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Bishop’s Monthly Letter

My dear Fathers,
I wish to draw your attention to a very important document that the Holy Father has issued to the Universal Church dated 11th July 2017. He has issued an
Apostolic letter ‘Motu Proprio’ (namely by his own authority), giving a “new path” for beatification and canonization. Up to now there were two accepted paths in the matter of considering servants of God for beatification and canonization. The Holy Father by this document is giving the Universal Church the third possibility of introducing causes for the beatification and the canonization, namely “Worthy of special consideration and honour are those Christians who, following more than closely the footsteps and teachings of the Lord Jesus, have voluntarily and freely offered their life for others and persevered with this determination unto death”
The Holy Father has been truly inspired because earlier only martyrdom and the heroicity virtues were valid criteria. From now on this new criterion is truly an inspiration given to Pope Francis. It is a matter of great joy because from now on great catholic men and women of the calibre of St. Joseph Vaz who have heroically and freely offered their life in the face of death to come to the rescue of others in the footsteps and the teachings of Lord Jesus, will be considered for recognition by the Holy See for Sainthood.
The Motu Proprio also has an important article namely article 36 “Any solemn celebration or panegyric speeches about Servants of God whose sanctity of life is still being legitimately examined, are prohibited in Churches. Furthermore, one must also refrain, even outside of Church, from any acts which could mislead the faithful into thinking that the inquiry conducted by the Bishop into the life of the Servant of God and his virtues or martyrdom or offer of life carries with it the certitude that the Servant of God will be one day canonized”
During the course of the recently held meeting of the Bishops’ conference, there was a launch of a programme by Caritas – Sri Lanka on a simple method of Solid-waste management with the 3 R s namely “REDUCE, REUSE and RECYCLE”. The Bishops took an oath committing themselves, in the light of our Holy Father’s encyclical letter “Laudato Si” ,as this is a method of solid waste management, to protect and safeguard our “Common Home”. We shall discuss this matter ,further at our monthly Recollection, in view of implementing the same in our parishes and institutions.
We are very happy to welcome Fr. Christy Paul after his studies in Rome. We wish him God’s blessings in his pastoral assignment as the first parish priest of the newly erected parish of Digana.
Wishing all of you God’s abundant blessings.
Bishop Vianney Fernando,
Bishop of Kandy

ANNUAL TRANSFERS – 2017/2018
The following appointments will take effect on the 18th September 2017.
Rev. Fr. Joseph Miranda – Parish Priest of Kadiyanlena
Rev. Fr. Jude Angelo Peiris – Acting Parish Priest of Rotawewa
Rev. Fr. Nilanka Dias – Parish Priest of Nanuoya
Rev. Fr. Christy Paul – Parish Priest of Digana (The New Parish)
Rev. Fr. Lalith Thushara Amerasinghe – Parish Priest of Nikawehera
The following appointment will take effect on the 06th December 2017.
Rev. Fr. Vincent Wijesuriya – Parish Priest of Rotawewa
Bishop Vianney Fernando

Bishop’s Engagements in September
1st – 10.30 a.m – Thanksgiving Holy Mass at Peradeniya University Chapel
2nd – – Blessings of two Chapels in Maskeliya parish
10.30 a.m – St. Joseph Vaz Church – Annandel Estate
04.00 p.m – Holy Rosary Church – Ledbrook Estate
5th – 10.00 a.m – Holy Mass at Daya Nivasa – Feast of St. Teresa of Calcutta
7th – 10.00 a.m – Presbyteral Council Meeting
03.00 p.m- Episcopal Council Meeting
9th – 09.30 a.m – Interviews of those joining the National Seminary from Kalutara
11th, 12th – Major Seminarians’ outing
13th –19th – Asian Oceania Marian Conference at Taichung, Taiwan
22nd, 23rd -Interviews of Theology students of the National Seminary at Clergy House Gatembe
25th- – 6.30 p.m -Advisory Board meeting at Setik
28th – 6.00 p.m – Interviews of Minor Seminarians who are leaving for Intermediate Seminary, Kalutara

REMINDER:
25th, 26th of September 2017—Monthly Recollection at Monte Fano
18th, 19th of December 2017 —Monthly Recollection at Monte Fano

