Fr. Reid Shelton Fernando A Pastor, a Justice Crusader, and a Moratu Puthra

We commemorate the third month since the passing away of Rev. Fr. Reid Shelton Fernando (Birth: 16 Nov. 1943 –Death: 01 Jun. 2024), an illustrious priest of the Archdiocese of Colombo. This Moratu Puthra is from greater Moratuwa, joined by a band of bishops and priests of all Christian denominations. He hailed from a family of 5 boys and invariably the Catholic parents of their time perhaps thought that one of their sons be offered to the Sabhawa (The Church) was a great act of generosity and honour. Ordained in 1970 Fr. Reid had an eventful life of activities across several disciplines ranging from ecclesiology, theology, politics, justice and human rights. But his most appealing study was on the Vatican II documents with a special focus on the social encyclicals from the Rerum Novarum (1891) by Leo XIII to Laudato Si (2015), Fratelli Tutti (2020) and even Laudato Deum, the Apostolic Exhortation by Pope Francis came under his careful examination.

Vatican II Documemts

His forte has been unique with Vatican II documents, researched carefully to teach hundreds on the social doctrine of his Church. Secondly, his unusually tender and silent development of a theological lexicon up to the ‘letter M’ was published  in January 2022 by the Joseph Vaz Theologate, Colombo where he was once a lecturer on the social doctrine of the church. His informative mind and his socio-political query were incomparable on this specific subject. 

My association with him was vivid and controversial too in our common journey within the archdiocese and on the national level for obvious historical reasons. It was such a delight to cross Olcott Mawatha, right opposite the Fort Railway station to find my night park with a modestly arranged dinner but to delve into long discussions.  By then my fully engrossed post-graduate work at the Peradeniya University, should I say, was made more colourful and critically engaging with theology and Christian praxis which I was researching alongside  the bhikkhus and Buddhist scholars at Peradeniya on the concept of Buddhist Christian Discipleship (Savakatta). Discussions with Reid and other younger University students from all campuses in Colombo made the seventh floor of the Paul VI Centre ‘a buzzing bakery of debates’ on social engagement, politics, advocacy, and learning from the emerging paradigms of the late 1980s.  The personality of Reid Shelton was one of ‘formidable leadership’ and a ‘caring man’ to the hobnobbing undergraduates in the face of incumbent danger. His unique witness while he was the director of the Paul VI Centre as the priest in charge of Lay Apostolates and the Christian Workers Movement (CWM) was historical and his response was timely as a rare reader of the signs of the times. The young graduates then, who are now in mainstream professional capacities would vouch that their formative years were enlightened, nurtured and safeguarded by this simple soul - Father Reid as they fondly called him.

‘Odd one’ 

He remained an ‘odd one’ as some clergy have whispered to me, but my response to them was that ‘he was special’ to be that ‘odd one’. His ‘oddity’ was ‘apostolic in intention and charismatic in character’ and closer to the ‘Gospel formula’ than those ‘empty murmurs’ of some of his brother-priests of the diocese. He could not and did not buy unpalatable approaches to Christian life and commitment to justice, he in return found ‘that odd’ and even to relate to those with such behaviour. He disliked romanticized associations even with his own clergy but related empathetically well to the genuine comradeship of complementarity in mission and ministry. When some of us organised ourselves to produce a Festschrift (a felicitation, reflecting on Vat II by the lay and clergy, S. Godage, Colombo, 2018), he liked the idea but wanted us to focus particularly on his specific ministry on Vatican II reforms which we completed as per his wishes.

The point of controversy also was that he was the convener of the Jana Vimukthi Pujaka Sangaya (the fraternity of priests for peoples’ liberation) alongside late Fr. Oscar Abeyratne and Frs. Sarath Iddamalgoda, Ananda Fernando, and I happened to be one of the younger ones to be part of it. The reason for this initiative was a theological engagement at a time of socio-political turmoil and the national crisis during the period between 1987-89, we knew that such an initiative would be misunderstood, but we braved it. Some of his clergy colleagues including an auxiliary bishop callously caricatured this group and bullied  them in their closed-door gatherings, twisting the epitaph Pujaka Sangaya as Sajaka Pungaya which did not mean anything but sort of a ‘cheap colloquial ridicule’ and unfortunately to undermine a significant social ministry of the group. It was a period of terror (Bheeshana Samaya) across the nation, saving young people running for life from the vigilante groups as well and the government-led counter-insurrection was indeed an apostolic ministry. Reid Shelton Fernando was like a rock and stood his ground on behalf of the dignity and value of life and the right to alternative politics, and shunned all forms of violence from whatever corner it was unleashed to the community.

With his family and friends as we commemorate him dearly at this third month since his demise on June 1, 2024), a pastor of the people. His witness was more symbolic during his long years of dialysis therapy for his failing kidneys but never stopped his writing, reading, robust conversations and even updating the lethargic readers among the clergy and the lay Christians. Archdiocesan authorities must be credited for caring for him which I personally can vouch especially during his ‘Morning Star convalescence’, a home for retired clergy.

Fr. Reid Shelton Fernando’s legacy is one of sincerity and love of the people, which he daringly embarked on as his ministry and now it’s our time to be inspired by his work and life, because he ran it well in Her speed.