Agenzia Fides

Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - The Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, on June 29, 2011 appointed rev. Clarence Elmo Francis Dias, of the archdiocesan clergy of Colombo as Rector of the National Seminar "Our Lady of Lanka" in the diocese of Kandy (Sri Lanka).
The new Rector was born on December 9, 1951 in Moratuwa. After primary school, he attended St. Aloysius Seminary in Borella, the Intermediate Seminary in Haputale, then the National Seminar "Our Lady of Lanka" in the diocese of Kandy. He was ordained a priest on July 5, 1980. After a period working as Assistant pastor and Pastor in several parishes, from 1983 to 1985 he studied in Rome at the Pontifical Urban University, where he obtained a licentiate in theology. Returning home, he was Pastor and the Archbishop’s Secretary. From 2003 to 2008 he was chaplain of the Sri Lankan migrants in Modena (Italy) and Assistant pastor in the same archdiocese. Since 2008 he has been Pastor in Kotte in since 2010 Episcopal Vicar of the Archdiocese of Colombo. In 2007 he obtained a diploma in journalism. (S.L.) (Agenzia Fides 21/2/2012)