Pope appoints Indiana pastor with heart for the poor as next bishop of Chilaw, Sri Lanka

By Scott Warden

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (OSV News) -- Father Wimal Jayasuriya came to the United States from Sri Lanka in September 2019 partly to further his education; but also, he said, because he had heard "rumors" and "gossip" that church leaders in his home country were considering him as a possible candidate to be appointed a bishop.

Even after the priest arrived in the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, Indiana, and was appointed pastor of St. Mary Mother of God Church in Fort Wayne, the apostolic nuncio for Sri Lanka reached out to request a meeting during one of his trips home. Father Jayasuriya declined.

But one can't hide from the pope.

On Dec. 6, the Vatican announced that Pope Francis had appointed Father Jayasuriya as bishop of the Diocese of Chilaw, Sri Lanka. Details of when his episcopal ordination in Sri Lanka will take place are still being determined.

"I was not after this at all, because this is not fun; it's a heavy responsibility. I am responsible for me; I am responsible for the people of God, for the priests; I am responsible for their health; I am responsible for the maintenance of the diocese. What you see in a bishop externally is one who presides over Mass with exuberant clothes and he looks solemn. … But behind that is a weak human being," Bishop-designate Jayasuriya told Today's Catholic, the newspaper of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend.

He added that the Diocese of Chilaw has not had its own bishop "for about two years" and there were "a lot of rumors, gossip" as a result.

"I purposely came here to the United States to avoid those things," he said. "I did not want to be in the limelight. In fact, the nuncio was telling me it was one of the reasons why they chose me as the candidate."

Bishop-designate Jayasuriya said Archbishop Brian Udaigwe, the papal nuncio of Sri Lanka, called him in late November to tell him Pope Francis had appointed him bishop of Chilaw, his home diocese, which is located on the western shore of Sri Lanka, an island nation located in the Indian Ocean off the southern tip of India. The priest didn't immediately accept, telling the papal envoy he needed some time to pray and discern.

"The call came at night," Father Jayasuriya said, "and immediately I was on my knees leaning against the bed. There's a picture of Jesus where I pray every day. There were tears in my eyes. I was thinking, 'Who am I to succeed apostles?' As I continued to pray about it, I just felt like Jesus was promising, 'Do not worry. I'm with you.'"

After growing up within a devout Catholic family, Bishop-designate Jayasuriya began seminary at the age of 15. After ordination to the priesthood in 1997, his first assignment was to the largest parish in the diocese, a spiritual home to 30,000 parishioners and served by only two priests. Several years later, he received a scholarship for higher education in Rome.

Although he originally intended to study Greek and Hebrew Scripture, his bishop saw a different need and switched his field of study to canon law. After earning his doctorate in Rome, he returned at the age of 35 to Sri Lanka, where he was appointed to serve as judicial vicar.

He has continued to utilize his skills as a canon lawyer, serving on the diocesan court during his time in the Fort Wayne-South Bend diocese.

Along with his doctorate in canon law, Bishop-designate Jayasuriya holds two bachelor's degrees and multiple master's degrees. He said he pursued his education "not for titles, but for knowledge, so that knowledge could be utilized for the people. So, like a father and a mother, they totally dedicate their life for the family. My duty as a priest is to spend each second of my life for the people. So, that is what I was preparing for."

Seeing how underprivileged people were treated both in Sri Lanka and on his studies abroad inspired him to work toward change, beginning in his own office. Bishop-designate Jayasuriya refused the typical privileges given to those in higher positions within the Diocese of Chilaw, including residence in the bishop's home. As a priest, he opted instead to live in a small room at a parish, where he was able to meet the people of his diocese -- some he refers to as "the poorest of the poor."

In his current position as St. Mary Mother of God's pastor, he has continued to serve, in the words of Pope Francis, as a priest "with the smell of the sheep." As he did in Sri Lanka, at St. Mary Mother of God, a parish known in Fort Wayne for its outreach to the poor, Bishop-designate Jayasuriya has rejected even the most basic conveniences, including that of a car, which would have been made available to him by the diocese.

"Before coming to the United States, while I was in Sri Lanka, I was already living with the poor -- not by appointment, but because I felt it was best to be with the people. I gave up the so-called privileges; I lived with the poor," he said. "Mainly, St. Mary's is for the poor. I wanted the people to know the pastor also lives a poor life. So, I voluntarily gave up the vehicle. But like the poor here at the parish, I know what it means to be without a vehicle. I know what it means to walk on the snow. I know what it means to walk in the rain."

When asked how he would apply this lifestyle to his new role as bishop, he said, "I'm a shepherd, and a shepherd has no favorites. Each sheep is important."