Name	: Archbishop Patabendige Don Albert Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith
Date of Birth	: 15th November 1947
Place of Birth	: Polgahawela, Sri Lanka
Father’s Name	: Patabendige Don William
Mother’s Name	: Hettiarachchige Mary Winifred Perera
Sisters  (all younger)	: Mrs Ranjanie Cooray (deceased)
	: Mrs Shalani Fernando (Sri Lanka)
	: Mrs Antoinette Biergans (Germany)
Brothers	: None

 

 ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS

 Scholastic Studies -

-    Roman Catholic Boys’ School, Lunupokuna, Colombo 15

-    De la Salle College, Mutwal, Colombo 15

    General Certificate of Education

    

 Ecclesiastical Studies -

-    St. Aloysius Seminary, Borella, Colombo 8

-    The National Seminary, Ampitiya, Kandy

-    Diploma Course in Biblical Studies, Hebrew University of Jerusalem (1976)

-    Pontifical Urban University in Rome, Italy  (Collegio Urbano de Propaganda Fide)

-    Pontifical Biblical Institute, Rome, Italy

         

-    Baccalaureate in Theology                         -       Urban University

    Summa Cum Laude Probatus (1974)

-    Diploma Certificate in Biblical Studies      -       Hebrew University of Jerusalem (1976)

-    LSS  -   Licentiate in Sacred Scriptures       -       Pontifical Biblical Institute (Rome) 1978

    Magna Cum Laude Probatus 

 

PRIESTLY ORDINATION -

Ordained by His Holiness Pope Paul VI         -       on 29th June 1975 at St. Peter’s Basilica, Rome

 

PASTORAL APPOINTMENTS

October 1978             -       Assistant Parish Priest of Pamunugama / Kepungoda / Dungalpitiya

02.06.1980                 -       Spiritual Director "Daham Sevana"

04.05.1981                  -       Acting Parish Priest of Payagala

03.08.1981                 -       Parish Priest of Payagala

20.06.1982                 -       Staff Member Pre-Philosophate "Daham Sevana"

10.01.1983                 -       Lecturer (Catechetics) Kalutara Museaus Training College

29.04.1983                 -       Parish Priest of Kalutara

September 1983         -       Appointed National Director of Pontifical Mission Societies

1983                           -       Professor in Sacred Scripture at the Sinhala Theology Faculty, Colombo

                                          (Blessed Joseph Vaz Deva Dharma Nikethanaya)

13.08.1984                 -       Archdiocesan Co-ordinator for Human Development

                                   -       Archdiocesan Director of Caritas Colombo - Seth Sarana

20.02.1985                 -       Elected to the Priests' Senate as Priests' representative of  the Kalutara Region

01.09.1985                 -       Parish Priest of Kolonnawa

15.02.1985                 -       Archdiocesan Chaplain St. Vincent De Paul Society

20.10.1987                 -       Member of the College of Consultors

20.10.1987                 -       Member of the Council of Priests

                                        

EPISCOPAL ORDINATION AND MINISTRY

17.06.1991                 -       Appointed as the Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Colombo and the Titular Bishop of Cabarsussi

31.08.1991                 -       Episcopal Consecration by Archbishop Nicholas Marcus Fernando at the Basilica of Our Lady of Lanka, Tewatta.

02.11.1995                 -       Appointed as the Bishop of Ratnapura

05.01.1996                 -       Installation as the Bishop of Ratnapura

01.10.2001                 -       Appointed as the Adjunct Secretary, Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, Vatican.

29.04.2004                 -       Appointed as the Apostolic Nuncio to Indonesia and Timor East

29.04.2004                 -       Appointed as the Titular Archbishop of Umbriatico

10.12.2005                 -       Appointed as the Secretary of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, Vatican

16.06.2009                 -       Appointed as the Archbishop of Colombo

05.08.2009                 -       Installed as the 09th Archbishop of Colombo, at St. Lucia's Cathedral, Kotahena, Colombo 13.

20.11.2010                 -       Appointed as a Cardinal

20.11.2010                 -       Appointed as the Cardinal Priest of San Lorenzo, Lucina

        

NATIONAL ECCLESIAL APPOINTMENTS

1988 – 1991               -       Secretary of the Catholic National Commission for Missionary Activity, Sri-Lanka      

1992 – 1995               -       Chairman of the Catholic National Commission for Missionary Activity, Sri-Lanka                       

1995 – 2001               -       Chairman of the National Commission for Justice, Peace & Human Development, Sri-Lanka

1993 – 1995               -       Coordinator/Chairman, National Steering Committee for the Pope’s Visit to Sri-Lanka & Beatification of Blessed Joseph Vaz      

1995 – 2001               -       Secretary General, Catholic Bishops Conference in Sri Lanka

2010                            -       President, Catholic Bishops Conference in Sri Lanka

                                   -       Chairman, Catholic National Commission for Priests, Religious, Seminaries, and Secular Institutes

2015                           -       Coordinator/Chairman, National Steering Committee for the Pope’s visit and the Canonization of St. Joseph Vaz.

 

STATE APPOINTMENTS          

 -  Justice of the Peace for the whole island of Sri-Lanka

-   Member of the University Council of the Sabaragamuwa State University, Sri Lanka       

                                                  

INTERNATIONAL APPOINTMENTS 

-   Member of the Restricted Committee of the National Directors of the Pontifical Mission Societies (PMS)

 -   Member, Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences Office for Evangelization (OE)

-    Coordinator – Children’s Desk Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences Office for Evangelization (OE)

-    Member of the Supreme Committee of the Pontifical Mission Societies (PMS) in Rome

2001 - 2004                -       Adjunct Secretary, Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, Vatican

2001 - 2004                -       President, Pontifical Mission Societies, International

2002 - 2009                -       Member of the Pontifical Committee for International Eucharistic Congresses

2004 - 2005                -       Apostolic Nuncio to Indonesia and Timor East

2005 - 2009                -       Secretary of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, Vatican

                                                  

INTERNATIONAL MEETINGS CHAIRED                                           

Asian Regional Meetings of the PMS

6^th to 10^th Sept. 1990      -    Monte Fano, Kandy

16^th to 22^nd Sept. 1992   -    Indonesia, Jakarta

10^th to 16^th Sept. 1994    -    Seoul, Korea

4^th to 14^th Sept. 1996      -    Tokyo, Japan

                                                  

FABC Office for Evangelization

9^th to13^th Sept. 2001      -    Exposure Programme for Asian Bishops at Colombo

16^th to 24^th May 2002    -    Annual General Assembly of the Superior Council of the Pontifical Mission Societies in Rome

8^th to16^th May 2003       -    Annual General Assembly of the Superior Council of the Pontifical Mission Societies in Rome

1^st December 2006        -    International Study Day on the Sacred Liturgy

1^st December 2007        -    International Study Day on the Sacred Liturgy

29^th November 2008      -    International Study Day on the Sacred Liturgy

                                                  

INTERNATIONAL AWARDS

2007                              -    Thomas Aquinas Medallion in the field of religious education, Thomas Aquinas College, California, USA   

2008                              -    7th International Award “Giuseppe Sciacca” by the President of the Republic of Italy for achievements in the cultural field

PUBLICATIONS                     

-    Introduction to the Pentateuch (Sinhala)   -  Published by DDN Publications Colombo

-    Several articles in magazines and newspapers.

LANGUAGES

-   Sinhala, English, Tamil, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Indonesian Bhasa