Welcome to Rev. Fr. Christy Paul
A warm welcome
to you
Dear Fr. Christy Paul
after a successful completion of
your studies in Rome and we wish you all the
very best as you are to take up your assignment
as the first parish priest
of the new parish of Digana
May the Lord bless you abundantly and your new mission
The Bishop and the Presbyterium

Catechetical Apostolate
Programme for the month of September
2nd Year Seminar
Date ; 7th of September 2017 to 9th September 2017
Place ; Seminar Centre, Kadugannawa
Rev. Fr. Camillus Jansz
Director—Catechetical Apostolate

Media Apostolate
Programme for the month of September
2017/09/05 – Tawalantanne Parish.
2017/09/10 – Hatton Parish.
2017/09/17 – Rattota Parish.
Rev.Fr. Sudath Rohana Perera
Director- Media Apostolate

APOSTOLIC LETTER ISSUED MOTU PROPRIO
BY THE SUPREME PONTIFF FRANCIS
MAIOREM HAC DILECTIONEM – ON THE OFFER OF LIFE
“Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (Jn 15:13).
Worthy of special consideration and honour are those Christians who, following more than closely the footsteps and teachings of the Lord Jesus, have voluntarily and freely offered their life for others and persevered with this determination unto death.
Certainly the heroic offering of life, inspired and sustained by charity, expresses a true, complete and exemplary imitation of Christ, and thus is deserving of that admiration that the community of faithful customarily reserves to those who have voluntarily accepted the martyrdom of blood or have exercised Christian virtues to a heroic degree.
With the support of the favourable opinion expressed by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints which, in its Plenary Session on 27 September 2016, carefully studied whether these Christians are deserving of beatification, I establish that the following norms be observed:
Art. 1
The offer of life is a new cause for the beatification and canonization procedure, distinct from the causes based on martyrdom and on the heroism of virtues.
Art. 2
The offer of life, in order that it be valid and effective for the beatification of a Servant of God, must respond to the following criteria:
a) a free and voluntary offer of life and heroic acceptance propter caritatem of a certain and untimely death;
b) a nexus between the offer of life and premature death;
c) the exercise, at least as ordinarily possible, of Christian virtues before the offer of life and, then, unto death;
d) the existence of a reputation of holiness and of signs, at least after death;
e) the necessity of a miracle for beatification, occurring after the death of the Servant of God and through his or her intercession.
Art. 3
The celebration of the diocesan or eparchial Inquest and the relative Positio are regulated by the Apostolic Constitution Divinus perfectionis Magister of 25 January 1983, in Acta Apostolicae Sedis Vol. lxxv (1983, 349-355), and by the Normae servandae in inquisitionibus ab Episcopis facendis in Causis Sanctorum of 7 February of the same year, in Acta Apostolicae Sedis Vol. lxxv (1983, 396-403), except as follows.
Art. 4
The Positio on the offer of life must respond to the dubium: An constet de heroica oblatione vitae usque ad mortem propter caritatem necnon de virtutibus christianis, saltem in gradu ordinario, in casu et ad effectum de quo agitur.
Art. 5
The following articles of the said Apostolic Constitution are thus modified:
Art. 1:
“It is the right of diocesan Bishops or Bishops of the Eastern Rite and others who have the same powers in law, within the limits of their own jurisdiction, either ex officio or upon the request of individual members of the faithful or of legitimate groups and their representatives, to inquire about the life, virtues, the offer of life or martyrdom and reputation of sanctity, of the offer of life or martyrdom, alleged miracles, as well as, if it be the case, ancient cult of the Servant of God, whose canonization is sought”.

