(Colombo, Sri Lanka) The Redemptorist Parish of St. Theresa’s, Colombo, recently celebrated its annual Christmas Carols. The evening began with Fr Chandana Perera the Parish Priest, placing baby Jesus in a specially made crib, followed by a blessing and incensation.
Representatives of the seven parish choirs united to sing as one voice. In front of a full church, the choirs enthusiastically sang a variety of carols and Christmas songs in all three parish languages – Sinhala, Tamil and English.
This year’s program was dedicated to the differently-abled children of the tri-forces (army, air-force and navy) and police. Almost 200 children were treated to a wonderful Christmas musical event in their honor.
During an interval in the program, some of the children assembled in the sanctuary together with their carers and teachers, to show their appreciation by singing for the parish.
When asked about the evening, Fr. Chandana remarked: “The smiles on the faces of the children said everything! The joy and happiness experienced here tonight will stay with us all for a long time to come.” Fr. Chandana also praised the committed effort of the organizing committee and the generosity of all those who provided support.
Fr. Chandana explained that because of the horrendous bomb blasts of Easter Sunday that killed more than 200 people, many of whom in places of worship, the parish wanted to thank and pay tribute to the tri-forces and police, who have worked tirelessly in the months since to keep the country safe. “At St Theresa’s, we have been blessed to have the army and police on duty day and night since Easter Sunday to keep our parishioners, worshippers, staff and Redemptorist community safe. That’s an extraordinary commitment and true service of our nation. Tonight was about honoring the families who sacrifice so much when a husband and father are away from home for long periods serving their country, and the particular challenges this poses when families have differently-abled children.”
At the conclusion of the evening, everyone gathered outside the church to meet and enjoy refreshments.
Fr. David J. Hore, C.Ss.R.
