Dear Rev. Fathers, Brothers and Sisters and Beloved Brethren,

At the Archdiocesan Pastoral Convention held on the 18th and 19th July 2025 with the distinguished participation of His Eminence Mario Cardinal Grech, Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops in Rome, and the participation of over 350 members of the clergy, religious and laity from the Archdiocese as well as, us bishops, a document, prepared on the lines of the Final Document of the two Synods convened by His Holiness Pope Francis in 2023 and 2024 in Rome on the theme "For a Synodal Church", entitled "Towards a Faith based Synodal Church" drafted by a team experts from the Archdiocese consisting of the clergy and the laity following extensive consultations in the parishes and deaneries, was discussed, amended and approved and thus a corporate, faith inspired decision was made to journey towards a greater Synodal existence for the Church in the Archdiocese of Colombo.

It is in keeping with that wish that the final document approved by the assembly affirmed that,

“We live in a challenging period in Sri Lankan history. We sincerely feel as a missionary Church and a communion of the faithful, the urgency to move forward towards a deeper involvement in that mission facing the difficult pastoral realities of our times as baptized disciples.”
[See Final Document, Archdiocesan Pastoral Convention p.2].

The document went on to state

"We urge for true liberation from all forms of slaveries, including slavery to sin and to work towards the moral, spiritual and socio-economic upliftment of our society. In keeping with the spirit of the 2024 Synodal Document, let us feel invited, then, to discern the will of God for the Catholic community of the Archdiocese so that we can march towards the future as a synodal community."
[See Final Document, Archdiocesan Pastoral Convention p.2].

The Path to Renewal

Besides, according to the Final Document of this convention, among the activities foreseen for the creation of a Synodal Church in the diocese were, the strengthening of the hands of the laity for leadership roles through appropriate courses of formation and the establishment of a special Institute to give such formation leading also to their empowerment and greater participation in the implementation of the evangelizing role they share in the Church through their baptism. The need to establish in each parish a Pastoral Council and to register it at the Archdiocesan Pastoral Coordination Office and to train its members to play a leadership role in the evangelizing mission of the Church were strongly recommended.

The document also insisted that all Parish Priests ought to engage themselves in visiting the families in the parish as a top priority, doing so in an orderly and organized manner. It also recommended that all obstacles to this all-important pastoral necessity, including the holding of evening novenas with the Masses or healing services should not be continued, thereby making it possible for the Parish Priest to be free to meet the people at home, especially in the evenings. It suggested that a few days a week should be set apart for this and a special year be declared to concentrate on these family visits. Besides, regional bishops were encouraged to visit the parishes in their regions during this special year.

This convention further affirmed that there was a need for the formation of the Small Christian Communities in all the parishes in order to achieve the above aims especially for the establishment of Parish Pastoral Councils whose membership ought to reflect all the sectors of a parish. These SCC groups need to receive an appropriate training which would strengthen their resolve to be grassroot evangelizers. An effective work plan for them, making the infrastructure necessary for their formation available, needs to be worked out. Thus, it was suggested that instruments such as Pastoral Councils needed to consult the laity in the Parish, Deanery and Regions, regularly, should be established, thereby making it possible to listen to them, on a host of issues including the financial management of the parish, deanery, region or diocese.

Special Year

Given this resolve, it is clear that the diocese needs to start a power filled series of activities at the level of the parishes as soon as possible. For this purpose, the Archdiocesan Pastoral Council, the Administration Council and the Presbyteral gathering of all our Rev. Fathers, who serve in this diocese, approved the naming of a special year on the pastoral option of PARISH RENEWAL. In keeping with that resolve, it has been decided to set apart the year 2026 as the Year of Parish Renewal in the Archdiocese. It will start on Sunday the 1st February 2026 in all the parishes of the diocese with the reading out of a Diocesan Decree by the Reverend Fathers at the Mass. The formal inauguration will be held at St. Lucia's Cathedral, Colombo 13 on Saturday 31st January 2026 at a Holy Mass celebrated at 6 p.m. presided over by the four bishops and concelebrated by the priests of the Colombo city deaneries and those from all the Institutions around. Each parish will send four lay representatives, men and women, to join this event. The Year of Parish Renewal will conclude on 30th January 2027. The theme of this special year will be the Scripture text:

“Behold, I am making all things new.” (Revelation 21:5)

The implementation of the above outlined special program in the year will continue even after the year 2026, as Parish Renewal requires time.

