Grace and peace to you all in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
On this blessed occasion of the 79th Formation Day of the Church of South India (CSI), I join all our faithful in the Jaffna Diocese of the CSI (JDCSI) in giving glory and thanksgiving to God Almighty, who has sustained and guided our Church from its very inception in 1947 until this day. With a deep sense of gratitude, I wish to thank the faithful members and leaders of our Diocese, especially those who have run the race faithfully in the past decades, keeping alive the witness of JDCSI in unity with the greater CSI communion.
We are profoundly thankful and proud of our leaders and pioneers of JDCSI, who, from the earliest years of CSI’s formation, have stood firm in solidarity- bearing testimony to our unity across boundaries of geography and culture. They root us in the larger story of CSI, which has always been an embodiment of ecumenism, partnership, and mission. The great legacy entrusted to us calls us to remain steadfast in the path of Christian unity and witness.
For this Formation Day, I wish to draw your attention to the verse from the Book of Ecclesiastes 4:9–10
“Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up the other; but woe to one who is alone and falls and does not have another to help.”
This passage, though simple and practical, carries profound theological depth for us. Ecclesiastes emphasizes the strength of fellowship and the necessity of community in human life. Applied to the Church, it speaks to the power of unity in Christ across nations, cultures, and languages. The CSI itself is a historic testimony of this truth—born of the conviction that the mission of God becomes possible when Christians from varied traditions (Anglicans, Wesleyans, Presbyterians, Congregationalists) unite.
In our current global realities, the spirit of this verse reminds us that the mission of God is never an individual task but a collective calling. When churches from different countries and contexts walk together, they lift and strengthen one another. Our formation as CSI was not simply an institutional decision but a divine movement of the Holy Spirit for unity in Christ’s mission. That’s why we proudly call CSI Formation day as an experience of Second Pentecost. Today, as we commemorate 79 years, we are called to deepen this ecumenical fellowship, to cross borders, stand with the marginalized, and to make God’s mission of love, justice, and peace possible in the world.
Contemporary Archaeological evidence confirms the age-old links between Sri Lanka and South India from the 1st century CE onwards. Coins bearing similar images found widely in Sri Lanka highlights this connection. Moreover, the unique pedestal motif on Sri Lankan coins—traced back to Megalithic pottery traditions (c. 500 BCE–200 CE)—demonstrates a shared yet distinct cultural heritage between the two regions.
These evidences represent the enduring, loving connection between South India and Sri Lanka, particularly across ages, celebrating their shared Tamil and calling for unity despite modern divisions.
On behalf of JDCSI, I extend my respectful greetings and heartfelt wishes to our Moderator, the Most Rev. Dr. Prof. K. Reuben Mark, Adv. C. Fernandas Rathina Raja, General Secretary and the Chairman of the Tamilnadu Minority Economic Development Corporation, and our Hon. Treasurer, Prof. Dr. B. Vimal Sukumar of the CSI Synod. We also remember and send greetings to all our brother Bishops in the CSI, who shoulder together the responsibility of guiding this great Church of unity and mission. May the Lord continue to bless your leadership with wisdom, humility, and courage.
As we celebrate the 79th Formation Day of CSI, may God strengthen our hands, sharpen our vision, and keep alive the ecumenical spirit that gave birth to CSI. Together with all our sister dioceses, may we continue to make a difference in the world by living out Christ’s prayer: “that they may all be one… so that the world may believe” (John 17:21).
With prayerful greetings in Christ,
Rt. Rev. Dr. Pathmathayalan
Bishop, Jaffna Diocese of the CSI
