Oswald Gomis

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Most Rev. Dr. Oswald Gomis
Senior posting
See Colombo
Title Archbishop of Colombo
Period in office 06 July 2002—Present
Predecessor Nicholas Fernando
Successor Incumbent
Religious career
Priestly ordination February 03, 1958
Previous bishoprics Bishop of Anuradhapura
Personal
Date of birth December 12, 1932 (1932-12-12) (age 75)
Place of birth Kelaniya, Gampaha

Oswald Gomis (b. December 12, 1932) is the tenth Roman Catholic Archbishop of Colombo. Dr. Gomis' previous post was as the Bishop of Anuradhapura having been appointed in 1996. He was also the Auxiliary Bishop of Colombo from 1968 to 1996.[1]

Contents

[edit] Early life

Born on December 12, 1932 in the Gampaha district of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, Gomis attended St. Joseph's College and then entered the seminary in 1950. He was ordained priest on February 3, 1958. He received his Episcopal Ordination on July 17, 1968. He has held several posts during his service in the Archdiocese, such as, Lecturer at St. Aloysius' Seminary, Colombo from 1958 to 1960, and Director cum Editor of the Catholic Press, Colombo from 1961 - 1968.[1]

[edit] Social work

In order to assist children from villages outside Colombo he has been instrumental in founding various branch schools in the outer districts affiliated with the main colleges in Colombo. He has been involved in various aid schemes for the poor; construction of houses for Tsunami victims, relief and rehabilitation work, and a scholarship programme for children affected by the Tsunami in 2004. He has also donated a health centre to his hometown of Kelaniya.[1]


Branch schools founded

  • St. Peter's College, Gampaha
  • St. Peter's College, Udugampola
  • Holy Cross College, Payagala
  • St. Joseph's College, Enderamulla
  • St. Joseph's College, Kadolkele
  • Loyola College, Bopitiya
  • Christ the King College, Weliweriya

[edit] Archbishop

On July 6, 2002, he was appointed Archbishop of Colombo by Pope John Paul II. He was installed as the Archbishop on July 27, 2002. Following his earlier appointment as the Secretary General of the Asian Bishops' Conferences, he was reappointed in the same year. He was also appointed by Pope Benedict XVI as a Synodal Father on September 8, 2005, and has met with him on May 2, 2007 to discuss the civil war situation in Sri Lanka. He is also the 3rd Archbishop of Colombo that is Sri Lankan, as following the erection of the Diocese by Pope Gregory XVI on December 3, 1834, all Archbishops until 1947 had been of foreign heritage.

Styles of
Oswald Gomis
Reference style The Most Reverend
Spoken style Your Excellency
Religious style Archbishop
Posthumous style none


[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c Profile of Oswald Gomis.