This year marks the 160th anniversary of the arrival of the La Salle Brothers to Singapore.The La Salle Brothers together with the La Salle Schools, their school management councils, partners and stakeholders celebrated this momentous occasion with a thanksgiving Mass at the SJI International Chapel.
We were honoured to have the President of the Republic of Singapore and distinguished Lasallian, Dr Tony Tan, as our guest-of-honour.
The ceremony opened with a processional march led by the bagpipe group of St Joseph’s Institution. Representatives from each of the Lasallian schools walked in bearing their school flags.
We felt honoured and humbled to represent SJI Junior at this important occasion. We were and will always be proud to be part of this great Lasallian family.
Mass was celebrated by Archbishop Nicholas Chia together with other priests, all of whom are Lasallians. Further importance was lent to the occasion by the attendance of the Papal Nuncio, Archbishop Leopoldo Girelli.
It was fitting that the gifts of bread and wine, the very symbols of love and sacrifice, were offered by the two oldest Brothers of the La Salle Order. At the end of this reverent yet joyous celebration, the words of the hymn, We Are Lasallian, resounded in our hearts:
We share a dream
and sing with one voice
I am, you are, we are Lasallian.
We were fortunate to be present when the President presented tokens of appreciation to major donors.
This was one of the most enriching experiences that we could ever have, as very few at our age get to meet the President of Singapore in person.
The most memorable part was when the President very kindly accepted our invitation to take a photo with him.
Contributied by: head prefect NEIL BHARGAVA (P6 Joseph), and deputy head prefects MARK LOH (P6 Joseph) and SHAUN HUE (P6 Patrick)
