Tab Article

Ratings: ★★★★☆ (4.5/5)
Genre: Church History / Religious Studies / Sri Lankan Studies

Book Review:
Professor Gnanamuthu Pilendran's ''The Establishment of the Jaffna Vicariate'' is a meticulous and authoritative study of a crucial period in Sri Lankan Catholic history. As a Roman Catholic priest of the Diocese of Jaffna and a professor at the University of Jaffna, Pilendran brings both scholarly rigor and insider knowledge to his subject.

The book focuses on the period 1796-1857, when Sri Lanka was under British colonial rule and the Roman Catholic Church was reorganizing its administrative structures. The central story is the creation of a Northern Vicariate in Ceylon, a process that involved complex negotiations and conflicts among different missionary groups: the Italian Msgr. Bettacchini, the Goan Oratorians, and the newly arrived Oblate missionaries from Europe.

Professor A.J.V. Chandrakanthan of the University of Toronto praises the book as ''convincingly argued with concrete facts,'' presenting ''a compelling account of the devious intricacies and dreadful maneuvers'' that characterized this period. He notes that the ''subtle battles fought in Jaffna'' among these missionary groups offer ''very useful historical lessons for our own age.''

Professor Shirley Wijesinghe of the University of Kelaniya describes the book as ''an important source for the study of Sri Lankan Church History,'' useful for both lecturers and students. She highlights the author's evaluation of ecclesiastical leadership and his documentation of Mgr. Orazio Bettacchini's significant contribution to Sri Lankan ecclesiastical administrative structuring.

Pilendran's credentials are impressive. He holds M.Phil. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Jaffna for research on Christian Literature and Sri Lankan Church History respectively. He is a professor at the Department of Christian Civilization at the University of Jaffna and serves as a visiting lecturer at St. Francis Xavier's Major Seminary. He has also been Director of the Jaffna Diocesan Minor Seminary and Vice-Principal of St. Patrick's College.

For students of Sri Lankan church history, this book is essential reading. It fills a gap in the literature by providing detailed attention to the Jaffna region and its unique ecclesiastical development. For scholars of mission history, it offers a case study of how different missionary groups interacted and competed. And for anyone interested in the religious history of Sri Lanka, it provides valuable insights.

The book is published by S. Godage & Brothers, a leading Sri Lankan academic publisher, and is reasonably priced at Rs. 950.

''The Establishment of the Jaffna Vicariate'' is a work of careful scholarship that deserves a place in every serious library of Sri Lankan religious history. Highly recommended.