REV. FR. BASTIAMPILLAI SINGARAYAR MARIATHASAN, OMI (1920 – 2011)

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REV. FR. BASTIAMPILLAI SINGARAYAR MARIATHASAN, OMI 

(1920 – 2011)

 

Birth  :   2 July 1920 at Mathagal,

First Vows :   8 September 1943 at St. Francis Xavier’s Novitiate, Bambalapitiya, Colombo

Final Vows :   8 September 1947 at Scholasticate, Kynsy Rd, Borella.

Oblation :   7697

Ordination :   6 August 1948 at St. Thomas’s Church, Mathagal.

Death :   4 March 2011 at Holy Cross Health Centre, Jaffna

 

Fr. Singarayer Mariathasan  was born on  2 July 1920 at Mathagal.  He was from the Parish of St. Thomas, Mathagal  in the diocese of Jaffna. His parents were Bastiampillai Singarayer and Rosamma Santhiapillai. He was the eldest in the family among four siblings, two boys and two girls.  He  had his primary education at St. Thomas’s School at Mathagal and his secondary education both at St. Patrick’s College from 1934 – 1936 and at St. Henry’s College at Ilavalai from 1937 – 1940. His family was very religious in nature and all his brothers and sisters were strictly formed by their parents to be pious and well disciplined.  

 

Mariathasan was desirous of dedicating his whole life to serve God and his people by becoming an oblate religious Priest from his early age. He was attracted by Fr. S. Peter OMI, the recommending Oblate and by Fr. Viard OMI who was the Parish Priest. Both of them became instrumental in promoting his vocation to religious life. It is to be noted that Fr. S. Peter OMI kept Mariathasan under his strict surveillance and sent him to St. Martin’s Minor Seminary in Jaffna on 6 September 1941.  Having completed his initial studies at St. Martin’s Seminary, he entered St. Francis Xavier’s Novitiate at Bambalapitiya, Colombo on 30 August 1942. After fulfilling his period of probation, he made his First Profession of Vows as an Oblate Scholastic on 8 September 1943 at the Novitiate at Bambalapitiya. 

He entered the Oblate Scholasticate  in Colombo on 8 September 1943 and pursued his philosophical and theological studies. He made his Final Profession of Vows as an Oblate of Mary Immaculate at the Scholasticate at Kynsey Road, Colombo on 8 September 1947.  Once he completed his ecclesiastical studies he was ordained a Priest of God by Bishop Rt. Rev. Dr. A. Guyomar OMI, the bishop of Jaffna on 6 August 1948 at St. Thomas’s Church at Mathagal, Jaffna. He left the Scholasticate in 1949 with much enthusiasm and eagerness to receive his first obedience to begin his priestly ministries that he had been longing for.

 

Fr. Mariathasan received his first obedience to serve as assistant Priest at Nallur Oblate Missionon on 2 September 1949 and continued till 1952. He gained much parochial experience working under senior Oblates in this mission and was transferred to St. Henry’s College at Ilavalai to serve as warden and teacher on 5 January 1952 and served there for two years. He was a strict disciplinarian and therefore all the boys at the Hostel and at the College were formed, guided and motivated well. Many of them who had gone from his hands are even today speak well of his committed services to the College.  Again an important responsibility was assigned to him on 12 February 1954 to St. St. Patrick’s College Jaffna. He provided a yeoman service at the College as warden, disciplinarian and teacher. He was very strict with the students and with himself. His services at the College won great admiration from the Rector and the Staff. Mariathasan took pride in his services at St. Patrick’s College saying, “Those were the golden years”. From there he was transferred to Adampan Parish in Mannar as Parish Priest on 7 April 1959. 

 

The Parish of Adampan had many sub-stations and Fr. Mariathasan was faithfully dispensing his priestly services to all the faithful without exception. There were travel hazards, drinking water problem and even limited material facilities for a decent living. Being young and energetic he committed himself unreservedly to the demands of the Parish and Missions. From there he was transferred to Mullaitivu Parish as Parish Priest in 1963 and served there only for two years. From there he was given obedience to the Parish of  Suruvil in Kayts in 1965 and again in 1966 he was transferred to the Parish at Urany/ KKS. He was given his next obedience to Mugamalai Parish as Parish Priest in 1971 and served there till March 1973. Then he was transferred to Delft in May 1973 and worked there for a year.

