In 1880 Mother Josephine Batide went with some Sisters to Wennappuwa in search of a place for Foundation. It took them a week to go from Kurunegala to Wennappuwa. In September that same year Mother Josephine was transferred to Jaffna and Mother Celeste Marchal took her place.
125TH JUBILEE OF HOLY FAMILY CONVENT, WENNAPPUWA
In 1880 Mother Josephine Batide went with some Sisters to Wennappuwa in search of a place for Foundation. It took them a week to go from Kurunegala to Wennappuwa. In September that same year Mother Josephine was transferred to
Jaffna and Mother Celeste Marchal took her place. She was a dynamic character, ready to do and draw everything from Christ. The following year was disastrous for kurunegala owing to a virulent outbreak of Malaria. This convinced her and the sisters that the Novitiate for the sisters of St. Peter should be transferred to a more healthy place like Wennappuwa. In 1884 October Mother Angel and five Sisters of St. Peter move to Wennappuwa on the 24th where they began a Convent. The five sisters were pious maidens of Wennappuwa area to work later they entered the Novitiate at Kurunegala. They had some experience in teaching and serve as the nucleus for the educational apostolate of the new group of Sisters. Out of the five two sisters were sent to Katuneriya for apostolic services from Monday to Friday. Mother Celeste was in charge of all the sisters who resided at Wennappuwa.
The sisters took charge of the Girl’s
Vernacular School from January 1885, with 150 pupils. The English School at Wennappuwa began in 1929, under the able administration of Rev. Mother Mary Sacred Heart. The school was well provided with workshops, laboratories and reading rooms and gradually staffed with efficient teachers. In 1932, the school had, 78 pupils, but in a few years it rose to a first rate Institution, with a music department, and boarding facilities.
In 1956, the primary school which was begun as a feeder for the college known as “
Santa Maria”. On the same premises, there was the large Sinhala School, which had been run by the sisters, since 1885. To avoid the discrimination between the rich and poor, and in keeping with the new orientations of the Holy Family Association, and also the educational trends in the country, the two private schools were handed over to the government in January 1971, and all were amalgamated with the vernacular school to form two schools, one Primary and the other a Maha Vidyalaya.
The closing down of the novitiate, and the amalgamation of the schools together with the present preference for “small communities”, called for a decentralizing of the large community. Three small communities Retreat House, teaching community and Santha Samaya – elderly sisters home were formed according to the services rendered.
Today, part of this building is used for girls who aspire to embrace Religious Life and who needed help to complete their formal education. The school provide them with educational facilities. Those who have completed their education are given an intensive Course in English to prepare them for the next step.
To meet a crying need of the times, the premises of
Santa Maria School, were converted to a Home for poor abandoned, destitute elderly persons. This is one of the gratuitous services of the Province. At present there are 38 such ladies, at “Meth Nivasa” and a community of 6 sisters is in charge looking after and taking care of them.
The former Novitiate premises are now a Home for our elderly sisters. It is known as “Santha Samaya”. There are 21 sisters growing old gracefully, and peacefully being looked after by the 03 sisters from the Retreat House Community.
The Retreat House is the main convent at Wennappuwa. Sisters are at the service of the people of different categories, young and old, irrespective of caste or religion, national and international levels who came for various meetings and seminars. Their spiritual needs are met with here through retreats – seminars – renewals. The needs of the sisters in the Province too are met by the different celebrations and gatherings throughout the year. It is a Welcome Home for all purposes.
The sisters also serve the parish needs, when teaching catechism to children, and help in the parish apostolate such as teach converts. In this case the elderly sisters take that responsibility and they are very much committed to it.
“Guru Nivasa”, now known as “Suhada Sevana” is the place, where the teaching sisters serving in the two schools reside. There are 5 sisters in the community, out of which 3 are involved in the teaching apostolate. Two are principals in the two schools.
There are 1105 students in the Primary School, and a staff of 31, for the education of the young children. The apostolic aim of the two schools is to animate the students, with the Holy Family Spirit, moulding them into simple, united, loving students and providing them a sure, steady foundation for their future lives. They are provided with leadership camps, and a variety of programmes, to build their personality, they have been awarded many scholarships, and have received awards, for sports – dancing , dramas, speech competitions, English day etc.
There are 2270 students, in the College with 79 teachers who are united by the same aim of the school. Good discipline is maintained, and the staff and students try to develop in them, the Spirit of the Holy Family mainly unity in diversity. As earlier, it continues to be one of the best schools in the Diocese, with satisfactory results, at the Ordinary Level and Advanced Level examinations. There are many doctors, lawyers, engineers and Religious all over the
Island, who have been moulded by the Holy Family Sisters, and the committed staff of the school.
On this occasion, the 125th Jubilee, we join with them to thank God, for the many blessings over us during the past long years. What the Holy Family has achieved is nothing but God’s work, we humbly say at this moment –
“GLORY BE TO GOD ALONE – THROUGH MARY AND JOSEPH”
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