The program will include Parish Pastoral visits by the Regional Bishops, parish family visits by the Parish Priests, establishment and strengthening of the Small Christian Communities in the parishes, training of lay leaders, establishing and strengthening of Parish Pastoral Councils as well as Regional and Deanery Pastoral Councils, strengthening of the Diocesan Pastoral Council and of the various apostolates and charisms. There will also be a diocese wide census carried out scientifically by the Aquinas College research centre.

Pope Francis reminds us that the Synodal way would in no way constitute a threat to the teaching authority of the Church. What he stated on this is:

"Not all discussions of doctrinal, moral or pastoral issues need to be settled by interventions of the magisterium. Unity of teaching and practice is certainly necessary in the Church, but this does not preclude various ways of interpreting some aspects of that teaching or drawing certain consequences from it. This will always be the case as the Spirit guides us towards the entire truth [cf. Jn. 16:13], until He leads us fully into the mystery of Christ and enables us to see all things as He does. Each country or region, moreover, can seek solutions better suited to its culture and sensitive to its traditions and local needs."
[AL 3].

And so, in line with the need to open ourselves to a true renewal, especially, in a Synodal way, the way of a journeying together with all sectors of the Church, experiencing hope and joy, we would commit ourselves to an intense program of work.

Steps to Be Taken

Among these:

