Dear Aunty Lathika,
I was deeply saddened to hear of the passing away of dear Fr James and was even sadder that I could not come to pay my last respects or participate at his funeral service.
Despite the fact that I have not had an opportunity recently to visit Fr James he was one senior priest whose guidance and advice in the my selection process for ministry and in my early days as a deacon and priest that I greatly valued. I recall the very first time he invited me to join your family for a lovely breakfast while he was Vicar of Holy Trinity Church, Wellawatte in 1991 to discuss the latest English translation of the Bible that I had received from a friend of mine in the UK. When I took the first steps towards being considered for the ordained ministry it was Fr James while at Good Shepherd Church, Jawatte who guided me as to what I should be prepared for in term so the interview with the Bishop's MAC and it was also he who called me with the news, unofficially, that I had not just been selected for training but that the MAC had decided to recommend me for training overseas. I will never forget those days.
Another fond memory I have of Fr James was when in 2004 I had to present a paper on the proposal for Clergy Ministerial Review at the Sacred Synod of the Clergy and after my presentation he took me aside and said that for a priest of his generation the disciplines of the daily office, regular meetings with a spiritual director, disciplined attendance of the annual Retreat were what had sustained his ministry and that an emphasis on the spiritual disciplines was all he felt was necessary for a clergy person to perform his priestly duties faithfully.
I shall never forget his reflections when he led a retreat for some junior priests one year and based his thoughts on the words of three familiar hymns. He presented me on my ordination as a priest with his personal copy of The Book of Parish Prayers by Frank Colquhoun, that he had used while he was Chaplain at the University of Peradeniya (in the year of my birth) and also a number of other books that I still value greatly and use often.
As I said in a message I posted on Facebook on hearing of his death, he was a priest whose influence and inspiration has helped many younger priests and as such he will not easily be forgotten.
Please accept from Manisha and myself our loving and most sincere condolences at this time of loss. Please do convey to the rest of the family as well, especially Jayadeva. As soon as this lockdown is over and we are able to move around freely we will visit you personally.
May Fr James rest in peace and rise in glory.
With love and blessings always,
Marc.
The Rev'd Marc Billimoria
Dear Aunty Lathika,
I was deeply saddened to hear of the passing away of dear Fr James and was even sadder that I could not come to pay my last respects or participate at his funeral service.
Despite the fact that I have not had an opportunity recently to visit Fr James he was one senior priest whose guidance and advice in the my selection process for ministry and in my early days as a deacon and priest that I greatly valued. I recall the very first time he invited me to join your family for a lovely breakfast while he was Vicar of Holy Trinity Church, Wellawatte in 1991 to discuss the latest English translation of the Bible that I had received from a friend of mine in the UK. When I took the first steps towards being considered for the ordained ministry it was Fr James while at Good Shepherd Church, Jawatte who guided me as to what I should be prepared for in term so the interview with the Bishop's MAC and it was also he who called me with the news, unofficially, that I had not just been selected for training but that the MAC had decided to recommend me for training overseas. I will never forget those days.
Another fond memory I have of Fr James was when in 2004 I had to present a paper on the proposal for Clergy Ministerial Review at the Sacred Synod of the Clergy and after my presentation he took me aside and said that for a priest of his generation the disciplines of the daily office, regular meetings with a spiritual director, disciplined attendance of the annual Retreat were what had sustained his ministry and that an emphasis on the spiritual disciplines was all he felt was necessary for a clergy person to perform his priestly duties faithfully.
I shall never forget his reflections when he led a retreat for some junior priests one year and based his thoughts on the words of three familiar hymns. He presented me on my ordination as a priest with his personal copy of The Book of Parish Prayers by Frank Colquhoun, that he had used while he was Chaplain at the University of Peradeniya (in the year of my birth) and also a number of other books that I still value greatly and use often.
As I said in a message I posted on Facebook on hearing of his death, he was a priest whose influence and inspiration has helped many younger priests and as such he will not easily be forgotten.
Please accept from Manisha and myself our loving and most sincere condolences at this time of loss. Please do convey to the rest of the family as well, especially Jayadeva. As soon as this lockdown is over and we are able to move around freely we will visit you personally.
May Fr James rest in peace and rise in glory.
With love and blessings always,
Marc.
The Rev'd Marc Billimoria
