We are pleased to welcome Fr. Prasanna W. Costa to St. Joseph Parish. Fr. Prasanna has been granted a 2/3-year sabbatical by his bishop so that he might experience extended parish ministry in the United States, and Bishop Barres has officially assigned him as an associate priest to the Parish of St. Joseph for his time in our diocese.

Fr. Prasanna is a missionary priest, belonging to the Diocese of Kandy, in Sri Lanka. He had his primary and secondary education in the cities of Matale and Kandy. He entered the minor seminary of his diocese in 1980 and proceeded to the major seminary in 1982. Upon completing his philosophy and theology studies in the National Seminary of Our Lady of Sri Lanka in Kandy, he obtained his bachelor’s degree in philosophy and theology. He was ordained a priest on October 28, 1989 in his home town parish of St. Thomas in Matale. He served in the minor seminary, as well as in parish ministry, and was the Procurator in the Chancery Office of the Bishop. Most recently Fr. Prasanna held the position of canon of the cathedral of Kandy. He has also served as the chaplain to the Sri Lankans in the Persian Gulf and for the last two years as a fidei donum priest in the Diocese of Sale, in the state of Victoria, Australia. Father also has a master’s degree in moral theology from the Pontifical Academy Alfonsianum, in Rome. Fr. Prasanna speaks Sinhalese, Tamil, English, and Italian.

He is familiar with Long Island, having served in Curé of Ars Parish, Merrick, the summer of 1996, and St Kilian’s in Farmingdale in 1997. We look forward to getting to know Fr. Prasanna better during his time in St. Joseph and welcome his ministry as one of our parish priests.