ASIA/SRI LANKA - Appointment of the Auxiliary Bishop of Colombo

Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - The Holy Father has appointed as auxiliary of the metropolitan archdiocese of Colombo, Sri Lanka, the Reverend Anton Ranjith Pillainayagam, of the clergy of the same archdiocese, currently vice-rector of Saint Joseph’s College in Colombo and director of the Tamil Theologate, assigning him the titular see of Materiana.
The Reverend Anton Ranjith Pillainayagam was born on 23 September 1966 in Jaffna, in Sri Lanka. He carried out his primary and secondary studies in Colombo and in Jaffna. He studied philosophy in the Saint Francis Xavier Major Seminary of Jaffna, and theology in the Kandy National Seminary. He holds a degree in mathematics from the University of Jaffna, a Master’s degree in education from the University of Middlesex, United Kingdom, and a Master’s degree in philosophy from the University of Jaffna.
He was ordained a priest on 16 September 2000 in Saint Lucia’s Cathedral in Colombo, for the same archdiocese.
Following priestly ordination, he was first part of the staff of Saint Peter’s College, Colombo (2000-2004), and then attended a Master’s degree course at the University of Middlesex in the United Kingdom (2004-2005). He subsequently held the following roles: member of staff at Saint Sebastian’s College, Moratuwa (2006-2007) and at Saint Joseph’s College, Colombo (2007-2012); and vice-rector of Saint Peter’s College, Colombo (2012-2014). Since 2014 he has served as vice-rector of Saint Joseph’s College, Colombo, and since 2009, as director of the Tamil Theologate. (SL) (Agenzia Fides,13/7/2020)