By Hii Mao Xing (Year 11 Blue, SJIS)
KUCHING — St Joseph’s Family of Schools celebrated its annual St Joseph’s Day on 26 April 2024. From 8.00 am to 12.00 pm, students, teachers, and staff gathered at the Christian Ecumenical Worship Centre to witness the momentous return of the day significant to all with the privilege of calling themselves ‘Josephians’.
Special guests attending the festivities included Archbishop Emeritus John Ha Tiong Hock, Archbishop Simon Poh and Fr Alvin Ng, SJ. Mr Christopher Chua, CEO of St Joseph’s Family of Schools, Br Robert Teoh, FMS, Principal of St Joseph’s International School (SJIS) and Fr Stanley Goh, SJ, Principal of St Joseph’s Private Secondary School (SJSS) were all present to celebrate this special day.
A full-scale St Joseph’s Day (previously known as Josephian’s Day) celebration has not been held since the graduating class of 2024 first stepped foot into the school in 2020, due to the restrictions imposed by the pandemic. According to Mr Christopher Chua, March 2020 saw the first ever St Joseph’s Day celebration in the history of the school; the second was celebrated via virtual telecast because of the pandemic, making this year the third time the event has been held—but the very first time the event has been carried out in a different format: instead of the fair-like event of 2020, St Joseph’s Day was held in a more serious and formal setting this year, transforming it from an easy-going get-together with food and fun to a structured event with live performances and speeches from distinguished guests. Mr Chua expressed his concern about changing the format of the event, anxious to see how students and staff would respond to it.
The first item on the agenda was Mass, where Archbishop Simon Poh spoke at length about our school motto, Ora et Labora (‘Prayer and Labour’), and what it means to be a Josephian. The SJPS Choir led all attendees in singing hymns. After the Mass and a short break, Br Robert Teoh led the room in an opening prayer before the SJPS Concert Band kicked off the celebration with their welcoming performance entitled ‘Under the Double Eagle’. Following the grand performance, Archbishop Emeritus John Ha, the alumnus responsible for the establishment of St Joseph’s Family of Schools, was invited up on stage to address the students and bring enlightenment to this year’s St Joseph’s Day theme “What it means to be a Josephian”.
After his inspirational speech was a Chinese ensemble performance by SJIS students Jeslyn Ting, Theodore Chiu, Andrea Wong, and Christal Chung, their piece entitled ‘Butterfly Lovers’ Violin Concerto’, wordlessly telling the tragic tale of Zhu and Liang, the Romeo and Juliet of Ancient China. Next, Fr Alvin Ng, another well-known alumnus of the school, gave a speech, sharing his life story through photos of his youth. To conclude the special event, all Josephians, current and former alike, placed their right hand over their heart and proudly sang along to the SJPS Concert Band’s rendition of the school rally, ‘Children of Joseph’.
When asked for his message to students in regard to commemorating the school’s patron, St Joseph, Mr Christopher Chua stated, “I would like to ask all students, and even parents—especially those who were from St Joseph before—to reflect on what it means to be a Josephian.”
We do not yet know what the future holds for St Joseph’s Day, as organisers have committed to improving the event by continually tweaking the formula. CEO Mr Christopher Chua wants to ensure that St Joseph’s Day is something that everyone can learn from; the celebration should honour the Labourer St Joseph, and instil in students his values. Hence, Mr Chua is looking to bring back alumni of St Joseph’s School—who have, since leaving the school, made their mark on the world—to share their experiences with the current students of St Joseph’s Family of Schools.
“Keep the flag flying high, keep the school motto alive, keep the school rally sung, in whatever you do and wherever you are. Thank you and God bless our school.”
