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His Grace Archbishop Emeritus Nicholas Marcus Fernando : Illustrious Son of 'Little Rome'

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His Grace Archbishop Emeritus Nicholas Marcus Fernando : Illustrious Son of ‘Little Rome’

Posted on 05 December 2018 by admin

His Grace Archbishop Emeritus Nicholas Marcus Fernando :

Illustrious Son of ‘Little Rome’

Courtesy: Daily News.

‘He inspired me and I started to grow…’:

Rev. Fr. Nicholas Marcus Fernando

Four score and six is a glorious inning in these cricketing days. One wonders how it feels to be 86 years of age in this twenty-first century for a colossus of the Catholic Church. Though ranked among the ‘80 Club’ and bestowed with ‘Emeritus’ status, His Grace Archbishop Most Rev. Dr. Nicholas Marcus Fernando was at the helm of Sri Lanka’s flock as the Chief Shepherd for well nigh 25 years.

Little has changed in that familiar exterior at ‘Emmaus’ in Tewatte where he spends his retirement in the environs of the Basilica of Our Lady of Lanka. Archbishop Fernando, as he is still affectionately referred to, does not look a day older than when he opted to call it a day at 69 – 17 years ago. He is very relaxed and fit, but prefers to respect ‘old age’ and to be identified as a ‘senior citizen’. In the annals of Christianity in Sri Lanka, he truly played a decisive role as the Chief Shepherd of the Archdiocese of Colombo, despite his comparatively young age of 44.

He was respected as a scholar, a man of integrity and a linguist of no mean repute. He was fluent in English, Sinhala and Tamil and had a command of many other languages as well. With constancy and care, Archbishop Fernando laboured along with the priests, religious lay catechists and the faithful during his tenure as the Chief Shepherd, not only for the effective promotion of evangelisation of the people but also for the provision of earthly needs of the flock and social progress of all classes.

Glimpses of a shepherd

I am truly blessed to have sailed the early years of my life on the course steered by Archbishop Fernando. We were born as parishioners of St. Mary’s Church, Grand Street, Negombo; christened at St. Mary’s Church, Grand Street, Negombo; educated at St. Mary’s College, Grand Street, Negombo and grew up in the confines of St. Mary’s Church, Grand Street, Negombo.

The life-long reminiscences for a Maryite of that era could be the beautiful bronze statue of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary that occupied the niche of the Main Block of the College, the life-like statue of the founder, Rev. Fr. J. B. Vistarini that stands before the façade of the church, and the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes in the precincts of the church.

Rev. Vistarini was the Parish Priest of the majestic church and was considered a ‘living saint’. His last resting place is at the side altar where his grave is identified with his statue in repose. After his death, hundreds of sons of Negombo were named after him and he shall always remain in the hearts and minds as their first saint.

Reverting to the life of Archbishop Fernando, I was the Head Prefect at St. Mary’s College, Negombo, when the good news from the Holy See in Rome of his elevation reached the city of Negombo, well known as ‘Little Rome’. I vividly remember how the bells of the grand old church peeled and how the people of all walks of life in Negombo united to share the joy of producing the first son of the parish as the Archbishop of Colombo.

Ever since, I was privileged to associate with the then serving Archbishop of Colombo, all along my career as a Naval Officer. During my school days, he was my ‘hero’. In my youth, I preferred him to be my role model. As the years rolled by, he became my mentor and later spiritual director – a unique bond of friendship that has now flourished for 40 long years.

Year after year, I have never failed to wish His Grace on his Patronal Feast and Birthday and His Grace reciprocates as our birthdays fall on December 6 and 16. His Grace never fails to contact me whenever he reads anything I have penned, to congratulate, to inspire, and to motivate me. He has always been pleasant, unassuming and easy to talk to.

As I linger down memory lane, many nostalgic events of my association with him flash before my mind and I would like to share a few. His Grace installed me as the youngest President of the OBA of St. Mary’s College, Negombo. I was privileged to confer on His Grace the prestigious ‘Award of Excellence for the Old Maryite of the Century’.

Then, I was privileged to deliver the keynote speech at the book launch to mark the Silver Jubilee of his Episcopal Ordination and to lend a helping hand for him to settle down at ‘Emmaus’ in retirement. His Grace always reminds me of our unforgettable pilgrimage to the Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health in Vailankanni amidst a severe threat of floods.

