Kandy’s Fr. Cletus to be Bishop of Ratnapura

Cletus Perera, the Conventual Prior of the Sylvestro Benedictine Congregation (OSB) being appointed as the third Bishop of the Diocese of Ratnapura by Pope Benedict XVI was received with much joy by the Catholics of Sri Lanka. In particular, the Catholics of the Ratnapura Diocese have much to be thankful to God for giving them a simple, humble, caring and pious priest as their chief shepherd.

Fr. Cletus (as he is popularly known) who hails from Seeduwa joined the OSB congregation in 1964 and was ordained priest on August 4, 1973 by Rt. Rev. Dr. Paul Perera, the then Bishop of Kandy. He started his priestly ministry as the Chaplain of the Kandy Hospital and Prison and as an Assistant Parish Priest. He was in Rome for higher studies from 1978 to 1981 and obtained the Licentiate in Liturgy from the Pontifical Liturgical Institute of the University of St. Anselmo.

In 1984, he was appointed parish priest of Wahacotte. As the priest in charge of the Shrine of St. Anthony at Wahacotte, he proved his mettle as an able administrator as well as a caring shepherd while strictly adhering to the requirements of the OSB congregation to lead a pious life as a monk.

Bishop Vianney Fernando appointed him the Vicar General of the Kandy Diocese in 1992 and thereafter handed over to him the Kandy Cathedral parish. After eight years as Vicar General he reverted to his much-preferred role of parish priest. He was the parish priest of Katugastota when the OSB congregation unanimously elected him their Conventual Prior in April 2002. He held this position until his elevation to the episcopate.

During his long period of service in the Diocese of Kandy, he also functioned as the Director of the Diocesan Pastoral Centre (1992-1995), Diocesan Youth Co-ordinator (1995-1998) and General Manager of Catholic Private Schools (1992 to –date). The hallmark of his priestly life is the commitment and dedication to his shepherding role in all the capacities in which he carried out his priestly ministry.

Very Revd. Fr. Cletus earned the respect and love of not only his fellow OSB monks but also of the other priests and religious as well as the lay faithful who came in contact with him. He interacted well with people from all walks of life. His piety and genuine concern for others has endeared him to all. Those who know him will agree that he had in him the administrative capabilities as well as the human qualities and spirituality that befits the role of a Bishop.

Though he has held high office in his priestly life, he never lost the common touch. He was always available to the people at any time of the day. His concern for others, especially for the poor and the down-trodden irrespective of their race or religion has been and still continues to be an example to many. No one who turned to him for solace be it spiritual or material was turned away. He always made them feel welcome and did his best to console and assist them. In this regard it is fitting for me to make public what was narrated to me recently by someone who has been very much touched by Fr. Cletus.

“I recall an experience I had when as a schoolboy, on a rainy day, in 1993 when I wanted to get into a bus from the Kandy (Clock Tower) bus stand, I saw a middle-aged blind man struggling to collect his spilt coins scattered all over the place as a result of the pressing commuters. Then, there was this priest, with his big travelling bag. He kept his bag aside, collected all the coins, gave them to the blind man, and quietly went on his way. This sight made such a strong impact in my mind that it still reminds me of the spirituality of a priest, formed after that of Blessed Joseph Vaz, the beloved Apostle of Sri Lanka. Only later I came to know that this priest was Fr. Cletus”.

(This young boy subsequently joined the OSB congregation and was ordained a priest in 2005. It is a happy coincidence that Fr. Cletus was the Prior at the time of his ordination). It is quite well known that Fr. Cletus is a devout man of prayer who catered very much for the spiritual upliftment of his flock. I have observed him seated at the Confessional for long hours awaiting the penitents who come to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

The deep piety of Fr. Cletus will be the “salt” (Matthew 5:13) that will leaven the “soul” of the Diocese of Ratnapura. His simple disposition and genuine concern for others will be the “light” (Matthew 5:16) that will radiate Christ’s love and lead his flock in the path to salvation. Fr. Cletus will be ordained a bishop in Rome by Dr. Vianney Fernando, the President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Sri Lanka on July 11.