– SORNARAJAN VICTORIA
The Holy father Pope Benedict XVI has appointed Mgr. Fidelis Emmanuel Fernando as Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Colombo on 28th Nov, 2011.
Auxiliary Bishop Fidelis Emmanuel Fernando was born in Jaffna Srilanka on 20th 1948 May.
Mgr.Fidelis Emmanuel Fernando’s parents are of Vembar (Tuticorin diocese) origin and he hails from a big family, four of whom are religious-two priests and two nuns. Mgr. Fernando is the youngest son of late Mr V. Xavier Bastian Fernando (Civil Engineer) and late Mrs Gnanasorubi Fernando of Vembar, South India.
Mgr. Fidelis Emmanuel Fernando was assigned the titular see of Orta. After his primary and secondary school education at St. Benedict’s College, in Colombo, he entered the Minor Seminary of St. Aloysius of Columbo Archdiocese.
After completing his studies at the Minor Seminary, he was admitted to the National Seminary of Kandy for philosophical studies. He was sent to Rome, for his theological studies where he obtained his Bachelors degree in Theology and a Licentiate in Moral Theology at Urbaniana University. From 1981 to 1987, while he was teaching at the National Major Seminary of Kandy, he went to the Catholic University of Washington (U.S.A), where he obtained his Doctorate in Theology. He was ordained a priest on January 6, 1973 in the Vatican, for the Archdiocese of Colombo, by Pope Paul VI.
After his ordination, he has held the following Offices:
1973-1978: Assistant parish priest in three parishes:
1978-2001: Professor at the National Seminary of Kandy:
1989-1991: Vice-Rector of the National Seminary of Kandy :
1991-1998: Rector of the National Seminary of Kandy :
2001-2010: A number of pastoral assignments in the Archdiocese of Colombo:
1. Pastor, Dean in the Moratuwa area.
2. Episcopal Vicar for Catechesis.
3. The Apostolate for the Family.
4. Episcopal Vicar for the southern area of the Archdioces.
5. Member of the Priests’ Council and the Board of Consultants.
Since 2010, he has been Episcopal Vicar for the faithful of Tamil origin in the Archdiocese of Colombo.
All the Best Wishes to the Auxiliary Bishop.