Christian Perspectives

Archbishop Colombo His Eminence Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith participating at the annual Church feast of St. Jude’s shrine, Indigolla, Gampaha. Picture by Nimal Jayasinghe, Gampaha Roving Corr

Rome ready for the Consistory

Following the general audience of October 20, the Holy Father Benedict XVI announced the names of twenty-four prelates who will be created Cardinals in a special ceremony, known as a consistory, due to be held on 20 November, eve of the Solemnity of Christ the King. Sri Lanka is honoured and proud to have its second son, in the person of Cardinal-designate Archbishop Malcolm Ranjith, elevated to this most honourable position in the Church.

"Cardinals", said the Pope, "have the task of helping Peter's Successor carry out his mission as permanent and visible source and foundation of the Church's unity of faith and communion." Twenty of the new Cardinals, being under the age of eighty, will have the power to elect his eventual successor. This means that, after the Consistory on November 20, there will be 121 Cardinals of voting age, one more than the usual 120 limit.

Cardinals

Cardinals, the "princes of the Church" as they are traditionally called, are the Pope's closest advisers and are personally named by him. They are usually Archbishops of major dioceses or heads of influential departments at the Vatican. "Cardinal" comes from the Latin "cardo-dinis" (hinge) and symbolizes the link they assure between the Holy See and major dioceses.

The Code of Canon Law attributes to the College of Cardinals the task of helping the Roman pontiff deal both with "questions of greater moment" and with the ordinary "daily administration" of the Church. Their trademark red hat, which they will receive in the ceremony, stands for their readiness to shed their blood for the Church.

The colour symbolizes the commitment of the Cardinals to hold fast to the faith "even unto the shedding of blood" ("usque ad sanguinis effusionem", literally "up to of blood the shedding") that is, up to martyrdom.

"In you," Pope John Paul told the Cardinals in one of his consistories, "the faithful and even the pastors of the particular Churches scattered throughout the world look for light and direction to live more profoundly the communion with the Roman See. Is not this perhaps the meaning of the admonition contained in the rite we are celebrating: 'Te intrepidum exhibere debeas' ('You should show yourself fearless')?" That is the mission of a Cardinal. Since 1630, Cardinals are addressed as 'His Eminence". In accordance with Latin tradition, they sign by placing the title Cardinalis (abbreviated Card.) after their personal name and before their surname as, for instance, "Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith".

The new Cardinals will then celebrate Mass with the Pope on the Feast of Christ the King, Sunday, November 21, and at that Mass they will receive their Cardinalatial rings directly from the Pope to symbolize their bond with the Holy Father, the successor of Peter. The pope chooses the image on the outside: under Pope Benedict XVI it is a modern depiction of the crucifixion of Jesus, with Mary and John to each side. The ring includes the Pope's coat of arms on the inside. Motherland

The Lord has truly blessed our Motherland in giving us a new Cardinal in the person of Cardinal-designate Archbishop Malcolm Ranjith. His name is much spoken of in the international forum and even in the Vatican for several reasons, namely for his ability to speak about 10 languages (a plus to converse with many Cardinals and for the Universal Church), for his services as Nuncio in the largest Islamic country, Indonesia, not only for the diplomatic experience, but more importantly, for the experience gained in maintaining a dialogue with Islam, for having an operational knowledge of the affairs of the Holy See after serving in two different curia positions (Propaganda Fide and Congregation for Divine Worship), for his loyalty to the Supreme Pontiff, for his fearless/straightforward character of bearing witness to the Truth, for his love for the Liturgy of the Roman Church and also for his contribution for the peace process of Sri Lanka.

