It was such an honour to be invited to write a message for the magazine to be published for the celebration of 50 years of priesthood for our beloved Father Stephen Abraham former Principal of St Anthony’s Collage Kandy, Sri Lanka.
My first encounter with Father Stephen was when he spoke at the college assembly soon after taking over as the principal of St Anthony’s College Kandy. While I was not mature enough to know a good speech from a bad one, the tone of his voice and the charisma of his personality were electrifying. I cannot remember any of the words uttered by this great man given the passage of time but his personality made us have mixed feeling of hope, respect and fear.
Father Stephen was such an encouragement to us sportsmen of the college. I cannot remember any match that he was not present at. He would always give us a word of advice and encouragement if he meets us before a game and he would remember to acknowledge us when he meets us at assembly or in the corridor the next day. He also insisted that we focus on our studies and it was always a treat when he walked in to class during the absence of a teacher or take an occasional class.
Ranjan De Silva 