strive hard to acquire supernatural virtues, which can shine before God and illumine others with their example. We may commit ourselves totally for the service but with ulterior motives. Our intention may be wrong that is to gain something. Some feel that priesthood is there for the position.

This is not a new thing in the Church today, even in the time of Jesus this struggle for the ambition was there. That’s why the mother of the sons of Zebedee made a request for one to sit one at the right hand and one at the left. We should not look for positions. Unless we get then our life become miserable and ultimately we will lose our peace and joy of the priesthood.

Interference Some don’t focus our attention to our mission, but instead they are very much interested on others business. When the transfers come one  may leave the place but not the parish. It is a disease of attachment. Can’t leave the parish, keep on clinging. We are so keen in receiving information from the former parish. We try to keep a group of our own.

 

 

We become a remote control. Thus we become a stumbling block to the successor of the parish or the institution concerned We must cultivate the spirituality of St. John the Baptist. He never interfered in the mission of Jesus. Some felt that he must be the Messiah, but he did not show any favor for that title. At a certain point both Jesus and John the Baptist worked together. But no clashes either. We must allow the successor who is a brother priest to work freely. One must understand that he is also ordained by a bishop validly for the same mission of Jesus the high priest and have all the faculties to exercise his priestly ministry. We should remember that no one is indispensable.

Gossip Gossip can easily be used as a weapon of destruction against persons and even entire peoples. Pope Francis says, “at a local church, this can lead to a kind of modern- day shunning, one in which individuals are iced out, ignored, turned down for committee work, or made to feel so uncomfortable that they leave. Priests are not innocent of this; they too can fall into the habit of grousing about parishioners and one another and especially about their bishops. More than the gossip there is another evil practice among us that is, speaking ill of another priest with the lay people. We may have some misunderstanding among us, but we should not discuss with the lay people. We should not assassinate the character of our brother priest. We know that we are weak. With all our weaknesses  God has called us. At the ordination when the ordained bishop prays the consecration prayer in the following words: Lord, Grant also to us such fellow workers, we are weak and our need greater. Therefore we should avoid always and everywhere speaking ill of my brother priest.  It is our utmost duty to safe guard the dignity of the priesthood of the person

Popularity Today in the field of politics, cinema, business etc….people seek for popularity. Thus they want to become famous. We may organize certain events or celebrations, through which we may seek for chief popularity. We also eagerly look for self glorification. Through our work and commitment should lead to glorify God. We may adopt the method of creativity and innovative in our work. But we should not adopt this method for our own satisfaction and glorification. Let us bear in our mind the words of St. Paul that whatever you do, do it for the greater glory of God. St. Bernadette said, “The Blessed Virgin used me like a broom what do you do with a broom, when you have finished sweeping? You put it back in it’s place behind the Door. Let us remember that we are brooms in the hands of the Lord.

Conclusion Therefore the priesthood is not a profession. The priesthood of Christ is a sacrament. You and I participate in the same priesthood of Christ. In the sacraments the Church can carry on the work of the Lord, because Christ is the principal minister in each sacrament. Because it is Christ who works through the sacraments, they have a power and efficacy. The purpose of Sacrament is to sanctify men and to build up the body of Christ and finally to worship God. Sacrament is a grace. Likewise priesthood is not a merit, but it is a pure grace. St. Paul urges us that, “As God’s fellow workers we beg you once again not to neglect the grace of God that you have received (2Cor:6.1)  Therefore, we have received this special grace through the sacrament of holy orders it is only to acts in Persona in Christi Capitis. I would like to conclude with the words of St. Teresa of Avila Christ has no body on earth but yours,  no hands, no feet but yours.  Yours are the eyes with which Christ looks out his compassion to the world.  Yours are the feet with which he is to go about doing good.  Yours are the hands with which he is to bless us now.

Sent By: Fr. Charles Mariadas

 

WORDS OF WISDOM

 

“Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.” —Robert Brault “Be ready when opportunity comes…. Luck is when preparation and opportunity meet.” — Roy D. Chapin Jr. “Sooner or later, those who win are those who think they can.” —Richard Bach “One important key to success is self-confidence. An important key to self-confidence is preparation.” —Arthur Ashe “For myself I am an optimist – it does not seem to be much use being anything else.” —Sir Winston Churchill

 

“What a wonderful life I’ve had! I only wish I’d realized it sooner.” —Colette “Acknowledging the good that you already have in your life is the foundation for all abundance.” —Eckhart Tolle “What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals.” —Zig Ziglar “Let us rise up and be thankful, for Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others.” —Cicero “Both abundance and lack exist simultaneously in our lives, as parallel realities. It is always our conscious choice which secret garden we will tend… when we choose to be grateful for the abundance that’s present — love, health, family, friends, work, the joys of nature and personal pursuits that bring us pleasure — the wasteland of lack falls away and we experience heaven on Earth.” —Sarah Ban Breathnach

 

“The height of your accomplishments is determined by the depth of your convictions.” — William F. Scolavino “There are three kinds of people: those who let it happen, those who make it happen, and those who wonder what happened.” —John Richardson “It is not in everyone’s power to secure wealth, office, or honors; but everyone may be good, generous, and wise.” —Luc De Clapiers

 

