A Legend of our times reaches his 90th milestone

Once Pope John XXIII, of revered memory said, “Men are like wine. Some turn to vinegar, but the best improves with age.” At the occasion of the 90th Birthday of Archbishop Emeritus Oswald Gomis, all who know him could say that he aged like fine wine. There has been no one like Archbishop Gomis. A priest for nearly 65 years, a Bishop for 55 years, his life has been historic, memorable, eventful and full of achievements. When he was a young altar boy in his Parish in Kelaniya, he received his calling to be a Priest. His life changed, thereafter. He was one of the first to join the newly established National Seminary in Ampitiya and after several years of formation was ordained a priest in 1958. From the first day of his appointment, his Superiors entrusted him with very serious and difficult tasks.

Being an excellent communicator, he was able to make a good impression on all those who came to know him

He was well-known as the Director of the Colombo Catholic Press and the editor of Gnanartha Pradeepaya, in an era where the Church had suffered immensely during the aftermath of the infamous School Takeover. He had to play the role of balancing the community. This he did with great dedication and success. From those early days he was known to work well with leaders of all religious communities. This was something new in Sri Lanka at that time. People of all walks of life, irrespective of caste, creed and race preferred to associate with him for this reason. Being an excellent communicator, he was able to make a good impression on all those who came to know him. He was a role model for many young seminarians and priests. He was seen as a hero to many, as he loved adventure and doing things in an active way. Having been a good swimmer from his younger days, young Fr. Oswald Gomis had saved a number of people who did not know swimming. On one occasion when the late Bishop Anthony de Saram fell to the deep end of the Josephian pool, by mistake, young Gomis had jumped to the pool to save him! This young go-getter priest was made a Bishop in 1968, at just 36. 

His long tenure as the Auxiliary Bishop of Colombo was a very eventful one. Apart from his administration role to the Archdiocese, he Chaired the FABC Committee for Social Communications (1971-82), was a Director of Radio Veritas, Philippines, member of the International Catholic Film Organization (OCIC), and played an active role in many organizations. However, his greatest contribution to the country was his efforts in founding a number of Catholic Branch Schools and International Schools. With the strict regulations of the School Take over in 1960/61, the Catholic Church did not have any means of expanding its number of schools despite the growth of the population. Bp. Gomis was clever to find certain loopholes in the School Takeover act and canvassed the ideas of branch schools in the late 1980s. The late ministers Nissanka Wijeratne and Lalith Athulathmudali helped him a great deal in this worthy cause. Under his leadership more than a dozen branch schools emerged in a period of not even 15 years. This was a phenomenal achievement. In 1996, Bishop Gomis was appointed as the 2nd Bishop of Anuradhapura. He played a mammoth role in strengthening this large diocese, which had a small Catholic population. He befriended a number of Buddhist monks and did a number of joint projects, strengthening inter-religious dialogue.

In 2002, he was made the 8th Archbishop of Colombo. His 7-year tenure as Archbishop saw the tragedy of the Tsunami, where he had to play the tough role of rehabilitating victims and also the final stages of the Sri Lanka Civil War. His reputation as a leader was well accepted by all and he was to Chair many important committees. In 2005, he was appointed as the Chancellor of the University of Colombo. Despite his busy schedule he wrote a number of interesting books on the religion, history, culture. Written in both Sinhala and English his style of language was lucid, concise and very readable. For this reason, his books became very popular among both children and adults. Even after his retirement in 2009, he continued the causes of the Church, the poor and elders. In 2018, he Celebrated his 50th anniversary as a Bishop. He is the first and only person to achieve this feat. That same year he opened his latest project, a well-built Home for the Aged in hometown, Kelaniya. He continues to reside here. 

He was one of the first to join the newly established National Seminary  in Ampitiya and after several years of formation was ordained a priest  in 1958. From the first day of his appointment, his Superiors entrusted  him with very serious and difficult tasks

This much revered prelate has been a great inspiration to my life for as long as I remember. Apart from the fact of being distant grand-uncle of mine, he and I have a few factors in common. We both hail from historic city of Kelaniya. We studied at St. Joseph’s College and have the most devout reverence for it. However, the factor which made me quite close to Bp. Gomis was the love for history of Sri Lanka, especially the workings of the Church. I cannot forget the number of occasions I visited this distinguished cleric at Tewatta and then in Kelaniya, for conversations on history. Being in the hierarchy of the Church since 1968, he is privy to a vast knowledge of the local Catholic Church more than anyone alive today. I truly appreciate him for sharing some interesting anecdotes of the yesteryear and for encouraging me to put them on record. When I wrote the history of St. Joseph’s College, Till the Mountains Disappear, he was extremely supportive of that endeavour and readily wrote the foreword to it. I must say I am always grateful of Bp. Gomis and would always value the great bond we shared. He always encouraged youngsters to take up challengers, just as he once did. As he approaches his next birthday on December 12 I wish and pray him good health and hope he continues his great work, inspiring us all.