1. Organize a scientific survey covering all the parishes of the Archdiocese in order to ascertain the number of Catholics living in the diocese and the effect of its pastoral services on them.
2. In every parish the parish priest is to conduct a spiritually oriented family visits program according to the various zones, visiting every family and making his observations in the family book as well as on an appropriate register prepared for that.
3. To, if need be, cancel the evening Novenas in the parish, celebrating the Masses in the mornings while allowing the laity to conduct these novenas so that he, the parish priest, maybe free to visit the families during the evening hours. Novenas scheduled for the evenings may be conducted by lay leaders.
4. Since it is an obligation that behoves on the Parish Priests to visit the families in their parishes [Canon 529:1] they should conduct such visits meticulously. The Regional Bishop will visit the parishes in his region so that the people maybe able to meet him too.
5. To re-organize, newly constitute or update the Parish Pastoral Council in each parish according to the constitution of the same [March 2016] as indicated in ecclesiastical or local law.
   To inform the Archdiocesan Pastoral Coordination Centre for Pastoral Councils about the new or re-organized or totally new Parish Pastoral Council, its membership and other details such as names of members of the sub-committees sending such information to the above office. This should be done as their duty either by the Parish Priest or by the Secretary of the Parish Pastoral Council.
6. The Archdiocesan Pastoral Coordination Centre with the assistance of the Regional Bishop, will check if in each parish in that region there is a PPC [Parish Pastoral Council] established according to the norms of the Constitution of March 2016 and if not, steps need be taken to establish such, as early as possible. The Parish Priest is duty bound to help in this venture.
7. Based on this information the diocesan Pastoral Leadership Training Institute should organize at Diocesan, Regional or Deanery levels training programs on Pastoral leadership for such PPC or lay apostolate members in a distributive manner.
8. On the basis of the constitution for the Parish Pastoral Councils published in March 2016, the PPC should hold at least four meetings in a year. If there are several main Churches in the parish, each of these Churches should have its own PPC and at the level of the parish, a coordination committee formed by elected representatives of the PPC's in each Church could meet and decide on issues common to the entire parish or which will have an effect on all such Churches in the parish.
9. The Presidency of the PPC is always to be held by the Parish Priest and there should be 8 sub-committees handling various subjects.
10. The membership of the Parish Pastoral Council will be drawn from among the representatives of the Small Christian Communities in the parish [Constitution of the PPC's 3:1 a.4]. Other parishioners too could be absorbed into the PPC according to needs.
11. In order to fulfill the above requirement the Archdiocesan Pastoral Leadership Training Institute will organize training programs aimed at strengthening lay leadership of the Small Christian Communities formed in the parishes for the street or zonal groups, organizing such programs at the regional, deanery and parish levels. These programs ought to be organized with the backing of the regional bishops.
12. The Parish will forward all details of the parish level sub-committees handling the various diocesan apostolates to the relevant Diocesan Coordinator and also obtain the support of the Archdiocesan Pastoral Coordination Centre for that.
13. Parishes should take steps to cooperate with each of the Diocesan, Regional or Deanery apostolate coordinators and Parish Priests should, by duty, liaise in this matter between the parish and the diocesan office of that apostolate.
14. The written report of each of the meetings of Parish Pastoral Councils should be sent to the diocesan coordination office through the Secretary of the relevant PPC. If need be, the Parish Priest may hold additional meetings of the PPC's.
15. Let it be understood that the PPC is not the finance committee of the parish nor is it a feast organizing committee. The broader responsibility of the PPC is to look into the spiritual and social development of all the parishioners. At times the PPC also has to concern itself on organizing economic assistance to parishioners in need. Efforts also ought to be undertaken to enhance the Liturgical life of the parish, making it lively and well participated; it has to assist in the strengthening of unity and love within the family; it has to spread the availability of the Holy Bible and other instruction books making the Word of God the centre of people's life, Bible classes should be organized; the recitation of family prayers enhanced and especially the family Rosary; to ensure that catechesis of the children, adults and of new converts is meticulously carried out; to ensure that works of charity and social concern are attended to; to develop a critical mindset vis a vis the political decisions made by the State institutions especially if there are negative effects from such; to study the educational needs of children and youth and take steps to assist them; to critically study the effects of the rising dependance of the parishioners on modern instruments of media and their ill effects on them, taking steps to offer alternatives to them; to manage the assets of the parish and its financial administration; in short joining the Parish Priest to do everything within their capacity to achieve the goals of spiritual and pastoral renewal in the parishes. They should do so with a spirit of generous self-renunciation, commitment and sacrifice.
16. It is only the Archbishop of Colombo who has the authority to dissolve or discontinue the Parish Pastoral Council in consultation with the regional bishop.
17. The establishment of the Deanery Pastoral Council needs to be done after consulting the Regional Bishop and consisting of representatives from the PPC's of all the parishes in the Deanery. This has to be done by the Deans in consultation with the members of the Deanery Priests' Councils and the concurrence of the Regional Bishop. All reports of the meetings of the DPC's [Deanery Pastoral Councils] and any specific issues that may be important for the deanery and lists of members and other office bearers need to be forwarded to the Diocesan Pastoral Coordination Centre. Organizing formation programs for members of the PPC's has to be done with the support of the Regional Bishops.
    In this matter the services of the Archdiocesan Pastoral Leadership Training Institute, the Faith Animation Team and in the case of the city parishes of the City Mission have to be made use of.
18. These Deanery or Regional Pastoral Councils need to have the approval of the Deanery fathers and the Regional Bishops.
19. The Regional Bishops along with the Regional EV's could with the help of the Deanery Pastoral Councils establish Regional Pastoral Councils whose membership should consist of the Regional Bishops, the Regional EVs, the Priests and the lay representatives from the DPC's. Meetings of the Regional Pastoral Councils ought to be held bi-annually and matters relevant to that particular region discussed and agreed upon.
20. The Archdiocesan Pastoral Council as indicated in Canons 311-514 of the Code of Canon Law has to be established and should discuss and seek solutions to pastoral issues affecting the entire diocese. The APC should meet at least twice in an year and present its deliberations to the Archbishop for approval.

Further, I wish to request all Parish Priests and Apostolate Fathers to implement the following programs too at parish level which have a special importance for the pastoral mission of the Church in the Archdiocese.

