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

Colombo Colombo, ( ; , ; , ), is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. The Colombo metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of 5.6 million, and 752,993 within the municipal limits. It is the ...

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

. It was founded on February 1, 1902 by the Sisters of the Good Shepherd order, making it one of the earliest mission schools of the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

Ceylon Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

. The school today consists of a Montessori school, a primary school and a collegiate school. It comprises 1324 students taught by a staff of 105 teachers.

History

On 1 February 1902, at the request of Most Rev. Dr. T. A. Melizan O.M.I,

Archbishop of Colombo The Roman Catholic Metropolitan Archdiocese of Colombo () is a Latin metropolitan archdiocese of the Roman Catholic Church, whose ecclesiastical province covers all Sri Lanka plus the Maldives (which are within the archbishopric). It depends on th ...

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

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

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) called 'The Firs'. Two sisters, Sr. Mary of St.Francis Borgia and Sr. Mary of Our lady of Lourdes, came from the original Kotahena Convent school ( Good Shepherd Convent) to undertake this work. With the opening of the school by the sisters of the Good Shepherd, the long cherished wish of Most Reverend Dr.T.A Melizan became a reality.

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 on 1 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 Private schools in Sri Lanka Catholic schools in Sri Lanka Girls' schools in Sri Lanka Educational institutions established in 1902 Schools in Colombo