The missionaries of the South-East Province of the MSFS, as true visionaries, dared to dream a bright future for the children of Kelambakkam region. They envisioned that educating the younger generation will serve as the practical means to eradicate ignorance, poverty and inequality in society. With this goal in mind, the province decided to venture into the ministry of education in Kelambakkam where our missionaries were already involved in pastoral ministry from 1996 onwards. Therefore, Fr. A. Edward, MSFS was entrusted with the pioneering mission of initiating the process of starting a school in the parish. He made efforts to prepare the ground by completing the legal requirements and started the SFS Matriculation School on the 5June 2009 with 93 students from LKG to III Standard, 6 teaching staff and 3 non-teaching staff. As we know, great things have always a small beginning and cooperating with God’s plan, we can achieve greater things beyond our strength. In fact, it was God’s will that the intellectual revolution spawned by SFS school should begin at the feet of Christ the Redeemer, ergo, the campus of Christ the Redeemer Church became the birthplace of the SFS school. The joy of the children in coming to the school and their fluency in speaking English language impressed the people in the surrounding villages, and consequently the students’ enrolment kept increasing in the subsequent years.
Developments undertaken at various times
Although Fr. A. Edward, MSFS was the pioneer in starting the school and the first principal, since he was busy with parish work, Fr. V. Berdinand Sahaya Selvan, MSFS was appointed as the full-time principal in 2010 to carry forward the intellectual torch. He served the school in its initial stage with dedication and spearheaded the construction of the first phase of the school building with the support of the province. He served the school for one year and once the new school building was completed, it was blessed and inaugurated by Fr. A. Lawrence, MSFS, the provincial on January, 2011. Then, the school was shifted to the new school campus on Vandalur-Kelambakkam road in February 2011, which is 2 km away from Kelambakkam parish.
Fr. G. Jaganathan assumed the office of principal in 2011, succeeding Fr. V. Berdinand Selvan, MSFS. He focused on providing good education, imbuing the students with positive values and discipline. He worked tirelessly, obtained the necessary legal permission, and upgraded the school up to VI standard. He served the school for one year and after him, Fr. A. Jaganathan, MSFS was appointed as the principal along with Fr. J. Stephen, MSFS as the correspondent in 2013. He was passionately committed to leading the school to the heights of its development, personally caring about the interests of the students.
Fr. J. Stephen, MSFS took charge of the school as the principal in 2013, succeeding Fr. A. Jaganathan, MSFS, and he served the school for one year. He made various efforts and initiated the construction of new blocks in the school to accommodate the increasing number of students.
As he was appointed the parish priest of Kelampakkam parish, Fr. P. Aloysius Maria Bensiger, MSFS succeeded Fr. J. Stephen, MSFS as the principal. He served the school for two years, working with dedication and enthusiasm, focusing on proving the quality of education and developing the infrastructures in the school.
After him, Fr. M. Simon Prabu, MSFS was appointed as the principal in 2016 along with Fr. K. Martin Anand, MSFS as procurator and Fr. J. Stephen as the correspondent. They worked with alacrity and ebullient spirit, guiding the school to the next level of glorious success. After three years of service, Fr. K. Martin Anand, MSFS was transferred and Fr. S. Amirthanathan, MSFS took charge as the procurator. They worked with their heart and soul, concentrating on the overall infrastructural developments of the school, promoting academic excellence and providing co-curricular activities to develop the students’ various special talents. Then, Fr. A. Lukas, MSFS was appointed as the procurator and Fr. A. Jayaseelan, MSFS, the parish priest was appointed as the correspondent in 2020, and Fr. Simon Prabu, MSFS continued as the principal. They together worked diligently with dedication in serving the interests of the school and guiding the students to acquire deeper knowledge and become studious.
Then, Fr. Simon Prabu, MSFS was transferred and Fr. J. Savarimuthu, MSFS joined the team as the principal in 2021 along with Fr. K. Dominic Savio, MSFS as the procurator. They worked together as a community and took the school to greater heights of providing quality education and motivating the students to develop their talents and skills. Thus, the SFS school had traversed a challenging journey of growth and accomplishments in creating an intellectual revolution between 2011 to 2023, caring for the students from various strata of society. Consequently, SFS Matriculation Hr. Sec. School stands as the epitome of quality education, providing value-oriented education to the younger generation around Kelambakkam parish.
As the school celebrated its Quindecinnial Year in 2023, Fr. S. Arockia Britto, MSFS took charge as the principal succeeding Fr. J. Savarimuthu, MSFS in 2023. He started his ministry at the school with the vision of Project -SMART to create an educational environment where the students are formed to grow smart in mind and heart, developing their gifts and talents. They provided a wholehearted service in caring for the interest of the school and concentrating on developing the infrastructures. They meticulously planned out and constructed a new block with extra classes. The new school building was inaugurated and blessed by on 2024.
As we, the Desalites keep ruminating on the humble beginning of SFS school while joyfully celebrating its Quindecinnial existence, we gratefully acknowledge God’s many blessings received through our students, parents, and friends. We are deeply indebted to our MSFS missionaries for their relentless hard work and commitment in laying the foundation for the establishment of our school, which stands as a peakon of Hope for a new future. We indeed take honor in claiming our school as our pride and our students feel proud to be true Desalites.
Succession of the Principals
Fr. A. Edward, MSFS 2009 – 2010
Fr. V. Berdinand Sahaya Selvan, MSFS 2010 – 2011
Fr. G. Jaganathan, MSFS 2011 – 2012
Fr. A. Jaganathan, MSFS 2012 – 2013
Fr. J. Stephen, MSFS 2013 – 2014
Fr. P. Aloysius, MSFS 2014 – 2016
Fr. M. Simon Prabu, MSFS 2016 – 2021
Fr. J. Savarimuthu, MSFS 2021 – 2023
Fr. S. Arockia Britto, MSFS 2023 –
Succession of the Procurators: Fr. K. Martin Anand, MSFS 2016 – 2019; Fr. S. Amirthanathan, MSFS 2019 – 2020; Fr. K. Dominic Savio, MSFS 2021-202; Fr. A. Lukas, MSFS 2020 – 2021 and 2023 –
Succession of the Correspondents: Fr. J. Stephen, MSFS 2012-2019; Fr. A. Jayaseelan, MSFS 2020 – 2021 and 2022 – 2023;Fr. K. Dominic Savio, MSFS 2021-202; Fr. M. Michael Selvans, MSFS 2024 – 2025; Fr. Jayaraj, MSFS 2025 –