• The solemn feast of St. Joseph Vaz, the apostle of Sri Lanka on Sunday the 18th January 2026. Kindly offer special prayers calling upon the Lord to strengthen the parish community itself to a deeper experience of faith and commitment to true renewal in the parishes.
• The solemn feast of St. Joseph Vaz, the apostle of Sri Lanka on Sunday the 18th January 2026. Kindly offer special prayers calling upon the Lord to strengthen the parish community itself to a deeper experience of faith and commitment to true renewal in the parishes.
• Sunday the 25th January: Commemorating Bible Sunday, pray that every family of the parish be strengthened in the faith through the faithful reading and practice of the Word of God and for spiritual steadfastness.
• The Pontifical Mission Societies are celebrating Holy Childhood Sunday on February 8th 2026. Let us pray that the Lord may enthuse the hearts of our children to become heroic missionaries of Christ who listening to Him share their love for Him with others.
• Kindly make the children to read and reflect on the Holy Scriptures, so that they may draw inspiration and strength to give bold witness to God's love in their lives through the Word of God.
• The 4th February being the National Independence Day and simultaneously the feast of Our Lady of Lanka, let us pray for our motherland and call upon the Lord to assist us to love our beautiful homeland and to work to make it a land of peace, harmony and progress for all its peoples. Let us pray to the Blessed Mother to intercede for Sri Lanka.
• World Married Couples’day is to be celebrated on 08th February. May the smallest unit of our parish animate the parish renewal through their commitment and prayer.
• Ash Wednesday falls on 18th February: Let us during this Lenten season, make a good confession, participate devoutely in the celebration of the Eucharist, offer our prayers, acts of penance and mortifications as well as moments of fasting and acts of charity striving always to follow the Lord on the way of the Cross and renunciation. Let us organize the Way of the Cross on Fridays in our Churches and on the streets of the parish especially on good Friday.
• The Children’s Day will be celebrated on 07th March 2026 at Tewatte Basilica. Let us try make more children from our parishes participate in this event and bring about a new spirit of sharing the faith among our children in the parishes.
• Try and campaign to make our flock participate more intensely in the celebration of the Holy Week Liturgies, which start on 29th March, understanding their transformative meaning.
• On 21st April 2026, let us commemorate the 7th anniversary of the Easter Sunday massacre offering prayers for the dead and invoking heavenly bliss for them. Let us pray intensely to the Lord calling upon Him to defeat all those who seek to hide the truth behind the plot and to reveal it to us. Let us ring our Church bells at 8.45 a.m. that day, hold two minutes silence remembering the victims, light lamps or candles and recite the special prayer calling upon the Lord to reveal the truth behind this sad event. Special commemorative celebrations will take place at both St. Anthony's Church, Kochchikade, Colombo 13 and St. Sebastian's Church, Katuwapitiya, Negombo in the morning. A special event will be worked out in the evening in Negombo for which I invite all to join.
• On 26th April, the Church celebrates Vocation Sunday: Let us pray for more priestly and religious vocations. Let us also contribute generously for the needs of priestly formation.
• Since April is the month dedicated to the Small Christian Communities, let us pray for that intention too and cooperate in making these units at the base to be a source of inspiration to our faithful. The SCC Coordination Office at Archbishop's House will take the lead in this matter.
• On 1st May, let us pray for manifold blessings on all workers and employees through the intercession of St. Joseph the worker.
• 8th May: Let us pray for our Holy Father Pope Leo XIV who celebrates the first anniversary of his election. May the Lord strengthen him in his mission.
• 24th May: Pentecost Sunday - Let us pray that through the action of the Holy Spirit our parishes will become centres for a more fruitful Christian faith witness. Let us join the all-night vigil prayer service that the parishes will organize for this intention.
• Since the month of May is a time dedicated to the Blessed Mother, let us encourage our parish families to pray the Rosary at their level each day. We hope that the Legion of Mary, Children of Mary [Daru Samagama] and such apostolate groups will take the lead in organizing these devotions. Let us encourage the families to avoid listening to the radio or watching television in the evenings and to instead pray the Rosary as a family.
• World Communications day is to be celebrated in the Archdiocese on 17th May. As we are called upon to create digital evangelizing communities, the media apostolate in the parishes needs to be enhanced and coordinated.
• The month of June is the month of the Most Holy Eucharist. Let us strive to be deeply attached to Christ the Lord, the Most High, majestically present in the Holy Eucharist, with love, faith and devotion. Kindly celebrate the feast on Sunday the 7th June with 24 hour adoration in the parish and a procession with the Eucharist in the streets at parish or deanery level.
• On Sunday the 28th June, we celebrate Pope's Day. Let us pray for our beloved universal Shepherd Pope Leo XIV and contribute for his worldwide mission and its needs.
• Young Christian Students movement will hold the Cardign Day on June 27th and the 75th Anniversary of the YCS movement in Sri Lanka on 04th July. Young students need to be animated through renewed spirit to become parish animators.
