The immortal Fr. Joe: Remembering the Legend & his Legacy after 14 Years …

Photo source: Quadrangle

A Monumental Tribute

1. No sooner had the month of February in 2019 begun than St. Peter’s College, Colombo, made history. A sprawling sports pavilion had encircled the grounds. It was the matchless moment of its historic opening. Rev. Fr. Trevor Martin, the loved-by-all Rector and the priestly community of the College received in the wink of an eye a thundering ovation. The ‘Master Builder’ and his team deserved it unarguably, we felt being among the crowds, for their colossal work and unabated commitment.

This thundering prolonged applause erupted from the crowds not only for the priests’ indefatigable efforts, but also for their sense of gratitude, a noble human quality of highest degree. St. Peter’s never forgets its glorious past. Hence the Pavilion came to be dedicated as a fitting and ‘immortal’ tribute to an illustrious Rector who rendered an invaluable service to the College in the capacity of a renowned educationist for sixteen long years. The round of applause was the unstoppable and inevitable outcome. This write-up is, however, a ridiculously low and inadequate tribute to this brilliant academic and amazing Rector, who steered St. Peter’s to its ‘Golden Era’ or ‘The Renaissance.’

Genesis of a holy Priest & brilliant Academic

2. Born on January 31, 1935 as the fifth child in a family of six, Rev. Fr. Joseph Emmanuel Wickremasinghe or ‘Fr. Joe’ as he was affectionately known to us, had his early education in his home town of Pamunugama, a well-fortified citadel of Catholic Faith in the sea-locked island.
3. At fourteen, this teenager, named after the Parish Saint, St. Joseph, walked through the portals of St. Aloysius’ Minor Seminary, Borella. God, in His ineffable wisdom, had called him to be another ‘Joseph’, a foster father to generations of children in future.

Subsequently, the young Joe graduated from the prestigious National Seminary of Our Lady of Lanka, Kandy where he won, exhibiting his exceptional intellectual calibre, the gold medal for sacred Theology. Consecrated by God on December 21 in 1960, the young Fr. Joe, after a short spell in a parish, returned to the Minor Seminary in Borella as a formator and pedagogue. These two years were his first taste in the field of education.

Foster Father of St. Peter’s

4. In July 1963, God sent His ‘young Joseph’ to St. Peter’s College, Colombo where he acquired his educational skills. God’s plan for him was perfectly on the track. He was appointed as the Priest in charge of the boarders and Prefect of Studies and Discipline. Greatness was thrust upon him! However, being new to the vocation, he was prepared to learn from those who knew better, especially from the lay teaching staff. That was his sheer Christ-like humility.

“In an era when no student complained to parents about being caned at school, you dreaded his arrival in class to distribute report cards at the end of the term or being sent to his office for any misdemeanour committed. You were assured of what you deserved. However, he was always open to hear your side of the story and was accommodative, provided he was convinced” recalls Algi Wijewickrema, a grateful Old Peterite of his beloved Rector.

Before long came Fr. Joe’s first test as an administrator. For, when the then Rector, Rev. Fr. Mervyn Weerakkody, was away from the country on studies for well over a year, literally single handed (though Rev. Fr. Basil Wiratunga was overlooking the affairs of College as Rector), Fr. Joe effectively ran the affairs of the school, steering clear of all controversial issues and enlisting the whole-hearted cooperation from all quarters. That unprecedented experience would definitely stand him in good stead later as events proved to be.

In Diaspora

5. With five very valuable years of experience at St. Peter’s during which he adopted the College as his God-child, Fr. Joe was transferred as Manager of the Catholic Press and Editor of the Sinhala Catholic Weekly, ‘Gnanartha Pradeepaya’. At the Press, he was greatly concerned about the welfare of the employees and took great pain to ease their hardships. There he discovered the virtue of employee participation in the progress of any institution. He worked ‘with’ them, rather than through or around them.
6. In 1972, Fr. Joe was posted back to the field of education at St. Joseph’s College, Colombo where he was appointed Vice Rector towards the latter part of his sojourn there. Meanwhile he graduated from the University of London, reading Economics, History and Philosophy at the final.

