Rev.Fr.S.J.S.Rodrigo

Towards the Centenary Death Anniversary of Rev.Fr.S.J.S.Rodrigo (MA):

1910-1915 Manager: Rev.Fr.S.J.S.Rodrigo (MA),

Head Master Mr.M.Jayasooriya was appointed under him. He was called to Rest in 1915 and was buried in Nuwara Eliya.

Being admitted on 14th, March 1879 Rev.Fr.Solomon Rodrigo became the first Ceylonese (Sri Lankan) to enter the Pontifical College Urban De Propaganda Fide.

On 6th, November 1881 Father Rodrigo was robed by His Eminence Cardinal Simioni, the Prefect of the College. On 12th, February 1888 he had the unique privilege at that time, of receiving Holy Communion at the hands of His Holiness Pope Leo the XIII. He was ordained to the Priesthood by His Eminence Cardinal Vicar Lucido Maria Parocchi, and the ordination took place at the Sacred Arch Basilica of St. John in Lateran. Fr. Joseph De Solomon Rodrigo’s ordination on 25th, February 1888 made him the first Ceylonese to be ordained a Roman Catholic Priest in the Vatican City Rome ,the Spiritual Center of the Roman Catholic Religion.

Father Rodrigo was also the only Ceylonese and indeed the only Priest from the entire East who had the exceptional distinction of composing sacred music for the Basilica of St. Peter’s: Christendom’s Greatest Church and had the privilege of conducting the choir of that great Basilica of the “ Eternal City .” (The Ceylon daily news 15.11.1916, p.5) On 3rd, July 1888 Fr. Rodrigo had the rare honour to be appointed the Vice Rector of the Pontifical College Urban de Propaganda Fide Vatican City . Despite the high office which Father Rodrigo accepted with reluctance in obedience to his superiors, he left Urban College on 27th, November 1888 as his one desire was to go in to the missionary field.

He returned to Sri Lanka (then Ceylon ) on Christmas Day 1888 and first served in the Diocese of Colombo for 22 years before proceeding to the Mission of Nuwara Eliya in 1910, to serve as Parish Priest of St.Francis Xavier’s Church during the episcopate of His Lordship the Rt. Rev. Dr. D.C. Pagnani Bishop of Kandy (1885 – 1911) under whose Diocese was the Mission of Nuwara Eliya. Bishop Pagnani was succeeded By His Lordship the Rt. Rev. Dr. Bede Bekmeyer who became the first Ceylonese Bishop, and of Kandy (1911-1935)

Fr. Rodrigo had been the 9th, Parish Priest of St. Xavier’s Nuwara Eliya and served St Xavier’s College as its Manager from the year 1910 to 1915, and was assisted by the head master Mr.M.Jayasekara.

Father Rodrigo was an erudite Sinhala scholar and a prolific writer both in Sinhala and English. Two of his publications include “Exposition of False Reasoning” in Sinhala and “Origin & History of the Catholic Church at Wahakotte” in English.

One of the remarkable events worthy of mention was how Father Rodrigo had administered the service of the 3 Hour Agony on Good Friday in 1915 quoted in a publication edited by Rev. Fr. Theodore Pieris Mis. Ap. in “125 Years in Nuwara Eliya” p.28 and in the “Catholic Messenger’ of 27.11.1977 in an account titled “ Nuwara Eliya Priest Remembered”. It reads “…at the Three Hour Agony service that was preached, he had delivered all 7 sermons and had, in between the sermons gone up to the choir, sung and conducted and rushed back for the next sermon. When all was over, some one remarked “You may be very tired Father”. “Not in the least” was his answer. “If you wish, I’ll do it all over again.”

Father Rodrigo celebrated his 25th, Religious anniversary of his sacerdotal ordination in March 1913, and 2 years later, after working laboriously for 26 years in the Diocese of Colombo and Kandy (Nuwara Eliya being his last Mission) at the age 56 years he was called to our Lord’s Own Vineyard on the first Friday of November 5th, 1915. Father Rodrigo’s remains were laid to rest at the Roman Catholic section of the Nuwara Eliya General Cemetery in Church road.