Thomas Savundaranayagam
| Rt Rev. Thomas Savundaranayagam | |
|---|---|
| Bishop of Jaffna | |
| File:Thomas Savundaranayagam.jpg | |
| Native name | தோமசு சௌந்தரநாயகம் |
| Church | Roman Catholic Church |
| Province | Colombo |
| Diocese | Jaffna |
| Installed | 6 July 1992 |
| Term ended | 13 October 2015 |
| Predecessor | Bastiampillai Deogupillai |
| Successor | Justin Gnanapragasam |
| Other post | Bishop of Mannar (1981-92) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 13 July 1938 Kayts, Ceylon |
| Alma mater | Pontifical Urbaniana University |
Thomas Savundaranayagam — Right Reverend Emmanuel Thomas Savundaranayagam (Tamil: இம்மானுவேல் தோமசு சௌந்தரநாயகம், Sinhala: තෝමස් සවුන්ද්රනායගම්; born 13 July 1938) is a Sri Lankan Tamil priest and former Roman Catholic Bishop of Jaffna.
Early life and family
Savundaranayagam was born on 13 July 1938 in Kayts on the island of Velanaitivu in northern Ceylon.[1][2] He was educated at St. Anthony's College, Kayts and St. Patrick's College, Jaffna.[3][4] He then studied at St. Martin's Seminary, Jaffna and National Seminary, Ampitiya (1957–64).[2] Savundaranayagam has a Doctor of Sacred Theology degree from the Pontifical Urbaniana University and a Diploma in Catechetics.[2]
Career
Savundaranayagam was ordained as a priest in December 1963.[1][2] After his ordination he served as an assistant parish priest at St. Mary's Cathedral, Jaffna for few years.[5] In January 1981 he was appointed Bishop of Mannar and was ordained as a bishop in July 1981 at the Shrine of Our Lady of Madhu.[1][2] He became Bishop of Jaffna in July 1992.[1][2] He retired in October 2015.[6]
Savundaranayagam is a strong activist for Tamil rights in Sri Lanka and humanitarian efforts in what is sometimes called "Tamil Eelam".[7][8] He had called for international intervention to stop the Sri Lankan conflict.[9]
References
- Back to citation occurrence 1.0 Back to citation occurrence 1.1 Back to citation occurrence 1.2 Back to citation occurrence 1.3 "Bishop Thomas Savundaranayagam". Catholic Hierarchy.
- Back to citation occurrence 2.0 Back to citation occurrence 2.1 Back to citation occurrence 2.2 Back to citation occurrence 2.3 Back to citation occurrence 2.4 Back to citation occurrence 2.5 "Bishop Savundranayagam". Union of Catholic Asian News.
- Back to citation "Past Bishops". St Patrick's College, Jaffna Old Boys' Association, Colombo Branch. Archived from the original on 23 March 2014.
- Back to citation Rasaiya, Christy (16 July 2000). "St. Patrick's 150 years old". The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka).
- Back to citation "Bishop's Golden Jubilee, Souvenir". Pathukavalan. 130 (13): 16. 2006.
- Back to citation "Pope appoints new bishop in Jaffna, S. Lanka". Vatican Radio. 13 October 2015.
- Back to citation "Jaffna bishop hails gesture". The Hindu. 1 January 2009.
- Back to citation Kremmer, Janaki (14 January 2005). "Distrust between Sri Lanka, rebels hampers tsunami aid". The Christian Science Monitor.
- Back to citation "Sri Lankan Bishop calls for international intervention to stop war". Alertnet. Caritas Internationalis. 11 May 2007. Archived from the original on 6 July 2008.