Art. 2.5:
“The inquiry into alleged miracles is to be conducted separately from the inquiry into virtues, the offer of life or martyrdom”.
Art. 7.1: “to study the causes entrusted to them, together with collaborators from outside the Congregation, and to prepare the Positions on virtues, on the offer of life or on martyrdom”.
Art. 13.2: “If the meeting judges that the cause was conducted according to the norms of law, it decides to which Relator the cause is to be assigned; the Relator, then, together with a collaborator from outside the Congregation, will prepare the Position on virtues, on the offer of life or on martyrdom according to the rules of critical hagiography”.
Art. 6
The following Articles of the said Normae servandae in inquisitionibus ab Episcopi facendis in Causis Sanctorum are thus modified:
Art. 7:
“A cause can be recent or ancient; it is called recent if the martyrdom or virtues or the offer of life of the Servant of God can be proved through the oral depositions of eye witnesses; it is ancient, however, when the proofs for martyrdom or virtues can be brought to light only from written sources”.
Art. 10.1:
“in both recent and ancient causes, a biography of any historical import of the Servant of God, should such exist, or otherwise an accurate, chronologically arranged report on the life and deeds of the Servant of God, on his virtues or on his offer of life or martyrdom, on his reputation of sanctity and of signs. Nor should anything be omitted which seems to be contrary or less favorable to the cause”.
Art. 10.3:
“in recent causes only, a list of persons who can help bring to light the truth about the virtues or the offer of life or the martyrdom of the Servant of God, and about his reputation of sanctity or of signs. Those with contrary opinions must also be included”.
Art. 15.a:
“Once the report has been accepted, the Bishop is to hand over to the promotor of justice or to another expert everything gathered up to that point so that he might formulate the interrogatories most effective in searching out and discovering the truth about the life of the Servant of God, his virtues, his offer of life or martyrdom, his reputation of holiness, of the offer of life or of martyrdom”.
Art. 15.b:
“In ancient causes, however, the interrogatories are only to consider the reputation of sanctity, of the offer of life or martyrdom existing until the present as well as, if it be the case, the cult given to the Servant of God in more recent times”.
Art. 19:
“In order to prove the martyrdom or the practice of virtues or the offer of life and the reputation of signs of the Servant of God who belonged to any institute of consecrated life, a significant number of the proposed witnesses must be from outside the Institute unless, on account of the particular life of the Servant of God, this should prove impossible”.
Art. 32:
“The inquiry on miracles is to be instructed separately from the inquiry on virtues or the offer of life or martyrdom and is to be conducted according to the norms which follow”.
Art. 36:
“Any solemn celebrations or panegyric speeches about Servants of God whose sanctity of life is still being legitimately examined are prohibited in Churches. Furthermore, one must also refrain, even outside of Church, from any acts which could mislead the faithful into thinking that the inquiry conducted by the Bishop into the life of the Servant of God and his virtues or martyrdom or offer of life carries with it the certitude that the Servant of God will be one day canonized”. All that I have deliberated with this Apostolic Letter issued Motu Proprio, I order be observed in all its parts, notwithstanding anything to the contrary, even should it merit particular mention, and I establish that it be promulgated by publication in L’Osservatore Romano, entering into force on the same day of its promulgation and that, subsequently, it be inserted into the Acta Apostolicae Sedis.
Given in Rome, at Saint Peter’s, on 11 July, Fifth Year of my Pontificate
FRANCIS
Taken from : Catholic News Agency

Pope Francis becomes
‘Super Pope’
in Vatican-approved graffiti
Not content with being Time’s Person of the Year and scoring a Rolling Stone cover, Pope Francis has now achieved superhero status, at least in the eyes of graffiti artist Maupal. Pope Francis is depicted soaring into the sky, fist outstretched and crucifix swinging in the wind, on a wall of the Borgo Pio district near St. Peter’s Square in Rome, complete with a white cape and a satchel branded with ‘valores’, the Spanish word for values. The graffiti mural, being dubbed ‘Super Pope’, was spotted on Tuesday and is the work of Italian street artist Maupal.
It came with the approval of the Vatican communications office, which posted a photo of it on Twitter.
Pope Francis has been credited with transforming the Church’s fortunes during his brief tenure, thanks to his message of helping the poor and vowing to crack down on Vatican corruption, culminating in Time naming him their Person of the Year and Rolling Stone featuring him on their latest front cover. He is the first pontiff to front the rock magazine, with contributing editor Mark Binelli writing in the edition: “In less than a year since his papacy began, Pope Francis has done much to separate himself from past popes and establish himself as a people’s pope.”
Taken from: Vatican Radio

