Caritas Sri Lanka - SEDEC

The Chairman of the Catholic National Commission for Justice, Peace and Human Development, Rt Rev Dr Harold Anthony Perera has concluded his tenure of office after holding this position for a period of six years since 2007.

The Apostle Peter in his first discourse to a Gentile makes the Resurrection the basic doctrine and the crowning proof of the truth of the Christian faith (1st Reading). We are created for unending happiness in heaven, and it is only when we get there that our desire and our quest for some greater happiness will end (2nd Reading). Some women came to the tomb early on Sunday morning to anoint the dead body with spices. The tomb was found open and empty. They went in haste to tell the disciples. Peter and John ran to the tomb (Gospel reading).

A series of TOT Workshops were held recently in the dioceses of Galle, Ratnapura, Badulla, Batticaloa, Colombo, Anuradhapura and Kurunegala with the objective of promoting a culture of respect for human dignity and inspiring  people to take responsibility for each other in society.

The Word of God from Isaiah is a poem about a “servant who suffers” (1st Reading). The Apostle Paul’s letter to the Christian community at Philippi quotes an early Christian hymn about God who became one of us (2nd Reading). The Gospel of Luke proclaims the Passion and Death of Jesus.

The Director and Staff of Caritas Sri Lanka National Centre participated in a Lenten Recollection at St. Jude’s Shrine, Indigolla, Gampaha  on 19th March 2013. Rev.Fr. Nilushan Fernando OMI, National Chaplain of the Lakrivi Children’s Movement preached the retreat, based on the relevance of the Passion of Our Lord to the Vision and Mission of SEDEC. A Way of the Cross where Fr. Nilushan Fernando gave reflections at each Station and Holy Mass celebrated by him with the participation of Rev.Fr. George Sigamoney, National Director of SEDEC were the other highlights of the day.

Around 40 youth from the dioceses of Badulla, Batticaloa, Anuradhapura and Kurunegala attended a four-day Training of Trainers (TOT) Workshop held in SEDEC from 28th February to 3rd March 2013 on ‘Enhancing Life Skills’. The workshop was conducted under the Caritas program to prevent alcohol and drug abuse and it included sessions on Self-understanding, Critical Thinking, Decision-making, Creative Thinking, Problem-solving, Promoting Listening Skills, Communication, Stress Management and Time Management.

As we have almost come to the end of our Lenten journey, the liturgy today invites us to contemplate on Jesus who risked his life by acting like an advocate, in the scenario of the woman caught in adultery, freeing someone who would have otherwise been condemned to death, if not for his intervention.

Recently, in one Sri Lankan newspaper there was a letter to the editor suggesting that we should not bring God and other religious convictions into our day to day living. This is the type of thinking that is being promoted today in most developed countries too, which were once built on Christian principles.

Programme Coordinators and Volunteers of Caritas Mannar and Caritas Vanni diocesan Centres attended a 2 – day Training of Trainers (TOT) Course  on how to provide psychosocial support for war widows and children.

Under a Canadian High Commission grant of Rs. 2.4 million given to Caritas Sri Lanka, a number of families in Mannar and Anuradhapura Districts who were badly affected by floods in December 2012 and January 2013 were given relief assistance by the respective Caritas Diocesan Centres.