Rector's Message
Dear Parents and Students,
Greetings from the historical capital city of Sri Lanka, Anuradhapura, the land of the kings (Rajarata)!
Mazenod College is an actualization of the timely need for holistic education felt by the Oblates in Sri Lanka, making a comeback to the field of education. The pioneering Oblate visionaries who reckoned on the dire need to implement a systematic education, as the key which would unlock the world to the children and youth of this country, embarked on starting St. Patrick’s & St. Henry’s Jaffna, St. Peter’s & St. Joseph’s Colombo, De Mazenod Kandana and etc., which even to this day stands as hallmarks of education in Sri Lanka. They have been trail blazers in Sri Lank in various fields.
St. Eugene de Mazenod, Bishop of Marseilles and the founder of Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, as a young priest recognizing the needed ministry of animation of youth formed the “Youth Association of Aix” on April 25, 1813 for whom Fr. de Mazenod became their mentor and spiritual animator. His priorities in proclaiming the Good News to the poor were prisoners, peasants and young people. In fact, most of his ministry time as a young priest and later as the Founder of the Missionaries of Provence was devoted to the young people associated with him in Aix, France. His closeness to the youth made a dramatic change in their course of life. Just as in our Founder’s times, “Mission with Youth” is a priority because the youth are the poorest among the poor. For us this is a real priority and we want to re-affirm it as an authentic Oblate mission in Sri Lanka.
Over the time education has evolved in leaps and bounds. Society has become aware of the importance of holistic and integrated education geared to produce people who will be productive citizens and an asset to the society. To this end while focusing on education, we give importance to co-curricular, extra-curricular and sports activities within a disciplined environment.
We, Missionary Oblates Mary Immaculate, are an international religious congregation of the Catholic Church. At present we are nearly 4000 Oblate Priests and Brothers, who have joined the Mazenodian ranks from 66 countries around the globe. Thus, the Mazenodian family extends beyond the Indian ocean to the Pacific, Arctic and Atlantic. We desire to make every effort to take Mazenod College to greater heights of success in every sphere of education. We are determined to strive hard to make Mazenod College the ‘dream school’ that every child of this area long to be and be educated.
May God our loving Father bless all of us in this noble task abundantly, may Immaculate Virgin Mary our Blessed Mother protect us and may St. Eugene de Mazenod our Patron Saint guide us in all our endeavours!
God bless you!