“This gesture of aid expresses Christian solidarity. My heart is full of joy also thanks to the patron chosen for the boys’ college: St. Emeric, the protector of Hungarian youth: may he also be an example of life for our youth”, said the Archbishop of Colombo Oswald Gomis, President of the Bishops’ Conference of Sri Lanka. Archbiship Gomis was presiding over the ceremony of the inauguration of the newly built colleges of St. Emeric and St. Elizabeth in Sri Lanka, the country struck by the catastrophic tsunami two years ago. The colleges, named after the two Hungarian saints, can accommodate a total of 140 boys and girls. For the girls’ college the name of Hungary’s best-known saint was chosen: St. Elizabeth. When they heard news of the choice of this name, the sisters of the Holy Angels, who serve the college, were overjoyed because the Hungarian saint is in fact the favourite female saint of nuns in Sri Lanka. The construction of the colleges forms part of a series of other humanitarian projects, made possible thanks to the extraordinary collection organized after the disaster: Hungarian faithful contributed the record sum of 390 million florins (1.7 million ). With these funds Hungarian Caritas was immediately able to install emergency tents on the site of the disaster, send aid volunteers and provide psychological assistance. In 2006, in addition, the meals of 300 children were funded; building sites were purchased for those who could not reconstruct their homes on the coast; and new homes built. Almost half the sum offered is still waiting to be spent, so the project will continue in the years ahead.
