The 56th Death Anniversary Of Very Rev. Fr. Peter A. Pillai Omi September 27, 2020

D.C. Jayasinghe

He was:

* A great and eminent educationist giant.

* An illustrious personality of Human Development, National Unity, Peaceful Co-existence, Mutual Understanding and Collaboration.

* A social reformer who heroically fought for social justice.

The pilot of social economic renovation.

* The saviour and the protector of Catholic Schools.

* The architect of the concept of the system of “The Private Non Fee Levying Schools”.

* The father of “The Employees Provident Fund” scheme.

* Above all a true foster-father to all Josephians.

The family tree

* Father – Mr. Jacob Pillai

The UPATHIAR (teacher) at the vernacular school Ulhitiyawa, Wennappuwa.

* Mother – Mrs. Anna Pillai

five children – all boys – four joined the Religious Order and became stalwarts there.

* Elders son – Rev. Fr. Cajetan Pillai OMI.

* The prefect of boarders at St. Joseph’s college Colombo. In the year 1920 he died of small pox while attending to the boarders in college who were infected with small pox.

* Second son – Very Rev. Brother Luke

A great educationist. He was the Provincial of the De La Salle Brothers (Christian Brothers).

* Third son – The Most Rev. Dr. Emilianus Pillai OMI – The Bishop of Jaffna

* The first Sri Lankan indigenous Bishop of the Jaffna diocese.

* Forth son – Very Rev. Fr. Peter Alcantara Pillai OMI

A great educationist and illustrious person of National Unity; The most famous and the First Sri Lankan indigenous Rector of St. Joseph’s College, Colombo for 21 years (1940-1961)

* Fifth son – Mr. Stanislaus Pillai – The only laymen

In addition to the above religious stalwart there is:

* Very Rev. Sr. Mary Holy Face of the Great Carmelite Order

Three times its prioress. She is the niece of the Pillai brothers and the daughter of Mr. Stanislaus Pillai – The fifth son

Fr. Peter Pillai was born in 1904 October 19 at Wennappuwa. This year we celebrate his 160th birthday. After finishing his primary education at Wennappuwa boy’s school he entered St. Benedict’s College Kotahena. At the age of 14 Peter Pillai passed London Cambridge Junior Exam with distinctions in all eight subjects and came first in the Island. At the age 16 he passed Cambridge Senior with distinctions in all subjects. They were the best results a pupil had obtained in the British empire up to then. At Colombo University College at the age of 20 he obtained BSc degree with First Class Honours in Maths. At the age of 23 in the London University he obtained his MSc and DD (Doctor of Divinity) in Rome. He was a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D) at the very young age of 28. He was the first Sri Lankan to obtain BA and MA in Arts subjects as well as BSc and MSc in Science subjects. His answer scripts in these exams are still preserved in the London University. (A humorous anecdote: as a student one day Peter Pillai came home after answering his Mathematics question paper with a sad face. He jumped on to his bed with the school uniform, laid flat and began to cry loud. His father asked “Makon (son) why are you crying?” his reply was “Appa (father) before I completed the 10th question the invigilator rushed at me and pulled away my Answer Script. I could answer only nine and half questions”. His father examined the question paper well and began to laugh heartily. The son was bewildered. The father said “Son did you not read the instructions in the question paper. You are expected to answer only eight of the 10 questions”. Young Peter felt ashamed.) He claimed world attention gaining highest qualifications in Arts and Science. At the age of 30 he became a priest. When he was 32 years he served at St. Peter’s College Colombo-4 as a teacher and at the same time was the Warden of the University Catholic Hostel.

At the sudden death under tragic circumstances of then Rector Rev. Fr. M. J. Le Goc OMI Fr. Peter Pillai was appointed the Rector of St. Joseph’s College. At the later part of his Rectorship he founded the academy of higher studies. As he retired from St. Joseph’s College in 1961 he founded the present Aquinas University College Borella and was the First Rector there.

