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S. J. Emmanuel | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1934 (age 89–90) |
| Alma mater | University of Ceylon Pontifical Urbaniana University |
Reverend Father S. J. Emmanuel is a Sri Lankan Tamil Catholic priest, activist and president of the Global Tamil Forum, an umbrella organisation for Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora groups.
Emmanuel was born in 1934 in Jaffna, Ceylon. He studied in Jaffna before going to the University of Ceylon in Colombo from where he obtained a bachelor's degree in physical sciences (Mathematics & Physics) in 1958. After graduation he spent time as a teacher and a journalist before he chose to join the priesthood. He then went to the Pontifical Urbaniana University in Rome from where he obtained a degree in philosophy and theology.
Emmanuel was ordained as a priest at St Peter's Basilica in December 1966. On returning to Ceylon he served as a pastor and diocesan director for lay apostolate. He returned to Rome in 1976 where he did research into lay ministries and obtained a doctorate in theology. After returning to Sri Lanka he served as a professor and Dean of Theology at the National Seminary in Kandy from 1976 to 1986, after which he was Rector of St. Francis Xavier’s Major Seminary in Jaffna for ten years. He was also the Vicar General of the Jaffna Diocese until 1997.
Emmanuel was amongst the half million people who fled the Jaffna peninsula in October 1995 when the Sri Lankan Military launched an offensive to recapture the peninsula from the rebel Tamil Tigers. He spent the next year in the jungles of Vanni before going into exile in 1997.
Emmanuel moved to Germany in 1997 where he was a priest in a catholic parish in the diocese of Münster until 2007. Since 2007 he has served as Vicarius Cooperator in St. Nikolaus Parish in Darfeld, Germany.
Emmanuel has spent his exile as a conscientious Catholic and Tamil activist publicising the impact of the Sri Lankan Civil War, mostly on Tamil civilians. In 2010 he was elected President of the Global Tamil Forum, an umbrella organisation for Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora groups.
St. John's College is a private school in Jaffna, Sri Lanka. Founded in 1823 by British Anglican missionaries, it is one of Sri Lanka's oldest schools.
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The American Ceylon Mission (ACM) to Jaffna, Sri Lanka started with the arrival in 1813 of missionaries sponsored by the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (ABCFM). Although they had originally planned to work in Galle, the British colonial office in Ceylon restricted the Americans to out-of-the-way Jaffna due to the security concerns of the British who were warring with France at the time. The critical period of the impact of the missionaries was from the 1820s to early 20th century. During this time, they engaged in original translations from English to Tamil, printing, and publishing, establishing primary, secondary and tertiary educational institutions and providing health care for residents of the Jaffna Peninsula. These activities resulted in many social changes amongst Sri Lankan Tamils that survive even today. They also led to the attainment of a lopsided literacy level among residents in the relatively small peninsula that is cited by scholars as one of the primary factors contributing to the recently ended civil war. Many notable educational and health institutions within the Jaffna Peninsula owe their origins to the missionary activists from America. Missionaries also courted controversy by publishing negative information about local religious practices and rituals.
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Anton Ranjith Pillainayagam, also known as Anton Ranjith, was born on September 23, 1966, in Jaffna. As of July 13, 2020, he is serving as the Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Colombo. He has also been serving as the director of Tamil Theologate since 2009 and as the Rector of St. Sebastian's College, Moratuwa since 2019.
Rev. Father Edwin Savundra was a Sri Lankan Catholic priest known for his contributions. He founded the English Language Campus, a project dedicated to enhancing English education in the remote villages of Vanni and Mannar, Sri Lanka. Beyond his pastoral role, he also expressed his ideas through several authored books, including the philosophy work titled "The Philosophy of Form and the Human Person".