Sent by Vernon Davidson via Keith Bennett
St. Lucy of Sicily whose feast falls on December 13 is venerated the world over as the protectress against eye trouble. Legend has it that she had the most beautiful pair of eyes and that she pulled them out to present them to an unwelcome suitor who was enamoured by their beauty. However, her eyes were miraculously restored to her more beautiful than before. Named after this virgin and martyr saint is St. Lucia’s Cathedral of Kotahena, the oldest and largest parish cathedral in Sri Lanka and the seat of the Archbishop of [Colombo].
The 110-year old cathedral had humble origins in a small chapel of wood and Cadjan built by the Oratorian fathers in 1760, when Ceylon was under Dutch occupation. This was replaced by a larger church of brick and mortar in 1782. When Ceylon was detached from the jurisdiction of the Archbishop of Goa in 1834, Rev. Fr. Vincenti Rosario was appointed the first Vicar-Apostolic of Ceylon and St. Lucia’s Cathedral became the first cathedral of Sri Lanka. Eventually the foundation stone for a new cathedral building was laid to replace the old one. In 1873 Bishop H D Sillani and Rev. Fr. S Tabarrani, men of great vision and talent, designed and initiated the building of St. Lucia’s Cathedral thus planting the seeds of grandeur and magnificence of what was to be.
The Catholics of Colombo, the churches outside the city, and even the fisher folk contributed their share to the building fund. The cathedral cost Rs 160,000 to build which was an enormous amount in the last century, yet totally funded by the pious generosity of the Ceylonese Catholics of the time. Towards the end of 1887 the main body of the cathedral was completed and the blessing of the cathedral took place in December of that year. However, the building of the cathedral took 30 years and was completed in 1902 when the scaffoldings were finally dismantled and the site cleared.
The succeeding generations of parishioners and parish priests continued to embellish the cathedral with exquisite statues and sacred vessels, often shipped from Europe. After a succession of European priests, Rev. Fr. Nereus Fernando became the first Sri Lankan parish priest of the cathedral in 1956. Under the dynamic leadership of Rev. Fr. Rufus Benedict the cathedral was prepared for its centenary which was celebrated in December 1987. St. Lucia’s Cathedral Kotahena is the legacy of parishioners whose fervent faith aspired to build this magnanimous tribute to God. At the threshold of yet another century the cathedral stands unsurpassed in beauty and in magnificence as it has always stood over the last one hundred years.
Although I am a non-Catholic I was educated at St Benedicts College from LKG to HSC after which I entered Kattubedda.
Everyday before going to school I go to church and pray in my own words and whenever I visit Sri Lanka I have never failed to go to church and look at the college building and to give thanks for my education which led me to a comfortable Chemical Engineering career.
Daily, even now, I pray thinking of College church and for the eyes for My dear ones,
Thanks for giving me an opportunity to express my gratitude.
God Bless
The completion of the Cathedral took a long time because at one point there was a lack of funds. This was when Chevalier Jusey de Silva gave the required sum for its completion. He was also instrumental in building the St. Sebastian Church in Moratuwa, the Convent of Our Lady of Victories, Moratuwa and Churches at Thalawila and in Hultsdorf.
He was Knighted by Pope Leo XIII – the ceremony of investiture as a Knight of St. Gregory the Great was held on May 24, 1888, at St. Lucia’s Cathedral. A proclamation was read by Christopher Ernest Bonjean, Archbishop of Colombo, conferring the appointment of President of St. Lucia’s Cathedral, on Chevalier Jusey de Silva.
His daughter Catherine was the first Sinhalese lady to have the rank, style and precedence of a Knight Bachelor’s Widow. (He was a direct lineal descendent of Thakura Artha Devaditta Gardiawasam Lindamulage Pedro de Silva, of the Court of King Buwanekabahu VII of Kotte).
These Portuguese names were adopted later during king Dharmapala’s era.
The stories about the pancharanga flag of the family being a prototype for the Buddhist flag designed during the latter part of the19th century are not true. This idea is promoted by those with excessive religious and clan attachments. The pancharanga (five stripe) flags are not rare in India and not necessarily exclusive to the Rajput clans. The Jain flag is also pancharanga. As part of the South Asian tradition, even revivalist Buddhism and Jainism could not escape some of the cultural and esoteric attachments and thought processes of the region. The colours (differing) in the Buddhist (and Jain flags) are from ancient treatises/sutras where shapes and colours are given typified/stylised significance. The Buddhist flag is creative and colourful — with stripes in two unconventional directions, though non-Buddhists may not readily identify it as a religious flag. Whether this fresh and creative aspect was a result of intentionally marking it out as different to the family flag and other pancharanga flags (of India) is an interesting question.
From the position of an IGNORAMUS in these fields, this SET OF THOUGHTS seems to be knowledgable and a distinct contribution to our debates today. Thank you Dash.