Holy Family Convent, Bambalapitiya

Holy Family Convent, Bambalapitiya ශුද්ධ වූ පවුලේ කන්‍යාරාමය, බම්බලපිටිය
Location
Retreat Road, Colombo Sri Lanka
Coordinates	6°53′17″N79°51′24″E / 6.887979°N 79.856803°E / 6.887979; 79.856803
Information
Type	Semi Government
Motto	French: Gloire a Dieu seul (Glory to God Alone)
Religious affiliation(s)	Christianity
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Established	3 February 1903;122 years ago (1903-02-03)
Principal	Rev. Sr. Charitha Thandalage
Grades	1 – 13
Gender	Female
Age	5to 19
Houses	Suzanne   Sebastian   Ambrose   Rose De Lima   Carmel
Color(s)	Blue and white
Publication	Refreshing Breezes
Alumni name	Familians
Website	hfcb.lk

Holy Family Convent, Bambalapitiya is a Catholic girls' school in Colombo, Sri Lanka. It was established on 3 February 1903, by the nuns of the Holy Family Order of Bordeaux. ^[1]

It provides primary and secondary education. The school has around 3,500 students. ^{[ when? ]} It is a non-fee levying school. School buildings include a fully-equipped auditorium, ICT lab, Science lab, Chapel and Library.

History

The first principal was Rev. Mother Agnes Stouter. The school's chapel was completed in 1933. The school began as a small school for thirty students at "Clock House" down Laurie's Road. After shifting location several times, the school ended where it is now, down Retreat Road. During World War 2, the school building was used as a hospital.

Holy Family Convent Bambalapitiya celebrated its 110th anniversary on 2 February 2013.^{[ citation needed ]}

Chapel

The chapel of Holy Family Convent, Bambalapitiya was dedicated to the Holy Family of Nazareth in 1933. Funds to build it were collected through various sources. Concerts were organised and each class came forward to perform every Friday for which tickets were sold at the price of 10 cents.

The Carrara marble altar was a gift from the past pupils of that time and the tabernacle was a gift from Elizabeth Pillai. Holy Hour every first Friday afternoon of the month, annual retreats which went on for two or three days and confessions on Thursdays were the regular religious services that were held in the chapel.

College anthem

The college anthem was composed by Eileen Walles and the words written by Wendy Whatmore.^{[ citation needed ]}

Facilities

• Auditorium
• ICT labs
• Dancing halls
• Large conference hall named "Green Hall"
• Home economics room
• Library
• Multimedia rooms
• Primary Hall
• Primary play area
• Science lab
• Students' saving unit powered by HNB

Notable alumni

See also: Category:Alumni of Holy Family Convent, Bambalapitiya

• Maureen Hingert - Actress; beauty pageant winner, 1955
• Dinakshie Priyasad - Actress
• Sheshadri Priyasad - Actress
• Anusha Siriratne - Aviator ^[2]
• Bernard Soysa, politician^{[ citation needed ]}
• Sybil Wettasinghe, children's author and illustrator ^[3]
• Visakha Wijeyeratne, artist ^[4]
• Kasturi Chellaraja Wilson, businesswoman and athlete

External links

• Official Website

References

1. Hettiarachchi, Kumudini (29 August 1933). "The heart and soul of HFC needs a helping hand". The Sunday Times, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 1 April 2025.
2. "Sri Lanka : All female flying crew makes history at SriLankan Airlines". www.infolanka.com. Retrieved 2019-10-23.
3. Seneviratne, Malinda. "Illustrating the child in Sybil Wettasinghe". InfoLanka. Retrieved 1 April 2025.
4. Rajaguru, Gayathri (17 March 1935). "Appreciations: Portrait of a remarkable lady – artist, writer, social worker and diplomat's wife". The Sunday Times, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 1 April 2025.