Prayer is ………………….
HOPING
Hope is essential to human life.” Where there is life, there is hope’. Anyone experiencing great trouble or pain, rejection or failure, has at least some glimmer of hope that things will change for the better. Where hope is lost or almost gone, then there is a little reason to go on living.
What do we hope for – good health, success in exams or business, a good job, prosperity, happiness, peace, love, lasting friendship? Some of these hopes are fulfilled to a certain degree, at least temporarily; others remain dreams, and still others are crushed or dashed to the ground. And we are time and again gathering up the broken pieces and trying to hope anew.
Where ultimately are our hopes based – if they are not to be deceptions or mirages? Their real foundation is in God himself, in his love and his promises. He does not promise us a paradise on earth, suffering and injustice, a realization of every desire and liking of ours. What he does assure us of is:
-that whatever we go through, whatever befalls us, he will be with us and not desert us. “If you walk in the darkness, I’ll be with you; fear not!
– that his love is greater and stronger than our sins and hate, and that, despite appearances, his love will have the last word and the final victory.
– that Jesus’ triumph in his resurrection is ours not only at the end of our life but through the daily dying that confront us.
– that his Spirit is fashioning a new world, ‘a new heaven and a new earth’, in spite of destructive forces of domination and division so noticeable everywhere.
To hope in this radical way is extremely demanding, and could approach Abraham’s ‘hoping against hope’ ( Rm4/18). Prayer disposes us to receive this gift of hope; we learn to relate many of the hopes that crowd our hearts and minds, and to give all importance to the things that really matter.
Here is a declaration of Cardinal Leo Suenens, a personal testimony why he continues to be a man of hope today.
I am a man of hope ,not for human reasons or out of natural optimism, but merely because I believe the Holy Spirit is at work, in the Church and in the world, whether we know it or not.
I am a man of hope, because I believe that threat the Holy Spirit is forever a Creative Spirit, who every morning gives to him who receives him a new freedom and a provision of joy and of trust.
I am a man of hope, because I know that the history of the Church is a long history all filled with the marvels of the Holy Spirit. Think of the prophets and saints, who in crucial times have been wonderful instruments of grace and who have projected on the world a trail of light.
To hope is a duty, not a luxury. To hope is not to dream, but on the contrary, it is a means to transform a dream into reality.
Happy those who dare to dream and who are ready to pay the cost of it to allow their dream to become reality in the life of men.
Sent by : Fr. Bala Rajendram.

