On Easter Sunday 2019, Sri Lanka was besieged by a series of terrorist bombings that killed 253 people and injured more than 500. Among the targets were four hotels, a guest house, a private home, and three Christian churches. The vast majority of the fatalities occurred at the Catholic churches of St. Anthony and St. Sebastian, where almost 200 people succumbed to their injuries, and Protestant Zion Church in Batticaloa where 28 people lost their lives.
It was the first terrorist attack on Sri Lankan soil since the end of their civil war in 2009 and the days after the bombing have been filled with confusion, anger and great sadness. With Christians comprising only 6.1% of the Sri Lankan population, and with threats against the Christian community matched by government crackdowns on religious freedoms for Christians, the bombings struck a community already reeling under a constant string of persecutions.
Serving the small Christian community are 106 Jesuit priests, brothers and scholastics spread across the Province, including the districts of Batticaloa and Colombo. Not only were these Jesuits among the first to respond to the bombings and to comfort the victims of the terrorist attack, but their friends and family were among the casualties. As fear gripped the region and the Christian community attempted to come to terms with the violence, Rev. Fr. Dexter Gray SJ, the Provincial Superior of the Jesuits of the Sri Lanka Province, struck a defiant tone against those who seek to intimidate the Christian Faithful.
“We reject all forms of extremism and stand for freedom of religion and the right to worship safely. Collectively we must find the will and the way to end such violence. For our Christian brethren our appeal is this, Jesus did not accuse or curse those who were inflicting cruel pain on him. From the cross he only prayed that they may be forgiven for what they were doing… We should not lose hope that HE can grant us peace even in the midst of this pain and national crisis because he said the peace HE gives is not the kind of peace that the world gives.”
To watch the full video from Fr. Gray, click here .
On 31 October 1617, Brother Alonso Rodríguez heard a knock at his door, not someone seeking to be let in, but a call to be taken into full communion with God. He replied with his usual promptness: “I’m coming, Lord”, just as he used to do as porter at the college of Montesión...
As preparations for World Youth Day (WYD) Seoul 2027 gather momentum, the Korea Province of the Society of Jesus officially opens registration for MAGIS 2027 on 31 October 2026, the feast of St Alonso Rodríguez. Guided by the theme “Living Hope, Igniting Peace”, MAGIS 2027...
Higher education is a lifeline but for most refugees, it is a seemingly impossible dream. However, Jesuit Worldwide Learning’s (JWL) experience shows that this dream can come true, if we work together. Jointly organised byJWL and the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) in Geneva...
hat does it mean to be “servants of Christ’s mission”? And how is the Society’s witness to faith, justice and reconciliation lived in today’s world? These are the questions at the heart of CIS 2027. Father General has chosen as its theme...
In its 486 years of existence, the Society of Jesus has held only 36 General Congregations (GC): 31 convoked for the election of a Superior General and 5 to address urgent, important matters. However, even those Congregations called primarily to elect a General...
Tulana Research Centre for Encounter and Dialogue stands as a testament to the Jesuit commitment to intellectual rigor, spiritual depth, and interfaith bridge-building in Asia. The centre, a mission of the Sri Lankan Province of the Society of Jesus, takes its name...
The Society of Jesus was founded in 1540 by Saint Ignatius Loyola and his companions. The mission of the Jesuits is a mission of justice and reconciliation, working so that women and men can be reconciled with God, with themselves, with each other and with God’s creation.
Loading comments…