Rev. Fr. Vito Perniola S. J. By Rev. Fr. Anton Peiris S. J.
Courtesy : Jivan News, News & Views of Jesuits in India, Februay, 2016
Professor Vito Perniola (1913-2016).jpeg)
The Italian Linguist who made Sri Lanka his home
Fr. Perniola took on the arduous task of documenting the History of the Catholic Church in Sri Lanka.
A priest of the Society of Jesus, a Historian and a Linguist, passed away in Negombo, Sri Lanka on 7 Jan 2016 at the age of 102.
Vito Antonio Perniola, born on 10 April 1913, in Bari, Italy, was the ffth of nine children. At the age of 15 he joined the Naples Province of the Society of Jesus. In December 1932 he left Italy for India and entered the Sacred Heart College in Shembaganur, Madurai mission in South India for his philosophical studies, but destined to be a missionary in Sri Lanka which was at that time a mission entrusted to the Province of Naples.
After his philosophical studies at the age of 23, Fr Perniola successfully passed the Matriculation Exam and then a B.A., Honours degree from the London University, with Pali and Buddhism as his main subjects and Sanskrit and Hinduism as subsidiaries. After completing his ecclesiastical and secular studies he arrived in Sri Lanka (then Ceylon) and was sent to the parish church and school at Elpitiya in the south of Sri Lanka.
In the years from 1941 to 44 he was at the Papal Seminary in Kandy, Sri Lanka for his theological studies. At the age of 30, on 21 Nov 1943 he was ordained a priest.
After pastoral work in local parishes and Tertianship in India, he came back to Ceylon in January 1948 and taught history and Pali at St Aloysius’ College (SAC), Galle. In 1949 he was made an Honorary Citizen of Ceylon and in the same year he became the Rector of St Aloysius’ College, Galle. Invited to teach Pali in 1954 at Aquinas University College he wrote a Pali grammar which was soon accepted as the standard grammar by the Pali Text Society of Oxford.
In 1964, he obtained his Ph.D. in Linguistics from the University of Pune. He wasa linguist ‘Par Excellence’, conversant in Italian, Latin, English, Sinhalese, Pali, Sanskrit, Portuguese, Dutch, French, Spanish, German and Greek. He was made the Provincial of the Jesuits for Sri Lanka in 1972, which post he held till 1976. His magnum opus was 19 volumes of “The History of the Catholic Church in Sri Lanka”. His death has left this work incomplete.
In March 2013, just before his 100th birthday, the Royal Asiatic Society of Sri Lanka awarded Fr Perniola the prestigious Sir S. C. Obeysekere Gold Medal for 2013, in recognition of his scholarly life and his monumental contribution to historical studies.
Fr Perniola had one aim in mind when he opted to be a Jesuit missionary. That vision permeated all his life’s activities whether he was at the desk or at the altar. He said a sentence in a reading at the fnal prayer service on the day of his departure from Italy in 1932, left a deep impact on him. Itwas: “There is more joy in giving than in receiving” He said: “The more I meditated those words, the more I realized that the real joy of giving is God’s own joy and that I ought to share in thatsame joy”. He was the spiritual guide to many religious men and women and lay people over the years and he regularly mentioned: “I am a priest and must be available to all”. He rendered yeoman service to women religious. He was a good listener, a kind and gentle Father and an understanding friend. Despite his years, hewould continue to be a beacon and lodestar to many. An unfailing sourceof knowledge,of encouragement and strength – many experienced a sense of peace and comfort from just being in his presence.
Vito Antonio Perniola, born on 10 April 1913, in Bari, Italy, was the ffth of nine children. At the age of 15 he joined the Naples Province of the Society of Jesus. In December 1932 he left Italy for India and entered the Sacred Heart College in Shembaganur, Madurai mission in South India for his philosophical studies, but destined to be a missionary in Sri Lanka which was at that time a mission entrusted to the Province of Naples.
