St Joseph's Church Pamunugama, SRI Lanka.

Pamunugama parish celebrates the annual feast of the Most Precious Blood on month July for the 140th year in succession since its inauguration in 1868 by Rev. Sylvester Papili (OSB) who took over the then parish of Pamunugama, comprising 15 churches, as his very first parish as a foreign Missionary. Pamunugama, happens to be the only Shrine in Sri Lanka and in this part of Asia dedicated to the Mo

st Precious Blood and blessed with the ancient devotion, one of the oldest in the Catholic church. Papili joined the Benedictine Order of the Sylvestrian Congregation and in 1865 was ordained a priest. In the same year he was sent to Sri Lanka as a foreign missionary and was assigned the parish of Pamunugama in 1866. Fulfilling his aspiration as a student-priest, he founded the confraternity of the Most Precious Blood in the Pamunugama parish and through the assistance of Bishop Hilarian Sillani, the Vicar Apostolic of the Southern Diocese of the country, he affiliated this confraternity to the ‘Prima Primaria’ the Arch Confraternity of the Most Precious Blood of the Missionaries of the Most Precious Blood in Rome. Through this affiliation, the confraternity of the Most Precious Blood of Pamunugama became entitled to all special Papal concessions to this Arch Confraternity and all its affiliates the world over, to celebrate the feast of Most Precious Blood as a liturgical feast on first Sunday in July annually. This year on July 01 we celebrate this historic feast for the 139th year in succession from its inception in 1868. This Confraternity (now union) of the Most Precious Blood which was silent for some time, has since been revived and revitalised and every effort is being made to restore it to its former historical position. On every first Friday of the month, Holy Hour in honour of the Most Precious Blood is held at St. On other Fridays, special Precious Blood devotion is held at the same time in the church.