While at St. Joseph’s College, he founded the Catechetical Institute and few other societies for human development. In 1936 he started the Social Justice’ magazine and was the First Editor. Later its Sinhala version named Samaja Samaya’ was started, and he appointed Mr. Anthony Jayamanne, a veteran teacher and a Sinhala Scholar, at St. Joseph’s College, as its Editor. As I entered St. Joseph’s College, Fr. Peter. Pillai appointed me the sub-editor of the ‘Samaja Samaya’ and wanted me to help and work with Mr. Jayamanne. Thus Fr. Peter. Pillai campaigned vigorously for socio-economic reform.

At the School Take-over, he played a very vigorous and prominent part and was almost the Defender and the Saviour of the Catholic Denominational Schools. He “fought the big fight” with the then Government in trying to avoid the taking over of Catholic Schools by the Government. He almost wept when he did not succeed. The present concept of “Private non-fee-levying School” system of Fr. Peter Pillai at least saved some leading Catholic Schools, mostly in Colombo and in suburbs.

During his Rectorship at St. Joseph’s College Fr. Peter Pillai constructed the large beautiful Swimming Pool in keeping with the required standard and necessary equipment suitable for the Public School swimming meets. At the inauguration and opening of the pool, Fr. Peter Pillai, atn the request of the students, got into the pool and had the first dip.

The so beautiful and spacious College Chapel had an acoustic problem. When one speaks from the altar, the sound vibrates and echoes so badly that no one can follow what is being said. It was becoming almost a nuisance. Fr. Peter worked towards finding a solution and scientifically experimented all by himself a method of overcoming the problem and produced a mixture which was used with the help of local and foreign engineers to plaster the entire dome of the College Chapel with the newly created mixture. The acoustic problem vanished.

Realising that the student numbers were increasing by the day, and the buildings were insufficient to accommodate them, he constructed a long line of class-rooms along the Beira Lake keeping to the same style of the other buildings. These class-rooms were meant for the students of the Middle School and Grade nine. These class-rooms were not separated by brick-walls but by movable wooden partitions attached to each other so that they could be removed for any necessity. Thus the entire building with the partitions removed could be used for lecture, study, exam or conference hall. The end of this block has an attached special room for art with necessary facilities.

Fr. Peter started a Printing Press in the College and named it ‘Collin Press’ in memory of a past Rector. His ‘Social Justice’ and ‘Samaja Samaya’ were printed here with the hand-set letter type. Even the College Magazine ‘Blue and White’, Prize Day Reports and other relevant College literature were printed here. Attached to the ‘Collin Press’, Fr. Peter Pillai opened a Radio Lab which was run by Rev. Fr. Ignatius Perera. This lab was later taken to Kotahena where it presently exists, more modernized. When Collin Press and the Radio Lab were removed, the vacated building became the wood-work shop and leather-work shop for practical classes in craft skills.

Fr. Peter obtained a piece of land from the Sisters of the Poor next door to the school by the far end bordering the Beira Lake and built a playground which was called the Beira Grounds. Later for the purpose of practical work for the subject of agriculture this Beira Grounds were converted to paddy fields. Now this plot of land has once again become the Beira Grounds.

Fr. Peter A. Pillai served on the University Senate and Court, Divorce Commission, the Social Service Commissions and was the President of the Head Masters’ Conference attached to the Government. In the Archdiocese of Colombo he was a Vicar General. He died on September 27, 1964 at the age of 60. The Philatelic Bureau of the Department of Posts issued a four-colour commemorative stamp printed in the UK to the value of 60 cents on May 22, 1985. This Department had printed 1,000,000 stamps in the size of 25×30 mm. This is almost 30 years ago.

We thank the Almighty for granting us priests in the calibre of Very Rev. Fr. Peter Pillai, OMI.

The writer is a former Principal of the Upper School

St. Joseph’s College

Colombo 10