In allegiance to a glorious past: Sacred Heart Convent, Galle established in 1896

Boarding school in Melsele, 1903

As we celebrate the quasquicentennial anniversary of Sacred Heart Convent, Galle, it is with gratitude that I look back on a great institution that I am proud to call my alma mater. 

Over the years we have benefitted from the world-class education and social standards made available to us, as well as the values instilled in us. I take a glimpse at the impressive historic background of its founders; the Sisters of Charity of Jesus and Mary who shaped our lives and developed us, thus enabling us to stand tall in any society in the world. 

It was the late 1960s, I was on my way to Letchworth Garden City in Hertfordshire, England which is aptly named, with luscious green open spaces and colourful flowers bordering the pavements and on the roundabouts. It was a spring day. While admiring the daffodils, I wondered lonely as a cloud!  I arrived at St. Francis College. 

As I was approaching the building, imposing and breathtakingly beautiful, with the backdrop of equally beautiful and vast grounds, I began to notice many similarities to our own Sacred Heart Convent (SHC) building in Galle, with dormer windows on the top floor where the dormitories were. 

I was there by the invitation of the late Rev. Sister Adrian. As I entered the building, its layout reminded me of the SHC. To meet Sr. Adrian and other nuns in this college gave me a feeling of Déjà vu.

Something I still vividly remember when we sat down for lunch with the nuns was the magnificent dining hall with a long table polished to a mirror shine, immaculately laid, and adorned with beautiful flower arrangements and place settings. I do not remember much of what we had for lunch except the asparagus soup served as the first course, which was a rarity those days.

The Sisters of Charity have left many footprints in different parts of the world. St. Francis College in Letchworth is one. Founded in 1933, Sisters of Charity had run St. Francis College successfully for 50 years before handing it over to an educational charity in 1983 as an institution with high academic and social standards and it is now one of the top boarding schools in the UK. Although the school has grown in many ways, it still lives up to the ethos of The Sisters of Charity and maintains the same standards as the founding sisters. The school crest and the motto remain the same: ‘One heart, one soul’.

Early beginnings in Belgium

Education has been a long-standing tradition and one of the most prevailing activities of the Sisters of Charity since their congregation was founded in Belgium in 1816, approved by the Pope. 

The prevailing opinion at the time was that the place of women in society was in the home. This meant that educational opportunities for girls had been limited. To fill this void, the sisters created schools to offer wider career opportunities for girls. Teacher training colleges for nuns were founded by the congregation. When qualified, the sisters were sent to work in their different educational foundations in various parts of Belgium. In this way, a high and consistent educational standard was ensured. Schools of Nursing were also established in keeping with new advances in science and medicine.

The sisters went on to establish several successful public and private secondary schools, educating students up to university entry. This included the internationally renowned boarding school for girls in Melsele, in Belgium which was established in 1903. Special education programmes were also offered for the children who were at work and unable to attend school during the week. 

Sisters of Charity in education worldwide

In 1888 the congregation took its first steps beyond Belgium to new frontiers. First to England in response to an invitation from the Bishop of Salford, who proposed the opening of a school to educate the poor Catholic children of Lancashire, then the centre of the British cotton industry where the sisters established a flourishing school. 

A few years later, the congregation looked further afield, and in 1891 ten sisters set sail to Congo thus becoming the first Catholic women missionaries to arrive there. Ceylon and India followed.

Sacred Heart Convent, Sri Lanka

The Sisters of Charity arrived in Sri Lanka in November 1896 following an invitation from Bishop Van Reeth whose sister was the Superior General of the congregation. By then, many of their sisters were professionally qualified, experienced teachers, educators, and governesses.

After a rough sea voyage, the five valiant sisters arrived at Colombo port. The first night was spent with the Good Shepard nuns in Kotahena before setting off by train to Galle the following day, accompanied by two Jesuit priests. When they arrived in Galle, they were enthusiastically greeted by a crowd who had been awaiting their arrival at the station. They were led to Mount Calvary, passing through an archway that had been constructed at the foot of the hill, made from palm leaf, with a welcome sign, adorned with the Belgian flag. They were given a warm welcome by the Bishop and the priests, then taken in a procession, up the path to the Cathedral. The path was lined with children who would later become the pupils of SHC and St Aloysius College. 

Within a week of their arrival, they had set up a day school with 36 mixed students in a house on Mount Calvary next to the Cathedral, the School was moved to the present premises in 1901 and became a girls-only convent.

Within five years of its beginning, with Rev. Sr. William Brennan as the principal, (who held her position until 1941) the SHC, Galle had opened an English School and a Vernacular School, a Cambridge Examination Class, a hostel for girls, an orphanage and a lace-making class. Under these pioneering nuns it became a hive of activity and an institute that served the needs of the country. The school’s direction was maintained under the guiding principles of Christian values.

With gratitude

I had the privilege of being a student at SHC during Rev. Sr. Adrian’s era, and later had the greatest pleasure of getting to know her predecessor Rev. Sr. Mary Paul who was living in England in her retirement. During my associations with these two former principals, who dedicated their lives making a selfless commitment to the school, it became abundantly clear to me that even long after their retirement, there remained a sincere dedication and deep affection for SHC. They maintained their eagerness to form a special bond with the past pupils who passed through the portal of the school and the school’s interests were always at the very centre of their hearts.

While the national schools received support from the government, those that tried to manage independently were faced with many challenges. When Rev. Sr. Rosina took over as the first Sri Lankan principal in 1976, the school was still a private Catholic convent school and she unwaveringly continued to keep abreast with the latest developments in education. The boarding life was with rigid rules and strict discipline, supervised and supported by the sisters, however there can be little doubt these were outweighed by the values and standards we gained. We lived in harmony true to our school motto: ‘one heart, one soul’, in a family atmosphere with students from diverse backgrounds and religions from all over the island. The Feast of the Sacred Heart was a special day for the boarders. We had our birthday parties and garden parties in style. We enjoyed our coach outings to distant places. We were taught courteous thoughtful behaviour, and good manners, perhaps on par with some finishing schools, that would stand us in good stead in any society in the world.

One of school’s enduring assets is its very active and loyal past pupils association in different segments, which keeps alive the cherished traditions.  Their devotion is an inspiration to future generations. When the school reached its centenary, a main hall was built, and the school’s loyalty was well displayed in activities that took place in a grand scale all through the year. One such was a grand celebration that was hosted jointly with the Old Boys Association of Saint Aloysius College Galle. It was a gala event held in Colombo, attended by staff and past pupils from world over.

I offer my heartfelt gratitude to those still serving the school with dedication, as well as to the memory of past well-loved teachers, and those who have laid the foundations of this, our school and spent their lives in service offering the best standards and values to enable the pupils to flourish in life. Miss Elizabeth Senanayaka, now in her mid-eighties, is one such example; a past pupil who later served as a teacher remains steadfast in her dedication to the school.

Today 125 years later, the Sacred Heart School remains a flourishing institution. May it continue to embrace the spiritual and educational ideals and the generous spirit of humble service of the Sisters of Charity, in the generations to come and may the students continue to live up to its motto: ‘one heart, one soul’ (Cor unum,anima una)

This brief history of our school is a tribute from two generations of past pupils from the Edirisinghe family, Boralukada Walauwa, Baddegama, Sri Lanka.

St. Francis College, Letchworth

School in 1888 in Lancashire, England   

A classroom in 1891 in Congo     

Sacred Heart Convent, Galle