Bishop’s Monthly Letter
My dear Fathers, Once again we wish to congratulate our newly ordained Auxiliary Bishop of Colombo, Rt. Rev. Dr. J.D. Anthony. We wish him a very fruitful and joyful Episcopal ministry. This month another historic event will take place when Archbishop Emeritus Oswald Gomis will celebrate the Golden Jubilee of Episcopate on the 23rd of July. On the 20th of July there will be a felicitation ceremony to Archbishop Oswald Gomis at the Auditorium of Archbishop’s House in Colombo and the Golden Jubilee Mass will be on the 23rd at 5. 00 pm at All Saints Church, Borella. Along with the Clergy, Religious and faithful I wish to offer my heartfelt congratulations and prayerful wishes to Archbishop Oswald Gomis on this singular occasion as very few Bishops would have the privilege of celebrating the Golden Jubilee of their Episcopal Ordination. All of us are aware of the contribution he has made to the Church in Sri Lanka as an expert in Church History and also for the services rendered during his tenure of office as the Secretary General of the Episcopal Conference in our country. In particular, it was his vision, dream and determination that enabled us to have the present spacious Secretariat , Lankarama, Secretariat of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Sri Lanka. He has been and continues to be a prolific writer, and has authored many valuable works such as the “Mahopadeshaya”,(Catechism for adults) and many children’s Bibles. His service also to the Asian Church, both as the Secretary General, of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conference ,as well as the Chairman of the office of Social Communication, are well known. We offer our heartfelt congratulations and felicitations so to His Grace Archbishop Oswald Gomis on this happy occasion. Our congratulations and prayerful wishes also to our own brother in the Priesthood, Fr. George Sigamoney as he chalks up 25 years in the Priesthood in the month of July. He will have a Thanksgiving Mass in his home parish , Nuwara Eliya and the Presbyterium will also celebrate the occasion with a Thanksgiving Holy Mass, as customary, at our July monthly Recollection. In the Month of July we shall also observe the Indigenous Clergy Sunday on the theme “Call to discipleship through Saintly life” . It will be held on the 29th of this month in all the dioceses. Please announce the same on the previous Sunday and organize animation programmes, on the need to promote vocations to the Priesthood and Religious Life, as well as to encourage our faithful to contribute generously towards the formation of Indigenous Clergy. We also had the Kandy Vicariate lay animation programme on the theme “You are my witness” at Ampitiya on the 27th of June. I wish to thank all the parish priests who enthusiastically sent their lay representatives for this programme. In the month of July we shall have the second programme in the parish of Hatton. Please make sure that you send your lay leaders for these programmes. I am grateful to the committee ,led by the coordinator Fr. Sudath Perera for this great contribution to forming our lay-leaders. The seminarians will begin their major vacation on the 15th of this month. I solicit your kind collaboration in their pastoral and spiritual formation during their time with us in the diocese as they are sent to various parishes and institutions. Wishing all of you God’s blessings.
Yours devotedly in the Lord
Bishop Vianny Fernando,
Bishop of Kandy

Bishop’s Engagements – July
1st -Sacred Heart Feast in the parish of Katugastota
7th -Gathering of ex-alumni of St. Peter’s Home, Pundaloya
8th -Confirmation service at Battalgala Parish
11th 4.30 pm -Holy Mass at Walapane Church
12th 9.30 am -Diocesan Commission meeting for Justice, Peace, Human Development and Human Rights
14th 8.30 am -Confirmation Service at Ampitiya
15th -St. Anne’s Feast in Hatton
22nd -Silver Jubilee Mass of Fr. George Sigamoney in Nuwara Eliya
23rd -Golden Jubilee of the Episcopate of Archbishop Emeritus Oswald Gomis at All Saints Church, Borella
27th 3.00 pm -Holy Mass at Hatton for the programme of Laity Animation
28th 10.30 am -Confirmations at St. Anthony’s College, Katugastota
29th -Feast of St. Anthony’s Church, Rotawewa
30th & 31st -Clergy Monthly Recollection at Nilambe

NEW APPOINTMENTS

Catechetical Apostolate
Nuwara Eliya Vicariate Coordinator – Rev. Fr. Nerio Abraham Parish Priest St. Xavier’s Church Nuwara Eliya

PMS – Holy Childhood
Nuwara Eliya Vicariate Coordinator – Rev. Fr. Dilan Perera Asst. Parish Priest St. Francis of Assisi Church Kawlahena

