Saint Joseph's College, Colombo
St. Joseph's College is a Catholic educational institution located in Colombo, Sri Lanka. It was established in 1896 by French missionaries led by Rev Christophe-Etienne Bonjean. The college enrolls over 4,500 students with a staff of over 400. Distinguished former students include Cardinal Thomas Cooray, the first Cardinal from Sri Lanka[3] and President Ranasinghe Premadasa. The (Latin) motto of the college is In Scientia et Virtute, meaning "In Knowledge and Virtue".
St. Joseph's College | |
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Location | |
St. Joseph's College Location in central Colombo | |
T. B. Jayah Mawatha, Colombo 10 | |
Coordinates | 6.924822°N 79.860405°E |
Information | |
Type | Government-aided private school |
Motto | Latin: In Scientia et Virtute (In Knowledge and Virtue) |
Religious affiliation(s) | Roman Catholic |
Established | 2 March 1896 |
Rector | Rev. Ranjith Andradi |
Staff | 450 |
Grades | 1–13 |
Gender | Boys |
Age | 5 to 19 |
Color(s) | Blue & White |
Website | stjosephscollege |
The school is a non-fee levying school, whereby it receives some state funding, relying mostly on funds from an extensive network of alumni worldwide.
School buildings cover 15 acres (61,000 m2) and include a sports complex, and an Olympic standard swimming pool which was built in 1952, incidentally is perhaps the oldest swimming pool among Colleges dating back to the 1950s.
Sports
Cricket has been played at the school since its founding. At that time it was the only Catholic school in a group of elite, mainly secular or Protestant Christian, private boys' schools which often played against one another.[4] Many alumnae played on the national team.
St. Joseph's oldest cricket rival is St. Anthony's College, Kandy. They compete for the Murali-Vaas Trophy, which was inaugurated in 2007 and named after St. Anthony's alumnus Muttiah Muralitharan and St. Joseph's alumnus Chaminda Vaas. In 2012 the two schools celebrated their historic 100th encounter.[5] The most high-profile rivalry is with St. Peter's College, a brother school founded as its satellite campus and also known as the St.Joseph's College South. Its annual match-up is known locally as the "Battle of the Saints" or "Joe–Pete".[6]
Rectors
Founded by. Rev. Fr. Bonjean the Archbishop of Colombo.
Rev Fr Charles Collin OMI | 1896–1910 |
Rev Fr Charles Lytton OMI | 1910–1912 |
Rev Fr Emile Nicholas OMI | 1912–1919 |
Rev Fr Maurice Legoc OMI | 1919–1940 |
Rev Fr Peter A. Pillai OMI | 1940–1961 |
Rev Fr W. L. A. Don Peter | 1961–1971 |
Rev Fr Mervyn Weerakkody | 1971–1974 |
Rev Fr Quintus Fernando | 1974–1979 |
Rev Fr Neville Emmanuel | 1979–1983 |
Rev Fr Stanley Abeysekara | 1983–1996 |
Rev Fr Victor Silva | 1996–2005 |
Rev Fr Sylvester Ranasinghe | 2005-2014 |
Rev Fr Travis Gabriel | 2014–2019 |
Rev Fr Ranjith Andradi | 2019–present |
College anthem
The College anthem was composed by Edgar and J. M. L. Neydorff. The original manuscript is dated 25 November 1920. The words are by J. M. Lanigan, OMI.
Notable alumni
Note.
- Mr. Peiris though studied partially at St. Joseph's College is not a member of the Old Boys Union. In January 2015 Peiris' appointment was declared void by government of Sri Lanka
- Fredrick played for the All Ceylon team before Sri Lanka obtained Test status
References
- "Twentieth Century Impressions of Ceylon: Its History, People, Commerce ..." Retrieved 24 October 2019.
- "Being a Christian in Sri Lanka: Historical, Political, Social, and Religious ..." Retrieved 24 October 2019.
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 27 July 2011. Retrieved 25 October 2010.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- "When Royal thrashed Cambrians in inaugural match in 1897". Daily News. 21 July 2013.
- "Two saints at battle and the stakes are high". The Sunday Times. 12 February 2012.
- "Joe-Pete big match opens new chapter". Sunday Observer. 28 February 2016.
- Fernando, W.T.A. Leslie (24 October 2011). "Dr. Hector Fernando worked for the marginalised". The Daily News. Retrieved 5 November 2019.