Wewala, three new baptized in the church of St. Francis Xavier
The newly baptized are Iresha Sandamali, Theresa Rathnawathi and Joseph. The two women chose to abandon the Buddhist faith. For a long time they attend the church and attend the liturgy. The ceremony during the Easter vigil.
Colombo (AsiaNews) - The church of St. Francis Xavier of Wewala, in the diocese of Colombo, has three new Christian faithful. They are Iresha Sandamali, Theresa Rathnawathi and Joseph: three adults who have chosen to embrace Christ. For them, the baptismal rite took place during the Easter vigil on March 31st.
Speaking to AsiaNews the say: "A long-awaited dream has come true. In this new life we experience a new feeling of inner happiness and strength. We have full confidence that the love of Jesus Christ will never end. "
Besides the baptismal rite, the three Christians also celebrated that of the first communion and confirmation. The two women - Iresha and Theresa - say they were born Buddhist, but have experienced the love of Jesus for some time. They went to church, attended mass and "we prayed with the only words we knew".
Iresha, 27, is a native of a village very far from the parish. As a child she moved to Katunayake to follow her father's work. After school, she started working in the Free Trade Zone (Ftz). Two of her brothers are married to Catholic women. "I have attended the church since childhood - she reports. “Every Tuesday and Friday I went to pray. Then my father got sick and we prayed a lot for his recovery ". The girl is engaged to a young Catholic, and has decided to get baptized in order to marry in the church. "The Lord created the occasion through marriage. I am happy to officially receive baptism ". She carried out a journey of reflection accompanied by Sr. Anna Rose, superior of the convent of the Good Shepherd of Wewala. During the Easter vigil she received the three sacraments; now she looks forward to the wedding with Indika Ranjan, her beloved.
Rathnawathi, 46, is the mother of three teenage children. "I have no words to express the joy that has invaded me and my family," she says. Originally from the village of Kuliyapitiya, in the province of Wayamba, she married a local Catholic. "For my baptism - she reports - I chose the name of Theresa. Sister Rose, my educator, gave me this name. I was impatient to receive the body of Christ in the Eucharist. I believe I received many blessings when I was a Buddhist; now it will be just as with the Christian faith ".
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18/11/2020 16:52
