Sri Lanka has lost a true patriot and great educator who fought fearlessly to protect the good image of the country, and brought patriotism into teaching, says President Mahinda Rajapaksa in a message of condolence at the passing away of Re. Fr. Flavian Wilathgamuwa, a former Director of St. Benedict’s College, Kotahena.

The President recalled that: “Once when he was accused by the enemies of the country that he was more loyal to the leaders of Sri Lanka than the Catholic Church, he famously said, "I am a true patriot of Sri Lanka. There is no conflict between loyalty to my country and the loyalty to my church."

Text of the Message of Condolence:

With the passing away of Reverend Father Flavian Wilathgamuwa in Duarte California, Sri Lanka has lost a true patriot who has fought fearlessly to protect the good image of the country against separatist vicious propaganda.

Many old boys of St. Benedict's College Kotahena will remember him with gratitude as a great educator and the Director of the school who innovated the starting of the school in the morning by singing the national anthem as far back as in 1958.

Once when he was accused by the enemies of the country that he was more loyal to the leaders of Sri Lanka than the Catholic Church, he famously said, "I am a true patriot of Sri Lanka. There is no conflict between loyalty to my country and the loyalty to my church."

Before becoming a Claretian priest, he was a Rev. Brother of the De La Salle order also known as the Brothers of the Christian Schools.

A close friend of the late S.W.R.D.Bandaranaike and Mrs. Sirimavo Bandaranaike he in 1958 became the first Christian brother to become a member of the Sri Lanka delegation to the United Nations. The Buddhist member of the group was the late Dr. Hevanpola Ratanasara Thero.

Before becoming the Director of St. Benedict's College he taught at St. Bede's College Badulla, St. Anthony's College, Wattala, St. Sebastian's College Moratuwa, and St. Anne's College, Kurunegala..  He later became the Provincial leader of the De La Salle Brothers administering Sri Lanka, Pakistan, India and Burma.

When the assassination of Buddhist monks at Aranthalawa by the LTTE took place he traveled to Washington DC with dozen other Buddhist monks and performed a Sathyagraha to protest against terrorism in Sri Lanka.

Strongly believing in Buddhist Christian amity he became the first director of a Catholic College to invite a Buddhist monk to be the Chief Guest at the annual prize giving. The Chief Guest was no lesser person than Dr. Walpola Rahula. Thero. In later years of his life in California it became tradition for Buddhist homes to invite him to partake alms with Buddhist monks.

I convey my deepest condolences to the Order of Claretian Brothers to which he belonged, to the orphans and care takers of Mahena Garden Farm at Pahala Yagoda, Ganemulla for which he found money to run, to Marian Movement for Priests which he supported, to his family, to all past pupils he taught and thousands of expatriate Sri Lankans who followed his lead to stand by their motherland.