Celebrating the life of Fr Peter A Pillai

Sripathy Jayamaha

When the lives and works of our sagacious citizens who had sought and strived not to yield in their efforts to bring joy into the lives of the working classes, farmers and also to uplift the lives of the poor, Fr Peter A Pillai OMI occupies an exalted position.

He began his schooling in Jaffna at his father's school. His blessed parents (Joachim and Anna Pillai) never dreamt they would bequeath to the Roman Catholic Church. Three men of God Fr Peter, Bishop Emillianus and Brother Cadjethan. He joined St Benedicts.

A scholar par excellence, Fr Pillai passed the Junior Cambridge and Senior Cambridge with distinctions in all the subjects, a first class at the BSc Honours exam, a double first in Mathematics at the London BSc and later obtained a BA which matured into an MA (Cantab) and MSc London.

He joined the OMI Novitiate and later was ushered into the Oblate International Scholasticate and Angelicum Pontifical University in Rome. He was awarded the PhD for his thesis on ‘Bhakthi’ and soon after DD from Rome. He returned to the island in 1936 and joined St Peter's College.

He was a humble person. He did not want his stupendous educational milestones to be mentioned before or after his name, except the name of his beloved Order OMI.

Rev Dr Peter. A Pillai OMI, MA, MSc, PhD, DD wished that he be called PA Pillai, OMI.

In 1936, the British press called him the most learned priest in the British Empire. In 1936, the sun never set on the British Empire.

When he set foot on his motherland, he had a vision. To reach that vision he set forth on a mission.

A million words will not suffice to publish his speeches, lectures and articles that enlightened and gave courage to many here, and abroad in trying to mend the inequalities that exist between human beings who live in this world.

His friend was Dr N M Perera and respected the middle path policies of the Samasamaja Party. Socialism was good he said.

He said that man was privileged in possessing an immortal soul and intelligence to know right and wrong. He lost it in the Garden of Eden. However, God loved him so much, that he gave us a reprieve.

He gave His son to die for us. Once again we became children of God. Fr Pillai brought out the infirmities of man. He said that ancient and modern civilization and the many gifts of God in one's own homeland were enjoyed by the affluent.

Lord Jesus spoke about this in His Beatitudes and His words about the rich man and the utter impossibility of the elite to enter through the gates of Heaven.

He strived to show the powers that be the inequalities that exist in mankind in the world and in our own country. He spoke fearlessly on the tragedy of Apartheid in South Africa segregation of God's children due to colour, horror of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. He spoke on how conquerors played dice with helpless nations.

‘This is mine, this is yours policy'. They had said God was white. About our own land, Fr Pillai spoke and wrote on the scourge of malaria, poverty, subjugation of the poor by the rich and politicians. The latter preferred a not so educated populace.

Reasons were obvious. Governance was easy. He lauded C W W Kannangara (the father of free education).

Fr Pillai is a forgotten crusader. He was the knight who fought for social justice. At times he was alone. A cartoon shows him holding a placard with the words social justice, all alone in the midst of snow capped noontime. He was the pioneer who spoke on social welfare, dignity of labour and about the masters of the working classes who showed goodness while hiding questionable agendas. He pleaded for a minimum wage structure and the Employees Provident Fund and the right to strike for a just cause.

He became rector of St Joseph's on December 8, 1941. He never stopped speaking about that day. It was the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. He belonged to the Order of Mary Immaculate. He succeeded dear Fr Legoc who left us due to a road accident.

He was a rector for twenty years. During this period he never stopped his supplications for those living in squalor, in the city and in the provinces. He founded the Legion of Mary, Catholic Social Guild and many other associations like the Catholic Intellectual Movement.

He was a sought after member of the Ceylon Association for the advancement of Science and the University Council and Senate.

Amidst all this, he was a child of the times. He fought for radical changes. He foresaw the happenings of 1971. He craved for inter-denominational and inter-religious amity. He was the happiest when Pope John XXIII spoke on Ecumenism.

He was at St Joseph's College for 20 years. It was fascinating to see him chat with the youngest boarder before giving him 15 cts for a piece of Muscat and a glass of lime juice.

He had more empathy than sympathy in him. His humility was graphically shown to us, when he told a student how a circuit in a physics experiment should be connected.

My classmate said that he had done up the circuit in accordance with the diagram given in the 400 odd page Intermediate Physics book. Fr smiled and walked away.

Our beloved vice-rector Fr Margez had overheard the talk.

He said “Do you know at the final MSc examination, Pillai came first. The wires had been changed eventually.

He could not understand why people should talk in the House of God (Chapel) and the House of Knowledge (library). Once, he had been doing some reference in a library, aboard.

The librarian knew Pillai. The library was closed for the day and only when they opened it the following morning Fr Pillai realises that it is morning.

He told our general knowledge class, that one of his saddest days was when he was in USA in 1953, August.

One of the very prestigious American newspapers had a banner headline. ‘Trouble in Paradise”. It was the day after the 1953 August ‘Hartal”.

Such was his conscience.

Golden Day of Queen of Angels…

Continued from last week

The newly installed church golden bells kept on chiming till the procession reached back to the church and was accepted by the Parish Priest, in high spirit, and with the miraculous statue he blessed the congregation and the town with a prayer “May the showers of blessings of Queen of Angels be showered upon on each and every person, family, town and country at large, may there be a golden lining back of every dark cloud they see”.

The second day, August 19, was there was a dual opening ceremony by His Eminence Most Rev. Dr. Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith as he held the high mass for the first time in the newly constructed church and opening of the newly built mission House.

He was welcomed by the Parish Priest Rev. Fr. Tyronne Perera including the Episcopal Vicar of the Southern Very Rev. Anthony Fernandopulle, Director of Catholic Schools Rev. Fr. Ranjith Madurawela, Priests from Moratuwa Rev. Fr. Gihan Gunathilake, Rev. Fr. Amila Geevantha, Asst. Rev. Fr. Prasanna Fernando and Asst. Parish Priest Rawatawatte Rev. Fr. Kasun Fernando.

What a joyous day for the parishioners of the church when at the end of the holy mass, when His Eminence made the sign of cross and said “May God Bless you and go in peace” and the congregation repeating the same holy words “May God Bless you too and go in peace”.

Finally, for me to end up the event, it is incomplete if I do not write a few words of the young lad who had been maintaining the Queen of Angels website www.queenofangels.lk and this is the sixth successive year.

This is treated as one of the top most church website. On this Great Grand Day he made the whole world follow the High Mass via the website. He had been working and inserting pictures and messages of His Holiness Pope, His Eminence and Parish Priest and all events of the church.

It is a sort of an archive where all information and pictures could be taken of all events. Even the pictures of the Golden Day are available in the website along with pictures of the old building being removed and every pin point of the construction until it was completed.

The Moratuwa Catholics living in other countries could see the development. He is popularly known in the church as “dot com” or “dotta” of the church and his is Chirantha Amerasinghe (21).