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Dr. Devsritha Valence Mendis is appointed the Coadjutor Bishop of Chilaw
A shepherd to unite a flock in charity
By Victor Silva
On August 15, 1985 the Feast of the Assumption of Our Lady into Heaven, a young, pleasant priest celebrated the 5.30 p.m. Holy Mass at St. Anthony's Cathedral, Kandy. His sermon was inspiring, and the people took an instant liking to this young priest whom the then parish priest, the late Revd. Fr. Gregory Fernando introduced as Fr. Valence Mendis, a newly ordained priest who in fact belonged to the Diocese of Chilaw.

This is how the newly elected Coadjutor Bishop of Chilaw, Rt. Revd. Dr. Devsritha Valence Mendis, who was ordained on July 21, 1985 by the Bishop of Chilaw, Rt. Revd. Dr. Frank Marcus Fernando started his priestly ministry as the assistant parish priest of St. Anthony's Cathedral, Kandy. Though Fr. Valence belonged to the Chilaw Diocese, he was "loaned" (a Fidei Donum priest) to the Kandy Diocese by Bishop Frank Marcus for a period of two years in response to the appeal made by Rt. Revd. Dr. Vianney Fernando to tide over a crisis arising out of a dearth of priests.

Impressed both by his abilities as well as his priestly commitment, in early 1987 Bishop Vianney suggested to Bishop Frank Marcus that Fr. Valence undertake higher studies. Fr. Valence enrolled at the University of Peradeniya to read for a Master's Degree. This also enabled him to develop a personal rapport with several Buddhist monks, religious dignitaries of other faiths as well as prominent Buddhist laymen, which has stood him in good stead in his subsequent efforts towards fostering inter-religious dialogue and understanding. He presented his thesis on "Ritualism in Buddhism" and obtained a Master of Arts degree in Comparative Religions.

He nurtured the Padiwatte parish and built up a vibrant parish community. His brief stay of two years and six months culminated with the very meaningful celebration of the 35th anniversary of the Fatima shrine (the only Marian Shrine of the Kandy Diocese), which gave an early indication of the abilities of this young priest. At the conclusion of the celebrations, Bishop Vianney thanked Fr. Valence for his services to the Kandy Diocese and announced that he would henceforth revert to the Chilaw Diocese. Bishop Frank Marcus then decided that his talents should be made use of to train, guide and mould the future priests of Sri Lanka. Thus began his career in the National Seminary, Ampitiya, in October 1989.

Fr. Valence reached out to all people without any form of favouritism or discrimination. He made no difference between the rich and the poor, the educated and the less-educated, the elite and the ordinary folk. To him, all were children of God.

When it came to serving the poor or anyone in need, he always advised the people to reach out to them ("walk the extra mile for the sake of others" was his favourite phrase), and his advice was well heeded by the people because he practised what he preached.

From the National Seminary he proceeded to Rome in September 1992, to read for a doctorate in Philosophy at the Urban University. I realised the importance of his doctoral thesis ("Philosophy of Creation in St. Thomas Aquinas: MAKING GOD INTELLIGIBLE TO NON-THEISTS") only when I heard the then Abbot General of the Sylvestro-Benedictine Congregation telling him in June 1993: "Young man you have chosen a daring subject for your thesis. I wish you good luck!" On successfully defending his doctoral thesis, he returned to the National Seminary in October 1994 and was appointed Dean of Philosophy.

In October 2000, he was appointed the first Director of the new Philosophate and later on February 4, 2001, he was installed as Rector of the National Seminary which position he held until his elevation to the Episcopate.

Fr. Valence was born on May 21, 1958. His father shared with us that at one stage he too had entertained the idea of becoming a priest (but God had other plans) and therefore, when their first child was born he specially selected the name "Devsritha" (meaning 'Pleasing to God') hoping that his eldest son would one day become a priest.

Though born and bred in Moratuwa (between 1973 and 1976), the Mendis family moved to Puttalam as the father obtained a transfer to the Puttalam Kachcheri.

Fr. Valence is the eldest in a family of six children - three boys and three girls. Tragedy struck the family when the youngest, Crescent, was cruelly snatched away by the train bomb blast that took place at Dehiwela on July 24, 1996.

In addition to his academic achievements, he is a talented musician, lyricist, vocalist and a sportsman (His melodious rendition of his own composition "Aadara Devi Saminde" in the first ever audio cassette produced by the Kandy Diocese in 1987 to commemorate the 300th birth anniversary of Blessed Joseph Vaz and the centenary of the Diocese is ample proof of his musical talents). Despite all these achievements Fr. Valence still remains very unassuming, simple and down to earth. Simplicity, humility and kindness are his forte!

He is a keen promoter of unity in families, in communities, in the parish, and also among peoples of different cultures, ethnicity and creed. Charity, he practises to the hilt. Therefore, it was no wonder that he chose as his motto "UNIRE OMNES IN CARITATE" (i.e., "To unite all in charity"). Indeed, his motto is a true reflection of his priestly ministry of twenty years and his vision for the future.

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