When the treasures of the Church were demanded of Lawrence he brought forward the poor, to whom he had distributed the treasure as alms. The prefect was so angry that he had a great gridiron prepared with hot coals beneath it, and had Lawrence placed on it, hence Lawrence’s association with the gridiron. After the martyr had suffered pain for a long time, the legend concludes, he cheerfully declared: “I’m well done on this side. Turn me over!” From this St. Lawrence derives his patronage of cooks, chefs and comdeians
The massive red hexagon structure of St. Lawrence Church is the iconic landmark of Colombo 6. The pathway leading to this sacred edifice is lined with rows of tall palm trees. It is one of the most beautiful churches in Sri Lanka. The Parish Priest Fr. Manokumaran Nagaratnam, met me at the entrance and we proceeded to his office. He went on to explain, “This church is the brainchild of Rev. Fr. Robert Fernando, OMI. He worked hard to build this Magnum Opus. First, he had to gather and inspire his scattered flock. It took him 30 years to complete this building”.
The influence of St. Lawrence in Ceylon goes back to the 16th century, when the Portuguese Commander Lourenco de Almeida landed in Ceylon and built a small chapel dedicated to the Saint at the foot of the breakwater in Colombo. The first Mass in the Latin Rite was celebrated by Fr. Vincente, a Franciscan priest.
Every church has a unique design in terms of her architecture. Many are shaped like the Holy Cross (aerial view). This church has five areas to seat the congregation, perhaps hinting at the five wounds of Jesus Christ, known as the Stigmata. Many say the bright red colour of the church was chosen to symbolize the red hot flames that burnt St. Lawrence, as he was cast onto a gridiron. The façade of each wing is decorated in elegant masonry. Two stained glass angels rise to guard the main door. The floor tiles are in red and yellow, symbolic of the flames. The chancel is separated from the nave by steps. Gazing up one can see a triangle- symbolizing the triune God, the perfect unity of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit - UniTrinoque Domino, Sit Sempiterna Gloria, meaning: to the one and triune God be glory unending... The walls of the church are decorated with water lilies implying purity. The massive church has four side chapels.
Reverting back to the large palm trees at the entrance it is said that decades ago Fr. Le. Breton, put a fence around each palm to protect it from stray cattle, and watered the palms daily. Rev. Fr. Robert had laboured from 1938-1968 to complete this project. His inspiration and dedication can be summed up in a single Latin phrase, Sola Fide - by faith alone. The wooden statue of the saint was sculptured in Italy and delivered via ship to Colombo. The seven foot crucifix was made by a Jaffna Tamil named Leo which took him three weeks to complete.
A parish priest reminisces
My first impression of Rev. Fr. Joseph Benedict is that of a man of prayer, like Daniel in the Old Testament. As I entered the church from the right wing he was on his knees, waiting upon the Almighty. A few minutes later he turned round and was aware of my presence. At 81 years, he is the most amiable Catholic priest I have encountered to date. We walked to the Mission House, where he sat down in an antique chair. Fr. Joe as he is affectionately known by thousands explained, “I was born in Dodangoda, Kalutara. We had eleven children in the family. My father was a teacher and my mother managed the rubber estate which we owned. My brothers and sisters always got together to recite the rosary. After completing my schooling I was inspired to join the seminary. Two of my brothers tried before and failed. I entered the seminary in Borella in 1954. From there I went to the seminary at Ampitiya, in Kandy. I remember there were Italian and Dutch teachers”.
He recalled the old days when a pound of beef was 65 cents, and a hair cut cost 35 cents. He travelled to Colombo from Kalutara paying 25 cents in a CTB bus. Having left a grand inheritance of a 40 acre estate to serve God, the prudent young seminarian obtained a degree in Western Classical Culture at the Peradeniya University, and a Master’s degree in religious education. The church encouraged him to complete another diploma in New York. Armed with these qualifications Fr. Joe remains a humble man. Fr. Joseph Benedict came to St. Lawrence Church and served the people for eight years. For decades Wellawatte has had a predominantly Tamil population, thus he decided to learn Tamil. The congregation was immensely impressed when he delivered a sermon in the Tamil language. During these years he also served as the Chaplain to the Sri Lanka Army, officiating at all their major events. St. Lawrence’s Church is his second home. Serving God faithfully for 55 years he concludes saying, “Son we must always seek God through prayer”.
St. Lawrence
Lawrence (Laurentius, in Latin) was one of the seven deacons of the city of Rome, under Pope Sixtus 11, who were martyred in the bloody persecution of the early Christians that the Roman Emperor Valerian ordered in 258 AD. Lawrence was born on December 31, 225 AD in rural Valencia. Lawrence encountered the future Pope Sixtus 11, who was of Greek origin and one of the famous teachers. Eventually, both left for Rome. When Sixtus was ordained as the Pope in 257 AD, he ordained Lawrence as a deacon, and though Lawrence was still young appointed him first among the seven deacons who served in the patriarchal church. He was Archdeacon of Rome, a position of trust that included the administration of the treasury and riches of the Church and the distribution of alms to the needy.
After the death of Pope Sixtus 11, the Prefect of Rome demanded that Lawrence turn over the riches of the Church. When ordered to deliver the treasures of the Church he presented, the crippled, the blind, and the suffering, and said they were the true treasures of the Church - which enraged the Roman Prefect. This act of defiance led directly to his martyrdom.
On August 10, Lawrence, the last of the seven deacons, and therefore, the ranking Church official, suffered a martyr’s death aged 33. A famous legend has persisted from ancient times. Ambrose of Milan relates that the insulted Prefect was so angry that he had a great gridiron prepared with hot coals beneath it, and had Lawrence placed on it, hence Lawrence’s association with the gridiron.
After Lawrence had suffered pain for a long time, the legend concludes, he cheerfully declared: “I’m well done on this side. Turn me over”.
Years later a priest named Fr. Sanctulus was rebuilding a church of St Lawrence, which had been attacked and burnt, and hired many workmen to accomplish the task. At one point during the construction, he found himself with nothing to feed them.
He prayed for divine help, and looking in his basket found a fresh loaf of bread. It seemed too small to feed the workmen, but in faith he began to serve it to the men. While he broke the bread, it so multiplied that his astonished workmen fed from it for ten days. Ecce panis angelorum, factus cibus viatorum – the bread of the angels, made as food for the travellers.
The church of St. Lawrence continues to challenge her members, with the spirit of sacrifice in serving and living for God in this era of intense secularization.