Our History

• September 12: Rev. Fr. Luigi Piccinelli, an Italian secular priest, purchased land in Maggona and constructed a small house for a group of young men seeking a life of prayer. They were initially known as the Sodality of Mary Immaculate.

• Rev. Fr. C. J. B. Fernando sent a dozen destitute children from the Uva Province to Fr. Piccinelli. This responsibility was entrusted to the 14 Sodalists, marking the official beginning of St. Vincent’s Home, Maggona, as an orphanage.

• April 12: Fr. Piccinelli formally donated the St. Vincent’s Homeland (approximately 55 acres) to Rt. Rev. Dr. Christophe Ernest Bonjean, OMI, the then Vicar Apostolic of Colombo.
• The Home became the property of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI).
• Fr. Adrien Duffo, OMI, was appointed the first Oblate Director.

• 1887: Fr. Charles Collin, OMI, assumed leadership of the Maggona Institution.
• 1887: Twenty-five destitute children were transferred to St. Vincent’s Home from an Oblate Home in Kotte.
• 1889: Fr. Charles Conrad, OMI, the new Director, expanded the property through additional land acquisitions, initiated new projects, and oversaw new building construction. He also completed the construction of the essential road connecting Galle Road to St. Vincent’s Home within two years.

• 1891: The Sodality of Mary Immaculate, still guiding the Home under the Oblates, became an official Diocesan Religious Order, with the approaval of the first Rules, it was renamed as the ‘Congregation of the Native Brothers of St. Vincent de Paul’.
• 1892: A group of foreign Oblate Brothers arrived in Ceylon specifically to serve at St. Vincent’s Home.
• 1892: The Government granted 202 acres of land for a reformatory and industrial school for juvenile offenders of Catholic parents.
• 1893: The foundation stone for the Reformatory was laid, including plans for a residential building, dormitory, and workshop.
• 1895: The Reformatory officially commenced operations.
• 1895: British Governor Sir Arthur Havelock praised the management of St. Vincent’s Home in a letter to Archbishop Melizan, expressing the government’s satisfaction.
• 1896: The humble beginnings of the Catholic Teachers’ Training School started on the premises.
• 1897: The printing press of the Industrial School began operations in a small room.
• 1898: Following the closure of the “Happy Valley” Wesleyan Reformatory, children were transferred to Maggona. St. Vincent’s Home officially opened its doors to all Sri Lankan children, regardless of religion.
• 1899: The first-ever Sinhalese Catholic magazine, “Bhakthi Prabodhanaya,” was printed and launched as a publication of St. Vincent’s Home.

• 1900: At the outset of the 20th Century, St. Vincent’s Home was a comprehensive complex, housing the Orphanage, the Industrial School, the Approved School (Reformatory), the Calvary, and two communities of Brothers (Ceylonese and European).
• 1900: The Calvary Shrine was inaugurated with the celebration of Holy Mass on the Feast of the Holy Cross (September 14).
• 1902: A new building for the Catholic Teachers’ Training School was opened.
• 1903: A Tamil school was started for the Tamil children at the Reformatory.
• 1907: A separate Training School was established for Tamil-speaking teacher trainees. The foundation stone for a new church was also laid.
• 1913: For the Tamil-speaking destitute children a new home was established – St. John Bosco Children’s Home.
• 1917: The Teachers’ Training School was officially named after St. Anthony.

• 1925: St. Vincent’s Home received electricity for the first time via a generator.
• 1926: SVH becomes instrumental in building a new church at Munhena, a neighbouring village.
• 1930: The Franciscan Brothers of St. Vincent de Paul are relocated to a new property nearby, while continuing to work at SVH.
• 1948: The introduction of the Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) system to enhance job security for the minor staff.
• 1950: Rt. Rev. Dr. Thomas Cooray, Archbishop of Colombo, blessed a new two-storey building to serve as the residential quarters of the Oblates.

