Sri Lanka the pearl of the Indian Ocean is well known for its natural beauty and the Hill Country covers a bunch of beautiful picturesque sceneries of green mountains, rivers, water falls, tea plantations with cold freeze and mist. Talawakelle in the heart of the Hill Country adds an extra beauty with Devon and St. Clair water falls surrounded by high mountains. The name of St. Patrick’s College too stands very close to the natural beauty of the Up – Country.

St. Patrick’s College is much more than a school that provides education. It shines like a lamp lit on a mountain giving light to the most deserving students of the area irrespective of religion and any social status. It has produced many responsible citizens with good knowledge, discipline etc.

The history of St. Patrick’s College dates back to 1871. Mr. James Ryan an Englishman the founder of St. Clair Tea Plantation generously donated a piece of land to build a place of worship for the Catholics of the area. In 1872 St. Patrick’s Church was built to serve the Catholics. 

St. Patrick’s College is much more than a school that provides education. It shines like a lamp lit on a mountain giving light to the most deserving students of the area irrespective of religion and any social status. It has produced many responsible citizens with good knowledge, discipline, etc.

The history of St. Patrick’s College dates back to 1871. Mr. James Ryan an Englishman the founder of St. Clair Tea Plantation generously donated a piece of land to build a place of worship for the Catholics of the area. In 1872 St. Patrick’s Church was built to serve the Catholics. 

Rev. Fr. Maurus  Fernandes a Benedictine monk the parish priest had a great desire to educate the poor children of the plantation sector with proper education. Recognizing the need of a school in the area approached the church leadership to begin a Catholic school. Bishop Bernard Regno OSB who had a great love for the people of the Up-Country tea Estates willingly blessed the requests of the parish priest and gave permission to start the classes inside the church itself. In 1936 St. Patrick’s College became a reality. The College was born of the necessity to bring a life transformation in the life of the children.

“God always gives a great blessing to humble beginnings than to those that with the chiming of bells.” This was true in the history of St. Patrick’s College too. The school was started inside the church with just 22 students. Weekends the church gathered people for worship while on weekdays students gathered to study. Things were not very smooth in the beginning. The parish priest together with the teachers had to struggle a lot facing many challenges to get permission from the government and the department of education. Finally, by fulfilling all the requirements of the government the Religious Brothers of the Society of St. Joseph and the church leadership were able to convince the officials to grant permission for a school.

In 1951 the Government Department of Education recognized St. Patrick’s College as Senior Secondary School and gave the approval. A new building was built with the necessary facilities. This is one of the important milestones in history. Rev. Fr. Paul Perera the parish priest (later Bishop of Kandy) invited qualified teachers from the North to assist the students with better education. A seed planted by Rev. Fr. Maurus Fernandes is in the process of growing a tree which would give shelter for many well trained and educated students and citizens of this country. 

Another turning point in the history of the College was when late Bishop Leo Nanayakkara OSB decided to invite the Sisters of the Holy Family from Jaffna and built a convent for them. Rev. Sr. Justina was appointed the principal of the College in 1963. The consecutive parish priests together with the Holy Family Nuns the College began to march towards excellence.

Following the good examples of the predecessors, Bishop Vianney Fernando who has a very soft corner towards the people of the Up-Country began to bring many infrastructural transformations.

His Lordship built an institute called St. Patrick’s Apostolic Institute (boys hostel) to accommodate students from the neighboring estates. Religious Brothers of the Franciscan Order trained the boys. Rev. Bro. Justus of the same Order served the college as the Director for a number of years. His contribution too was very remarkable. It was an opportunity for many boys to decide to join the priesthood. There are many priests who hailed from this beloved institute and the college is serving in the country. 

 His Lordship Bishop Vianney with the generous help of various benefactors built a new building with many facilities. His Lordship also had a great dream to begin an English medium in the College. He invited the Comboni Missionary Sisters to help the plantation children to develop their knowledge of English. Now the College is blessed with Bi-Lingual Studies. The continuous guidance and support of Very Rev. Fr. Milroy Fonseka the Manager of the Catholic Schools becomes an important aspect in the past years. 

The next turning point in the life of the College was that His Lordship decided to appoint the diocesan priests as principals of the college. In 2006 Rev. Fr. Marian Leonard was appointed Rector cum Principal. During his Rectorship the college was blessed with many new openings such as Advance Level classes, Scouts Movement, New Computer Section, Audio Visual Room, School Western Band etc. 

Rev. Fr. Dominic Sandanam was appointed Rector cum Principal in 2017. His vision and mission are leading the college towards a new era with many developments. A long-awaited need was to build an entrance to the college. He fulfilled this need erecting a statue of St. Patrick with a new entrance. He started the ever-new historical Patrician Walk. Training programs for Western Band, Bharathanatiyam, Karate, Sports, Musical Instruments etc. are in progress. His commitment and dedication encouraged the students to show excellence in results. The college became the first in the Zone defeating all other schools producing best results in Ordinary Level Examinations. Increased the number of students and teachers ensuring better education with quality life. Another new building was inaugurated recently with many modern facilities. A new hostel also is being established to facilitate the students of the plantation sector.

 “We Trust in God” is our Moto and we place our total trust in god. His divine providence is our life experience. Our journey continues towards excellence. The students embraced the College with a legendary sense of purpose. An infectious passion grips every student that walks through the corridors of St. Patrick’s College. This is our legacy, this is our story. Long Live St. Patrick’s College.