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November 7, 2021We welcome Fr. Dinesh Tharanga Keerthisinghe and pray that God blesses his ministry among us.
Fr. Dinesh was born November 3, 1977, in Negombo, Sri Lanka. He is the second child in a family of four – two boys and two girls – and his parents are in retirement. Ordained as a Catholic priest in the Archdiocese of Colombo in 2008, along with 20 other deacons, his first assignment was to serve in Catholic schools and then in several Parishes.
In 2019, he was serving in a Parish when terrorists brutally attacked the Catholics who were attending Easter Sunday services in two churches; nearly 250 were killed, and many others left severely wounded. During that time, Fr. Dinesh was directly involved in serving the victims under the guidance of Cardinal Ranjith. Until recently, Fr. Dinesh continued to follow up with the victims.
When the global pandemic hit, a curfew and other restrictions caused starvation among the people. Fr. Dinesh, together with his Parish Council, coordinated the supply of dry rations to parishioners who were helpless at that time. Also, since people could not attend Mass at church, he installed loudspeakers around the building and broadcast the liturgical services to the village.
His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith, the Archbishop of Colombo, has given him this opportunity to serve in the Archdiocese of New York under the patronage of His Eminence Cardinal Dolan, in our Parish, for at least two years.
