Marcelline Jayakody

Fr. Marcelline Jayakody
Born	June 3, 1902(1902-06-03) Sri Lanka
Died	January 15, 1998(1998-01-15) (aged 95)
Nationality	Sri Lankan
Other names	Pansale Piyathima, Modern Gonsalvez
Education	Roman Catholic Boys School in Madampe,St. Joseph’s College, St. Aloysius Seminary, Borella.
Occupation	Catholic priest, musician, lyricist, author, journalist and patriot
Religion	Roman Catholic

Fr. Marcelline Jayakody (June 3, 1902─January 15, 1998) was a well-known Sri Lankan Catholic priest, musician, lyricist, author, journalist and patriot,^[1] and an exponent of indigenous culture who, according to a former High Court Judge, directed the Catholic Church in Sri Lanka towards the mainstream of national life.^[2] Biographer Judge Fernando honors Jayakody by writing:

No other Catholic prelate or priest in Sri Lanka has touched the hearts and lives of both Catholics and non-Catholics alike like Fr. Marcelline Jayakody. Sincere to God and sincere to man Fr. Marcelline Jayakody was a legend in his life time.^[2]

Passion Play of Duwa

Fr. Jayakody served as the head priest in Duwa in 1939. Duwa is the Passion Play Village in Sri Lanka.^[3] A Passion Play is a religious drama of medieval origin dealing with the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus.^[4] Originally, the Play used traditional puppets as actors for Duwa Passion play. Jayakody wrote original script for a Passion play influenced by Fr. Jacome Gonsalves and composed new hymns to the traditional "Pasan".^[5] Next, he introduced live male and female actors for puppets. Eventually there were over 250 live actors taking the place of puppets in his adaptation of Dorothy L. Sayers’s The Man Born to be King [Dukprathi Prasangaya in Sinhala].^[6] The Duwa passion play was considered as the greatest Passion show in Asia at that time.^[7]

Awards

• In 1979 his poetry book Muthu (pearls) won the National State Literary Award (the first catholic priest to have won state award ).
• In 1982 He was honored with the "Kalasuri" title by the State and "Kithu Nandana Pranamaya" by the Catholic Church for his magnificent contributions to arts and culture for over six decades.
• In 1983 He won the "Ramon Magsaysay Award" considered the Asian Noble Prize, (along with 20,000 US$, a Medal and a Citation) in Manila, Philippines as the first Catholic priest.
• Won the international OCIC(Catholic Film Office) and the International UNDA (Radio & Television Homage Awards)l^[5]
• The Kavya Mahopadya award from National Poets Union and Kavya and Literary Shiromani from Vidyalankara Pirivena.

Footnotes

1. ^ "Fr. Marcelline Jayakody - vibrant Catholic priest and patriot". dailynews. 2003. http://www.dailynews.lk/2003/06/03/fea05.html. Retrieved /2003/06/03. 
2. ^ ^{a b} Fernando, W.T.A. Leslie. "Birth centenary of Fr. Marcelline Jayakody — the rebel priest." Online: 5 Nov 2010. [1]
3. ^ "Duwa is The Passion Play Village". passionplay.lankasites. http://www.passionplay.lankasites.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=9:duwa-the-village-with-passion&catid=6:experience&Itemid=6.. Retrieved 22 March 2009. 
4. ^ Passion play. (2010). In ‘’Encyclopædia Britannica.’’ Retrieved November 01, 2010, from Encyclopædia Britannica Online:
5. ^ ^{a b} "In commemoration of Rev. Fr. Marceline Jayakoddy". passionplay.lankasites. http://www.passionplay.lankasites.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6:n-commemoration-of-rev-fr-marceline-jayakoddy&catid=6:experience&Itemid=6. Retrieved 14 March 2009. 
6. ^ "Dabbling with mystic themes". sundayobserver. 2009. http://www.sundayobserver.lk/2009/05/10/spe39.asp. Retrieved 2009-05-10. 
7. ^ "Duwa Passion play’ at Bishop’s". sundaytimes. 2000. http://sundaytimes.lk/090329/Magazine/sundaytimestvtimes_04.html. Retrieved 2009-03-29. 