Pakistan’s “Mother Teresa” given state funeral
Karachi: For the first time in Pakistan’s recent history, a Christian was honored with a state funeral.
Sister Doctor Ruth Katherine Martha Pfau, Pakistan’s “Mother Teresa,” was laid to rest on August 19 after she was given with full national honors. The 87-year-old member of the Daughters of the Heart of Mary, a physician, died on August 10. On August 18, Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi announced a state funeral for the nun, who had become a symbol of selflessness and devotion to leprosy patients. “The entire nation is indebted to Ruth Pfau for her selflessness and unmatched services for eradication of leprosy,” Abbasi said in a press release.
He added that Sister Pfau, through her dedication and “illustrious toil,” had proven that humanity has no boundaries. Pakistan President Mamnoon Hussain also paid tribute to the humanitarian, saying that “her great tradition of human service would be kept alive.” He further said that she lived in the prayers of all those who were cured from leprosy as a result of her efforts Armed forces personnel carried her casket into St Patrick’s Cathedral in Karachi’s Saddar area on Saturday. The coffin was draped in the Pakistani flag and covered with rose petals, report agencies.
After her final rites at the church, she was laid to rest in Gora Qabaristan (white man’s cemetery), Karachi’s oldest graveyard. Many state dignitaries, including President Mamnoon Hussain, attend the burial ceremony. Each of whom laid floral wreaths on her grave as a mark of respect. Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi had earlier announced a state funeral for Dr Pfau, saying: “The entire nation is indebted to Ruth Pfau for her selflessness and unmatched services for eradication of leprosy.” Sr Pfau, who was German by birth, had been sent to Pakistan in 1960 by her congregation of nuns for a medical service for students. After witnessing the plight of leprosy patients, she decided to settle here. She was granted citizenship in 1988.
In 1979, she was awarded the Hilal-i-Imtiaz, the second highest civilian award of the country. In 1989, Sr Ruth was presented the Hilal-i-Pakistan for her services. A notification issued by Atif Aziz, Sindh Law Deputy Secretary had said the “national flag shall fly at half-mast on Saturday 19 August, 2017.” The World Health Organization set the year 2000 as the target for controlling leprosy. Pakistan achieved it four years earlier, in 1996, becoming the first country in Asia to have successfully controlled the spread of the disease – a goal the Catholic nun achieved almost single-handedly.
When she arrived in Pakistan in 1960, thousands of families were affected by leprosy, a disease then considered incurable. Family members used to drop their affected loved ones at the Lepers’ Colony in Karachi. In 1963, Dr Pfau turned a dispensary at the Lepers’ Colony (which was set up by the Catholic Church) into a hospital, and brought it into the heart of Karachi. The hospital was named after the founder of the congregation, Marie Adelaide de Cicé. In 1961, Dr Zarina Fazlebhoy, a dermatologist, became the first Pakistani citizen to join the team of pioneers. The first technicians’ course was started there in 1965.
In 1968, her hospital submitted its first proposal to the Pakistan government to set up a National Leprosy Control Programme that was eventually launched in 1984. A total of 175 leprosy treatment centers were set up across Pakistan to treat leprosy patients, of which 157 were run by her hospital and 18 by a sister organization, Aid to Leprosy Patients (ALP). Many healed patients were later inducted as employees at these centers.
The Government of Pakistan gave Dr Pfau honorary citizenship in 1988. She also received three of Pakistan’s highest honors – the Sitara-e-Quaid-e-Azam in 1969, the Sitara-e-Imtiaz in 1979 and the Nishan-e-Quaid-e-Azam in 2011. In 2004, Aga Khan University conferred upon her an honorary degree of “Doctor of Science.” She also received the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006. The German government conferred on her The Order of the Cross in 1968, the Commanders’ Cross of the Order of Merit with Star in 1985, and the Bambi Award in 2012. The funeral was attended by members of civil society and hundreds of admirers. After dignitaries departed, the graveyard was thronged by thousands of citizens whose lives she had touched. Martha Fernando, who worked with the nun, said the physician’s death was a great loss to humanity.“There is no one like her and there won’t be any replacement to her. We pray to God to send people like her again to this world so that they can continue serving people,” she added.Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has announced the renaming of Civil Hospital Karachi after Dr Ruth Pfau.“Dr Pfau was the pride of Sindh and the pride of Pakistan,” Shah said.
Taken from: UCAnews.Com

Taken From : GARABANDAL JOURNAL / JULY-AUGUST 2017

Ordinations
Sent By: Rev. Fr. Nandana Manatunga
02nd – Sat – Rev. Fr. Locksley Peiris
10th – Sun – Rev. Fr. Clement Jesudasan
– Rev. Fr. Sudath Rohana Perera
– Rev. Fr. Dominic Sandanam
16th – Sat – Rev. Fr. Camillus Jansz
– Rev. Fr. Leslie Perera
– Rev. Fr. Saliya Wijesooriya
– Rev. Fr. Alvin Peter Fernando
27th – Wed – Rev. Fr. Eugene de Silva, OSB

Deaths

04th – Mon – Rev. Fr. Claude Camillus Peiris
11th – Mon – Rev. Fr. D. A. Rosati, OSB
12th – Tue – Rev. Fr. Aiden de Silva, OSB
13th – Wed – Rev. Fr. D. N. Van Reyk, OSB
15th – Fri – Rev. Bro. D. C. D. Vincent, OSB
27th – Wed – Rev. Fr. Benedict Perera, OSB
28th – Thu – Rev. Fr. Maria Arickiam

Birthdays

04th – Mon – Rev. Fr. Shiwantha Rodrigo
07th – Thu – Rev. Fr. Denzil M. Perera
08th – Fri – Rev. Fr. Roshan Claude Almeida
10th – Sun – Rev. Fr. Saliya Wijesooriya
11th – Mon – Rev. Fr. Cecil Xavier
28th – Thu – Rev. Fr. Vincent Wijesuriya
– Rev. Fr. Sudath Rohana Perera