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| Wednesday, 28 January 2004 |
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A fruitful Jubilee Year Fifty years of selfless service to the country is a long period in the history of any institution. Very Rev. Fr. Chrispin Leo, Rector of Aquinas College made the formal Proclamation of the Golden Jubilee Year on January 28th, 2003 on the occasion of the feast of St. Thomas Aquinas. Aquinas College of Higher Studies was established by the late Thomas Cardinal Cooray in 1954 with the inspiration and the assistance of Very Rev. Fr. Peter A. Pillai, an internationally reputed scholar, educationist, social worker and a member of the University Senate at that time. Aquinas College is registered with the Tertiary and Vocational Education Commission of Sri Lanka to conduct courses and examinations at the Tertiary level. The college is also affiliated to the International Federation of Catholic Universities in Paris. Aquinas holds a pre-eminent position in the socio-economic life of the country fashioning the minds of its youth. The campus provides a very healthy and peaceful environment conducive to educational activities. The Golden Jubilee building constructed on the initiative of Rev. Fr. Chrispin Leo was blessed by the Most Rev. Dr. Oswald Gomis, the Archbishop of Colombo on the 5th of February, 2003. During this Jubilee Year a series of activities was headed by the Jubilee Committee and the Alumni Association to encourage our lecturers and the students. All activities lined up were brought to a successful conclusion. To mention a few, the unveiling of the portraits of past Rectors, felicitating the lecturers, past pupils now in religious orders, clerical and minor staff, jubilee walk, Pilgrimages and picnics, Jubilee Graduation, seminars, inter-religious meetings where the religious dignitaries of all religions addressed the students; entertaining the less privileged children, Jubilee Dinner Dance to raise funds for 100 scholarships to needy students also a memorial mass for the deceased Rectors, lecturers, registrars and students. In the field of sports inter-class cricket and netball tournaments were held and the winners were richly rewarded. There are many students from SAARC countries coming from diverse ethnic and religious groups creating a multi-cultural environment. We are proud to say that we have among our Alumni over 640 London graduates. Aquinas offers several Bachelors Degrees of the Universities of Kelaniya, Peradeniya, Colombo and Sri Jayewardenepura. Internationally recognised Diploma in Management is conducted in affiliation with the International Institute of Business Management in Hong Kong. Also the 47 acre farm at Walpola, Ragama offers the agriculture faculty students opportunities to enhance their practical knowledge further. We will be concluding the Golden Jubilee year with Holy Mass on January 28th celebrated by Fr. Chrispin Leo, Rector, in the college chapel. This will be followed by the issue of a commemorative cover by the Philatelic Bureau of Posts, Sri Lanka. An inter religious seminar conducted by the religious dignitaries of Methodist, Buddhist, Hindu and Islam religions will take pride of place. It will be presided over by Rt. Rev. Dr. Vianney Fernando, Bishop of Kandy. The Jubilee Day's celebration will come to a close with a DJ for the students. It is with a sense of gratitude to God and gratefulness that I, Fr. Chrispin together with the Vice Rectors, Fr. Raymond Samarakoon and Fr. Namal Fernando, Lecturers, members of Alumni Association and students wish to take this opportunity to convey our thanks to "Ceylon Cold Stores", our benefactors and the friends of Aquinas College for their unsolicited support by rallying round us and lending a hand to make our Aquinas Golden Jubilee a success. Rev. Fr. Chrispin Leo, Rector, Aquinas College. |
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