Frank Marcus Fernando ( Sinhala: ෆ්‍රෑන්ක් මාකස් ප්‍රනාන්දු) (October 19, 1931 – August 24, 2009) was the Sri Lankan

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ...

of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Chilaw in Sri Lanka. Fernando served as the Bishop of Chilaw from his appointment on December 27, 1972, until his retirement on October 19, 2006. The diocese is based in

Chilaw Chilaw ( si, හලාවත, translit=Halāvata, ta, சிலாபம், translit=Cilāpam) is a large town in Puttalam District, North Western Province, Sri Lanka. It is governed by an urban council. The town is located 80 kilometres away f ...

, a coastal city north of

Colombo Colombo ( ; si, කොළඹ, translit=Koḷam̆ba, ; ta, கொழும்பு, translit=Koḻumpu, ) is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. According to the Brookings Institution, Colombo me ...

. Frank Marcus Fernando was born in 1931. He was officially ordained a

Catholic priest The priesthood is the office of the ministers of religion, who have been commissioned (" ordained") with the Holy orders of the Catholic Church. Technically, bishops are a priestly order as well; however, in layman's terms ''priest'' refers onl ...

Rome, Italy , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

Bishop of Chilaw

Fernando was first ordained as a bishop on August 19, 1965. He was further appointed the

coadjutor The term coadjutor (or coadiutor, literally "co-assister" in Latin) is a title qualifier indicating that the holder shares the office with another person, with powers equal to the other in all but formal order of precedence. These include: * Coadj ...

bishop of

in 1968. Fernando served as the president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Sri Lanka. Fernando succeeded Edmund Peiris as the Bishop of Chilaw on December 27, 1972. He remained Bishop of Chilaw until his retirement on October 19, 2006. He became a writer and

human rights activist A human rights defender or human rights activist is a person who, individually or with others, acts to promote or protect human rights. They can be journalists, environmentalists, whistleblowers, trade unionists, lawyers, teachers, housing cam ...

for a number of Catholic and Sri Lankan causes as bishop. Fernando campaigned strong against a proposed law that would limit

religious conversion Religious conversion is the adoption of a set of beliefs identified with one particular religious denomination to the exclusion of others. Thus "religious conversion" would describe the abandoning of adherence to one denomination and affiliatin ...

s in Sri Lanka. He also fought against the construction of a coal-fired power plant which many feared would pollute both the environment as well as a Catholic

shrine A shrine ( la, scrinium "case or chest for books or papers"; Old French: ''escrin'' "box or case") is a sacred or holy space dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint, daemon, or similar figure of respect, wherein they ...

located in the Diocese of Chilaw. Fernando organized rallies and prayer services against the deteriorating human rights,

justice Justice, in its broadest sense, is the principle that people receive that which they deserve, with the interpretation of what then constitutes "deserving" being impacted upon by numerous fields, with many differing viewpoints and perspective ...

, and

environmental A biophysical environment is a biotic and abiotic surrounding of an organism or population, and consequently includes the factors that have an influence in their survival, development, and evolution. A biophysical environment can vary in scal ...

policies in the country. Bishop Frank Marcus Fernando died on August 24, 2009, at the age of 77 at a private hospital in

Marawila Marawila is a town in Puttalam District, North Western Province, Sri Lanka North Western Province ( si, වයඹ පළාත ''Wayamba Paḷāta'', ta, வட மேல் மாகாணம் ''Vada Mael Mākāṇam'') is a province of Sri ...

. His

requiem mass A Requiem or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead ( la, Missa pro defunctis) or Mass of the dead ( la, Missa defunctorum), is a Mass of the Catholic Church offered for the repose of the soul or souls of one or more deceased persons, ...

was held at the home of the

Archbishop of Colombo The Roman Catholic Metropolitan Archdiocese of Colombo ( la, Archidioecesis Columbensis in Taprobane) is a Latin Metropolitan Archdiocese of the Roman Catholic Church, whose ecclesiastical province covers all Sri Lanka plus the Maldives (which a ...

on August 25. His funeral mass was held at the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Cathedral in Chilaw.

References

External links

Catholic Hierarchy: Bishop Frank Marcus Fernando †Death of Mgr. Fernando, "voice of the voiceless" in Sri LankaOfficial web page: Diocese of Chilaw
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fernando, Frank Marcus 1931 births 2009 deaths Sinhalese writers Sinhalese activists Roman Catholic bishops of Chilaw Sinhalese priests 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Sri Lanka Roman Catholic auxiliary bishops of Colombo