Message from mother Superior General

SANTA FAMIGLIA DI BORDEAUX
Via dei Casati Santovetti, 58
00165 ROMA, ITALIA

September 2004
Dear sisters, members of staff, pupils and parents

It gives me joy to make contact with you as you celebrate 75 years since the foundation of your school. This is time to remember, to rejoice and to give thanks for all the blessings, hidden and known that have been part of these years. Our gratitude goes first of all to the sisters who opened the school in 1930 and to all who supported them in those early years. With you I thank God for all the good that has been accomplished since then.

From small beginnings your school continued to grow and expand adapting to the evolving needs of education in a society undergoing constant changes. Under the leadership of the Holy Family sisters and a dedicated lay staff, the school continued to offer quality education, helping pupils to grow in all areas of their lives.

This is not only a time to remember and to recall all the blessings of the past but also to hear the call of God to you in this present time. In our divided and fragmented world there is a great need for education that encourages each one to live God’s vision of a world that is united in Him, where all can live as members of one Family, in unity and communion. Thus it is necessary that our young people learn how to build good relationships, to be open to dialogue and reconciliation, accepting diversity, with a heart open to the poor and the suffering and capable of giving a faith filled, gospel based response to the needs of today.

May you go forward to give glory to God by your whole life, following the example of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. May they inspire you to live in gratitude, in simplicity and fidelity not just for this moment of celebration but throughout your life?

Rejoicing with you and giving thanks,

Sr. Margaret Muldoon
Superior General

Holy Family provincial’s message

It is a great moment to rejoice, when Holy Family Balika Maha Vidyalaya- Wennappuwa celebrates the 75th Jubilee in the service of education.

A jubilee is always an occasion to stop, to look back at the experience of the PAST years, so as to discover the roots of and meaning for the PRESENT which enable a looking forward to a FUTURE of new possibilities. A Jubilee then, is a moment of Gratitude , of joy and hope when LIFE is celebrated.

Wennappuwa, Holy Family Balika Maha Vidyalaya is what it is today because of our Sisters who had toiled and laboured hard and who believed that education of the young has to go hand in hand with building a better society. Let us remember with thankful hearts these our Sisters and along with them the hundreds of teachers and we-wishes who have been stalwarts in contributing their best towards this great endeavour.

The theme chosen for this occasion – “Living Gratitude in Simplicity and Fidelity” bears witness to the values upheld by a Holy Family school that gives importance to education of the whole person, enabling the full blossoming of the potential of the young. It is a long journey of empowering to discover, acknowledge and own the inherent power in our children. This demands allowing space, great understanding , patient waiting and constant accompanying.

As educators, may we pledge ourselves to this great endeavour.

As students may we remain open to receive, transparent to be guided, courageous in making effort and grateful for the self-gift of many!

Let our goal in life be FIDELITY, not so much achievement! In a world that is characterized by division, hunger for power and prestige, may we dare to build bridges of love and compassion, living in simplicity.

May Jesus, Mary and Joseph bless and guide us so that as a Holy Family School we may all be able to make a DIFFERENCE in our society!

Congratulations and God’s blessings,

Sr. Kumudinie Dassanayake
Provincial Holy Family Sisters
Colombo Province

Principal’s message

It is a delighted moment for me to thank our God for many showers of blessings that bestowed on our beloved school for 75 years to live the charisma, nurturing and bringing the buds of our school to bloom in the society.

We celebrate this to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Holy Family Girls’ school Wennappuwa. We owe ourselves to reflect on both what we have done well, and what we have not done so well and commit ourselves for a better future.

We have great pride in our past and we have great hope and optimism about the future. Today we live in a world facing huge changes because of the challenges of globalization and technological breakthroughs.

The challenge for us is to educate and train our students with moral values, to be smart teachers of the future. This is what gives life to the many years existence of our school. I congratulate all who laboured and help to build up school with good personalities.

I wish and pray that God may bless all our teachers and give the strength and courage to continue this service to radiate our Holy Family Spirit to build a more just and fraternal world.

Rev. Sr. Henrietta Perera
Principal of Holy Family Girls’ school