• 1958: The Old Boys Association of St. Vincent’s Home was formally inaugurated.
• 1963: Fr. Anthony Dharmarathne became the first Sri Lankan Superior and Director of St. Vincent’s Home.
• 1964: The old Teachers’ Training School was converted into a formation house, the De Mazenod Pre-Novitiate.
• 1969: The property reserved for staff and former students, named “Dharmarathne Janapadaya,” was officially opened by the Minister of Housing.
• 1975: The Approved School celebrated its Diamond Jubilee (1900-1975) with the then President of Sri Lanka, William Gopallawa, as the chief guest. The school was renamed “Susithodaya.”

• 1981: The Children’s Home celebrated its Centenary Jubilee.
• 1984: The Old Boys Association commemorated the 100th anniversary of the Oblates’ arrival by organizing a celebration and erecting a statue of Saint Eugene de Mazenod on the premises.
• 1987: An Elders’ Home was established at St. Vincent’s Home for the first time, extending its compassionate service to the elderly.
• 1987: A Montessori school was started in Janapadaya for the children of workers and neighbouring families as a new community service.
• 1993: Rev. Bro. John Gilbert Pullenayagam, OMI, became the first Oblate Brother to serve as the Managing Director and Superior of the Home.
• 1994: A new statue of Jesus carrying the Cross was erected and blessed at Diyalagoda junction.
• 1995: The centennial of the Reformatory.

• 2004: St. Vincent’s Home provided crucial shelter and basic facilities to over 1,500 people displaced by the Tsunami disaster.
• 2006: St. Vincent’s Home celebrated the 125th Jubilee of the establishment ofthe Orphanage
• 2025: National Calvary Shrine celebrated its 125th Jubilee.

1. Rev Fr Luigi Piccinelli (Pioneer)
2. Rev Fr Aloysious Maver

3. Rev Fr Adrian Duffo OMI (1884-1887)
4. Rev Fr Charles Collin OMI (1887-1889)
5. Rev Fr Charles Conrad OMI (1889-1891)

5. Rev Fr Charles Conrad OMI (1891-1899)
6. Rev Fr Isidore Belle OMI (1899-1906)
7. Rev Fr Thomas Guglielmi OMI (1906-1909)
8. Rev Fr Charles Croctaine OMI (1909-1912)
9. Rev Fr Narcissus Lefrère OMI (1912-1918)
10. Rev Fr Henry Boyer OMI (1918-1929)
11. Rev Fr Jean-Marie Masson OMI (1929-1935)
12. Rev Fr Eugene Gomes OMI (1935-1938)
13. Rev Fr Louis Perrot OMI (1938-1947)
14. Rev Fr Peter Le Friant OMI (1947-1954)
15. Rev Fr Peter Selmer OMI (1954-1963)

16. Rev Fr Anthony Dharmaratne OMI (1963-1969)
17. Rev Fr Charles Senthilvel OMI (1969-1972)
18. Rev Fr Michael Croos OMI (1972-1975)
19. Rev Fr Raphael Aloysius OMI (1975-1978)
20. Rev Fr Phillip Dissanayaka OMI (1978-1979)
21. Rev Fr John Camillus Fernando OMI (1979-1983)
22. Rev Fr Cyril Perera OMI (1983-1985)
23. Rev Fr John Camillus Fernando OMI (1985-1989)
24. Rev Fr Sarath Silva OMI (1989-1993)
25. Rev Br John Gilbert Pullenayagam OMI (1993-1993)
26. Rev Fr Gabriel Nanayakkara OMI (1993-1997)
27. Rev Fr John Camillus Fernando OMI (1997-2001)
28. Rev Fr Rohan Silva OMI (2001-2007)
29. Rev Fr Justin Silva OMI (2007-2010)
30. Rev Fr Srian Ranasinghe OMI (2010-2013)
31. Rev Fr Dilan Perera OMI (2014-2017)
32. Rev Fr Roshan Silva OMI (2017-2020)
33. Rev Fr Subash Fernando OMI (2020-2023)
34. Rev Fr Jude Saparamadu OMI (2023-todate)