The 85th anniversary of the
birth of late Fr. Michael RODRIGO, who was gunned down by an assassin 25 years
ago at his mission at Buttala, was celebrated on June 30 at St. Mary’s Church,
Dehiwala, his parish of origin.
The Holy Eucharist was presided over by
Fr. Rohan SILVA, Provincial of the Oblates’ Colombo Province; several Oblates
concelebrated. During the homily Fr. Claude PERERA, commented on the day’s
readings. He said that the situation of Jerusalem immediately after the exile
in some manner paralleled the situation of Sri Lanka in late 1980’s. Imitating
Jesus Christ, the integral liberator, Fr. Rodrigo stood for the rights of the rural
poor and oppressed, and gave his life for them. He further said that the best
tribute to his martyrdom is to spur us on to prophetic speech and action in our
own times.
At the gathering that followed, Prof.
Anton Meemana spoke of the person and mission of Fr. Rodrigo and listed some of
his heroic qualities and the values for which he stood. He said that Fr.
Rodrigo was a man of humour, deeply human and universal as a person. His
authentic and credible life is to his honour. He lived with a sense of
helplessness, yet was never a passive drifter. Each day of his life he tried to
do what he liked and not what he hated. He had a reverential intimacy with the
eco-system which demanded a change of life style. Prof. Meemana reiterated also
the need to forgive Fr. Rodrigo’s assassins. He concluded saying that the
option for the poor does not exclude our duty to conscientize the rich.
The event was organized by the Oblate
community at Suba Seth Gedara, Buttala, in collaboration with the parish priest
of Dehiwala and the family of Fr. Rodrigo.