Youth Apostolate
Kandy Vicariate Coordinator -Rev. Fr. John Stephen, Asst. Parish Priest, St. Anthony’s Cathedral, Kandy

Pope Francis: The Our Father is a spiritual roadmap
The Lord’s Prayer is the prayer of the Church, confirming a person’s identity as a beloved child of God, and reminding Catholics of the responsibility owed toward their brothers and sisters in Christ, Pope Francis said Thursday. “‘Our Father’: these two simple words offer us a roadmap for the spiritual life,” the pope said in a homily at Mass in Geneva June 21. The Mass took place at the end of a day-long trip to the Swiss city for the 70th anniversary of the World Council of Churches. In his homily, the pope said the words “Our Father,” as taught by Jesus to his disciples in the day’s Gospel, reveal life’s meaning and a Christian’s identity: “we are God’s beloved sons and daughters.” “Those words solve the problem of our isolation, our sense of being orphans,” he continued. “They show us what we have to do: love God, our Father, and others, our brothers and sisters. The ‘Our Father’ is the prayer of us, of the Church.” Referring to how Christians call God “our Father,” he said in the face of offenses against God, Catholics are called to overcome indifference and to treat everyone as brothers and sisters: including the unborn, the elderly, the person who is difficult to forgive, the poor, and the outcast. “This is what the Father asks us, indeed commands us, to do: to love one another from the heart, as sons and daughters in the midst of their brothers and sisters,” he said. Catholics are reminded of God as Father also when they make the sign of the cross, he continued, noting that “where the Father is present, no one is excluded; fear and uncertainty cannot gain the upper hand.” In his homily, Francis also reflected on the images of bread and forgiveness in the Lord’s prayer, stating that when Christians ask God for “our daily bread,” they are asking the Father to help them live a simpler life, focusing on what is most important, like “people over things so that personal, not virtual, relationships may flourish.” The pope criticized the complication of today’s daily life, noting how many people rush “from dawn to dusk, between countless phone calls and texts,” filled with stress and preoccupied by change, with no time to see the faces of others. He advised choosing a simpler lifestyle, one which “goes against the tide,” and pointed to St. Aloysius Gonzaga, whose feast day is celebrated June 21, as an example. Such lifestyle “would involve giving up all those things that fill our lives but empty our hearts,” he said. Catholics must also not forget that Jesus himself is their “daily bread,” the pope said, criticizing the treatment of Jesus as a “side dish,” rather than as the center of the day and “the very air we breathe.” Also reflecting on the element of forgiveness found in the Our Father, Francis stated that God frees the heart from all sin when he “forgives every last thing. Yet he asks only one thing of us: that we in turn never tire of forgiving.” And if a person finds it hard to forgive someone, he should pray for that person and for that situation, asking God for strength, he advised. “Let us ask for the grace not to be entrenched and hard of heart, constantly demanding things of others. Instead, let us take the first step, in prayer, in fraternal encounter, in concrete charity,” he concluded. “In this way, we will be more like the Father, who loves without counting the cost.”
Taken from: Catholic News Agency

Catholic Sacraments: Vehicles of Grace
The sacraments are Christ’s own gift that provide us with his grace. They are the divine helps which God gives us to enable us to:
• Believe the truths of his faith
• Live according to his moral code Grow in his gift of divine life The seven sacrements are a fundamental part of the Catholic faith. Freely choosing to accept grace When God made us, he gave us free will. He continues to respect our free will to the end. When Jesus died upon the Cross to redeem us from our sins, it did not mean that from then on everyone would have to go to Heaven whether they wanted to or not. When Jesus died upon the Cross, he paid an infinite price for an inexhaustible flow of grace. That grace would enable each person to turn back to God and to remain united with God through this life and through eternity. That brings us to a question: How would Jesus provide for this flow of grace to individual souls?
• Would the whole thing be invisible?
• Would God simply give to each person of good will a silent inner conviction of being saved? Each time that we felt the need of divine help, would we simply ask for it and immediately feel welling up within us a great surge of spiritual strength? Consistent with how we are made God could have done it that way, of course. But God chose to be consistent. He chose to deal with man, in this matter of grace, in the same manner in which He had made man—through a union of the material and the spiritual, of body and of soul. The grace itself would be invisible, as by its nature it must be. But the grace would come to us through the visible things that we deal with daily. And so God took the common things from the world about us—objects which we could taste and touch and feel, words that we could hear and gestures that we could understand—and made these the carriers of His grace. He even matched the sign to the purpose for which the grace was given:
• Water for the grace which cleanses
• The appearances of bread and wine for the grace which nourishes and gives growth Oil for the grace which strengthens To this combination of outward sign and inner grace, welded together by Christ, the Church gives the Latin name of sacramentum—a holy thing. Sacraments: a definition The sacraments are chosen instruments of divine power. The exact definition of a sacrament is that it is “an outward sign instituted by Christ to give grace.” We readily can see that there are three distinct ideas contained in that short definition:
• Outward sign
• Instituted by Christ To give grace Let’s examine exactly what each of these three ideas means

