An oak tree of the East falls to the ground

The entire Eastern Province of Sri Lanka, especially the District of Batticaloa, and in particular, the past students of St. Michael’s College, Batticaloa, mourn the passing away of a great icon, Father Miller, at the age of 93 on January 1, 2019.

With his demise the era of highly educated Jesuit Fathers who renounced the comforts of life in America to labour in faraway East Sri Lanka has come to an end almost - I am told there is one more of this precious band still living in retirement, namely Father Lorio. Practically all these Jesuit priests were highly dedicated and motivated young men who volunteered to go out from the Jesuit Order in the State of New Orleans in the US to serve God and the people of our country when in their late 20s or early 30s.

Also, of Father Miller’s calibre of selfless, arduous service to fellow mankind were the late Fathers Harold Webber, Herbert, Cook and a few others. Their tremendous and inestimable contribution, in general,to the progress of the Eastern Province and in particular for the growth of St. Michael’s College, Batticaloa to enable it to become one of the foremost and distinguished schools in Sri Lanka cannot be ever forgotten.

Father Miller was not only an educationist but also a passionate and ardent social worker,counsellor and friend to the rich and the poor.

He was Principal of St. Michael’s College at one time and later Rector of the College. When the College was taken over by the Government my late brother, Kingsley Somanader was appointed the Principal of the College and I had the pleasure of serving as the Prefect Of Discipline there. I am ever so thankful that in that period of change and uncertainty we had the great privilege of sharing Father Miller’s wisdom, foresight and values to enable us to continue the good work and heritage of the Jesuit priests and to maintain the high standards of the College which they had built up over the years.

As author Kenneth Hilderbrande has said,“The poorest of all men is not the one without a penny to his name; but he is the fellow without dreams.” This I believe exactly describes Father Miller and all otherJesuit priests too who served at St. Michael’s College Batticaloa and the Eastern Province in general and the essence of their direction and advice to the students to achieve their dreams and make them shine in every aspect of life wherever they settled down- at home or abroad.

On his retirement Father Miller was given the option to go back to America and reset- tle in his country of birth. He took the opportunity to try it out but he felt so homesick, according to him, he decided to come back to Batticaloa in a couple of months, saying, “I could not part with my much loved adopted homeland and its people”. Nothing would satisy him except to live and die here.

All the Jesuit missionaries though they could have had successful worldly lives came to fulfil the call of God. As the Scriptures say, “Unless a seed falls to the ground and dies, it shall not bear fruit.”

Father Miller was given a fitting farewell by the people of Batticaloa and the Eastern Province and his body was committed to the very ground he had so faithfully served.

Ashley Somanader