St Joseph's Convent School, Karachi is a
private Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...
primary and secondary school for girls located in
Saddar Town,
Karachi
Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former ...
,
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
.
History
In 1861, Monsignor Steins, Vicar Apostolic of Bombay passing through Belgium, called Mother Marie Therese, Superior General and founder of the
Daughters of the Cross The Daughters of the Cross of Liège (french: Filles de la Croix) are Religious Sisters in the Catholic Church who are members of a religious congregation founded in 1833 by the Blessed Marie Thérèse Haze, F.C. (1782–1876). The organizatio ...
, and asked for several of her sisters to work in the Indian mission field. Canon Habets, co-founder, advised the Sisters to offer themselves for the mission. The school was founded in 1862 by the planning of Monsignor Steins, Vicar Apostolic of
Bombay
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the '' de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the sec ...
of that time and five Sisters of the Cross.
On 27 January 1862, the journey began. Five Sisters set off and arrived on 16 February in Bombay, where they received a hearty welcome from Bishop Steins. There the Sisters heard for the first time that they were to work in Karachi, and that he would travel along with them very shortly. Thus, on 13 March 1862, five Daughters of the Cross first set foot on the sandy soil of Sindh, and immediately began their apostolate to the people of Karachi. On 18 March 1862 the school began with ten pupils; gradually the number of pupils increased. A new building was built, and inside the foundation stone was placed an elaborate inscription hoping that the building raised above it "might be the home whence good morals and sound learning may be diffused throughout this town and the Province of Sindh."
In 1863 a new group of Sisters arrived. In 1869 an upper storey was added to the Convent, providing accommodation for the boarders and from January 1871 the institution was known as St Joseph's Covent. After many years in 1951 the college was built. After the new St Patrick's Church was built, the Convent acquired the use of the old Church, which was rebuilt into the present fine Hall, with a built-in stage. 1901 saw the building of the present Convent Chapel with the classrooms below. The roof of this was torn off six months later in a violent cyclone that swept over Karachi.
In 1911, St Patrick's and St Joseph's held their golden jubilee with a combined P.T. display and the performance of a play, ''William Tell'', in the G.P. Hall. That year five pupils, Ethel Raymond, Annie Rodrigues, Eugene Nunes, Mary Lastellino and Mary D'Souza, appeared for their Matriculation Examination, and all passed. Ethel Raymond passed 2nd in Sindh and won a scholarship.
In 1958 the swimming pool was closed and transformed into the Lourdes House, and in 1965 a part of the garden saw the raising of the present Primary Block. With the creation of Pakistan a new challenge was thrown to the Sisters. The people who migrated to Pakistan were looking for schools for their children and the Sisters responded generously, stretching their capacity to the limit. Today the school has more than 2000 pupils on its rolls.
On 18 July 1989, the mayor of Faisalabad and Belgian ambassador to Pakistan renamed a public square "Belgium Square" to honor Belgian nuns who founded St. Joseph’s in Karachi 125 years ago.
Principals
Extracurricular activities
The Annual Sports Day is an event organized by much enthusiasm and hard-work. The activities include march past, races, disc and javelin throw, and P.T displays. The field trips too are a norm and feature educational trips to various museums, a recent trip to Lahore, and even fun visits to melas and cinemas. The school is proud of its Annual Computer, Art, and Science exhibition which is visited by students belonging to various prestigious schools in Karachi. Other SJC events include the Milaad, Naat Competitions, Feast Day Celebration, Independence Day Celebrations, and the Christmas Concert among many others.
Clubs
Clubs at the school include Scrabble Club, Art Club, Debating Society, Dramatics Society, Book Club, Sewing Club, and Chess Club.
Notable alumni
*
Shahnaz Wazir Ali
Shahnaz Wazir Ali is a Pakistani politician who served as member of the National Assembly of Pakistan from 2008 to 2013.
Political career
She was elected to the National Assembly of Pakistan as a candidate of Pakistan Peoples Party on a seat re ...
, social activist, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister of Pakistan, and chairperson of Higher Education Commission.
*
Alycia Dias, professional singer
*
Jacqueline Maria Dias, professor of nursing
* Dr
Salilah Hashmi
Salilah is a village in eastern Yemen
Yemen (; ar, ٱلْيَمَن, al-Yaman), officially the Republic of Yemen,, ) is a country in Western Asia. It is situated on the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, and borders Saudi Arabia to t ...
, surgeon
*
Mehreen Jabbar
Mehreen Jabbar (Urdu: مﮩرين جبار ) (b. 29 December 1971, is a Pakistani film and television director and producer based in New York City. She is a daughter of the Pakistani media-person Javed Jabbar.https://tribune.com.pk/stor ...
, film maker
*
Shahida Jamil
Shahida Nighat Jamil (born 30 January 1944 as Shahida Nighat Sulaiman) is a Pakistani lawyer and politician who served as the Law Minister of Pakistan.
Early education and family
Jamil is the only daughter of the late Shah Ahmed Sulaiman (a bu ...
, barrister, former minister
*
Uzma Aslam Khan, novelist
* Dr
Hamida Khuhro, politician, writer, professor and historian and former Sindh Minister for Education
*
Maliha Lodhi, diplomat and journalist
*
Marvi Memon
Marvi Memon ( ur, ; born 21 July 1972) is a Pakistani politician who recently served as Chairperson of the Benazir Income Support Programme, from February 2015 until June 2018. She had been a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan from M ...
, politician and
MNA
*
Zubeida Mustafa, journalist
*
Kiran Nazish, award-winning journalist and activist
*
Sadia Rashid, president of Hamdard Pakistan and chancellor of the Hamdard University
*
Bridget Sequeira, founded the
Franciscan Missionaries of Christ the King
* Dr
Nafisa Shah, Member of National Assembly and Chair of the National Commission for Human Development
*
Aamina Sheikh, actress and supermodel
*
Aileen Soares
Aileen is a feminine given name. Its common used in Ireland. It comes from the Turkish name Aylin, which means "Halo of the moon". Notable people with the name include:
*Aileen Adams (born 1923), British consultant anaesthetist
*Aileen Allen (18 ...
, teacher in this school for 50 years
*
Joyann Thomas is a football (soccer) player
* Lynette Viccaji, teacher and author
See also
*
List of schools in Karachi
Private sector schools
Secondary schools
Boys schools
Girls schools
* Convent of Jesus and Mary (Karachi)
* Mama Parsi Girls Secondary School
* St Joseph's Convent School (Karachi)
Co-education schools
Girls schools
Co-education schoo ...
References
External links
St. Joseph's Convent*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Joseph's Convent School (Karachi)
Schools in Karachi
Educational institutions established in 1862
Catholic secondary schools in Pakistan
Catholic elementary and primary schools in Pakistan
Girls' schools in Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...