Rome awaits to receive Archbishop Malcolm Ranjith as many celebrations have been organized for the same. On November 17 at 10 am there will be a ceremonial Welcome to His Eminence at the Fuimicino International AirPort of Rome. The Sri Lankan delegation comprising more than 250 participants (including priests, Politicians, Relatives and friends of His Eminence) are expected to participate at these celebrations. Receive blessings

On the evening when the Cardinals are created, that is on November 20th , the well-wishers of the new Cardinals will be able to visit them inside the Vatican, to congratulate them and to receive their blessings. His Eminence will celebrate the Holy Eucharist with the Sri Lankan community on Tuesday 23rd November at St. Peter's Basilica of the Vatican.

We wish Cardinal-designate Archbishop Malcolm Ranjith God's choicest blessings. May you be the proud of Mother Lanka, the pearl of the Indian ocean and may you guide the Church in Sri Lanka in wisdom and in Truth for many more years to come.

Fr. Shamindra Jayawardena OSB, reporting from Rome.

Eucharist year at St Lawrence's Parish

S. B. David

His Grace Archbishop of Colombo Most Rev Dr Malcom Ranjith officially launched The Year of Eucharist from August 2010 to August 2011 at the Basilica of our Lady of Lanka at Tewatte August 29.

Rev Fr Bob Rodrigo OMI Parish Priest St. Lawrence's Church appointed a Eucharistic year Celebration committee with ten members including four Ministers of Holy Communion to inflame spiritual renewal among the Parishioners.

Sunday, September 5 was a special day for the Parishioners of Wellawatte as they officially inaugurated The Year of Eucharist under the theme 'Let the Eucharist transform you to a Blessing'. The celebration commenced at 7.30 am with a con-celebrated Eucharistic Service officiated by Fr Bob as chief celebrant and Fr Leon and Harry as co-assistants with a solemn entrance procession with Fr Bob Rodrigo, Fr Leon Babapulle, Fr Harry Vanigasooriyar and with four Ministers of Holy Communion led by the Alter Servers to the Sanctuary.

The Wellawatte Parishioners are privileged to have the Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament daily after 6 am Eucharistic Service up to 12.10 pm during the week except on Monday and Sunday. After the inauguration of the Year of Eucharist it is extended from 3 pm to 7 pm. Hour of Adoration is arranged on every Tuesday Wednesday and Friday at 6 pm to 7 pm with 15 minutes reflection by the Priest in attendance and closing up with solemn Benediction.

On every Friday from 10 am to 11 am Holy Hour Adoration conducted in Tamil by the Legion of Mary Members. On every First Friday the Holy Hour Adoration by No 16 Cottage members from 10 a.m to 11 am and from 11 am to 12 noon in Tamil by Divine Mercy Apostates and ends with solemn Eucharistic Service celebration at 12.10 pm. Again the services commence at 5.30 pm having Adoration and the sacred monstrance with Blessed Sacrament is taken out under the canopy around the church with candle light procession.

Proclamation of the Year of Eucharist by His Grace The Archbishop of Colombo brought in spiritual transformation among the faithful to become a Blessing The intimate dialog with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament and the meditative prayers helped the faithful to cultivate the Divine intimacy with Jesus in the secrecy of their hearts and conscience which reformed their attitudes towards all others around them.

An appeal is extended by the Parish Priest to all the Cottage Leaders to inspire the parishioners to participate more in numbers in all the Eucharistic services and Adoration conducted in the Parish through the coming year.

Memoriam

Rosebuds of memory unfold once again
As the leaves of the year turn to November again
Reminding of folk, their years of service freely given
Their duties done; now rest in peace eternal
Then, softly light this candle of remembrance
And place the flowers of memory rich and fragrant
Their service, a monument, stands the test of time
Memory a gift that death cannot defy.

Jeannette Cabraal

To St Anthony's shrine, Kochchikade

Dedicated to St Anthony the wonder - worker divine
Stands the much revered cosmopolitan shrine
Against a backdrop of lapping waters and surging waves
A foreground of the busy streets and populace
One hundred and seventy five years its doors open wide
To those seeking solace in the storms of life.
An anchor on life's tempestuous sea
devotees kneel in prayerful appeal
Hail shrine of comfort in all the nation's ills
Long may you remain the national shrine of goodwill
Gathering the diverse peoples of our isle
'neath St Anthony's restorative powers benign.

