Jaffna Holy Family Convent old girls to converge for 150th anniversary
Old girls of Jaffna Holy Family Convent from around the world are on their way to Sri Lanka to celebrate their alma mater’s sesquicentennial next month. The celebrations begin with a dinner in Colombo on October 21, hosted by the Colombo Branch of the Past Pupils Association, and will move to Jaffna, where the school will celebrate its 150th anniversary on October 25, followed by the Global Union of the Alumni on October 26.
Celebrations were also held in Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom earlier this year to mark the 150th anniversary.
The school’s origins date back to 1845 when Bishop Bettachini of Jaffna established two schools, one for boys, and the other for girls, with the aim of imparting to them an English education. The girls’ school began with a handful of pupils in humble surroundings in the premises where the Rest House stands today, in 3rd Cross Street, Jaffna. It was managed by Mrs. Mary Anne O’Flanagan, wife of an Irish military officer.
Meanwhile, events were happening in France which would play a crucial role in the school’s development. Soon after the French Revolution, the Holy Family Association founded by the Venerable Pierre Noailles in France, began spreading to other parts of Europe. Hearing of the association, the Bishop of Jaffna, the Rt. Rev. Dr J.S. Semeria, contemplating the benefits of a convent education for the girls in the north, approached the association’s founder to start a similar foundation in Sri Lanka. He agreed but his death in February 1862 caused a slight delay in implementation.
On September 6, 1862, six young nuns accompanied by Bishop Semeria, set sail from Toulon in France and were greeted on landing in Galle, by crowds who had gathered to welcome the first Christian nuns to set foot on Sri Lankan soil. The nuns then journeyed to Jaffna, arriving there on November 2, 1862. Mrs Flanagan handed over the little school, which she had managed since its inception, to the nuns with Mother Helen Winter as the first Principal. About 100 Tamil and 12 European children enrolled in the school to receive an English education.
In 1938, the school launched London matriculation classes and students obtained distinction in university entrance exams in arts and science subjects. In sports too, the school excelled, winning first place in 1937 in tennis, badminton and tenniquoit in the island.
Among the post-Independence Principals who left their mark was Mother Josephine Tynan who took over the reins in 1951. An excellent teacher in English, English Literature and History, she bequeathed the House System, a music band and the Past Pupils Association. Her parting gift was the school anthem, which continues to be sung with pride and gusto to this day.