Installation and Institution
of Rev.Marc Billimoria
As the 13th Headmaster of S.Thomas College at Gurutalawa.
The Service of Institution and Installation of Rev. Marc Billiomoria as
the 13th Headmaster of S. Thomas College at Gurutalawa took
place at the Chapel of St. Francis of Assisi, S. Thomas College,
Gurutalawa on Monday the 11th June 2007. The service
commenced at 10.30. a.m. officiated by the Rt. Rev. Duleep De Chickera
the 14th Bishop of the Diocese of Colombo.
The chapel was packed to capacity with a sizeable overflow. The
congregation included sundry members of the Board of Governors, Old Boys
of the College in hopeful numbers augmenting members of the Committee,
friends and relations of Fr.Marc and parishioners of Holy Trinity
Church, Mirihana, in which he was, up to his appointment, the incumbent
Vicar. The parishoners had made their way in a hired bus; truly
testimony to the affection and regard they had for him and a symbolic
augury for the future of the school.
There was a special order of service which commenced with the singing
of the Old Hundred ,the Hymn All people that on earth do dwell based on
Psalm 100, the Entrance Hymn to the Holy Communion Service initially up
to the point of The Sermon And the Creed. The sermon preached by the
Bishop was on GOD’s faithfulness and Caring enunciated by Jesus himself
in the well known teaching Consider the Lilies of field.
Then came the INSTITUTION which was preceded by a sequence of Questions
and Answers relating to the execution of his stewardship as the
Headmaster. The Lord Being my helper and culminating in his actual
commissioning and a special blessing on the Headmaster and his family
present in person. Then the Bishop accompanied by The Archdeacon of
Nuwara Eliya, the Chaplain, and the Headmaster, proceeded to the
Headmasters Stall for his INSTALLATION after which he was formally
presented to the gathering of people present.
The service then continued with The Ministry of the Sacrament ,the
Post Communion In which the Collect was said by the New Headmaster,
before the Blessing and The Dismissal and the Recessional Hymn Forth in
thy name, O Lord , I go.
The gathering then went in procession led by the College Band to the
Canon.A.J.Foster Memorial Hall for General Assembly. A feature of the
procession was the inclusion of three horses obtained for the school,
courtesy Mr. Jacques Hughebaert who had been placed In Charge of the
school till the appointment of the new Head.
Addressing the Assembly the Bishop referred to the dire straits the
College had been in and referred to the unexpected emergence of Mr
Hughebaert as divinely provided at a juncture when the closure of the
school had appeared to be imminent. The presence of a greatly increased
student population now, was indicative of measures he had taken to stem
the tide. He welcomed the new Head who was not only a priest but an old
Thomian and called for the support of all concerned. However he struck a
discordant note, as far as the many Old Boys present were concerned,
when his Lordship peremptorily cautioned against interference in the
affairs of the School unaware of the circumstances in which he was moved
to say so, particularly in the context of the recent past when it was
precisely the Old boys who had filled the breach and brought the state
of the school due to years of administrative neglect, to the fore, and
set a train of events which had changed its course to its present
regenerative possibility.
It was axiomatic that
with Father Marc as Head, with the support of Mr.Hughebaert and Mr
Christo Gonawela as Manager, there would be no question of interference.
Mr Hughbaert made the point that the horses he introduced would
establish a resonance with the era of the School under Dr Hayman in
which there were horses and the school was much sought after for the
special type of Education it imparted.
Rev. Marc Billimoria then addressed the assembly and conveyed to all
present, by his assurances and bearing, that the school was indeed on
the threshold of a new Era which would reach out to the values of the
past in the pursuit of excellence though under radically changed social
conditions.
The Head Prefect proposed the customary Vote of Thanks and the assembly
concluded with the singing of the College Song and the National Anthem.
The Service was conducted in all three languages and the singing was
robust.
The Head master then invited all those present for Lunch. It was a
vegetarian lunch and at the behest of the Head , no different from that
of the Boys. It was noteworthy that the boys were smartly dressed.
P.S.Duleepkumar.
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