Rev.Fr.Alfred Benjamin(OMI)

                1967 – 1970 

FR. BENJAMIN E. ALFRED

(1915-1974)
Fr. Alfred was born at Mirusuvil on 23″ February 1915. After early education at
Sacred Heart College, Vathiri – he glided through St. Martin’s Seminary, St. Patrick’s
College and joined the Oblates in 1935. He had his ecclesiastical studies in Rome, which
got interrupted in WWII and completed in Ireland and earned his B.D. (Rome). He was
ordaincd a prieston 12″ July 1941 by Bishop CollierofOssory at Piltown County, Ireland
He served as priest at Teacher Training College, Colombogam ( 】945-1 948), then
as Rector to his Alma Mater: Sacred Heart College (1948-1950) one ycar at St. Patrick’s
and again to Sacred Heart College (1951to1954). He took off one year to do him M.A. in
Ottawa. For a while, he was the private Secretary for Bishop J. Emilianuspilla
In 1966, Fr. Alfred came to St. Henry’s College as the next Rector. He had a quict
disposition about him, handled admirably the relationship between the students, teachers
and the parents to bring forth greater productivity from the students in all forms of their
activities. Fr. Alfred abandoned some of the established methods of discipline. Even the
boisterous elements were gently corrected and reformed, without being sacked from the
College. He had great literary ability and was a forceful writer. He lifted the sagging
standard of English in the higher forms and paid much attention himself that he taught
English to Grade 10 students. The Writer vividly recalls, that Fr. Alfred insisted every one
of us carried a special Note Book and made us to call it BBC (Black Board Companion) on
which we took the new words, phrases and sentences from the Board, a practice that we
soon becameacquainted with From St. Henry’s Fr. Alfred was transferred to St. Anthony’s College, Kayts in 1970 and from there he went as Parish Priest to St. John’s Church. Chundikuli, also serving as Chaplin to Rosarian Brothers. He was also helping at the Diocesan Catechetical Centre with classes for trainee Catechists; it was at the end of a class on 14 February 1974, he
suddenly got a chest pain and passed away on the lap of Bishop B. Deogupillai before they
could takehim to the hospital.
Fr. Alfred, in essence, was a saintly Pastor, simple and genial had been adverse to
publicity of any sort, he practiced humility to a fault, had awesome Christian ethical
values; some of them were sanctimonious, which left an aura of compassion at St. Henry’s
mentoring students of his time to orderliness and guiding them to be worthy men of
tomorrow.