THE OBA DOWN THE AGES (1928-2011)
The OBA has entered its 81 st year of existence and a look down the ages may be in order. It was the aftermath of the French Revolution two hundred years ago. The feudal system in France had cracked up and the misery of the people was unbearable. The children of the rich were educated in private institutions at great cost and the poor were neglected. A lone priest, Fr. Marcellin Champagnat, began teaching the children of the poor. Soon likeminded young men joined him and a new religious order was born, called the order of the Marist Brothers.
Over a hundred years later, three brothers from this order, Joseph, Anthony and Lewis, set sail for the East, to the island of Ceylon , to set up their mission. After a short stay in Batticaloa in the eastern part of the island, the brothers moved to little Rome on the western coast of Sri Lanka . They were put in charge of St. Mary's College, an already existing institution under the Archbishop of Colombo. Very soon, St. Mary's College began to flourish with increased numbers and excellent results at the Senior Cambridge Examinations. But progress was hampered by lack of space for expansion being hedged in by St. Mary's Church on one side and by peoples' houses on the other. Brothers began to look for a bigger block of land and Divine Providence came to the assistance of the Brothers when Isabela de Croos, a benevolent philanthropist, decided to donate nearly six acres of land, right at the copra junction. The land had a large water logged area where people would catch fish in the evenings and a higher area where the Brothers put up the first buildings and came into occupation in 1922. Thus Maris Stella College was born.
The birth of the College in 1922 was followed by the birth of the Old Boys Association in 1928. The inaugural meeting of the OBA was held on 22 nd September and curiously enough the gathering present on that day consisted of the whole staff of the College both lay and religious and only a few old boys. This fledgling association grew over the years passing through good times and bad and today it is a robust, active and a prestigious association in Negombo.
In most schools, the President of the OBA is the Principal of the College, But Bro. Stanislaus, a former Principal, refused to accept the post and the OBA had the first lay President, Mr R I Fernandopulle, whose period of office is regarded even today as one of the most fruitful. From the beginning, the OBA was heavily involved in fund-raising activities to put up buildings for the ever-expanding College. It is recorded that the first carnival was “Merry May” in the 1940s followed by “Starry Nights” and “Marist Mela” and a host of others. The OBA played a major part in every one of them. Coming down to modern rimes, the OBA made a massive contribution towards the construction of the Auditorium, the setting up of the Computer Labs in the secondary and primary buildings and the construction of the second floor of the extension to the new building.
Today, the OBa has taken a hard look at its own development. In a small block of land right next to the College, the OBA will soon have its own center.
May the OBA grow from strength to strength in the coming years! May its dream of a home of its own become a reality before it celebrates the 85 th anniversary! And may the Divine Master continue to guard and guide the OBA at all times!