The Church’s One Foundation

Saturday, 19 November 2011 00:39 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

By Sydney Knight

The Cathedral of Christ the Living Saviour certainly came alive on Saturday 5 November, when a musical entitled The Church’s One Foundation was held from 6.00 p.m. onwards.

This was a program held primarily to fund the Home of the Ascension at Bandarawela which is a home for destitute elders of all races and religions.

Since Bandarawela was a place where my late father lived and worshipped and was very close to the concept of this Home, I made it a point to be present at this program.

As already stated in and through music and the readings, the Cathedral certainly became alive.

It became alive to the presence of God and to worship in the best traditions of Christian music.

In a sadly divided Church and a broken land, it was good to see the children from the two schools founded by the First Bishop of Colombo James Chapman and his wife Frances namely S’ Thomas and Bishops singing with Roman Catholic Schools, Holy Family Convent, St. Benedict’s College, St. Joseph’s College and St. Peter’s College and a Methodist School, Wesley College.

All those directors of music from these schools and the students must be thanked for having made time to practise and to sing in the midst of their end of term and end of the year activities and examinations.

It was also good to see that in the programme it was stated that it was a combined schools choir classified not according to schools but according to voices.

The Bishop of Colombo must be commended for using the Cathedral in this manner and realising the dream of Bishop Cyril Abeynaike in making use of the Cathedral to promote the arts especially music.

The De Lanerolle Brothers, Rohan and Ishan, Neranjan de Silva at the organ and Vinodh Senadeera and his team have to be praised.

As the Bishop of Colombo stated when he spoke before the closing prayer that the De Lanerolle Brothers and Neranjan de Silva began in our schools and in our parishes singing and playing, so it augurs well that students from a few Colombo schools got together to practise and sing, to lead worship and also to support financially a worthy cause in Bandarawela.

I am sure that I am voicing the feelings of the many present that evening at the Cathedral when I say thank you to all those responsible for this excellent programme of music and readings.