Mannar, installation of new bishop Antonipillai Gnanapragasam
The episcopal ordination of the new shepherd of the diocese in the north of the country took place in the national sanctuary of Madhu. The diocese has grown from the seed sown four centuries ago by its martyrs. The president of the Bishops' Conference, Monsignor Perera, expressed his hope that the new bishop “will walk with this people still so harshly marked by the consequences of the war”.
Mannar (AsiaNews) - The diocese of Mannar in Sri Lanka has welcomed its new bishop, Monsignor Antonipillai Gnanapragasam. The episcopal ordination took place on Saturday 22 February at the historic shrine of Our Lady of Madhu, of which the new prelate was administrator until his appointment announced by Pope Francis on 14 December last, who called him to succeed Bishop Fidelis Lionel Emmanuel Fernando, after the latter had resigned from the government of the diocese having reached the age limit.
His predecessor, Monsignor Fernando, presided over the Mass with the rite of ordination of Monsignor Antonipillai, in the presence of the apostolic nuncio Monsignor Brain Udgaweid, the Archbishop of Colombo, Cardinal Malcom Ranjith and all the other bishops of the Episcopal Conference of Sri Lanka, in front of a large number of faithful.
The mass was celebrated in Tamil, Sinhalese and English, with the Bishop of Jaffna, Mons. Justin Gnanapragasam, who gave the homily in Tamil, while the Bishop of Kurunegala, Mons. Herold Anthony Perera, who is also president of the Bishops' Conference, spoke in Sinhalese.
‘Dear brother bishop,’ said Monsignor Perera, ’today you receive a people from a land bathed in the blood of martyrs. A people that has not yet fully recovered from the pain, tears and bitter sorrow of 30 years of war. They are waiting for you to begin a long pilgrimage. So walk with them and take care of them.’
Monsignor Antonipillai Gnanapragasam is 59 years old and has carried out his entire priestly ministry in the community that will now serve as his diocese. He was born in the city of Adampan and was ordained as a priest in 1994. He carried out his ministry in the parishes of Murunkan, Cheddikulam, Pallimunai and Vankalai.
After completing his studies at Fordham University in New York, he was rector of the diocesan minor seminary and then parish priest of the Cathedral, until his last assignment at the national shrine of Our Lady of Madhu.
The diocese is the fruit of the seed sown by its martyrs, about 600 Catholics converted to Catholicism by the Portuguese who were killed in hatred of the faith in 1544 by a Tamil king. Mannar is part of the ‘Catholic belt’ that extends from Negombo. It currently has 58 diocesan priests and 35 parishes.
.png)
