SJI celebrates 170th Inaugural Assembly

The Inaugural Assembly is the first formal school assembly of the new school year and is the culmination after a month of orientation for Years 1 and 5. It is a school tradition that formally marks the start of each new academic year when the entire Josephian community assemble in thanksgiving and prayer through the Eucharist, to celebrate our being as a Lasallian community. At this event, SJI officially welcomes the newest addition to the school – students (Year 1s and Year 5s) and members of the teaching and non-teaching staff.

This year, SJI celebrates 170 years of Lasallian mission in Singapore that began in 1852 when the first six La Salle Brothers arrived in Singapore on the ship “La Julie” at the invitation of Reverend Father Jean-Marie Beurel to provide for the educational needs of the poor in Singapore and Penang. These first six Brothers set up St Joseph’s Institution as a free school at Bras Basah Road that year. SJI became the first Catholic school and the third-oldest secondary school to be established in Singapore.

Just like Father Beurel and the first six La Salle Brothers who courageously boarded the ‘La Julie’ to embark on their mission to the Far East, Josephians too are called to embark together and by association, on a voyage of learning and adventure in the new academic year. The theme for the Inaugural this year - "Galvanising the SJI Significance", invites all Josephians to be curious and excited with the different gifts God has entrusted to us that we may use to help others. As Josephians "onboard" SJI in the new year, they will realise their own uniqueness and learn to appreciate others with different gifts. It is hoped that along the journey, they will use their gifts to care for one another, foster a sense of community as they bring out the best of themselves, to work together and by association, to galvanise our different strengths to promote the SJI significance.

SJI will continue to be "the ship" to navigate Josephians to be stewards with a purpose beyond themselves. The Stewardship Way of Life is the grateful response of a Christian disciple who recognises and receives God’s gifts and shares these gifts in love of God and neighbour. Students were invited to pen their unique gifts and a gift they hope to achieve in 2022 on a “sail-shaped” card, to remind them of their own ‘onboarding’ onto the ‘La Julie” ship (ie. SJI). These “sails” were collected from each class as a representation of the SJI community, and offered up at the Eucharistic Mass during the ceremony.

Students and staff also came together as a community to upcycle their old T-shirts to produce a DIY-Tote Bag. The completed tote bags that are presented to the community signify and remind us of SJI’s missionary history and tradition of our service to the community. Tote bags that are exchanged among our peers exemplify how we are gifts for one another.

At the same event, the SJI Student Council launched an initiative named “17,000 Good Deeds”. This initiative aims to provide an opportunity for the school to collectively do 17,000 good deeds to serve the less fortunate and to give back to the community, empowering our youths to become Men and Women for Others. These good deeds can be as simple as helping someone with their studies or lending a helping hand to someone in need done by all students and staff. Since its initiation, 360 good deeds have been performed to date (as of 28 February 2022). This project will officially close at Thanksgiving Assembly on 28 October 2022.