Rector of St. Peter’s

7. Nevertheless Fr. Joe was destined to return to St. Peter’s in 1978, this time as its much beloved Rector. The newly consecrated Archbishop of Colombo, His Grace the Most Rev. Dr. Nicholas Marcus Fernando, of revered memory, who hailed from another bastion of Catholic Faith, Negombo or the ‘Little Rome’ as it is called unto this day, chose, having consulted the Lord in the depth of prayer, the right person at the right time for the right mission in Fr. Joe, who hailed from the ‘Little Vatican’, as it is called up to this day. History has proved that the saintly and sagacious seventh Archbishop of Colombo made the right choice in 1978, though His Grace was just a fledgling in the venerable office. It was indeed God’s choice!
8. Now, Fr. Joe the foster father back with his God-child, St. Peter’s! With frequent changes in the administration of the College – four Rectors in three years – conditions had never been so bad. From the doldrums in 1978, Fr. Joe was able to clean the Augean stable (Augeas, the mythical king of Elis, kept great stables that held 3,000 oxen and had not been cleaned for thirty years – until Hercules was assigned the job. Hercules accomplished this task by causing two rivers to run through the stables). This Hercules from the Land between the Sea and the Lagoon steered St. Peter’s to great heights of excellence in studies, sports and discipline. His crowning efforts as an educationist par excellence would reach its peak from 1978 to 1994.
9. How did Fr. Joe create the Renaissance in Peterite history? First he built up the People. In order to bring about some sanity in the College, he lost no time in restoring the morale of the tutorial staff, the king-pin of the big city schools. He fostered better understanding between the staff and the Rector. He also recognized their services, especially of the senior teachers, who had proved their devotion to the cause of Peterite education. He raised the standard of the institution to prevent the exodus of promising students to other schools and inculcated in the minds of all concerned a sense of values and the appreciation of all that is good and proper.
10. Giving due recognition to the experienced service of the senior teachers, new opportunities were opened to them. The roles of Prefects of Studies and Discipline were de-centralised by the appointment of Sectional Headmasters. Incentives within the framework of the limited financial resources available encouraged the tutorial staff to raise the quality of teaching. Thus the exodus of the bright students to other schools was reversed. While upholding the traditions established by his predecessors as well as the bonds of dedicated teachers of the past, he realised that in the new contract of administration, a more liberalised concept was necessary. He created hence a new Board of Administration with lay teacher participation. In all his endeavours, he harnessed the human resources such as students, teachers, old boys, parents and well-wishers to the utmost and garnered the support of all. As a result, St. Peter’s became financially viable very early in his Rectorship.
11. Then, Fr. Joe built up the College. A master builder, he was able to generate nearly Rs 20 million within 16 years to bring the College infrastructure to what it is today – the new 3 storeyed Science Block and Laboratory; the new Canteen and Vocational Centre; the 3 storeyed Primary School Extension; the elegant and tasteful Swimming Pool – a dream come true for Peterites; the 3 storeyed Block at St. Peter’s College, Gampaha, which was launched by him as the first ever branch of any school in Sri Lanka; the new Dental Clinic; the Badminton and Basketball Courts; the TV Room; the Computer Room; the Junior Science Room and the new Office Block and a mini zoo for the primary school. To cap it all, in readiness for the 75th Anniversary of St. Peter’s in 1997, Fr. Joe collected enough funds to get started with yet another 4 storeyed Block of classrooms, Library and Auditorium, atop the Canal Side block of classrooms. Thus Fr. Joe transformed the school into a modern institution and raised its profile in studies, sports and discipline. He also created scholarship funds to support students entering university – a foster father in character!
12. His own example was better than precepts. Normally, the Rector is saddled with outside work other than his normal administrative functions within the school. In order to devote his full time to this hallowed institution, he got himself released from such duties, for Fr. Joe, the Rector’s office was a twenty four hour job. He hardly got out of the College premises. He had very little time for social visits, not even to see his own dear family members.
13. On September 5, 1994 that familiar figure in white, tall and wiry retired from the Rectorship of St. Peter’s College, having given of himself on behalf of our youth, with sincerity, dedication and vision. At the doleful farewell, every Peterite heart cried the chorus:

“There was a man sent by God

whose name was Father Joe,

who left St. Peter’s thousand times better

than when he found it 16 years ago.

