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| Tuesday, 2 March 2004 |
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St. Joseph's 108 years of excellence : The foremost dream of Archbishop Christopher Bonjean by Supun Perera It was in 1847 that the oblate of Mary Immaculate first arrived in Sri Lanka to serve as Missionaries. They were sent by the founder blessed Eugene de Mazenod in response to an appeal by the Italian Oratorian, Orazio Bettacchini Co-adjutor to Caetano Antonio, Vicar Apostolic of Sri Lanka.
Since Bettacchini had been entrusted with the care of the Northern part of the island, it was there that the oblate commenced their labours. In 1849, the northern part became the vicariate of Jaffna with Bettacchini as its first vicar apostolic. In the year the oblate came to Sri Lanka (1847), a French priest of Paris Foreign Mission Society left for India as a Missionary named Christopher Earnest Bonjean. He worked for 9 years in Coimbatore and then decided to join the oblate in Sri Lanka, who were also from France. He arrived in Jaffna in 1856 and became an oblate there. Thereafter he served all his life in Sri Lanka, rose to prominence as the most outstanding churchman in the island at that time, became vicar apostolic of Jaffna and later the first Archbishop of Colombo and towards the end of his life founded St. Joseph's College. Throughout his life first as a simple and a humble servant of God, then as Vicar apostolic of Jaffna (1868), later as Vicar Apostolic of Colombo (1881) and finally as Archbishop of Colombo (1887). Bonjean fought fearlessly for the rights of Lanka's Catholics at a time when the British Government tended to favour the established church in the colony. By the time he had acquired a masterly command of English and was facile and forceful writer, lucid and logical in the presentation of his thought to his readers, he contributed letter after letter to the pages of the Examiner". C.A. Lorenz's influential paper. Bonjean was indeed a keen controversialist and hard fighter and took up many issues and tenaciously defended them. He was listened to consulted and respected by the British Government, although he unsparingly criticised and castigated it. Means to provide education to Catholic children was what the church needed most at the time. Bonjean fought hard for the rights not only of Catholics in education but also of the Buddhists, Hindus and Muslims. While being still a priest he published a booklet printed in Madras and entitled "a few words on Catholic education in Ceylon" in 1860. In this booklet he emphasises the principles that should guide Catholic education and at the same time calls upon Lanka's Catholics to rise to the need of providing their children with education which they then sorely lacked. The booklet has been described as "The educational charter of the Catholics of Ceylon". The British Government at first (from 1798) made use of the Anglican clergy to organise education in the island. The School Commission that was set up in 1834 was also for the most part a protestant body. The Central School Commission of 1841 had for the first time a Catholic priest as one of its members, but the Buddhists, Hindus and Muslims were still left out. Bonjean was one of the severest critics of this lopsided educational system of the British Government. Instead he recommended Denominational education system to the island. As a result in 1869, the Government abolished the Central School Commission and replaced with Department of Instruction, forerunner of the later Department of Education. Further the denominational school system was benefitted by the Government since it was called grant in aid or assisted school system. Birth of St. Joseph's However the task for Bonjean was still not accomplished. In 1887, he was appointed as the Archbishop of Colombo and immediately saw the urgent need of a Catholic institution in the capital. He pressed his superiors in Europe to send English educated missionaries to the island. But this was a time when his superiors had already undertaken to supply missionaries to South Africa and Canada and therefore could not respond positively to Bonjean's appeals. Without waiting any longer, worn by his shoulders Bonjean took a firm decision to go ahead with his plans to found a college in the Capital. He appointed Rev. Fr. Thomas Guglielimi to take charge of the project. In July 1892, a large piece of land was bought in between Kotahena and Mutwal. But his grace Archbishop Christopher Earnest Bonjean heard the call from his creator from above on 3rd August 1892 and his final breath thus did not live to see his foremost dream come a reality. Since the Government wanted to acquire "uplands" Rev. Fr. Charles Collin then the Vicar General of Colombo sold the property to the Government and acquired the land where St. Joseph's now stands. When a large part of the main building was ready, it was opened for students on March 2, 1896. The long desired Catholic institution for Catholic students and many other Denominations was now a dream come true. The two men who were under his grace Archbishop Bonjean's direction, had been actively involved in setting it up, incidentally both bearing the name of "Charles" became its first and second rector respectively, Rev. Fr. Charles Collin (1896-1910) and Rev. Fr. Charles Lytton (1910-1912). It was the 4th rector and the last of the French Missionaries who guided St. Joseph's was very Rev. Fr. Maurice J. Legoc who held the office from 1919 to 1940. He was followed by an equally good mentor very Rev. Fr. Peter who held the office from 1919 to 1940. He was followed by an equally good mentor very Rev. Fr. Peter A. Pillai who was incidentally the first Sri Lankan to hold the higher office at St. Joseph's. The present picturesque fifty metre swimming pool was the brainchild of Fr. Peter A. Pillai whose rectorship was from 1940 to 1960. The eras of Legoc and Peter Pillai could be considered as the golden eras of St. Joseph's College. They together carried the destinies of our Alma Mater for over 40 years. The rich traditions were bestowed among the students and there far-sighted decisions have really laid the foundation for the subsequent mentors a better footing; in their respective tenure of office. In the very first prize-giving of the college which was held on November 28, 1896, the chief guest had been Sir West Ridgeway the then Governor of Ceylon. In his address it specified "I'm here to congratulate you not only for the possession of the splendid buildings but also on triumphs". By looking back on the little over century of prize-giving held since; Josephians both past and present will agree that these predictions have gone beyond reality. Sir Nicholas Attygalle, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Ceylon at the annual prize-giving in the Diamond Jubilee Year of the college said "When I come to school like St. Joseph's I do not need to comment on its achievements in the academic, cultural or athletic spheres. Indeed; it will be an impertinence for me to do so. Schools like St. Joseph's do not live by the figures of passes and failures at examinations, successes in the field of ports or the high honours gained by its old boys. Such things are taken for granted." It is good to remind that it is the bounden duty to every past, present and future Josephians to keep alight the lamps of virtue, knowledge and the true Josepian spirit alive, so that 108 years hence and then forever, every Josephian could hold his head high and be proud of his alma mater for what it has bestowed on them and still more of what they have done for it. "In scientia et virtue". (The introduction was extracted from St. Joseph's College millennium edition "The Birth of St. Joseph's" written by Rev. Dr. W.I.A. Don Peter.) |
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