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(Reproduced from Daily News of February 09, 2002)By Yohesan Casie Chetty The noted English hymn writer John Monsell (1811-1875) has in his immortal lines declared: "O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness Bow down before Him His glory proclaim; With gold of obedience, and incense of lowliness, Kneel and adore Him the Lord is His name" Generations of Thomians have done exactly that since the February 15th 1927 when the first service was conducted, at which the Celebrant was the Lord Bishop of Colombo. To Journey back in time, it was on the February 13th 1927 that the Chapel of S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia was consecrated by the then Lord Bishop of Colombo, the Rt. Rev. Dr. Mark Carpenter-Garner, as the Chapel of the Transfiguration. This was a mere nine years subsequent to the legendary Warden Stone (1901-1925) transplanting the College from Mutwal to the scenic environs of Mount Lavinia in 1918. The Chapel owes its existence in large measure to the indefatigable exertions of a product of Balliol College, Oxford; the Rev. G.M. Withers who was the Sub-Warden of S.Thomas' from 1921-1926. It was he who with unfailing energy and enthusiasm set upon the onerous task of collecting funds for the construction of the Chapel. This he did from 1921, touring the island on his motorcycle and later in an Armstrong Siddley motorcar. The latter he received through the generosity of Old Boys in grateful recognition of his unflagging zeal and devotion to the cause of the College. The name of Rev. G.M. Withers will remain firmly entrenched in the hearts and minds of Thomians, as the individual whose contribution was singularly significant in the construction of the College Chapel. Over these past seventy-five years the College Chapel has proved its value as a haven of spiritual solace, a house of prayer and tranquility and as a source of inspiration to the entire Thomian community. It is fitting indeed that when one enters through the main gates located along Hotel Road and is within the sprawling campus of S. Thomas' College, the first building one confronts is the Chapel of the Transfiguration. The Chapel has been constructed on the highest point of the College premises and as such overlooks the entire College. Over this past three-quarters of a century, the College Chapel with its imposing presence has not merely because of its physical location towered over the College and its buildings, but has more crucially dominated the lives of countless Thomians. In the context of an institution imparting education to individuals, wherein young lives are constantly being moulded, chiselled and refined, the choice of name for the Thomian Chapel could not have been more apposite, symbolic and pregnant with meaning. The transforming presence of Christ stands as a silent witness to Thomians in the form of the Chapel of the Transfiguration. It would be inconceivable to any Thomian worth his salt to comprehend a College devoid of its Chapel. The Chapel has been and will continue to be the very fount and life blood of the Thomian ethos, its very essence and core, it is both pivotal and integral to the continuance of the College. S. Thomas' College being a school founded by the oldest missionary arm of the Anglican Church viz. the United Society for the Prorogation of the Gospel (USPG) has from its inception in 1951 adopted the High Church form of worship, which is Anglo-Catholic in its identity. Thousands of Christian students who have been privileged to worship in the Chapel have learnt and grown to appreciate and absorb the dignity, solemnity, elegance and grace of the services conducted within its sacred precincts. The weekly celebration of the Holy Eucharist each Sunday, during the school term is a spiritually uplifting and edifying service replete with meaning and substance. The Chapel has been blessed with a succession of gifted musicians, who have spent themselves in enhancing the quality of the choral tradition, for which the Chapel has been renowned. The names of the late Rev. T.W. Gilbert, the Rev. Canon Roy Bowyer Yin, the late Rev. Lucian G.B. Fernando and the present Choirmaster and Presenter Russel Bartholomeusz, are synonymous with the high standards of choral singing associated with the Thomian Choir. The Annual Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, modelled on the King's College Cambridge Carol Service, was introduced by Canon Bowyer Yin in 1947 when he was the Chaplain and Choirmaster. This annual Carol Service represents the high point of the services conducted in the Chapel and is held on the first Sunday in December each year. It has presently completed an unbroken span of over half a century and continues to attract a vast congregation to the College Chapel. On an occasion as significant and nostalgic as the 75th Anniversary of the Chapel, beloved to generations of Thomians, a Service of Thanksgiving has been planned for Sunday, February 10 at 7.30 am with the celebrant and Preacher being the Lord Bishop of Colombo, the Rt. Rev. Duleep de Chickera. This service will be preceded by solemn Evening song on Saturday February 9 at 6.00 pm. These two services will form the substance of the anniversary celebrations of the Chapel of the Transfiguration. It is hoped that Thomians past and present, well wishers and all others who appreciate the rich traditions and choral music of the College Chapel and its Choir will flock in their numbers to join in this humble act of Thanksgiving to God for His many mercies over the years and for future blessings in the years to follow. Esto perpetua.
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