Saint Joseph's College, Colombo
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St. Joseph's College is a selective-entry
Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
school in
Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...
. It was founded in 1896 by French Missionaries led by Rev. Father Christophe Ernest Bonjean. The college has over 4,000 enrolled students with a staff of over 450 as of 2023. Former students include the first
President of the Maldives The president of the Republic of Maldives () is the head of state and head of government of the Republic of Maldives and the commander-in-chief of the Maldives National Defence Force. The current president is Mohamed Muizzu, who was elect ...
,
Mohamed Amin Didi Sumuvvul Ameer Mohamed Amin Dhoshimeynaa Kilegefaanu (; 20 July 1910 – 19 January 1954), popularly known as Mohamed Amin Didi, was a Maldives, Maldivian politician who served as the first president of the Maldives and as the head of governmen ...
, the third
President of Sri Lanka The president of Sri Lanka ( ''Śrī Laṅkā Janādhipati''; ''Ilaṇkai janātipati'') is the head of state and head of government of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. The president is the chief executive of the union governm ...
,
Ranasinghe Premadasa Sri Lankabhimanya Ranasinghe Premadasa ( ''Raṇasiṃha Premadāsa''; ''Raṇaciṅka Pirēmatācā''; 23 June 1924 – 1 May 1993) was a Sri Lankan politician and statesman who served as the third President of Sri Lanka from 2 January 1989 unt ...
, Nirj Deva Member of the
British Parliament The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, and may also legislate for the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of ...
and Cardinal
Thomas Cooray Thomas Benjamin Cooray (Sinhala language: තෝමස් බෙන්ජමින් කුරේ), O.M.I. (28 December 1901 – 29 October 1988) was a Sri Lankan cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church who served as the Archbishop of Colombo ...
, the first Catholic Cardinal from Sri Lanka. The (
Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
) motto of the college is ''In Scientia et Virtute'', meaning "In Knowledge and Virtue". The school is a fee-levying school which receives some state funding while also relying on funds from an extensive network of alumni worldwide.


History

With the foundation stone laid in December 1894, by the Papal Delegate for Asia, St. Joseph's College, Colombo, was declared open on 2 March 1896. At the beginning the school had 211 students and 96 students in the preparatory school. Rev. Fr. Charles Collin, was appointed the first rector. The college building was formally declared open by Governor of Ceylon, West Ridgeway, and was blessed by Msgr. Zaleski, and the Archbishop Rt. Rev. Dr. Melizan. The rector's office, the college office and the classrooms were all housed in the first building, the clock tower building. The college magazine was started in 1905. The Bonjean hall was the third building to be completed, by Rev. Fr. Charles Lytten, the second rector. Rector, Rev. Fr. Emil Nicholas was the third rector appointed in 1912. One of Nicholas' achievements was the creation of the first religious association of the college, the Guild of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Four years later, in 1919, another educationist, scientist and administrator, Rev. Fr. Maurice J. Legoc OMI was appointed the fourth rector. Continuing the expansion to meet the growing demand for education, in 1933, the present primary building, originally named "The Maurice Block", became the newest addition. The next large expansion was the south wing, a two-storey building to house classrooms. Being a scientist, Rev. Fr. Legoc in the 1930's could foresee the significance of science in education and its role in a changing world. He took leadership in placing great emphasis on incorporating science subjects into the curriculum. As a botanist, he published ''Tropical Botany'', a text that was widely known in Ordinary Level classes, both in India and Sri Lanka. Fr. Legoc was also responsible and introduced a scheme of scholarships for the under privileged students, making a difference to the lives of the needy and that of the future generations. Fr. Legoc's vision was to widen the provision of education, continuing to make a difference to the lives of those we had to reach. The initiative saw the birth of, (a) St. Joseph's College South, later St. Peter's College Colombo in 1922 (b) St. Joseph's College Negombo Branch (c) St. Joseph's College Wattala Branch (d) St. Paul's College, Waragoda (1935) (e) St. John's College, Dematagoda (1939) On the feast of St. Joseph, 19 March 1929, the foundation stone for the College Chapel was laid by the Archbishop of Colombo. Rev. Fr. Peter Pillai OMI was the fifth Rector, from 1940 to 1961, the first Sri Lankan, a great scholar widely respected in Asia. The Grotto at St. Joseph's, a replica of the Grotto in Lourdes, France, was built in 1940. The College buildings were taken over by the Army during World War II, but the institution continued education with branches housed in Homagama, Kelaniya, Gampaha and later at Borella.


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. Many alumnae played on the
national team A national sports team (commonly known as a national team or a national side) is a team that represents a nation, rather than a particular club or region, in an international sport. The term is most commonly associated with team sports, for exa ...
. Many alumni have played for the
national team A national sports team (commonly known as a national team or a national side) is a team that represents a nation, rather than a particular club or region, in an international sport. The term is most commonly associated with team sports, for exa ...
. St. Joseph's oldest cricket rival is
St. Anthony's College, Kandy St. Anthony's College, Kandy (, ) is a Catholic School, Roman Catholic School in Kandy, Sri Lanka. The college was established in 1844 by the Franciscan missionary, Felice Zoppi. The college is under the management of the Sylvestr ...
. They compete for the Murali-Vaas Trophy, which was inaugurated in 2007 and named after St. Anthony's alumnus
Muttiah Muralitharan Deshabandu Muttiah Muralitharan (born 1972) is a Sri Lankan cricket coach, businessman and former professional cricketer. Averaging over six wickets per Test match, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the ...
and St. Joseph's alumnus
Chaminda Vaas Deshabandu Warnakulasuriya Patabendige Ushantha Joseph Chaminda Vaas (born 27 January 1974) is a former Sri Lankan international cricketer who represented the Sri Lanka national cricket team. He is a fast medium pace bowler and regarded as one ...
. In 2012 the two schools celebrated their historic 100th encounter. The most high-profile rivalry is against St. Peter's College, a brother school founded as its satellite campus and also known as the St. Joseph's College South. The annual match-up is known locally as the " Battle of the Saints" or "Joe–Pete".


Rectors

Rectors of the College


Notable Teachers

* Gethsie Shanmugam


References


External links


Official website
Senewiratne, A.M., Till The Mountains Disappear: The Story of St.Joseph's College, 2020, p. 246 (+XIV)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Joseph's College, Colombo 1896 establishments in Ceylon Catholic schools in Sri Lanka Catholic secondary schools in Sri Lanka Educational institutions established in 1896 Private schools in Sri Lanka Schools in Colombo Schools in Sri Lanka founded by missionaries