His Grace kindly consented to preside at the first-ever Joint Christian Service of Commemoration and Thanksgiving of the Sri Lanka Navy in 1991 and immensely helped me to conduct the service for 25 uninterrupted years amidst ups and downs. He was present at All Saints’ Church, Borella, to renew our wedding vows when Carmel and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary.

Birth and divine call

In the Register of Baptism at St. Mary’s Church, Grand Street, Negombo, that boasts a legacy of 455 years, the name ‘Nicholas Marcus’ appears as the 115th entry in the year 1932. He was christened on December 13, in the presence of his beloved parents, Wilfred Severinus Fernando and Mary Lily Margaret Fernando, with Theophilus Fernando and Maria Harriet Fernando as God Parents.

He was born a week earlier on December 6 in the renowned fishing hamlet of Munnakkara. Incidentally, it was on their feast day and the church and the city are dedicated to St. Nicholas. Thus, his humble and pious parents who cherished the proper endowment of spiritual values to their children would have been encouraged to name him after St. Nicholas.

Archbishop Fernando is the second child in the family and he has seven siblings. According to the order of birth, they are Frank, Archbishop Nicholas Marcus, Benzy, Camillus, Victor, Beryl, Nicholas Alexis and Maureen. Archbishop Fernando had his primary education at the Roman Catholic Mixed School in Munnakkara.

Then, he entered the leading Catholic educational institution, St. Mary’s College, Grand Street, Negombo, where he was beckoned by God to His vineyard to enable him to fulfil his allotted vocation. The effusive showering of talents and the providential timing of his birth made young Nicholas Marcus more and more conscious of his obligations before God. These ideas and ideals which matured in him from childhood made him what he became.

Responding with devotion to the Divine call, he entered St. Aloysius Seminary, Borella, in 1945 and passed the SSC Examination with exemption from the London Matriculation in 1949, the London University Inter-Arts Examination in 1951, and the London University BA Examination in 1953, and entered St. Bernard’s Major Seminary in 1953 for his Philosophical studies.

In the seminary, he set his goals straight and charted the correct path. His perfection was to seek God’s will and fulfil it and as a result, glory and honour followed him – as the day follows the night. And the day dawned for young Nicholas Marcus to approach the altar.

Ordination and priesthood

He was sent to Collegio de Propaganda Fide in Rome in 1954 to pursue his studies and obtained Baccalaureate and Licentiate degrees in Philosophy from Urban University in Rome in 1955 and 1956 respectively, and a Baccalaureate in Theology in 1958. He was ordained a priest by His Eminence Cardinal Agagianian on December 20, 1959, in Rome. Later, he obtained his Licentiate in Theology as well from Urban University in 1960.

Fr. Nicholas Marcus returned to Sri Lanka and was appointed to the staff of St. Peter’s College, Bambalapitiya, in 1960. Later, he was appointed to the staff of St. Aloysius Seminary, Borella, in 1963 and was elevated as the Rector in 1965. In 1973, he was sent back to Rome to read for his Doctorate in Moral Theology which he achieved with a Summa cum Laude in 1976.

He was appointed to the staff of the National Seminary of Our Lady of Lanka in Kandy in 1976. With his elevation as the Archbishop of Colombo on March 30, 1977, by His Holiness Pope Paul VI, he became the youngest to be appointed to the office at the age of 44. He also became the first Diocesan Priest to be appointed an Archbishop.

Spiritual colossus

A scholar, preacher and spiritual colossus, Archbishop Fernando, during his 25 years as the Archbishop of Colombo from 1977 to 2002, expanded the Archdiocese in several directions. He was a spontaneous and compelling priest, whose interests gave him new strength and greater depth.

Archbishop Fernando welcomed Pope John Paul II to Sri Lanka on January 20, 1995, for a historic visit during which the Beatification of St. Joseph Vaz took place in Colombo. He celebrated the Silver Jubilee of his Episcopal Ordination at St. Lucia’s Cathedral, Colombo, on May 14, 2002.

It is indeed a rare blessing and a privilege for one to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of the Priestly Ordination and His Grace thought it fit to bestow the honour to the parish that nourished him and it was befittingly celebrated with pomp and pageantry and with the participation of all the bishops and hundreds of priests at the beautiful St. Mary’s Church, Grand Street, Negombo, on December 20, 2009.

