Adieu from the Province Leadership Team

Adieu from the Province Leadership Team

 Bajpe has come to be a special place for the Christian Brothers with many wonderful memories to cherish. When the Brothers were first invited to take over the management of St Joseph’s Junior College by the Archdiocese of Mangalore, Br C J Harrison became the first Principal of this small parish-run institution of about 700 pupils in a laid back town along the outskirts of Mangalore city. Today, nearly 40 years later, St Joseph’s College is an institute of considerable repute within the state and beyond, and one that excels in a variety of fields. Bajpe is now more of a bubbling township which along with its environs has provided a significant number of young men to the Christian Brotherhood, including the present Province Leader.

     On behalf of the Congregation of Christian Brothers, we would like to acknowledge and thank God for all those people who have supported the Brothers over the years and contributed towards making St Joseph’s what it has come to become. The Catholic Board of Education, Mangalore Archdiocese, along with the various Parish Priests of Bajpe, have been instrumental in trusting the Christian Brothers and giving them the freedom to run the institution as they deemed fit. Equally important were the staff who have grown to be the absolute backbone of the institution and ones we believe have greatly imbibed our spirit and character. Many of the seniors, of whom we tell many fond stories, have retired and some gone to their heavenly reward. Among the present staff are a few with great leadership and deep love for St Jospeph’s, who we trust will not only maintain but further enhance the quality and scope of the institute.

    The Christian Brothers leave St Joseph’s College with a very heavy heart and not for any reason but with the certainty that it lies in good hands. Our own Congregation invites us Brothers to keep seeking people that are on the fringes of our society and conscience and to engage with them. We will go and do our part but we also count greatly on the thousands of alumni that have been through the hallowed portals of this great institution: to be brother and sister in small but significant ways, to those who by fate came to be born in circumstances of oppression and depravity. We trust in the words of our Founder Edmund Rice, “the good seed will grow in the children’s hearts later on”. If all of us did our little bits, the glory of St Joseph’s will shine even brighter than it has ever been. Even as the Brothers leave this revered institution, we wish to continue being bonded with the parish and people of Bajpe. We trust our house for the training of our young brothers will nurture the bonds of love that have developed over the years. We also pray that St Joseph’s College Bajpe will continue to shine far beyond its shores, in ever greater ways!

God bless the St Joseph’s School Family!

Brothers Augustine, Joaquim, Leonard, Ralph & Stephen

Province Leadership Team,

Congregation of Christian Brothers in India