 

In December 1974 he was sent to India to work in the Oblate Delegation where already some Oblates from Jaffna were ministering. He joined the delegation team of Oblates and worked in a few Parishes as assistant and in Formation Houses at Poonamale and Bangalore. He returned to Sri Lanka in 1976 and took residence at St. Martin’s Minor Seminary in Jaffna, assisting the Rector for a month and then was made Parish Priest at Pandianthalvu in Jaffna  in January 1977.  Pandianthalvu  Parish was already going through serious problems, i.e problems of  relationship and administration between the Oblates and the Local Ordinary of the diocese. Mariathasan was at this Parish only for three months and given the next obedience to Myliddy Parish  on 24 March 1977. He served there till the 15 September 1980.  In September 1980 Fr. Mariathasan took a well-deserved Holiday and went to India, Singapore  and Malaysia. He was visiting the Oblates, his friends and relatives and returned to Sri Lanka in January 1981 and took residence at Amala Utpavam.

 

When he was residing at Amala Utpavam at Colombuthurai, Jaffna, he met with a Motor Cycle accident and broke his knees. He was operated on his knee cap and was convalescing at Amala Utpavam and at Valaipadu/ Iranaitivu Mission with Fr. Conzalves OMI but his residence was Amala Utpvam till 1990. From 1992 – 1995 he was at Haputale Parish with an Oblate from Jaffna who was the pastor.

 

The famous displacement of the people of Jaffna in 1995  brought much  traumatic and painful experiences  to many of our Oblates especially to the retired senior priests who were residing at Amala Utpavam but Mariathasan was miraculously exempted from all that ordeal as he was at Haputale Parish.   Then after a few years he moved to the diocese of Mannar in 1995 and took residence at Pesalai Parish till 2001 assisting in small ways the Parish Priest who was an Oblate. His stay at Pesalai was remarkable and well-remembered by everyone even today. The youth of the Parish were drawn and attracted by his stylish and smart way of dressing and neatness. They called him “Badsha” a name of an Indian Tamil movie acted by Rajinikanth playing the lead role as Badsha. Mariathasan was happy to be called by that name and was rejuvenated in spirit. He used to go for walks well dressed up, putting on a hat and carrying an umbrella in his hands.

 

However Mariathasan was not enjoying the best of his health. He was a victim of chronic Asthma for many years and this kept him confined to his room most of the time. He had been frequenting his doctors and got medical treatment. When he was at Pesalai he used to go to Valaipadu Parish, to the Madhu Shrine and to Amala  Utpavam for rest and recuperation and had been doing so for many years. Again he went to the shrine of Madhu in 2001 and stayed there till 2003. He had an ardent desire for hunting and therefore chose to go to Valaipadu frequently. He together with the Parish Priest went for hunting at nights into the thick jungles of Vanni and was successful intargeting many wild animals like deer and wild boar.  He was a perfect shot.

 

In 2008 he wanted to have a change of place and went to Colombo and stayed with his sister’s family at Mutwal almost a year. Then he came to the North and spent his last days of retirement at Mathew’s Memorial Home at Colombuthurai.  From 2010 onwards his health got deteriorated day by day with acute asthma and other ailments. He was going through severe pain and uneasiness. He was being looked after well by care takers and by the Superior of the House. Mariathasan became silent and bedridden and was admitted at the Holy Cross Health Centre. The last sacraments were administered and finally he breathed his last on 4 March 2011 at the Health Centre at the age of 91.

 

His mortal remains lay in state at St. Joseph’s Chapel at the Juniorate at Colombuthurai on 5 March 2011. Many people from Mannar, Mathagal, his home village, Colombo, Jaffna  and his former Parishioners thronged to the Chapel and paid their last respects to him.  His brother and sister from Canada and United Kingdom came to Jaffna and attended their brother’s funeral. On 7 March 2011 at 4.pm, a Concelebrated Requiem High Mass was celebrated, presided over by His Lordship Rt. Rev. Dr. Thomas Savundaranayagam, the Bishop of Jaffna at which Fr. M.Paul Nadchethiram OMI who was baptized by Fr. Mariathasan delivered the panegyric. A good number of priests and religious and lay faithful were present.  After the final obsequies, the mortal remains were taken in procession to St. Mary’s burial ground, where they were laid to rest. Fr. Mariathasan’s personality was a unique one. He was a man of few words, straight forward, challenging, non-compromising, and sometimes unpredictable and demanding.  But he was a self-disciplined person and wanted everyone to follow suit. May he rest in peace.

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