Archbishop Fernando is a man of utter simplicity, disarming humility and of patient holiness and piety. All along his long and distinguished religious duty spanning 59 eventful years, he endeared himself to the poor and the rich alike.

He continues to keep fit and fine and maintains a good rapport with his bishops, priests and friends, to their admiration. His entire life has been nothing short of miraculous. Archbishop Fernando was like the good and faithful servant in the parable – he was faithful in small matters, therefore, he was put in charge of great matters.

I will never forget or cease to appreciate the pivotal role he played in my life as my mentor. His grounding and counsel has stood me in good stead and given me strength to overcome many tribulations. My thoughts and prayers for him on this 86th birthday are God’s abundant blessings and good health to notch up a century.

Ad multos et faustissimos annos!

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SPC Building School

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94th Anniversary of St. Peter’s College

Posted on 18 January 2016 by admin

SPC Building SchoolToday happens to be the 94th anniversary of the opening of this hallowed institution we call St. Peter's College.

It was on the 18th of January 1922 (a Wednesday to be precise) that Fr. Maurice Le Goc, Rector of St. Joseph's College, with a band of boys from St.Joseph's College, Col 10 came by train to open the school by the canal. St. Peter's has come a long way since then and now stands shoulder to shoulder with other great institutes of learning and has even surpassed in stature, some older institutes.

Text by Algi Wijewickrema

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St. Peter’s College Prize Giving

Posted on 23 February 2014 by admin

Courtesy: Algi Wijewickrema – Editor, SPC-OBU.

St. Peter's College held its Prize Giving on Friday, February 21, 2014, and if I am to describe it in 2 words, I would say it was a colorful and competently run event. From the time the Chief Guest, Rt. Rev. Dr. Maxwell Silva, Auxiliary Bishop of Colombo was received by the Rector and the Priest Community till the National Anthem was sung to close the ceremony, it flowed smoothly and efficiently making the Peterites young and old, present at the function, proud.

The welcome ceremony itself had a few events connected to it. After garlanding the chief guest, he and the priest community were led to a special dais erected opposite the Nicholas Perera Hall, by oriental dancers in procession through a line of Cub Scouts saluting smartly. The welcome ceremony continued with the chief guest receiving a ceremonial salute by the Air Wing Cadets of St. Peter's which was followed by the hoisting of the National and College flags by the chief guest and the Rector, respectively, after which the Peterite Western Band played the National Anthem. This led to the teaching staff and the Old Boys being introduced before the guests entered the hall.

Fr. Vincent Ashley, Vice-Rector recited the opening prayer and Fr. Trevor Martin, the newly appointed Rector then read the Annual Prize Report for the year 2013. In presenting the annual report he spoke of the importance and role of leadership in modern society and thanked the chief guest and Fr. Ranjith Madurawala – the General Manager of the Catholic Private Schools for gracing the occasion. He also thanked Fr. Travis Gabriel – the former Rector for his valuable contribution in the relevant year and also thanked the priest community and staff for their ready assistance. The Rector did not forget to congratulate staff members who had reached the milestone of 25 years of service and having thanked those who left the services of the College, he welcomed those who joined the staff of St. Peter's. He concluded his address by thanking the organisers of the Prize Giving, congratulating the winners and praised and glorified God quoting from the Magnificat.

SPC Prize Giving – 2014

Click above link for collage of photographs taken at event

The Chief Guest, Bishop Maxwell Silva in his address remarked at the outset the he too had attended St. Peter's and was happy to be back. He noted that not every school is in a position to organise a Prize Giving due to costs and said that Peterites should be happy that they are in a position to do so. Having congratulated the prize winners he said that those who failed to win also must not be forgotten as they had also striven though failing in their quest. His also spoke of the role of a teacher in the modern society, which he saw as one not only of teaching but of mentoring as well. In an era when even appreciation of students' achievements is questioned, he thanked the Rector and those involved in organising the event and added that St. Peter's is fortunate to have a Priest of the caliber of Fr. Trevor Martin as Rector who is an eminent educationist and disciplinarian who is qualified and experienced to meet the needs of the College.