Jeannette Cabraal

Supplication

(To St. Jude)
The mournful past, thrust aside
Forgiveness, a Godly gesture reconcile
Wreck not life, wallowing in despair
Future is hope, trust in God and prayer

Despair, distress, man's lot in this sojourn
This saint an oasis, to whom the distressed turn
Cast away all doubts, the past forgive
In child-like simplicity, the present live

Leave all to god, to his discerning plan
To the saint's intercession, commend this our land
And as we join as one in hope replete
Hope of the hopeless, help of the helpless intercede.

Jeannette Cabraal

Fatima Church, Battaramulla celebrates Golden Jubilee

The Church of Our Lady of Fatima, Battaramulla closed its Golden Jubilee Celebrations Sunday, October 24 with the Festive Holy Mass celebrated by His Eminence

Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, Archbishop of Colombo. The evening service on the previous day was presided over by the Auxiliary Bishop of Colombo Rt Rev Dr Marius Peiris. This service was followed by a candle-light procession carrying the statue of Our Lady of Fatima on a gaily illuminated chariot up to the Koswatta Junction.

The incumbent Parish Priest Rev Fr Kithsiri Thirimanne with only an year of service in the Parish had left no stone unturned in upgrading the Church to be a beautiful House of Prayer within a fitting environment for the worthwhile celebration.

According to the history of the Parish it had been on the 26th of July 1959 that the Late Rev Fr Nissen OMI, a French missionary and Parish Priest of St Thomas' Kotte at the time had placed a statue of Our Lady of Fatima beside the altar of a building the "Ratnayake Walawwa" situated on a hillock and celebrated the divine Service for a little group of the Catholic Community of the area that had been undergoing severe hardships in practising their religious duties in a common place of worship. It is on that same soil that the present church has been built and a Parish instituted to serve the religious needs of 700 Catholic families and social needs of the community at large through various societies like the Saint Vincent De Paul Society (SVP).

In a letter to the Catholic "Messenger" titled "Pilgrim Virgin moved in 25 years before Parliament" published 14th October 1984, Mr P Cyril J Cooray, a senior leader of the Catholic Community at the time and the Hony Secretary of the Parish Pastoral Council gave a vivid description of the time as follows:

Development of Battaramulla Church

"Nestling close to the Diyawanna Oya, which meanders leisurely through the ancient Kingdom of Sri Jayawardenapura and almost on the Western outskirts of the Urban Council Area of Kotte, lies the peaceful and serene hamlet of Battaramulla. The rattle of wooden planks that once lay across the narrow bridges of Diyawanna and the dusty winding roads which ran through vast stretches of marshy land, made this little known part of Colombo District accessible only to light vehicles, bullock carts, long lines of pedal cyclists and pedestrians wending their way to and from the cities of Colombo and Kotte.

The incessant chirping of many species of birds of various hues and pleasing scenic beauty of Duwa and Seeniduwa must have captivated the hearts of visitors of the Royal City and Palace of Kotte. The very name "Rajamalwatte" given to a path windings its way from Battaramulla to Seeniduwa bears testimony to the grandeur of the village in days gone by and to the existence of the Royal pleasure Gardens within its limits.

However, with the passage of time, when after the turmoil of World War II, Sri Lanka gained full independence and there was a movement towards progress everywhere, even this sleepy village of Battaramulla was compelled to wake up from its long slumber and keep in step with the slow but steady march of urbanization."

"Towards the latter part of the nineteen-fifties, when Housing Schemes such as those at Jayanthipura, Subuthipura sprang up in and around Battaramulla with the assistance of State and private agencies, a cosmopolitan crowd moved into this suburban area."