Outward signs… The outward signs are God’s way of treating us like the human beings we are. He conveys His unseen grace into our spiritual souls through material symbols which our physical bodies can perceive—things and words and gestures. The outward signs of the sacraments have two parts: the “thing” itself which is used (water, oil, etc.), and the words or gestures which give significance to what is being done. …Instituted by Christ… We know that no human power could attach an inward grace to an outward sign—not even the divinely guided but humanly applied power of the Church. Only God can do that. Which brings us to the second element in the definition of a sacrament: “instituted by Christ.” Between the time He began His public life and the time He ascended into heaven, Jesus fashioned the seven sacraments. When He ascended into heaven, that put an end to the making of sacraments. The Church cannot institute new sacraments. There never can be more or less than seven, the seven Jesus has given us: Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Eucharist, Reconciliation (Confession or Penance), Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders, and Matrimony. Jesus did completely specify the matter and form of some of the sacraments—notably Baptism and the Holy Eucharist. But this does not mean that He necessarily fixed the matter and form of all the sacraments down to the last detail. Concerning some of the sacraments (Confirmation, for example) He probably left it to His Church, the keeper and the giver of His sacraments, to specify in detail the broad matter and form assigned by Christ. …To give grace Coming now to the third element in the definition of a sacrament, we have its essential purpose: “to give grace.” What kind of grace do the sacraments give? First and most important of all, they give sanctifying grace. Sanctifying grace is that marvelous supernatural life, that sharing-in-God’s-own-life that is the result of God’s Love, the Holy Spirit, indwelling in the soul.
• To the soul cut off from God by original sin, Baptism brings sanctifying grace for the first time. Baptism opens the soul to the flow of God’s love, and establishes union between the soul and God. To the soul cut off from God by its own sin, by mortal sin, the sacrament of Reconciliation restores the sanctifying grace that has been lost. Reconciliation removes the barrier that has kept the Holy Spirit outside and once again gives entrance to God’s life-giving love. The other five sacraments—Confirmation, Holy Eucharist, Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders, and Matrimony—give an increase in sanctifying grace. They deepen and intensify the spiritual life of sanctifying grace which already pulsates through the soul. As each additional sacrament is received (and repeated, when it can be) the level of spiritual vitality rises in the soul—somewhat as the brightness of a fire increases as you add more fuel. (God’s love does not increase—it is infinite to begin with. But the soul’s capacity to absorb His love increases as a child’s capacity for life increases with each meal that he eats.)

Other kinds of grace If each sacrament gives (or increases) sanctifying grace in the soul, then why did Jesus institute seven sacraments? Wouldn’t just one sacrament have been enough, to be received as needed? Yes, one sacrament would have been enough, if sanctifying grace were the only kind of grace God wanted to give us. But God did not choose simply to give us spiritual life and then let us fend for ourselves. God gives us the spiritual life which is sanctifying grace, and then does all that He can (short of taking away our free will)…
• To make that life operative within us
• To expand that life and intensify it To preserve and protect it So in addition to the sanctifying grace which is common to all the sacraments, each sacrament also gives the sacramental grace of that particular sacrament. These are other special helps which God wills to give us, helps keyed to our particular spiritual needs and our particular state in life. In Baptism we receive sanctifying grace and also a continuing chain of graces enabling us to preserve and extend that grace by the practice of the virtues of faith, hope, and charity. Confirmation increases our basic vitality (sanctifying grace) but also establishes a permanent fund of actual graces (sacramental grace) upon which we may draw in order to be strong and active and productive exemplars of Christian living. The Anointing of the Sick strengthens us in sickness or prepares us to meet death with confidence. Its sacramental grace comforts us in our sufferings and, by supporting us in any final temptations that may assail us, enables us to face eternity unafraid. The Holy Eucharist, whose special sacramental grace is growth in supernatural charity (love for God and neighbor). One article here discusses the nature of the Holy Eucharist itself as the Real Presence of Christ. Another article covers the act by which we receive the Holy Eucharist—Holy Communion, and its sacramental purpose and effects. The Sacrament of Reconciliation—inoculation against sin—whose special sacramental grace is to cure us of the spiritual illness of sin and to help us resist temptation. There are also the two great states in life which impose upon us grave responsibility for the souls of others: the priesthood and marriage. The two sacraments of Holy Orders and Matrimony give to their recipients each its own sacramental grace, which will enable priests and spouses to discharge, creditably before God, the sometimes heavy burdens of their state in life. Proper dispositions A sacrament gives grace of and by itself, by its own power. This is because Jesus attached grace to the outward sign, so to speak, so that that outward sign and grace always go together. But our own attitude does matter. Our interior dispositions have an effect on the amount of grace we receive. The more perfect is our sorrow in the sacrament of Reconciliation, the more ardent our love in receiving the Holy Eucharist, the more lively our faith in receiving Confirmation—then the greater will be the grace we receive. Our dispositions do not cause the grace; they simply remove the obstacles to the freer flow of grace and, in a sense, make more room for grace. We might illustrate this by saying that the more sand we empty out of the pail, the more water the pail will hold

