The Lord is my Shepherd,
I have everything I need
He lets me rest in the fields of green grass
And leads me to quiet pools of fresh water
He gives me new strength
He guides me in the right paths
As he has promised
Even if I go through the deepest darkness
I will not be afraid, Lord for you are with me
Your shepherd’s rod and staff will protect me.
(Paslm 23)
Anglicans as well as all other Christians in our country rejoice for God has blessed us all with a new Bishop who will lead his flock to new pastures, picking up the errant ones on the way.
Spirited, energetic, he embraces his spiritual journey with dedication and obedience to God for the gift of love showered on him.
Loving one and all no matter who they are, especially in a Buddhist country, the path is narrow and thorny in a world full of conflicts, ethnic problems, communal war, raging fires, storms and one country against each other for supremacy leaving people homeless and hungry. Bishop Dushantha must thank God that he has been put in charge in a country devoid of all these atrocities.
Last Saturday was a memorable day when the Metropolitan of the Church of Ceylon broke the good news to all of us who were waiting for his response.
The Archbishop of Canterbury said “I am pleased to announce that Fr. Dushantha is to be the next Bishop of Colombo and glad to declare my support for him publicly today.
All have given me valuable insights and I am confident that in reliance on the Holy Spirit’s guidance, Fr. Dushantha will find the strength he needs to lead and reconcile this lively church at such a time as this in united witness to the love of Christ amid all the social, ethnic, religious and cultural diversity in the communities that will be in his care.
So I commend Fr. Dushantha to your prayers as he embarks on this demanding new stage in his ministry.
Fr. Dushantha who was the Head Master of S. Thomas Prep. is and is an old boy of S. Thomas College, Mt. Lavinia.
As he replaces Bishop. Delo Canagasabey, the former Bishop of Colombo, Bishop Dushantha will continue the good work done by him.
(The writer is a member of the GENERAL ASSEMBLY of the Church of Ceylon)