"Among them were a few Catholics who, inspired by the Holy Spirit and led by Fr Nissen, one time Parish Priest of Kotte, celebrated the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass for the first time in the Jayanthipura Housing Scheme. Looking out for a more suitable place for the celebration of Sunday Mass he sought the assistance of Anne Kulatunge who belonged to an old Catholic family of Talangama."

"She took him to see the house of her deceased brother, the late Philip Sebastian Ratnayake, whose widow was the then owner of the old Ratnayake Walawwa. Fr Nissen immediately decided on the suitability of the place, especially in view of the existence of a Chapel with ready-made Altar and obtained the front portion of the house for a monthly payment of Rs 60/-. This is how this building became the regular weekly trysting place for Catholics of Battaramulla."

Neville Anthony Perera

Rousing welcome for Pope in Santiago

Thousands of pilgrims, many weary from all-night waits, hailed the pope with cries of "Viva el Papa!" and "Be-ne-dicto!" as he arrived to celebrate mass Saturday in the medieval heart of Spain's holiest city.

Benedict XVI rolled into the vast Plaza Obradoiro, outside the main facade of the 12th century cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, in his transparent "popemobile", some 40 minutes behind schedule.

Dozens of Spanish bishops and archbishops in red robes and white mitres sat on one side of a massive white sound stage dressed in a giant zigzag of purple flowers in the square.

Opposite them, Crown Prince Felipe and his wife Letizia sat to hear the 83-year-old pope, dressed in a gold-embroidered, crimson cloak and large white mitre.

Many more priests, in white robes, sat in the front rows of an audience of 7,000 people.

Police spotters with binoculars stood atop the 18th-century building that is the seat of the regional government of Galicia on one side of the square, next to flags of Spain, the Vatican, the European Union and Galicia.

Some tourists watched from balconies of the luxury hotel on another side, a former hostel for pilgrims on the Way of Saint James, or Camino de Santiago.

The crowd, which had waited hours, burst into cheers and cries of "Viva el Papa!" and "Be-ne-dicto!" when the pontiff entered the square.

Many in the crowd held huge banners or the yellow and white flag of the Vatican saying "Welcome Benedict XVI", or wore yellow neckerchiefs or scarves bearing the pope's picture.

Some had spent most of the night outside the square to be sure of getting a seat at the mass. "I'm not at all tired, I'm emotional," said Jose Antonio, a 30-year-old Spanish monk who had stood at the top of the queue for the Plaza Obradoiro since at 6:30pm (1730 GMT) Friday to be first in line to enter the square when it was opened by police at 8:00am. Kang An-na, 29 from South Korea, said she had walked 800 kilometres on the Camino with six compatriots, all Catholics.

"We just heard that the Pope was here when we arrived but I'm very excited," she said.

The Pontiff earlier stepped onto Spanish soil from a fog-enshrouded Alitalia plane from Rome, where he was formally greeted by Prince Felipe and Letizia, dressed in grey.

Draped in an all-white cassock, scarlet cloak and stole, the pope travelled 11 kilometres (seven miles) in the popemobile to the majestic 12th-century cathedral with twin towers soaring 75 metres (250 feet) into the sky.

Thousands lined the route, cheering, waving and releasing hundreds of white, yellow and blue balloons. Some in the crowd still harked back to his predecessor, who twice visited this city, home of the purported remains of the Apostle, Saint James, since the ninth century and a draw for pilgrims for more than 1,000 years.

"I was much more moved by seeing John Paul II," said Maria Jose Escobar, 37, who was in the crowd along the pope's route from the airport. "We liked John Paul more, he was much more lovable." Her friend, Jose Ramon Gondar, 38, added that "the Church is behind the times," although he respects Benedict's views on moral issues.

Later, the pope prayed silently and alone in the sumptuously decorated crypt holding the tomb of Saint James before embracing a painted statue of the first century saint clutching a staff, which has drawn pilgrims since the Middle Ages.

AFP