Thomas Benjamin Cooray was born on December 28, 1901, to a humble but a greatly devout Catholic family in the hamlet of Periyamulla in Negombo as the fifth child and the third son. From his early age, he showed himself to be a child of piety, of serene temperament, much devoted to his studies, and much liked by his neighbours.
However, at the age of twelve much to the surprise of his mother, the young boy decided on embracing a religious vocation and joined St. Aloysius’ seminary at Borella. There, he excelled in studies attending St. Joseph’s college and wound up with a B.A. from the London University offering English Literature, Botany and Latin. Ever since the love of plants and environment was much in his list of hobbies.
As a student, he had even helped Fr. Le Goc OMI, the rector, himself a Botanist, to compile a book on Tropical Botany. The diocesan phase in Colombo that initiated seven years ago, the inquiry needed for him to be presented to sainthood is now being concluded and the documents are ready for dispatch to the Vatican for further review and approval.
First years of ministry and challenges
After his brilliant career as a student at St. Joseph’s College, he entered the Oblate Missionaries (OMI) novitiate training himself to be a Religious, taking his first vows in January 1925. His superiors having taken notice of his intellectual acumen, profound religious demeanour and crystal character, decided to send him overseas to Rome, the centre of Catholicism for his further training for the Priesthood and for higher ecclesiastical studies. He returned as a new Oblate priest at the age of 28 in 1931, to join the staff of St. Joseph’s College having won academic laurels with two doctorates in Philosophy and Theology to his credit, both with summa cum laude.
The young priest eventually was appointed warden of the Catholic Hostel and later for nine long years worked as the religious superior of the Oblate major seminary in Borella where he led the formation programmes for the young men who wished to become oblate priests. It was at this time in January of 1945 he received news of his nomination as the Co-adjutor to the then fifth Archbishop of Colombo, Most Rev. Jean-Marie Masson OMI.
With his sudden demise, the young Co-adjutor took over the Archdiocese of Colombo on July 28, 1947.
The appointment of a Ceylonese to the highest church office was significant since this first Ceylonese archbishop was to be entrusted with the leadership of the Catholic Church in the newly dawned independent era. The indigenization of the Catholic Church was thus officially signaled even by the Vatican. The trend continued into his activities right during the 30 long years of his active episcopate in Colombo and as an illustrious religious leader in independent Ceylon. The crowning of his Episcopal career took place with his being created as Ceylon’s first ever cardinal, the fifth in Asia in February 1965. Thus he was able to expand his concerns and vision far beyond this little isle to furthest lands of Asia and to the entire Catholic world sharing closely in the government of the church with the Pope, who is the Head of the universal church. Having accomplished much, he went into retirement in 1976 at the canonical age of 75. Many have known how he spent his last years in profound joy, serenity and tranquility of soul, cordially welcoming whoever came to see and greet him. Right through his 63 years as an Oblate Religious, 59 years as a priest, 42 years as a bishop and 23 years as a Cardinal, his first priority in life was the pursuit of sanctity giving himself totally to the service of the archdiocese and the global Catholic world, remaining faithful to his priesthood to the end.
The era of independence was fraught with many a transformation and upheaval in the country. There was the rising spirit of nationalism and the Buddhist renaissance, political trends that were both capitalist and pro-western, a rising leftist trend of socialism mixed with communist ideologies. Elections were fought along these extreme lines many a time. There were swings in government from right to left and vice-versa. Religion too played a crucial role in politics. It has been the trend ever since, even to this day. The role and place of religion could be at the heart of a constitution and government. In this milieu, Archbishop Cooray had to face many a challenge and crisis. Most notable was the Schools Take over in December 1960 which created disturbances in the country with Catholics and Catholic associations rising strongly against the move.
The Archbishop argued that Catholic children need a Catholic education. To achieve this end, there is the need for a Catholic atmosphere in the schools with a well-educated Catholic band of teachers and good administration that ensures discipline in the students and stability of the institutions. The Catholic bishops vehemently opposed this move and meeting with the highest echelons of the government raised their cry of opposition. At the end of the battle, the Catholic Church could save only a few Grade I and II schools. Of the more than 600 island-wide Grade III schools that were under Catholic management, Colombo archdiocese lost over 250. It was a great blow to the Catholics and brought much pain of mind to Archbishop Cooray. He had referred to the Schools take-over as the fiercest persecution the Catholic Church suffered ever since the religious persecution under the Dutch colonial power when Catholicism was forbidden, Catholics oppressed and priests deported.
Interest in Church and the Nation
Among the other issues was the refusal of visas to foreign religious sisters serving in leprosy asylums and government hospitals. This was followed by visas not being renewed for foreign Catholic priests working in the island. Colombo diocese lost quite a few of them, who decided to leave without burdening the Archbishop who would have had to pay a visa tax for those who would remain. There was at the same time a land bill that restricted the acquisition of lands for the building of churches and charitable institutions.
There were even slanderous issues such as publications that would dishonour catholic beliefs. The background to some of these contentious issues was the Buddhist commission that was proposed by the Buddhist Congress at that time exerting many a pressure to bear on non-Buddhists. Catholic Workers movement and Young Christian Workers Movement (YCW) were looked upon with suspicion. Many are of the opinion that Archbishop Cooray was a man of principle and would go any length to safeguard them, particularly when it came to defending and protecting the fundamental human rights and issues of social justice. He did not hesitate to repeatedly keep writing to prime ministers and relevant ministers about the injustices that were being meted out to his flock. While he strived to maintain good relationships with those in government, he was quick to point out impending dangers in some of their political decisions and short-sighted policies. He was much concerned about Marxist infiltration into government and universities.
