People & Events

100 for St. Joseph's Church

By Commander Shemal Fernando, SLN

St. Joseph's Church, Uyana, Moratuwa celebrates its Centenary Feast today, Sunday, May 3. The Festive High Mass will be sung under the auspices of Rt. Rev. Dr. Winston Fernando, the Bishop of Badulla, a distinguished parishioner who has been elevated to the high office of a Bishop. The life size statue of St. Joseph will be taken round the village in procession in the same evening and this will conclude the jubilee celebrations of Uyana Church of St. Joseph's, which has survived the test of time.

The knowledge of the Gospel of Christ was first diffused at Moratuwa, when a Franciscan Missionary visited the place on 3rd August l519. The story of St. Joseph's Church, Moratuwa which was built seven times in the course of its long and soul stirring history is also a story of faith of the Catholics of Moratuwa for over a four and a quarter centuries. On the 15th of January 1537, Rev. Fr. Pedro Perez said Holy Mass at Moratuwa - Uyana in the "Athu Thihay San Juse Palliya" the cadjan structure dedicated to the Patron Saint of Carpenters. This stood on the site of the Moratuwa Rest House at Lunawa.

A granite slab of this church discovered by Gabriel Pasqual Chavy which was preserved in the fifth Church of St. Joseph's, revealed that this Church had existed on the 15th January 1537. On this day this house of God dedicated to St. Joseph was erected by Balapuwa Radala, scion of Kurukulanatha. When Rev. Fr. John Calvo started missionary work in Moratuwa, the said structure was renovated. On 15th January 1543, the Church was re-dedicated to St. Joseph by Rev. Fr. John Calvo. In 1549 the Church of the Holy Cross was erected on a hillock called Boralugodella (modern Palliyagodella). The year 1552 witnessed the destruction of churches due to the persecution of Christians by Vidiya Bandara. Among the glorious confessors of Faith, the name Jayasiri Aditiya Jantula Juse Dias whose head was slashed into two with a Ketteriya (Battle-axe) and Warnakulasuriya Siriwardena and Kumarage Paulu Fernando stood prominent.

Over 19 Martyrs suffered death, slain on the soil of the village of Uyana, the very site at Lunawa on which the present Rest House stands. Those who were martyred in 1552 were buried at the Rest House compound. Persecutions which started in June 21st, 1552 from Moratuwa continued at Ketteriyawala Watte, so called after the weapon used by the soldiers who slashed the head of Juse Dias, one of the earliest converts and eldest son of the Kapusamy of Easwara Kovila, for building the first Catholic Church in Moratuwa at Ketteriyawala Watte (presently Velona Premises). Having burnt the Church of Our Lady of Victories at Rawatawatte the persecutors proceeded to destroy the Church of the Holy Cross at Rawatawatte and St. Joseph's at Uyana. The climax was reached on 22nd June 1555 with the destruction of the Churches in the South and massacre of Paulu. Since the defeat and subsequent death of Vidiya Bandara, the Church of St. Joseph had been restored and maintained by the Congregation. This second Church stood on land bordering the sea at Nainandura Walakada.

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