We can, of course, by a positive act of the will prevent the grace of the sacrament from entering our soul: for example, by positively not wanting to receive it or by not being truly repentant for mortal sin. But, unless we interpose an outright barrier, when we receive a sacrament we receive grace; the sacrament itself gives grace. The dispositions of the one who administers the sacrament do not influence the effect of a sacrament. It would be very wrong for a priest to administer a sacrament if he had mortal sin on his soul, but it wouldn’t diminish the grace the sacrament gave one bit. The person receiving the sacrament would receive the same amount of grace, regardless of whether the priest was a saint or a sinner. All that is required of the one who administers a sacrament is that:
• He have the power to give it (this means the power of the priesthood except for Baptism and Matrimony)
• He have the intention of administering the sacrament (the intention of doing what the Catholic Church intends) He perform the essential ceremonies of the sacrament (such as the pouring of the water and the saying of the words in Baptism). If you assume a receiver who does not put any obstacles to grace and a giver who is qualified to administer the sacrament—then always and infallibly a sacrament will confer grace. Special “marks” on the soul Besides the bestowal of grace (sanctifying and sacramental) we should mention another effect specific to three of the sacraments. This is the character imprinted on the soul by the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Orders. We sometimes say that in these sacraments God puts a “mark” on the soul. The individual mark imparted by Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Orders is defined by theologians as a “quality” which imparts to the soul powers which it did not previously possess. It is a permanent quality of the soul, an alteration in the soul which forever will be visible to God, the angels, and the saints.
• The character of Baptism is a supernatural quality which gives us the power to absorb the grace of the other six sacraments and to participate in the Mass.
• The character of Confirmation gives us the power to profess the faith fearlessly and to spread the faith. The character of Holy Orders gives the priest the power to celebrate Mass and to administer the other sacraments. The extraordinary through the ordinary The Catholic sacraments are quite extraordinary: they are ordinary signs that do God’s own work. God in His wisdom chose to bestow His grace in a visible way to give us the quieting certainty that we had received grace when He did give it. Christ has given us so many tremendous gifts. In his sacraments, he continues to provide those gifts to us, beyond all measure, whenever we need them.
Taken From : Catholic Sacraments

The Holy Father’s prayer intention for this month :
Evangelization : PRIETS AND THEIR PASTORAL MINISTRY
The Priest, who experience fatigue and loneliness in their pastoral; work , may find help and comfort in their intimacy with the Lord and in their friendship with their brother priests.

“How can I be an effective witness for Christ in a lost world?”
A “witness” is someone who attests to a fact, so in order to be an effective witness for Christ, one must have firsthand knowledge of Him. John the Apostle speaks of this in 1 John 1:1-3, when he says, “That . . . which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at, and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of Life.” Today, we who have experienced new life in Christ give an account of His love and forgiveness, both verbally and in the way we live our lives. This is witnessing. To be effective in our witness, we should remember several basic things: 1) the THEME of our witness is Jesus Christ. Paul defined the gospel as the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). If we aren’t explaining the sacrifice of Christ, then we’re not really sharing the gospel. (See also 1 Corinthians 2:2 and Romans 10:9-10.) An important part of this theme is the fact that Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation, not just one of many ways. “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John14:6). 2) the POWER of our witness is the Holy Spirit. It is the Spirit who transforms a life (Titus 3:5), and a transformed life is evident to all. As we witness, we should spend much time in prayer, appropriating the Spirit’s power so that we are enabled to let our light shine in such a way that others will recognize the power of God in us (Matthew5:16). 3) the VALIDITY of our witness will be shown in how we live our lives. Philippians 2:15 sets this goal for us: “That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world.” The effective Christian witness will live his/her life above reproach in the power of the Holy Spirit, whose fruit we exhibit when we remain in Christ (John 15:1-8; Galatians 5:22-23). Perhaps most importantly, we must be familiar enough with the Scriptures to be able to accurately and coherently present the gospel to others. “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have” (1 Peter 3:15). Always being prepared means diligent Bible study, memorizing Scripture, and praying for God-given opportunities to share with those whose hearts have been prepared by the Lord to hear His message of salvation.
Sent by Fr. Bala Rajendram