Fare thee well, Fr. Joe!”

Episcopal Vicar

14. After his departure from St. Peter’s, Fr. Joe was appointed Episcopal Vicar, Negombo Region. During his tenure in office, a protest march came to be displayed all over the country by the Church on March 7, 1999. It was prayerful, disciplined, orderly and incident-free and without political overtones.
15. Why was it orchestrated? The date had been fixed for election to five Provincial Councils on April 1. It was the Maundy Thursday, prior to Good Friday. The election was fixed at a time the past elections turned out to be violent and they were followed by curfew as a norm.

This insensitive action touched intrinsically all Catholics who felt they had been treated with scant respect for their legitimate rights by the state. They also felt disappointed with the Catholic politicians, who seemed unconcerned that the Holy Week is a period of special religious significance to their fellow Christian brethren, who genuinely practise the faith.

16. What was the reaction of the Archbishop, when the election commissioner had blatantly disregarded the religious susceptibility of a minority that has contributed in no small way to the democratic processes in the country? His Grace Nicholas Marcus Fernando raised his heroic voice, saying, “We are all disturbed and seriously concerned about the date fixed for provincial council election which falls on Holy Thursday with Good Friday following it. The reasons are obvious on two counts viz. the religious significance of the days and the recent experiences of violence associated with elections in our country. It has been decided that we Christians show our displeasure in a public manner and at the same time do what is possible legally to register our protest and demand. The priests and parishioners have to do our part to show our displeasure and not remain dormant, fully passive at a time like this.” Thus His Grace spoke and stood by the truth like one of those sea rocks in Negombo, his patria, which braves the waves with might and main.
17. All the clergy and the laity simply followed the directives of His Grace, whom they could trust to the core, and were further encouraged, when they heard that Fr. Joe was leading the march in Little Rome, having left the Archbishop’s House, Colombo in haste very early in the morning – like the holy women, who went in haste to see the Lord “very early when the sun had risen, on the first day of the week …” (Mark 16,2).
18. Accordingly, when His Grace, devoid of party politics, took a firm and courageous stand as the Spiritual Leader, Fr. Joe not only shouldered and bolstered the work of His Grace in total obedience, but brandished his convictions also such as what Shakespeare scribed in Julius Caesar, Act II, Scene II, “Cowards die many times before their deaths; The valiant never taste of death but once” or the adage, “Much harm is done in the world not only by the action of the bad people but by the passivity of the good people.”

“I thought I was forgotten …”

19. It should be the divine plan that Fr. Joe be back at St. Peter’s in May 2006, just the day before his untimely death, presiding over the OBU’s Awards Ceremony as its Chief Guest.
20. To add a personal note here, it was Fr. Joe, who, together with His Grace Nicholas Marcus Fernando and His Lordship Marius Peiris, persuaded the present writer with zest and zeal to select the Sacred Scriptures for mission – the work, which he is right now engaged in. Fr. Joe sowed the seeds on earth; but the harvest, he sees happily only from heaven up above.
21. One student of Fr. Joe, Sampath Perera by name, had this written, “Never forget how he stood at one end of the corridor and with his booming voice instruct order to anyone off the corridors if seen during school hours! But the most endearing one is when he was Episcopal Vicar a few of us visited him at Archbishop’s House, Borella on the Feast of St. Joseph, his Patron Saint. We were in the sitting room and suddenly heard him from the corridors and when we looked, it was the same lovable man of God who moulded us. And his first words were “I thought I was forgotten …”
22. You will never be forgotten, dear Fr. Joe, for you are a legend and legends never die. Rest in the peace of the Lord and in the company of your saintly parents and ancestors, dear Father and father!

Fr. Don Anton Saman Hettiarachchi
St. Anthony’s Church
Mount Lavinia
Sri Lanka
07.05.2020