“It
is with great joy that I thank God for the 125 years of love and service of the
OMI Fathers as chaplains in the General Hospital, Colombo. Their history in the
hospital began at the same time as that of our Sisters, the Franciscan
Missionaries of Mary (FMM). It was in 1886 that the British Government in
Colombo, through the mediation of Father Joseph BOISSEAU, the vicar General in
Colombo. The collaboration between the OMI and the FMM which began at that time
has continued since then, although our presence in the hospital has now been
reduced to a minimum due to circumstance beyond our control.” (Sr. Antoinette Gomez, FMM, Provincial Superior).
The FMM sisters and Oblates worked
together from 1889 – 1964, when the first Archbishop of Colombo Archbishop Christopher
BONJEAN wrote to the then Superior General of FMM, Mother Mary of Passion FMM, “The hospital of the Franciscan Missionaries
of Mary is a mission within the mission.” In 1964, the government did not
renew the contract with the Sisters working in government hospitals, thereby
terminating their services. This drastic decision was taken suddenly. When the
Sisters left St. Peter’s House in 1964, the community numbered 81.
Since 1889 until the present day, seventy-three
Oblates have been chaplains to the Government Hospitals in Colombo. The first
was a French missionary, Fr. Marian Joseph Charles CONRARD in September 1889.
The present Oblates chaplains are: Frs. Dileepa JAYAMAHA, Presanna RODRIGO and
Jude Roshan JAYAMAHA. In these 125 years of the hospital’s history, the two
most outstanding personalities who served the sick till the day the Lord called
them were Fr. Claude Joseph Vincent Lawrence
and Sr. Lina Gendron, FMM. Fr. Lawrence, a native of South Africa, served as
hospital and prison chaplain from 1934 until his death in November 1995.
The 125th jubilee started
with vespers presided over by Bishop Norbert ANDRADI, of Anuradhapura, on the 7th
of July, in the presence of Bishop Maximus Silva, the Auxiliary Bishop of
Colombo and Fr. Rohan SILVA, the Provincial of Oblates and Fr. Ivan Perera, the
Episcopal Vicar of the Colombo Diocese. The St. Aloysius Minor Seminary Choir
sang beautifully in making the day very prayerful and reflective.
On the following day, His Eminence
Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith, the Archbishop of Colombo, presided over the Jubilee
High Mass at the St. Peter’s Hospital Chapel, Colombo. He was gracefully
welcomed at the main gate of the National Hospital by the hospital chaplains, the
Director of the National Hospital, Dr. Anil Jasinghe, Fr. Rohan Silva and the
priests, nuns, doctors, nurses, Catholic volunteers, and many well-wishers. Then
he was led in procession to the St. Peter’s Chapel. It was a unique and
witnessing event in a majority Buddhist environment.
Afterwards, His
Eminence celebrated the Jubilee Mass and in his sermon, he stressed the need to
cater to the needs of the people before spending time on ideologies,
discussions and impractical answers. He also insisted that the mission in the
hospital is to show our love and to do charity to the sick and the infirm and that
there are no ulterior motives in this apostolate. He clearly expressed that for
125 years, priests and nuns have worked tirelessly for the poor and the abandoned
and he thanked the Oblates and Franciscan Missionaries of Mary for their
dedicated service to humanity and congratulated the present chaplains for
continuing this ‘healing ministry.’ (Oblate
News, Colombo)