His Eminence Cardinal Cooray was swift to pay his respects to the father of the nation, D.S. Senanayake when his untimely death took place and did not hesitate to congratulate all political leaders who led their parties to victory in elections as they became the legitimate rulers of the people through the democratic process. He wished to see wise representatives and those with long-range vision in the seats of power taking into consideration always the common good of the greater majority of the citizens. Archbishop Cooray relentlessly defended the freedom of religion, the right to free education, respect for democratic reforms etc which would take Sri Lanka to the highest level in the international community of nations.
His Eminence Cardinal Cooray himself was a humble, compassionate and wise personality. He was a man of vision but attuned to everyday grass-root realities. He responded to the sufferings of the poor and the pain of the sick. This is shown very well during the floods of 1950’s and that of the 1960’s. Fisher-folk and their urgent needs concerned him deeply. To help alleviate their lot Archbishop Cooray initiated Fishermen’s societies in and around Negombo whilst providing them with the newest methods for fishing and training them the art of saving.
He was swift to organise relief services, raising funds, taking a special interest in the migrant fisherman in the east, who were displaced by these calamities. He would personally visit them and distribute provisions and make his presence a source of consolation and hope to those who fell victims to these natural disasters.
When settlements were opened up in the north-central province, Archbishop Cooray encouraged farming families from his flock to venture into the cleared areas and helped them with the where-with-all to launch agriculture and farming. It was a service to the nation towards self-sufficiency. This also helped the beginnings of the formation of stable Catholic villages. While he welcomed the birth of a new constitution in 1972, he also sent out an ardent appeal over the radio and print media at the request of the government that youth desist from violence and take to paths of patient dialogue to achieve their demands for better education for all and decent employment.
His Eminence Cardinal Cooray was much concerned about the skill and vocational training of the youth for which he donated a big land in Bangadeniya (Chilaw) for rehabilitation of JVP youth and later opened centers such as the Radio/Electronic lab in Kotahena, technical schools in Negombo and opened the Boys Town in the Ragama area. Thinking of higher education, he opened Aquinas College of higher studies in Borella, in which he saw the seed of a possible Catholic University open to students of all races and religions. Today, it is a prestigious centre for higher learning and well-adapted to modern times. Health for all too was one of his plans as he dreamt of a fully –equipped catholic hospital making a modest beginning with a humble clinic in the area of Borella.
Milestones
The translation of the Sacred Scriptures into local languages was an urgent need for which he chose a well-equipped band of qualified priests to undertake that enterprise. Keeping in line with Vatican II, the great Catholic world Council (1962-1965) that brought in renewal and reform within the Catholic Church, he proceeded systematically to study the social, cultural and national context in which the Church has to live and work by calling for renewal seminars and encouraging church workers to do social analysis while speeded up the use of the vernacular in the Liturgy in churches. He was convinced that the Church is not of the world, but is in the world and for it. In the imperative of the Gospel of Christ, she had to be the light of society, salt of its earth and leaven of the world. A clean environment and social harmony were uppermost in his concerns.
Everyone today speaks about His Eminence Cardinal Cooray’s love for trees. The complexity of verdure that one beholds around the Basilica Shrine in Tewatte bears fine witness to it.
His Eminence Cardinal Cooray was a man of deep spirituality, a man of prayer and contemplation, a man given to the “sacred”. This was the rock-foundation on which he had over the years built his versatile personality. To become a man of God and to lead others to a God-experience putting them in touch with God was his greatest preoccupation. For this purpose, he sacrificed his life, time, talents and all God-given other spiritual and human potential. He was a person filled with compassion who took upon himself the failures of others and was prodigal in his capacity to be humble and to forgive. Often he was hurt when those of his close collaborators were unduly maligned.
When problems confronted him, in addition to seeking counsel from those who were competent and knowledgeable, he would spend hours in the silence of his private chapel in prayer seeking for enlightenment and God’s will. His spirit of poverty shines out in the kind of “last will” he had written in which he says that he has nothing on earth to bequeath to anyone. Once when questioned by the Press about his assets, he had very plainly explained how all in his dwellings are the property of the archdiocese and not his own. His outreach to the global world was note-worthy, for, in addition to him being president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference for well over 30 years, the Vatican called him to serve in three international commissions: that for the Evangelization of Peoples, commission for Eastern Churches and the commission for the revision of Canon Law. He reached out to Asia by pioneering Radio Veritas in Manila and becoming one of the prelates to lay the foundations for the forming of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC) which provides all the Bishops in Asia to chart out relevant strategies for a mission of love and service to the teeming Asian populations. It would, later on, move along oaths of inter-religious dialogue and social justice in responding to the characteristic multi-faceted religiosity and wide-spread poverty of Asia.
The Servant of God His Eminence Thomas Cardinal Cooray wields indeed an exceptional portrait. He rose to such august heights as a man of God because of his spiritual stature that made him live a life of heroic virtue. It was this that led Pope Paul VI in February 1965 to confer upon him the dignity of a Cardinal. As a Cardinal, he brought honour and prestige to this little pearl of the Indies, the Taprobane of beauty.
The ceremony of the closure of the diocesan phase of inquiry will be presided over by His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith at the Basilica in Tewatte in late October. It was officially initiated in 2010. If raised to the Sainthood, His Eminence Thomas Cardinal Cooray will go down in history as the first son of the soil to be numbered among the saints of the Church.
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