Former pro football player prepares to take final vows as a nun

Toronto, Ohio, Jun 18, 2018 / 03:26 am (CNA).- Every single vocation story is different, but Sr. Rita Clare (Anne) Yoches is probably one of the more unusual. Sr. Rita Clare, who this month will profess final vows with the Franciscan Sisters T.O.R. of Penance of the Sorrowful Mother, was a four-time national champion professional football player prior to entering the convent. Yes, that’s American football. (She was a fullback.) Nowadays, the only football Yoches is playing is the annual two-hand touch game she organizes with the 38 T.O.R. sisters she lives with in Toronto, Ohio. Although she was raised Catholic and attended Catholic schools, Yoches said she never once considered becoming a nun. Her family attended Mass each Sunday, but that was about it in terms of her faith life. A talented athlete, Yoches earned a full basketball scholarship to the University of Detroit-Mercy, where she played for four years. After college, she began her football career in 2003 after a successful tryout with the Detroit Demolition, a now-defunct women’s professional team. She left the team in 2006, and in March of 2007, the former selfdescribed party girl experienced a calling to enter religious life. She ended her relationship with her boyfriend, and entered the Franciscans shortly after. “(I) loved to stay out as late as could on Friday and Saturday nights, but always went to Mass on Sundays. But I never really listened to what God was saying,” said Yoches in a video about her conversion. One Sunday, after a particularly moving homily, Yoches realized that she needed to drastically change her lifestyle. “And I was like, that’s me. I’m sick and dying on the inside. So that convinced me to go to Confession for the first time in a long time.” Her priest provided her with guidance about reading scripture every day, and she began attending Eucharistic Adoration. It was during Eucharistic Adoration that she felt truly embraced by God, and really began to get a sense of His plan for her life. “And then I felt God the Father just wrap his arms around me and give me a hug, and just pulled me onto his chest like only a father can hug a daughter,” she said. “And my life was forever changed. I just wanted more and more of Jesus.” She says while her family was supportive of her decision to enter the convent, her friends were surprised, as she had largely kept her faith life private. “People were very surprised that this was really who and what I wanted to do and be,” she told the Detroit Free Press. Sr. Rita Clare will profess final vows on June 30. Taken from : FACEBOOK

