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| Monday, 12 July 2004 |
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Fr. Kuriakose - 50 years in Priesthood by Tharuka Dissanayake I had heard of Father Kurie, as he is fondly known among his students and friends, long before I ever met him. It was my mother who, lamenting the lack of good, practical Christian education in present day schools, used to relate stories of Fr. Kurie and his wonderful 'retreats'. Her stories painted a picture of a dashing, charismatic and deeply caring priest- and when I finally met the good father, a decade or so later, after my own marriage, I understood that Fr. Kurie was indeed all these things, and much more.
His friends recall that he would not miss a Big Match if he could help it and would carry with him a tiny metal statue of the saint (and clutch it in his hand when in need of intercession, especially when Josephian wickets tumbled). A brilliant student, Kuriakose obtained a BA in Modern History at the Ceylon University. Sixty years ago at the age of 24, he found his way back to the land of his birth- when he entered the Jesuit Novitiate in Kodaikanal, a South Indian hill station. It took ten years from then to be qualified for ordination as a priest. As a would-be Jesuit priest, Kuriakose when through rigorous and demanding training, both physical and psychological investing in prayer and sports, in silence and philosophical discourse. At a latter stage he returned to the south of Sri Lanka where at St. Aloysious', Galle, he was in charge of boarders and filling in for absentee teachers under the demanding leadership of great priests of yore, Frs. E. Gaspard and P.N. Peiris. The final years before ordination were spent in Naples, Italy. 50 years ago, on July 11, 1954 Fr. Thomas Kuriakose was ordained as a priest in a beautiful baroque 17th century church in Gesu Nova, Naples. Back in Sri Lanka Fr. Kurie became involved in the academic world of the newly established Aquinas College. The late 1950s and '60s were the glory days of Aquinas under the legendary Fr. Peter Pillai whose vision and leadership gave shape to the dream of a seat of higher learning which would produce worthy men and women to serve the country. In 1958 Prime Minister S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike named Fr. Thomas Kuriakose a 'Distinguished Citizen'. Fr. Kurie's admiration and respect for his mentor at Aquinas, Fr. Peter Pillai is very deep rooted. "He was such a source of strength and integrity. He had the ability to see the potential in people and would selflessly do all in his power to guide those around him into the correct vocation". Despite his academic and career success, that made out of young Kuriakose a suave, well-read and articulate priest, he always had his heart, eyes and ears open to the poor. The plight of the poorer classes of society was a constant bugbear, which he tried to overcome by various means, by providing food and rations, by providing better health care and by broadening their horizons with education opportunities. As National Chaplain of the Catholic Students Federation, Fr. Kurie led the way in moulding young academics in to worthwhile citizens of this country. Fr. Kurie and his student following of the time (professionals of today) happily remember the time spent at 'work camps' in a remote village in Chilaw. The village of Uru Udiyandaluwa had no road access when Fr. Kurie first ventured in to it after a devastating Deduru Oya flood. He and his band of students camped in this remote village for weeks, cutting a road, fixing toilets and living the lives of simple villagers. "We had to work with the villagers and they had to contribute. This was father's philosophy. We lived in the community hall and the village provided for our basic food. The cooperation was incredible," said a work camp attended, today a prominent lawyer. Years afterwards this same work camp group met as adults, and decided to visit the village. "We could not believe how it had progressed and developed. Today there is tarred road and every house is well-built." Fr. Kurie believes fervently that it was the fellowship built during these work camps among the then students and the friendship and solidarity that came off sharing this unique experience that led to the formation of a group of adult professionals who came together much later to manage the Fr. Peter Pillai Memorial Scholarship Fund. Even though physically his body may have succumbed to certain ills of age, Fr. Kurie's mental energy is exhaustible. He is currently plotting out a new project. Another venture to provide technical education to those who fall out of the university system. With a gleam in his eye he asks me to guess the cost of the project. I couldn't. When he spelt it out, I gasped: "How would you raise such money?" Father only smiled, serenely. "Some people have already promised a little. The rest, God will provide." |
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Produced by Lake House |
Thomas Kuriakose was born in 1920 at Quilon, Kerala in India to a
deeply religious Catholic family. He recalls his childhood and his family
with deep fondness; "We did not have much, but there was such a lot
of love. So much love." His father moved to Sri Lanka and established
himself in Matara, hence Sri Lanka became home to young Thomas who had his
initial education at St. Servatious' College in the deep South. Later, as
a youthful lad he entered St. Joseph's College in Colombo and remains to
date a loyal Josephian.
