From His Lordship Bishop Harold Anthony
Bishop of Galle
09.07.2007

          As a close classmate of mine, it was too painful to hear that Fr. Roy was called to Eternal life. Since our formation days in the Seminary, our class had closer fraternal understanding, care and love for each other. It was     Fr. Roy who brought  laughter and joy into our gatherings. And he was always a very closer fraternal priest to the other priests in the diocese and was much respected by them.
          He was a person who never tried to achieve many things in serving the Lord, but served Him and His people with love, compassion, joy and enthusiasm. He was very loyal to the Archdiocese and the Church and cared for the needs of many people in the parishes he served, he had a understanding heart to listen to who had been through difficult times, always had an open door for people in difficulty, with his joyful attitude in the priestly life and infectious friendly smile, Fr. Roy knew his parishioners by name just as the Good Shepherd knows His sheep and unselfishly made himself available for the care of the people.

          His dedication to whatever appointment given and his humility are a shining light for us.

          He will be sadly missed by us all. May the Lord grant you Eternal reward promised to His chosen !

By

 +Bishop Harold Anthony
 Bishop of Galle

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Msgr. Robinson Wijesinghe
Apostolic Nunciature - Pakistan
09.07.2007

Deeply saddened upon learning of the sad passing away of our beloved friend Fr. Ranjith Roy, I send condolences to you all and to the faithful of the Archdiocese. With grateful recognition of Fr. Roy's selfless service, as a committed priest of the Lord for His people, I offer fervent prayers that God, the Father of mercies, will grant eternal rest to him and every spiritual consolation to those who mourn his passing.We shall pray for his eternal reward and he shall pray for us to prepare ourselves for the same.
Msgr. Robinson.
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Rev. Fr. Victor Silva
United States
09.07.2007

It was shocking and so sad to hear the untimely death of dear  Fr. Roy. Please accept my deepest and heartfelt sympathies and prayers as we lose one by one, our good  and not so old priest friends. May his soul rest in peace !
Fr. Victor
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Rev. Fr. Elmo Dias
Modena, Italy
                                              The Joy that was Fr.Roy

My Dear Roy !

I intended writing this from thousands of miles away as I am unable to be present  to say good bye personally. In the past few days you must have settled down in the best and eternal part of your life, in the latest and the last transfer you received from our Maker.

I am sure as you entered the pearly gates you were welcomed by many a friend over there, among whom was the great Saint Anthony, whom you trusted and served so faithfully to bring divine solace to thousands of devotees.

Soon after your return from the first and grievous sojourn in hospital where all human and medical hope was dim, it was I believe the last miracle of St.Anthony for you as you blessed the congregation with his statue; he put you on your feet again for a few weeks probably to be with your loved ones   to say good bye to them personally and complete your 27th  year in the priesthood on July 5th. It was just then that I too could talk to you over the phone and share a few thoughts, hear your feeble voice and enjoy a moment of laughter, which now have turned out to be the last.

Those 27 years, and adding another seven in Ampitiya plus four or five at Borella seminary were our years together. Those years brought us from unknown to the known, made us from strangers to friends, transformed us from friends to brothers in life and priesthood. 

I donot intend to put on record all your achievements here, as they have already been or will be done by others , but to just very gratefully thank you for being a messenger of  joy to everyone who met you. When our initiation ceremony ( or the robing ceremony as it was called) came in the early seventies in the National Seminary,  remember the joke we played on you? Fr.Francis and I got hold of  some old set of holy pictures and typed on their reverse,                     
                                   “ To God the Joy of my youth”
                                     A souvenir of my Initiation 
                                           Bro.Ranjith Roy
 
and  let them through the 40 odd doors of  the rooms of the brothers. Already more than  thirty years ago, that is how we saw you – the hearld of Joy. That joy  radiated from your life where ever you were, with who ever you were, young and old, stranger and friend, superior or colleague. Now you yourself can  place before the Heavenly Throne another souvenir, your soul, with the  engraved words on it “ To God,  the Joy of my Earthly Sojourn.”

Since we shared so closely our mission and priestly life, you knew very well that we had different seasons of our priesthood. When it was springtime you embraced  the vivid hues of  ministry, the shades of  people who came to you, enjoyed the sounds of grace that resonated around you. In your  summer  you brought forth the fruits of your labour souls to the Lord and silver to the archdiocese. Your autumn was a shining example of  giving away so generously for the sake of  the other, the poor, the less fortunate and the  abandoned.  And when the winter came with its biting  cold, you heart could still keep the warmth of sharing and friendship and you were a “Christmas tree” that never changed its colour.

Now that your seasons are over, pray for us your friends and brother priests to go through the varying seasons and still do our best for the Lord and His people.
Pray on our behalf, before the Heavenly Father so that, power, position, wealth, prestige,place and earthly  honour that you did not seek, may not be sought by us your priestly brothers, either.

Finally dear Roy,

We will not stand at your grave and cry, for you are not there, you did not die.

But we will meet you,

in the thousands of winds that blow,
in the flowers that bloom,
in the gentle showers of rain,
in the fields of ripening grain,

in art works you left,
in the meetings of friends,
in the songs of the shrine,
in the sinners' saved souls.

For now with the Lord, you are no more Roy ;  But eternal JOY.

So good bye dear friend.

Fr. Elmo.