St. Patrick's College, Jaffna


St. Patrick's College is a private school in Gurunagar, Jaffna, Sri Lanka. It was founded in 1850 by Roman Catholic missionaries.

History

The Jaffna Catholic English School was established in 1850 by Monsignor Orazio Bettacchini, an Italian Roman Catholic missionary. The school was later renamed Jaffna Boys' Seminary. The school was registered as a High School in 1881 and renamed St. Patrick's College on 10 January 1881. Rev.Fr. John Smythe, formerly a member of Ceylon Civil Services, was appointed as its first Rector.
Rev.Fr.Timothy M.F long succeeded Fr. Matthews as rector in 1936, and was at the helm till 1954. Under his guidance the college rose to the height of glory academically as well as in sports and in almost every sphere of educational and social development.
Most private schools in Ceylon were taken over by the government in 1960 but SPC chose to remain as a private and non-fee levying school.
The school motto is ” Fide et Labore”. Latin words which mean “Faith and Work”
Rev.Fr. A.P. Thirumahan is a present rector of the College.

Big Match

SPC play Jaffna College in an annual cricket match known as the Battle of the Golds. The first match took place in 1917.

Rectors/Principals