• On 25th July [Saturday], the Colombo Archdiocese will celebrate the ordination of its next group of priests. Kindly pray that the Lord may continue to send more workers into His vineyard in the form of priests and religious.
• On 26th July the Church celebrates Indigenous Clergy Sunday. Let us pray for more vocations to priestly and religious life and make financial contributions to meet the expenses of their formation.
• Archdiocesan Family retreat will be held in Talawila on 27th, 28th, and 29th July. Let us encourage more families to participate in the retreat which will bring about a spiritual renewal among our families.
• Let us also organize on this same day, the World Elders Day and appreciate their role in guiding the younger generations in the faith and its call to upright living.
• The Colombo Archdiocese celebrates its patronal feast on 15th August, the feast of the Assumption of Our Lady, to whom the Archdiocese is consecrated. The festive celebration will take place at St. Lucia's Cathedral, Colombo 13. Let us call upon our Blessed Mother to pray for the Archdiocese.
• The family Apostolate will also organize a retreat for the young families on August 26th and 27th. Young families can become more vibrant evangelizers through spiritual enhancement.
• On Sunday 30th August the Archdiocese will celebrate its annual blessing of the sick at the premises of the National Basilica of Our Lady of Lanka. All are cordially invited to participate.
• The Annual Youth Sunday will be celebrated on 06th September. We need to make the youth the live wire of the renewal of parishes through their participation.
• On Tuesday 8th September the Church celebrates the birthday of the Blessed Mother. Kindly organize the recitation of the Rosary in the evening in all parishes with the Holy Mass or with Benediction of the Most Holy Eucharist followed by a Marian procession and blessing with the Statue of the Blessed Mother. The loving gesture of cutting her birthday cake and wishing her may also be carried out.
• In the month of October, which is a Marian month, let us encourage the devout recitation of the Rosary at family level in the evenings.
• October is also a month specially dedicated to the youth. Let us organize programs at parish level aimed at the spiritual animation of our youth.
• On 18th October we celebrate World Mission Sunday. Kindly encourage your parishioners to pray for the Church and its worldwide Mission, organize your Sunday Masses with special prayers and reflections and collect cash and other contributions from the parishioners for the needs of the Missions.
• Month of November: In the month when we remember our beloved departed brethren, let us as a mark of respect for them clean up the cemeteries where they are buried and especially celebrate Masses in these sacred grounds on 2nd November. Let it be reminded that those who make a devout confession and visit the cemeteries between the 1st and 8th November or who on the second November visits a Church and recites the Credo and the Our Father and prays for the dead will receive a plenary indulgence on behalf of their loved ones in purgatory.
• On 29th November [Sunday], which is the first Sunday in Advent for the year 2026, let us recalling the loving gesture of God to send His only Son among us to save us, prepare our hearts to celebrate meaningfully Christmas as a moment for our conversion from sin and a moment to experience inner joy. Let us spend Christmas as a moment of love and sharing especially with the poor. Let us pray and commit ourselves to protect our children from all kinds of threats to their spiritual growth and dignity and similarly protect nature which is God's gift for our wellbeing.
• On 27th December the Church celebrates the feast of the Holy Family. Let us gather all the families of the parish to a common prayer for God's blessings on all our families pleading with Him to keep them united.
• On Sunday the 17th January, the National Church celebrates the feast of St. Joseph Vaz, Apostle of Sri Lanka. Let us call upon our beloved saint to intercede for our Archdiocese in its effort to achieve a true spiritual renewal.
• On Saturday the 30th January 2027, at a ceremony to be held at St. Lucia's Cathedral the Bishops will officially announce the formal closure of the year of Parish Renewal. Let us, however, continue to carry out the program of such renewal also in the years to come.

Engaged in all these grace filled moments in the year, let us work to enhance ecclesial life in our parishes like a joyful and participated Liturgy, prayer life and acts of sharing and charity thereby making our faith life stronger and our faithfulness to the calling to Christian discipleship.

For this purpose, kindly recite the special prayer composed for this most blessed year. Let us, calling to mind, the words of the Lord,

"the harvest is rich but the labourers are few; therefore pray to the Lord of the harvest to send workers to His vineyard."
[Mt. 9:37-38],

pray fervently and as much as possible that the Lord may make our parish communities bear spiritual fruit of a rich harvest. Do also engage yourself in various spiritual devotions and also in acts of mortifications and fasting for this purpose. Do also sing the special hymn composed for this year.

May the Lord, through all these actions inspire us to experience a true conversion of hearts leading to a life of love and joy as well as God's manifold blessings.

We entrust our resolve for a true renewal into the maternal and loving hands of Mary, our heavenly Mother, invoking her intercession with filial love. Let us with tender love plead with our heavenly Mother to intercede before the Lord for us, as we place this hope of a true renewal in her maternal hands.

May God bless you!

✠ Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith
Archbishop of Colombo
8th December 2025
Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary