Justin Gnanapragasam

Right Reverend Justin Bernard Gnanapragasam (Tamil: ஜஸ்டின் பெர்னார்ட் ஞானப்பிரகாஷம்; born 13 May 1948) is a Sri Lanka Tamil priest and the current Roman Catholic Bishop of Jaffna.

Early life[]

Gnanapragasam was born on 13 May 1948 in Karampon on the island of Velanaitivu in northern Ceylon.^[1][2] As a young boy serving as an altar boy in his parish St.Mary's Church, Kayts showed sign of his vocation to become a priest of God. At the age of ten he conveyed his desire to his family that his ambition is to become a priest of a God and begged them continually to send him to the seminary. The parents took Justin to late Bishop Rt. Rev. Dr. Emilianspillai and requested his admission to the seminary. He had his primary education at St. Anthony's College, Kayts. Bishop Emilanasapillai permitted him to be admitted at the seminary and Justin entered St. Martins Minor Seminary Jaffna in 1959 and continued his secondary education at St. Patrick's College, Jaffna and gained admission to the National Seminary in Kandy. After completing his studies in Philosophy at the National seminary in Kandy, he then entered to Papal Seminary in Pune and studied theology from 1972-1974.^[3]

Career[]

Gnanapragasam was ordained as a priest in April 1974.^[1][2] He then held various positions: assistant priest in Kilinochchi and Valaipadu (1974–75); assistant parish priest in Uruthirapuram (1975–76); and assistant priest in Ilavalai (1976–79).^[1] Between 1979 and 1980 he studied ecumenical theology at the University of Hull.^[1] On returning to Sri Lanka he served as parish priest in Mareesankoodal and vice-rector of St. Henry’s College, Ilavalai (1980–85).^[1] He was a lecturer at the University of Jaffna's Department of Christian Civilization from 1982 to 1984.^[4]

Gnanapragasam then returned to the UK to study education science in Southampton between 1986 and 1989.^[1] He was then director of a group of state schools and rector of St. Henry’s College, Ilavalai (1990–94); dean of the Ilavalai Deanery (1995-02); visiting professor at the major seminary in Jaffna (1992-06); and rector of St. Patrick's College, Jaffna (2002–07).^[1]

Gnanapragasam became an examiner of doctoral thesis at University of Jaffna in 2002, vicar general of the Jaffna Diocese in 2007 and director of the diocesan press in 2008.^[1] He was a member of the University of Jaffna's senate from 1998 to 2014.^[4] In October 2015 he was appointed Bishop of Jaffna.^[1][2]

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