PRESIDENT RAJAPAKSA SAYS WITH
THE PASSING AWAY OF REV. FLAVIAN WILATHGAMUWA SRILANKA LOST A TRUE PATRIOT
By Walter Jayawardhana
President Mahinda Rajapaksa of Sri Lanka in a message of condolence
on the passing away of Father Flavian Wilathgamuwa (89) said Sri Lanka
has lost a true patriot.
In a message issued in London he said, “With the passing away of
Reverend Father Dr. Flavian Wilathgamuwa CMF in Duarte California, Sri
Lanka has lost a true patriot who has fought fearlessly to protect the
good image of the country against separatist vicious propaganda.
“Many old boys of St. Benedict’s College Kotahena will remember
him with gratitude as a great educator and the Director of the school
who innovated the starting of the school in the morning by singing the
national anthem as far back as in1958.
“Once when he was accused by the enemies of the country that he
was more loyal to the leaders of Sri Lanka than the Catholic Church.
That was when he has famously said, “I am a patriot of Sri Lanka.
There is no conflict between loyalty to my country and the loyalty to
my church.”
“Before becoming a Claretian priest, he was a Rev. Brother of the
De La Salle order also known as the Brothers of the Christian Schools.
“A close friend of the late S.W.R.D.Bandaranaike and Mrs. Sirimavo
Bandaranaike he in 1958 became the first Christian brother to become
a member of the Sri Lanka delegation to the United Nations. The Buddhist
member of the group was the late Dr. Hevanpola Ratanasara Thero.
“Before becoming the Director of St. Benedict’s College he
taught at St. Bede’s College Badulla, St. Anthony’s College,
Wattala, St. Sebastian’s College Moratuwa, and St. Anne’s
College, Kurunegala. He later became the Provincial leader of the De
La Salle Brothers administering Sri Lanka, Pakistan, India and Burma.
“When the assassination of Buddhist monks at Aranthalawa by the
LTTE took place he travelled to Washington DC with dozen other Buddhist
monks and performed a Sathyagraha to protest against terrorism in Sri
Lanka.
“Strongly believing in Buddhist Christian amity he became the first
director of a Catholic College to invite a Buddhist monk to be the Chief
Guest at the annual prize giving, at St. Benedict’s College, Kotahena.
The Chief Guest was no lesser person than Dr. Walpola Rahula Thero.
In later years of his life in California it became tradition for Buddhist
homes to invite him to partake alms with Buddhist monks.
“I convey my deepest condolences to the Order of Claretian Brothers
to which he belonged, to the orphans and care takers of Mahena Garden
Farm at Pahala Yagoda, Ganemulla for which he found money to run, to
Marian Movement for Priests which he supported, to his family, to all
past pupils he taught and thousands of expatriate Sri Lankans who followed
his lead to stand by their motherland.”
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