Most Colombo churches now hold Tamil Masses

(September 09, 2010) The decision by some Catholic churches in Colombo to celebrate Masses in Tamil, in addition to Sinhalese and English, has been welcomed by Tamil Catholics. The 194-year-old St. John’s Church at the harbour front held its first Tamil Mass on September 5, an event celebrated by both Sinhalese and Tamil parishioners. “After many years, things are beginning to change,” parish priest Father Suran Attidiya told the crowd, who took part in a procession to mark the event. The parish will conduct a Tamil Mass every Sunday from now on, says the parish office. Although most parishes in Colombo began conducting Masses in Sinhalese, Tamil and English after the Second Vatican Council allowed the use of the vernacular, some churches, until recently, did not conduct Masses in Tamil, the language of the minority group. This was despite the fact that a substantial Tamil Catholic population lived around these churches. Things have begun to change over the past few years. St. James Church, situated just 300 meters from St John’s, held its first Tamil Mass two months ago. St Andrew’s Church, a two-minute drive from St. John’s, now also holds Masses in Tamil and Sinhalese. The parish made the decision three years ago, said parish priest Father Reyhart Bernard. There are about 629,000 Catholics in Colombo archdiocese, out of a local population of 5.3 million.