Continuation of the last issue Most Recognizable and Divine Catholic Symbols and Their Meanings For the common man, it is through these symbols that they can base their understanding of complex religious philosophies. In the spiritual realm, these objects, signs, and symbols take on the role of acting like a badge of faith as well as a teaching tool. You can even call these objects as the means to distinguish and identify one religion from the other. Symbolism may be defined as the investment of outward things or actions for the expression of religious ideas. While the cross, crucifix, and the rosary are well-known symbols used to identify followers of Christ, the Catholic Church has many more symbols and objects that sets them apart. These symbols are a vital part of the Catholic religion, and needless to say, each has its own deep significance.
12. While the Lion of Judah referred to Judah, the fourth son of Jacob in the Old Testament, the Book of Revelation uses it to refer to Jesus. Both Jesus and King David hail from the tribe of Judah, making the lion a representation of the triumph of Jesus.
13. The Paschal candle lit every year at the dawn of Easter is symbolic of the risen Christ. The flame of the candle is used to symbolize the eternal presence of Christ who is also called the light of the world.
14. Bread that is used as a symbol of sacrifice is made from wheat. Just like the grain of wheat that falls to the ground and dies so as to bear fruit, so is the life of Christ a sacrifice. This just goes to say that the grain of wheat is a symbol of Christ.
15.The Sacred Heart is depicted as a heart with a cross pierced through it and thorns twisted around the heart. It is a symbol of Christ’s eternal love for all humanity.
16, A symbol of God’s grace and peace, a dove is used to represent the Holy Spirit. The Paraclete or the Holy Spirit forms the third person of the Trinity.
17. The Rosary beads are used as a means to keep a count of the number of Hail Mary’s while contemplating on the episodes, also called the mysteries in the life and death of Jesus. It is the Catholic way of praying to Jesus by interceding through Mary. The Rosary prayer itself is akin to a Crown of Roses, or a garland of rose, laying emphasis on the life of Mary whose focus was Christ.
18.The Fleur-de-lis is a stylized lily that is used to decorate shrines, chapels, and grottos dedicated to Mary. It is used to symbolize the purity of Mary.
19. Considered to be a symbol of humility, chastity, innocence, and purity, the lily is often used to symbolize Mary. The white lily, in particular, is a flower of great beauty and when open, resembles a star and is likened to Mary.
20. Mary’s heart is depicted as pierced with seven wounds or swords, and has roses or flowers wrapped around the heart. This image is one of the most popular images of the Immaculate Heart, attracting the attention towards the love and virtues of the heart of Mary.
21. Crossed keys are symbols of the Pope’s authority. St. Peter who was considered to be the first Pope was promised the key to the kingdom of Heaven. A representation of the triple tiara combined with two crossed keys of Saint Peter continues to be used as a symbol of the papacy and appears on papal documents, buildings, and insignia.
22. The triple cross, or the cross with three horizontal beams, is used as an emblem for the office of the Pope. One of the interpretations of the three crossbars, akin to the three bands of the tiara, is interpreted as teacher, lawmaker, and judge 23. The Patriarchal cross or the archiepiscopal cross is seen on the coat of arms. Unlike the cross of the Pope, this has two horizontal bars signifying the archbishop.
TO BE CONTINUED……………………
Taken from : https://spiritualray.com/most-recognizable-catholic-symbols-their-meanings

PROGRAMME OF THE ON-GOING FORMATION FOR PRIESTS & RELIGIOUS – 2018
The above programme conducted by the Catholic National Commission for Seminaries, Clergy and Religious will be held at the National Seminary from:

TUESDAY THE 24TH JULY TO THURSDAY THE 26TH JULY, 2018 The target group for this year will be the Diocesan Priests & Religious ordained in the: YEARS 2014 & 2015 Hope you have kept the dates free. We are looking forward to your participation.

SLEEPING ST. JOSEPH FONTANINI STATUE

The Inaugural Mass of the Pontificate for Pope Francis took place on the Solemnity of St. Joseph, March 19th. Pope Francis explained why St. Joseph is one of his most beloved saints during his trip to the Philippines: “I have great love for St. Joseph, because he is a man of silence and strength. On my table I have an image of Saint Joseph sleeping. Even when he is asleep, he is taking care of the Church!” Pope Francis advised people to leave a “note” under the image of the saint for help whenever they have a problem. This replica of that statue from Fontanini is made of polymer and measures 6 1/2″L.
Taken From : Vatican News

Birthdays
02nd Mon -Rev. Fr. George Sigamoney -Rev. Fr. Camillus Jansz
3rd Wed -Rev. Fr. John Stephen
04th Thu -Rev. Fr. John Winston
15 th Sun -Rev. Fr. Nandana Manatunga -Rev. Fr. Henry Bernard Wijeratne, OSB

Ordinations
06th Fri -Rev. Fr. Dilan Perera
07th Sat -Rev. Fr. Starrett Melder
08th Sun -Very Rev. Fr. Bala Rajendram (40th Anniversary) -Rev. Fr. M. N. Leonard
21st Sat -Rev. Fr. Anthony Marian
22nd Sun -Very Rev. Fr. Anthony Fernando -Rev. Fr. George Sigamoney (Silver Jubilee of Priesthood)
23rd Mon -Rev. Fr. Desmond Perera
26th Thu -Rev. Fr. Colvin Fernandopulle
28th -Sat -Rev. Fr. Timothy Gnanapragasam
31st -Tue -Rev. Fr. Joseph Mirand

Deaths
01 st Sun -Rev. Fr. Martin, OSB
02nd Mon -Rev. Fr. Joseph Fernando, OSB
06th Fri -Rev. Fr. Gregory I. Fernando -Rev. Fr. Bonifilus Bastian, OSB
11 th Wed -Rev. Fr. Clement Soosaipillai
13th Fri -Rev. Fr. D. B. Nissangaarachchi
14th Sat -Rev. Fr. Lanfranc Amerasinghe, OSB