St. Joseph's College, Colombo
| St. Joseph's College | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Location | |
|
T. B. Jayah Mawatha, Colombo Sri Lanka |
|
| Information | |
| Type | Government-aided private |
| Motto |
In Scientia et Virtute (In Knowledge and Virtue) |
| Religious affiliation(s) | Roman Catholic |
| Established | 1896 |
| Rector | Rev. Fr. Travis Gabriel |
| Staff | 450 |
| Grades |
1 to 13 Local Syllabus London A/L's |
| Gender | Boys |
| Age | 5 to 19 |
| Color(s) |
Blue & White |
| Website | http://www.stjosephscollege.lk// |
1 to 13 Local Syllabus
Blue & White
St. Joseph's College is a Catholic educational institution in Colombo, Sri Lanka. It was established in 1896 by French missionaries, with Rev Christophe-Etienne Bonjean playing a leading role. The college has over 4500 students with a staff of over 400. Distinguished former students include Cardinal Thomas Cooray the first Cardinal from Sri Lanka, and President Ranasinghe Premadasa. The motto of the college is "In Scientia et Virtute", meaning "In Knowledge and Virtue" in Latin.
In 1892, the idea of a Catholic College emerges with the proposal of the Archbishop of Colombo Rt. Rev. Fr. Christophe-Étienne Bonjean.
On 6 January 1892, a pastoral letter was sent to all the priests espousing the desirability of building a Catholic College In April 1892, a meeting with St Benedict's College Colombo 13 was held and it was decided to function as a Branch of St Benedict's until it was Ready to open independently as St Joseph's College, it took 4 years until 1896 for this to happen.(Please see the pastoral Letter of Archbishop Bonjean dated 6 January 1892 for clarification of this fact). St Joseph's must be eternally grateful to St Benedict's for this selfless act which resulted in the progress of Catholic education in Sri Lanka.
Thereafter 27 acres of Land called the ‘uplands’ was bought by the Archbishop for this project, from the government. Later however, this land was bought back by the government with compensation, and the Catholic Church bought a land at Maradana in Darley Road from a wealthy Egyptian called Arabi Pasha who owned horses.
On 12 December 1894 the foundation stone was laid by the Papal Delegate for South-Asia Rev. Msgr, Ladislaus Zaleski. In 1896, on 2 March 1896, St. Joseph’s College Colombo was declared open with 211 students in the school proper and 96 students in the preparatory school with Very Rev. Fr. Charles Collin as the First Rector. In November 1896, the College building was formally declared open by Governor of Ceylon West Redgeway and was blessed by Most Rev. Msgr, Zaleski, in the presence of the Archbishop Rt. Rev. Fr. Melizan OMI.
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