Overview

Mannar, formally known as “Mathotta” was the business centre on the ‘Silk Route'. Mannar is also known as the Land of Martyrs after 600 Christians, men and women gave their lives for their faith. This tiny Island is known for the people of multi faith, traditions and culture. Today, the first school of this land, St. Xavier's Boys's College which has been the land mark of education, sports and discipline, commemorates its 150th year of conception. Good Shepherd School in Mannar owned its beginning to St. Francis Xavier who had sent his missionary priests to Sri Lanka to proclaim the faith. Those missionaries who came to Mannar around 1542, started the school to educate the children with faith in their vernacular language. Later, when Jaffna became one of the fist two dioceses of Ceylon in 1845, Catholic Education was given extreme importance by the Bishops. Specially during the time of Bishop Bonjean OMI, who was known as the Champion of Catholic Education in Sri Lanka. Many schools saw their inception. Under the guidance of Bishop Bonjean OMI, Rev. Fr. Peter Maria Boutin OMI, an exemplary French Missionary and a model religious, came to Mannar to give a sound English education, together with vernacular language started the school in 1870 and named as “Good Shepherd School”. The missionaries convinced that education was an essential factor in the development of the Church in Sri Lanka, especially in a rising town like Mannar, set aside a dedicated missionary to work exclusively to promote eduction in this area, through the newly found school. From August 17, 1894, the Brothers of St. Joseph were put in charge of the school headed by Brother Felix. They administered the school through ups and downs until 1907. In 1911, the OMI priests moved the school near to the Parish House of St. Mary's church (that is the present residence of the De La Salle Brothers) and named it as St. Xavier's School. St. Xavier's School was exclaimed as the mother of many other schools