St. Bridget's Convent is a private girls' school in

Colombo Colombo ( ; si, කොළඹ, translit=Koḷam̆ba, ; ta, கொழும்பு, translit=Koḻumpu, ) is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. According to the Brookings Institution, Colombo me ...

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

. It was founded on 1 February 1902 by the

Sisters of the Good Shepherd The Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd, also known as the Sisters of the Good Shepherd, is a Catholic religious order that was founded in 1835 by Mary Euphrasia Pelletier in Angers, France. The religious sisters belong to a C ...

order, making it one of the earliest Irish mission schools of the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

Ceylon Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

. The school today consists of a Montessori school, a primary school and a collegiate school. The school is a non-fee levying school, whereby it relies mostly on state funds. School buildings includes an auditorium.

History

On 1 February 1902, at the request of T. A. Melizan,

Archbishop of Colombo The Roman Catholic Metropolitan Archdiocese of Colombo ( la, Archidioecesis Columbensis in Taprobane) is a Latin Metropolitan Archdiocese of the Roman Catholic Church, whose ecclesiastical province covers all Sri Lanka plus the Maldives (which are ...

, St. Bridget's Convent was established as the second house of the

Good Shepherd The Good Shepherd ( el, ποιμὴν ὁ καλός, ''poimḗn ho kalós'') is an image used in the pericope of , in which Jesus Christ is depicted as the Good Shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep. Similar imagery is used in Psalm 23 ...

congregation for the education of young ladies. It was the third school in the

area opened by the nuns. The first classes were held at a rented house on Turret Road (

Colpetty Kollupitiya, also known as Colpetty is a major neighbourhood of Colombo, Sri Lanka. The name Kollupitiya comes from the name of a chief from Kandy who had unsuccessfully attempted to dethrone the last king of Kandy. During the period of British ...

) called 'The Firs' before moving to the current location, the premises of the former Henley House, Horton Place in 1912.Mansions of Kolluptiya, Colombo in the early twentieth century
Retrieved 10 December 2014A Tribute to DR. KINGSLEY DE SILVA DEVA ADITYA on his 100th BIRTH ANNIVERSARY
By Niranjan de Silva Deva Aditya (MEP)

Daily News (Sri Lanka) The ''Daily News'' is an English-language newspaper in Sri Lanka. It is now published by the Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Limited (Lake House), a government-owned corporation. The newspaper commenced publishing on 3 January 1918. D. R. Wijew ...

Retrieved 15 December 2014 Two sisters, Mary of St. Francis Borgia and Mary of Our lady of Lourdes, came from the original Kotahena Convent school ( Good Shepherd Convent) to undertake this work.

Symbols

The Irish origins of the Good Shepherd sisters are seen in the school colours, emblem and unique traditions. ;Emblem The school emblem depicts in essence the heart of the school. The rationale for its functioning and for its role within and without is reflected in the school motto ‘Gently and Firmly’. The other symbols include: * Fountain: symbolises fountain of learning * Dark green leaves and shamrock: the sisters' resilience and Irish origins * Shepherd's Crook: refers to the Good Shepherd sisters and God as the Good Shepherd who looks after his fold and guides them safely across the path ;Patron saint The patron saint of the school is St. Bridget, the patron saint of Ireland, whose feast is commemorated in the 1st of February of each year.

Houses

There are 4 houses in the primary school and the collegiate school: *Borgia House - motto "Charity to All, Malice to None" *Coudert House - motto "Fidelity to Duty is the Path to Glory" *Griaux House - motto "Onwards and Upwards" *Melizan House - motto "United We Stand, Divided We Fall" The houses are named for Dr. T. A. Melizan, Mother St. Francis Borgia, Father G. Griaux and Dr. A. Coudert, who were involved in the development of the school from the start.

Notable alumni

References

External links

Official websiteSt Bridget's convent primary school Web Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Bridget's Convent 1902 establishments in Ceylon Catholic schools in Sri Lanka Educational institutions established in 1902 Girls' schools in Sri Lanka Private schools in Sri Lanka Schools in Colombo Schools in Sri Lanka founded by missionaries