References

• "'Christmas, a season of goodwill and celebrations’". sundayobserver.lk. 2005. http://sundaytimes.lk/051225/tv/2.html. Retrieved 2005-12-25.
• "'Pansale Piyathuma’- 103 years old". sundaytimes. 2005. http://sundaytimes.lk/050821/tv/3.html. Retrieved /2005/08/21.
• "'Pansale Piyatuma’ at the age of 95". sundaytimes. 1997. http://sundaytimes.lk/970601/plus2.html. Retrieved /19977/06/01.
• "A legend in his own lifetime". sundayobserver. 2004. http://www.sundayobserver.lk/2004/05/23/fea16.html. Retrieved /2004/05/23.
• "A singer - with style". sundayobserver. 2007. http://www.sundayobserver.lk/2007/06/03/spe05.asp. Retrieved /2007/06/03.
• "Birth centenary of Fr. Marcelline Jayakody". passionplay.lankasites. http://www.passionplay.lankasites.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5:birth-centenary-of-fr-marcelline-jayakody&catid=6:experience&Itemid=6. Retrieved 14 March 2009.
• "Carols and their impact on Sri Lanka". sundayobserver.. 2004. http://www.sundayobserver.lk/2004/12/19/fea21.html. Retrieved /2004/12/19.
• "Christmas Carols in Sri Lanka". dailynews. 2007. http://www.dailynews.lk/2007/12/25/fea14.asp. Retrieved /2007/12/25.
• "CITATION for Marcelline Jayakody". rmaf.org. http://www.rmaf.org.ph/Awardees/Citation/CitationJayakodyMar.htm.
• "Could Fr. Marcelline Jayakody be called 'Modern Fr. Jacome Gonsalvez'?". island.. 2001. http://www.island.lk/2001/01/08/featur03.html. Retrieved /2001/01/08.
• "D. F. Kariyakarawana 60 'Not Out’ in journalism". island. 2006. http://www.island.lk/2006/05/14/features3.html. Retrieved 2006/05/14.
• "Fifty Years after Rekava...: Rekava - The Line of Density (1956)". sundayobserver.lk. 2006. http://www.sundayobserver.lk/2006/12/17/imp04.asp.
• "Glimpses of genuine socialism". Sunday observer. 2006. http://www.sundayobserver.lk/2006/12/03/imp05.asp. Retrieved /2006/12/03.
• "Inspiring life sketch of Fr. Mercelline Jayakody". dailynews. 2007. http://www.dailynews.lk/2007/09/05/fea11.asp. Retrieved /2007/09/05.
• "Latha Icon & national treasure". dailynews. 2008. http://www.dailynews.lk/2008/11/04/fea20.asp. Retrieved /2008/11/4.
• "Pahan Ridma’: Choral music on CD". sundaytimer.. 2007. http://sundaytimes.lk/070624/TV/tv_5.html. Retrieved /2007/06/24.
• "Sunil Santha songs - something to treasure". Sundaytimes. 2008. http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:xg9DaR9zuVUJ:sundaytimes.lk/091101/Plus/plus_12.html+Sunil+Santha+songs+-+something+to+treasure&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=lk&client=firefox-a. Retrieved 2009/11/1.
• "The Father in the temple". dailymirror. 2010. http://www.dailymirror.lk/print/index.php/life/132-life/2518.html. Retrieved /2010/02/01.
• "True propagator of Dhamma". dailynews. 2010. http://www.dailynews.lk/2010/10/14/fea27.asp. Retrieved /2010/10/14.
• "Two eminent Sri Lankans in the field of arts were born in the first week of June.". sundaytimes. 2007. http://sundaytimes.lk/070603/FunDay/heritage.html. Retrieved /2007/06/03.

External links

• Marcelline Jayakody at the Internet Movie Database
• Malpale Upan Pansale Piyatuma
• The 1983 Ramon Magsaysay Award for Journalism, Literature and Creative Communication Arts CITATION for Marcelline Jayakody

Persondata
Name	Jayakody, Marcelline
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1902-06-03
Place of birth	Sri Lanka
Date of death	1998-01-15
Place of death