Joseph Vaz Sunday School (Gov. Reg. No. CA/colombo/1/49/C II/S I)

The beginning of St. Joseph Vaz’s Church and St. Joseph Vaz’s Sunday School goes back to the year 1984 under Rev. Fr. Cyril Perera who took initiatives to build this substation of the Katukurunda Parish with the help of Mr. Basil Fonseka who bought a land and made his home near the present Church in South Egoda Uyana, Moratuwa. The first phase of Daham Pasala was conducted in the House of Mr. Basil Fonseka with Mrs. Rose Fonseka, Flora Silva and Gayani Fonseka, serving as its very first teachers to about 3 to 5 children collected from the few Catholic families in the area. It was the period from 1984 – 1986 just before the first Church building construction was completed in 1986 with the help of minister Mr. Tyrone Fernando. Due to the tensions surrounding the building of the new Church it was named as St. Joseph Vaz Service Center than St. Joseph Vaz’s Church to begin with.

Three Sisters of Charity namely, Rev. Sr. Noel Marie, Rev. Sr. Didacus and Rev. Sr. Noeline came to assist this Dhaham Pasala from the Charity Convent in Koralawella. While Sisters Noel and Didacus were teaching catechism to the first few students, not more than twenty, who came to the Daham Pasala in the new building of the service center, Sr. Noeline would walk around the village gathering more and more children from the few Catholic families living scattered around the area. The present-day Church Hall served as the first St. Josep Vaz Church in the beginning wherein the Daham Pasala was held during its second phase. At present St. Joseph Vaz Daham Pasala has an attendance of about 50 – 60 students, with all the classes from pre-school to Advance Level. The teaching staff consisted of 16 catechists in the academic year of 2021.

  • The Teaching Staff of Catechists in St. Joseph Vaz’s Daham Pasala for the year 2021:
No. Name Class Position Ministry & Animator/Moderator  
01 Lakshani Fernando Nursery Head Holy Childhood Society Animator
02 Nirosha David Grade 1 Head Ministry of Serving (co-sacristans) Moderator
03 Manushi Algama Grade 2 Head Ministry of Prayer and Announcements Moderator
04 Rushani Mendis Grade 3 Head Holy Childhood Society Animator
05 Rasika Wickrama Grade 4 Head Ministry of Arrangements Moderator
06 Nimasha Fonseka Grade 4 Assistant Young Catholic Students’ Movement Animator
07 Dilshani Appuhamy Grade 5 Head Holy Childhood Society Animator
08 Kasuni Peiris Grade 6 Head Ministry of Proclamation of the Word Moderator
09 Nimodi Jayaratne Grade 7 Head Ministry of Welcoming and Ushering Moderator
10 Krishan Wickrama Grade 8 Head Ministry of Sacred Music Moderator
11 Sahan Pethangoda Grade 8 Assistant Ministry of Operations and Maintenance Moderator
12 Madushika Anthony Grade 9 Head Ministry of Cleanliness Moderator/Prefects-in-charge
13 Rashane Malsha Grade 9 Assistant Ministry of Collection and Distribution Moderator
14 Nirmal Perera Grade 10 Head Ministry of Health & Security
15 Anne Rashmika Grade 11 Head Young Catholic Students’ Movement Animator
16 Roshel Herath Grade 11 Assistant Ministry of Serving (Altar Servers) Moderator
  • The Heraldry of St. Joseph Vaz’s Daham Pasala

    • A te numquam separari permittas

This motto means: “never let me be parted from you.” This heraldry and the motto were designed and introduced in the year 2020 to depict the values and the life example of St. Joseph Vaz the Proto Saint, Priest and Apostle of Sri Lanka. The motto is the last sentence of a prayer every Priest inaudibly recites just before receiving communion during the celebration of the Holy Mass. The Gospel testifies to the words of Jesus: “If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). The secret behind St. Joseph Vaz’s great missionary zeal was that he never allowed his life to be separated from the Cross of Christ. The Braque of Life can reach the shores of the Kingdom of God only in the Trinitarian God who is the wave, the direction, and the wind; this fact of life every Christian girl and boy ought to keep in mind constantly.