Great joy with Sister Niluka Perera: Pope Francis appointed her to the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life
A little more than a year after her appointment as a member of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors (PCPM), here is our sister Niluka embarked in the Vatican on another and perhaps more challenging assignment as consultant of the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life.
The Dicastery has its members including lay faithful, men and women, single and married, engaged in different fields of activity and from different parts of the world, thus reflecting the universal character of the Church. (Fonte: www.laityfamilylife.va)
Image: www.laityfamilylife.va
Sister Niluka, originally from Sri Lanka, joined the Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd in 1996. She comes to this assignment with a wealth of professional skills and international experience: after graduating from university and gaining a Master’s degree in social work, Sister Niluka was immediately actively involved in various ministries within the Good Shepherd Province of Sri Lanka/Pakistan, especially in childcare, support for single mothers and advocacy for children’s rights.
Immagine: https:3.bp.blogspot.com
Her scope of action also included:
– the coordination of the adolescent rehabilitation centre and community-based child protection projects;
– the role of Mission Development Officer for the Good Shepherd of Sri Lanka;
– the coordination of the local Justice and Peace Office:
– From 2010 to 2019, she was a member of the core group of Good Shepherd Asia Pacific Justice Peace (GSAPJP). and served as coordinator of the Asia Pacific Justice and Peace network, working closely with civil society, NGOs and faith-based organisations.
Image: www.uisg.org
– In January 2020, she moved to Rome to coordinate the UISG project, Catholic Care for Children International. This project aims to support religious women in understanding the signs of the times and finding the best care for children in institutional care who are at risk of separation from their families. More information on the project can be found at https://catholiccareforchildren.org/.
– On 30 September 2022, Pope Francis appointed Sister Niluka as a member of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors (PCPM). On this occasion, she had this to say: “I am honoured and very happy to have been appointed by the Holy Father to be part of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors I consider it a call to serve the universal Church. Safeguarding has been a priority for the Congregation of the Good Shepherd, as well as for the UISG and the CCCI. Taking on this new role as a member of the Commission is an opportunity to work collaboratively with others to lead safeguarding efforts within all our institutions”
(Source:www.uisg.org)
Image: vaticannews.va.it
The PCPM has a very delicate mission : the Holy Father instituted it on 22 March 2014 following “painful events [that] have imposed a profound examination of conscience on the part of the Church and, together with the request for forgiveness from the victims and society for the evil caused, have led to the firm launching of initiatives of various kinds with the intention of repairing the damage, doing justice and preventing, by all possible means, the recurrence of similar episodes in the future…”
(Source: https://www.vatican.va).
CONGRATULATIONS SISTER NILUKA
on your recent appointment by Pope Francis as
Consultor of the Dicastery
for the Laity, Family and Life
All the realities of the Good Shepherd work daily in tune with your institutional commitments to serve the protection of all vulnerable people, wounded by this era full of crisis, injustice and widespread pain especially for the smallest and most defenceless, in the wake of the Founders and the Positions of the Congregation for Justice and Reconciliation.
More information on the Mission of the Department can be found at: www.laityfamilylife.va
Immagine: www.laityfamilylife.va
The podcast LAITY FAMILY LIFE recounts the service performed by the Dicastery, its pastoral resources and the voices of those who collaborate in the care of families, the elderly and the young, in the accompaniment of aggregations of the faithful and ecclesial movements, and in the promotion and protection of human life and the person in its full development.