“The tragedy of life doesn’t lie in not reaching your goal. The tragedy lies in having no goal to reach.” —Benjamin E. Mayes “Education is the great engine of personal development. It is through education that the daughter of a peasant can become a doctor, that the son of a mineworker can become the head of the mine, that a child of farm workers can become the president of a great nation. It is what we make out of what we have, not what we are given, that separates one person from another.” —Nelson Mandela

 

“View money and things not as something you create to fill a lack, but as tools to help you more fully express yourself and realize your potential.” —Sanaya Roman and Duane Packer “Abilities wither under faultfinding, blossom with encouragement.” —Donald A. Laird “We have to do the best we can. This is our sacred human responsibility.” Albert Einstein

 

Sent By: Rev.Fr. Bala Rajendram

 

PROGRAMME OF THE ON-GOING FORMATION FOR PRIESTS & RELIGIOUS – 2019

 

 

 

The above programme conducted by  the Catholic National Commission for Seminaries, Clergy and Religious will be held at the National Seminary from:

 

 

MONDAY THE 22ND JULY TO THURSDAY THE 25TH JULY, 2019

 

The target group for this year will be the Diocesan Priests &  Religious ordained  in the: YEARS from 1986 to 1990

 

Resource Person:

His Eminence Most. Revd. Dr. Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle Cardinal Archbishop of Manila, Philippines, President of Caritas International,  President of the Catholic Biblical Federation.

Hope you have kept the dates free.  We are looking forward to your participation.

 

 

Fr. Shamira Nirosh Cooray

Co-Ordinator of the Programme National Seminary,

Ampitiya

 

Led not into temptation: Pope approves change to Lord’s Prayer

Its words are memorized by Christian children all over the world and repeated at almost every act of Christian worship: “Our Father, who art in heaven … ”Now Pope Francis has risked the wrath of traditionalists by approving a change to the wording of the Lord’s Prayer. Instead of saying “lead us not into temptation”, it will say “do not let us fall into temptation”. The new wording was approved by the general assembly of the Episcopal Conference of Italy last month. It will appear in the third edition of the Messale Romano, the liturgical book that contains the guiding texts for mass in the Roman Catholic church. The pope said in 2017 he believed the wording should be altered. “It is not a good translation because it speaks of a God who induces temptation,” he told Italian TV. “I am the one who falls. It’s not him pushing me into temptation to then see how I have fallen. “A father doesn’t do that; a father helps you to get up immediately. It’s Satan who leads us into temptation – that’s his department. “According to the Bible, Jesus taught the words to his disciples when they asked him how they should pray.

 

Some have expressed concern about changes to the wording. Meredith Warren, a lecturer in biblical and religious studies at Sheffield University, said: “This new version of the Lord’s Prayer tries to avoid implying that God has some hand in evil. “But in doing so the pope not only overlooks the many biblical examples where God works with the devil to tempt his followers and even his own son. The new version actually goes against the plain meaning of the Greek of the gospel text.” After French bishops altered the words in 2017, Philip Lawler, the editor of Catholic World News, a conservative website, said the change was “very upsetting” because the prayer was so deeply ingrained. “Pope Francis has made a habit of saying things that throw people into confusion, and this is one of them,” he told the New York Times. “It just makes you wonder, where does it stop?  What’s up for grabs? It’s cumulative unease.” The Catholic church in England and Wales said it had no immediate plans to change the wording. “The Lord’s Prayer has been changed in the Italian language – there are no plans at present for it to change in English,” a spokesperson said. “Each language will be studied to see the specific meaning and understanding of the language. I am sure there will be some consultation with the English-speaking nations.” Anglican worshippers can choose between traditional and contemporary versions of the prayer, but both include the words “lead us not into temptation”.

TakenFrom : https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jun/06/led-not-into-temptation-pope-approves-change-to-lords-prayer

 

Birthdays

02nd  Tue  -Rev. Fr. George Sigamoney     -Rev. Fr. Camillus Jansz

3rd  Wed  -Rev. Fr. John Stephen

04th  Thu  -Rev. Fr. John Winston

15th  Mon  -Rev. Fr. Nandana Manatunga  -Rev. Fr. Henry Bernard Wijeratne, OSB

 

 

Ordinations

06th Sat  -Rev. Fr. Dilan Perera

07th Sun  -Rev. Fr. Starrett Melder

08th Mon  -Very Rev. Fr. Bala Rajendram -Rev. Fr. M. N. Leonard

21st Sun  -Rev. Fr. Anthony Marian

22nd Mon  -Very Rev. Fr. Anthony Fernand -Rev. Fr. George Sigamoney

23rd Tue  -Rev. Fr. Desmond Perera

26th Fri  -Rev. Fr. Colvin Fernandopulle

28th Sun  -Rev. Fr. Timothy Gnanapragasam

31st Wed  -Rev. Fr. Joseph Mirand

 

Deaths

06th  Sat  -Rev. Fr. Gregory I. Fernando     -Rev. Fr. Bonifilus Bastian, OSB

11th  Thu  -Rev. Fr. Clement Soosaipillai

3th  Sat  -Rev. Fr. D. B. Nissangaarachchi

14th  Sun  -Rev. Fr. Lanfranc Amerasinghe, OSB

16th – Tue  -Rev. Fr. Justus Sinnappu, OSB

26th – Fri   -Rev. Fr. Vanculenburg