Fr Roshan was born on December 27, 1979 in Negombo; completed his High School at St Mary’s College, Negombo, and Higher Secondary at Don Bosco Seminary, Dankotuwa. Recalling his early experience of Salesian life, Fr Roshan declares with joy: “I am happy to say that I was an Oratorian from the Salesian house in Negombo (Mother House). I spent a lot of my childhood time in the Salesian Oratory. The Salesians there nurtured my Religious and Salesian vocation.”
In 1996 he joined the Don Bosco Aspirantate at Dankotuwa and completed his pre-novitiate there. In 1998 he started his novitiate formation at Don Bosco Kotadeniyawa and made his first profession on 15 August 1999. He did his Practical Training at Bosco Sevana-Uswetakeiyawa, Don Bosco Aspirantate – Dankotuwa, and Don Bosco Boys’ Home – Kandy. He made his final profession on 1 May 2006 at the Mary Help of Christians Shrine in the Philippines. He was ordained on 4 September 2008 at Dungalpitiya, Sri Lanka.
After his ordination, he worked as Administrator at the Technical Center Negombo and the Don Bosco Boys’ Home, Murunkan. He was Assistant Parish Priest of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish, Palliyawatta, in 2010-2011. He was Dean at Don Bosco – Ahungalla, Technical Center – Pallawarayankattu, and English Academy – Killinochchi. In 2012-2014, and in 2018-2019, he served as Socius of the novitiate at Kotadeniyawa. He served as Rector at Bosco Sevana – Uswetakeiyawa (2014-2015) before going to Italy for studies. From 2019 he served as Vicar of the Superior for the Vice Province and as Delegate for Youth Ministry in the Vice Province since 2020.
Fr Roshan has also a Master’s degree in Salesian Spirituality from the Salesian Pontifical University (UPS) in Rome (2016-2018) and has undergone training for Rectors and Formators at Don Bosco Renewal Centre, Bangalore (India), and a Formators’ Course at UPS, Rome. He speaks both Sinhala and Tamil, the island’s two main languages, and English and Italian.
Fr Roshan takes up the baton of leadership from Fr Joseph Almeida, SDB who ably served the Vice Province in the last six years; he is going to begin the leadership of a very young and dynamic group of confreres whose median age is 34.5.