After his philosophical studies at the age of 23, Fr Perniola successfully passed the Matriculation Exam and then a B.A., Honours degree from the London University, with Pali and Buddhism as his main subjects and Sanskrit and Hinduism as subsidiaries. After completing his ecclesiastical and secular studies he arrived in Sri Lanka (then Ceylon) and was sent to the parish church and school at Elpitiya in the south of Sri Lanka.
In the years from 1941 to 44 he was at the Papal Seminary in Kandy, Sri Lanka for his theological studies. At the age of 30, on 21 Nov 1943 he was ordained a priest.
After pastoral work in local parishes and Tertianship in India, he came back to Ceylon in January 1948 and taught history and Pali at St Aloysius’ College (SAC), Galle. In 1949 he was made an Honorary Citizen of Ceylon and in the same year he became the Rector of St Aloysius’ College, Galle. Invited to teach Pali in 1954 at Aquinas University College he wrote a Pali grammar which was soon accepted as the standard grammar by the Pali Text Society of Oxford.
In 1964, he obtained his Ph.D. in Linguistics from the University of Pune. He wasa linguist ‘Par Excellence’, conversant in Italian, Latin, English, Sinhalese, Pali, Sanskrit, Portuguese, Dutch, French, Spanish, German and Greek. He was made the Provincial of the Jesuits for Sri Lanka in 1972, which post he held till 1976. His magnum opus was 19 volumes of “The History of the Catholic Church in Sri Lanka”. His death has left this work incomplete.
In March 2013, just before his 100th birthday, the Royal Asiatic Society of Sri Lanka awarded Fr Perniola the prestigious Sir S. C. Obeysekere Gold Medal for 2013, in recognition of his scholarly life and his monumental contribution to historical studies.
Fr Perniola had one aim in mind when he opted to be a Jesuit missionary. That vision permeated all his life’s activities whether he was at the desk or at the altar. He said a sentence in a reading at the fnal prayer service on the day of his departure from Italy in 1932, left a deep impact on him. Itwas: “There is more joy in giving than in receiving” He said: “The more I meditated those words, the more I realized that the real joy of giving is God’s own joy and that I ought to share in thatsame joy”. He was the spiritual guide to many religious men and women and lay people over the years and he regularly mentioned: “I am a priest and must be available to all”. He rendered yeoman service to women religious. He was a good listener, a kind and gentle Father and an understanding friend. Despite his years, hewould continue to be a beacon and lodestar to many. An unfailing sourceof knowledge,of encouragement and strength – many experienced a sense of peace and comfort from just being in his presence.
He was all things to all men and women; a man for all seasons because he believed his pastoral care should be marked by a total availability of himself to others, an availability that should resemble God’s own availability; an availability that would bring to others the Saviour Jesus in whose mission he shared. Life’s lessons had brought him to a spiritual freedom that led him to keep asking, “What shall I do for Christ?” This is what made him ever ready and willing to accept anything, to go anywhere, to do whatever his superiors would ask of him and to do it with joy. The secret of his energy and the foundation of his achievenments is the wisdom derived from his silent meditations he practiced, where he let go of all unnecessary baggage. His life was dedicated to God and fellow humans and we are all benefciaries.
He spent his last years at Sneha Niketana (Home for Senior Jesuits), St Xavier Residence, Akkara Panaha, Negombo. Although he had no particular illness, like theold soldier he just faded away on 07 Jan ‘16, breathing his lastat theageof 102, having spent 87 years as a Jesuit.
He spent his last years at Sneha Niketana (Home for Senior Jesuits), St Xavier Residence, Akkara Panaha, Negombo. Although he had no particular illness, like theold soldier he just faded away on 07 Jan ‘16, breathing his lastat theageof 102, having spent 87 years as a Jesuit.
Anton Pieris, SJ
Jivan News: News and Views of Jesuits in India FEBRUARY 2016
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