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| Friday, 26 March 2004 |
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Ja-Ela Passion Play counts 145 years The history of Ja-Ela church goes back to more than two hundred (200) years. Ja-Ela was then a village, now turned to a town. Ja-Ela church is dedicated to our Lady of Seven Dolours. This was then under the administration of Nagoda Mission. Later it became a separate independent. Mission in the Archdiocese of Colombo. The Parish Priest then at the church of Nagoda was Rev. Fr. Pedro Noringho, who was an Oratorian Priest, seeing the hillock near by Ja-Ela church has conceived the idea in this mind to make it a Calvary. He then had ventured on it and his untiring efforts had been fruitful when he obtained the permission and the Episcopal Blessings from his grace the then Archbishop of Colombo, Rt. Rev. Dr. Anthony Cadjetan to declare this hillock and consecrate it as the "Mount Calvary". This was in 1848. It was a great blessing for the Catholics of Ja-Ela. It was the period of the British rule. In the year 1859, i.e. after 11-years of declaring the hillock as the Mount Calvary, the people of Ja-Ela presented the Passion Play for the first time. This expressed the unity of the people of the village. It is reported that they had built huts called "Pasku Madu" and staged the passion play depicting the scenes from Palm Sunday onward to Easter Sunday (Holy Week). It is revealed that the late to Lankahaluge Lewis Fernando, a devout Catholic of the area, introduced the passion play to Ja-Ela. It is also revealed that the statue used for the crucifixion was made by the late Mr. Marcus also a devout Catholic of the area. We remember with reverence and gratitude those elders who with their devotion and dedication to religion uniting other members of the Parish by these passion plays. Large crowds had gathered to see the passion play in progress. The increasing crowds that were gathering to view these passion plays, paved the way to build the railway station in the location where it stands today, although the railway authorities had intended to build it elsewhere. In doing this the authorities had paid heed to the needs of the people to which we are ever grateful. We are also thankful to our ancestors for this which is a great benefit to the people of the area. While on the subject of the passion plays - a name that cannot be ignored is the name of Rev. Fr. Jacome Gonsalves who was a Goanese Missionary who had come to this island, learnt the Sinhala and the Tamil languages contributed immensely to the Catholic literature in Sinhala in the passion plays and other Catholic plays wrote books such as Pasan and the Deshana which are sung in the season of lent. In early nineteen fifties the old "Maha Paskuwa" had been shortened to suit the times. It had been limited mainly to the occurrences of the Good Friday and Easter Sunday as well. An open air way of the cross is started from the church grounds with depicting the scenes of accepting the Cross by Jesus. This is conducted leading to the hillock, the Calvary. On the way short sermons will be delivered at the stations of the way of the Cross. On the hillock after depicting the scene of nailing of Jesus to the Cross, His last words on the Cross are meditated. His crucifixion and taking down from the Cross and laying Him in the arms of Mother Mary and there after the resting of the body of Jesus in the sepulchre are depicted and then brought in procession to the church. This ends with Good Friday occurrences. On Easter Sunday after depicting the scene of the Resurrection of Jesus at the end of the Holy Mass the triumphant of the resurrected Jesus is carried in procession and having reached the church the devotees will be blessed by the Parish Priest. This ends all programmes pertaining to the Lenten Season. It is said that this shortened form of Good Friday programme had been the idea and work of the late E. Francis J. Fernando, the Muhuppu of the Ja-Ela church. The Holy Bible speaks of Jesus' seven words of the Cross and remembering that, services are conducted on all Good Fridays. Among the many priests who had delivered sermons on this hillock are the Most Rev. Dr. Frank Marcus Fernando the present Bishop of Chilaw, the late Most Rev. Dr. Don Syslvester the former Bishop of Galle. In addition it is remembered that Rev. Fr. Benedict Joseph, the Editor of Gnanartha Pradeepa impressed by the sermons at the Calvary once arranged for the live broadcast of the Good Friday Programme at the calvary over the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation, and Rev. Fr. Cyril Gamini Fernando directed the 'Kurusiye Valapilla" was relayed live over S.L.B.C. from this hillock. These enchanting services still echoes in the ears of the parishioners and are ever grateful to the organizers of these programmes. The 150th Jubilee of Ja-Ela calvary was held in 1998. His Grace Most Rev. Dr. Nicholas Marcus Fernando, the Archbishop Emeritus, presided at the good Friday service held on this hillock. In his letter addressed to the faithful (Messenger - April 26th 1998) he emphasized the importance of continuing this in the future as well. We remember our ancestors and all those who have engaged in performing their bounden duties towards this passion play to make it a reality. We also appeal to the youth to come forward and take leadership to continue this religious task. We are thankful to the former Parish Priests, including the present Parish Priest, Rev. Fr. Leo Camillus for their support extended to improve and to continue this passion play in the years to come. - L. S. Nelson Fernando, Ja-Ela. |
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