Ms. Imojen Mel, Mr. Bernard Jesudasan and a student took turns at reading the prize list, while Bishop Maxwell Silva, Fr. Ranjith Madurawala, Fr. Rector and Fr. Travis Gabriel distributed the Prizes. The ceremony included prizes awarded to students of the Gampaha branch of the College, students who had qualified to receive special scholarships made available by Old Boys and well wishers and awards to teachers who had achieved 100% attendance.

The proceedings were interspersed with lively performances by the oriental and western choirs of the College and concluded with the vote of thanks delivered by the Head Prefect, Mas. Shahen Yatagama followed by the singing of the College and National Anthems.

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A Noble Gift for St. Peter's College

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A Noble Gift for St. Peter’s College

Posted on 05 February 2012 by admin

A Noble Gift for StPeter’s College – 05 Feb. 2012.

The Andradi Library at St. Peter’s 
By Joanne Kotelawala – Sunday Times.

As the CEO of one of the largest educational groups, Mr. is to ensure that high-quality education is accessible to a global community of students. The construction of the Andradi Library at St. Peter’s, his alma mater, is very much in keeping with this vision. the opening ceremony, Mr. commented “Education is a gift that should be shared with the wider community”. He was particularly pleased that the Library at St. Peter’s would have certain dedicated hours, when it could be accessed by staff and students of other schools.

On the first of February 2012, the students and community of StPeter’s College – Colombo-04 received a gift beyond measure. The school received a four-storied library complex which was constructed by the London School of Commerce (LSC), United Kingdom.

The LSC has its headquarters based in London and has several campuses located in Belgrade, Nairobi, Kuala Lumpur, Hanoi and of course in Colombo. The Sri-Lankan campus is named the British School of Commerce and is located in Colombo -04. The British School of Commerce in offering students courses in a range of subjects such as finance, management, information technology and business leading to internationally MBA, bachelor’s and master’s degrees and other professional qualifications.

The library was opened under the patronage of MrTimothy Ashantha Andradi, Group CEO of the London School of Commerce Group of Colleges (LSC). Mr. Andradi, an alumnus of StPeter’s College, was the main donor for the construction of this complex. The library complex is host to a range of facilities such as lecture halls, and an IT in addition to the library facilities.

The St. Peter’s College community felicitated Mr. Andradi for being an outstanding old boy of the school. Mr. Andradi was the chief donor towards this project with a donation sum of 45 million rupees for this project, which is the highest contribution by an old boy towards the school, thus far. Along with these several individuals who had made a significant contribution to the school were also appreciated with the presentation of memorial plaques.

The Chief Guest, His Excellency Most Reverend Dr. Joseph Spitteri, Apostolic Annuncio highlighted the importance of books in of knowledge and relationships. “ book opens a new horizon for us, every page connect us with the past and helps us, in the present, to build a better future” “solidarity is what we need in the world, that we would all learn to share the gifts we receive, we too should imitate and be ready to share the gifts received”

MrTimothy Andradi had these words to speak at this special occasion, “The teachers should, that when you educate little boys and transform them well rounded young men, you are spreading little ripples across the globe that changes countless lives for the better. These ripples would gather further momentum with the education of the young Peterites here today”. In keeping with the spirit of sharing, MrAndradi went on to say, “the construction of the library is a potent symbol of the powerful gift of education. I have no doubt that this gift should not be constrained just in the boundaries of this to be shared with deserving students of other schools too.” Thus it was declared that the school library will serve other specified hours of the day. The school library is named after MrAndradi in of his contribution to the school community.

Rev. Fr. Travis Gabriel rector of StPeter’s College had these words to say in addressing the gathering “This is the best gift the school has received in the last 90 years. Knowledge in any sphere can be gained by reading, it is important that students understand the value of the new library so that they may begin the habit of reading. This is important for your life; someday you need to leave college as a fully integrated student, and you can become an integrated student by reading. Because today’s readers are tomorrow’s leaders”.

The opening ceremony saw the appreciation of all involved in the construction of this blessing towards the community. In keeping with the religious traditions, a special prayer service was conducted to shower blessings on the resource centre. It was evident that the entire school community had rallied around, as one family, to make this project a resounding success with the cooperation of past pupils and parents of students at StPeter’s College.

Congratulations to StPeter’s College on the latest addition to the school campus, may the new resource centre inspire students to become wholesome individuals who are appreciative of their alma mater and conscious of their duty to share their gifts to uplift the lives of those around them.

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