About Us

Our Patron

Joseph is a figure in the Gospels, the husband of Mary In Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox and Anglican Christian traditions, he is regarded as Saint Joseph.Joseph was a compassionate caring man. When he discovered Mary was pregnant after they had been betrothed, he knew the child was not his but was unaware that she was carrying the Son of God. He planned to divorce Mary according to the law but he was concerned for her suffering and safety. He knew that women accused to adultery could be stoned to death, so he decided to divorce her quietly and not expose her to shame or cruelty

Everything we know about the husband of Mary and the foster father of Jesus, comes from the Scripture’s that seemed too little for those who made up legends about him.We know he was a carpenter, a working man, for when the sceptical Nazarenes asked about Jesus, “Is this not the carpenter’s son?” (Matthew 13:55). He wasn’t rich for when he took Jesus to the Temple to be circumcised and Mary to be purified, he offered the sacrifice of two turtledoves or a pair of pigeons, allowed only for those who could not afford a lamb (Luke 2:24).

Despite his humble work and means, Joseph comes from a royal lineage. Luke and Matthew disagree some details about Joseph’s genealogy but both of them mark his descent from David, the greatest king of Israel (Matthew 1:1-16 and Luke 3:23-38). Indeed the angel who first told Joseph about Jesus, greets him as “son of David,” a royal title which is used for Jesus also.We know Joseph was a compassionate caring man. When he discovered Mary was pregnant after they had been betrothed, he knew the child was not his but was unaware that she was carrying the Son of God. He planned to divorce Mary according to the law but he was concerned for her suffering and safety. He knew that women accused to adultery could be stoned to death, so he decided to divorce her quietly and not expose her to shame or cruelty (Matthew 1:19-25).

We know Joseph was a man of faith, obedient to whatever God asked of him without knowing the outcome. When the angel came to Joseph in a dream and told him the truth about the child Mary was carrying, Joseph immediately and without any question or concern for gossip, took Mary as his wife. When the angel came again and told that his family was in grave danger, he immediately left everything he owned, all his family and friends, and fled to a strange country with his young wife and the baby. He waited in Egypt without any question until the angel told him it was safe to go back (Matthew 2:13-23).

We know Joseph loved Jesus. His one concern was for the safety of this child entrusted to him. Not only did he leave his home to protect Jesus, but upon his return settled in the obscure town of Nazareth out of fear for his life. When Jesus stayed in the Temple we are told Joseph (along with Mary) searched with great anxiety for three days for him (Luke 2:48).  We also know that Joseph treated Jesus as his own son for over and over the people of Nazareth say of Jesus, “Is this not the son of Joseph?” (Luke 4:22)

We know Joseph respected God. He followed God’s commands in handling the situation with Mary and going to Jerusalem to have Jesus circumcised and Mary purified after Jesus’ birth. We are told that he took his family to Jerusalem every year for Passover, something that could not have been easy for a working man.

Since Joseph does not appear in Jesus’ public life, at his death, or resurrection, many historians believe Joseph probably had died before Jesus entered public ministry.

Since Joseph does not appear in Jesus’ public life, at his death, or resurrection, many historians believe Joseph probably had died before Jesus entered public ministry.

Joseph is also patron of the universal Church, fathers, carpenters, and social justice.

We celebrate two feast days for Joseph: March 19^th for Joseph the Husband of Mary and May 1^st  for Joseph the Worker.

There is much we wish we could know about Joseph — where and when he was born, how he spent his days, when and how he died. But Scripture has left us with the most important knowledge: who he was — “a righteous man” (Matthew 1:18).

In His Footsteps: Joseph was foster father to Jesus.

JEAN – PIERRE MEDAILLE, SJ

Our Founder

Jean-Pierre Medaille was born in Carcassonne, France on Oct. 6, 1610 and was educated at the Jesuit College there. He entered the Society of Jesus in Toulouse shortly before his 16th birthday and was ordained in 1637. He went on to serve in a succession of administrative offices in the Society that utilized his considerable intellectual gifts.

Medaille was also a gifted spiritual director and a super preacher. In 1645, he was assigned to preach parish missions. It was during these missionary tours that he encountered several young single women and widows who confided in him their desire to consecrate their lives to God and the service of the people in need while living in the world.

In Le Puy, the Saint-Joseph hospice for orphans and widows was under the authority of Bishop Henri de Maupas. He had been a friend of Saints Vincent de Paul and Francis de Sales. Both of them had founded congregations of women engaging in apostolic works outside the cloister (a requirement for women religious at the time). Father Medaille approached the Bishop with his little design for women who wished to combine holiness of life with apostolic activity, and the Bishop responded favourably.

He handed over the administration of the Le Puy hospice to the six women who formed the nucleus of the new congregation of St. Joseph. On Oct. 15, 1650, Bishop de Maupas gave them official approval as a religious congregation.

Father Medaille’s legacy to the Sisters of St. Joseph includes Constitutions and also a spiritual treatise called the Maxims of Perfection, the Maxims of the Little Institute and a letter to one of the first Sisters proposing the Eucharist as a model for the congregation. These continue to guide the lives of the Sisters of St. Joseph.

VISION

Empowerment to students for communion.

MISSION

To endeavour to attain this communion through our loving relationship with God and one another by the practice of the virtues of our Patron St. Joseph:- Justice Humility, Purity, Forgiveness, Simplicity, Obedience and Loving service for the greater glory of God and good of one’s neighbour.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

The life of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Chambery is directed towards one goal, they strive to bring about the union of all people with one another and with God, Our Father. To attain this goal, all the members of the school community – parents, pupils, teachers, administrative personnel, work in loving co-operation. They work in a spirit of service with preference for those in greatest need. However , the main aim of the school is not only to impart instruction but also in a spirit of love and service to work for the all-round development of the students, to train intellectual, moral, spiritual, emotional, physical, social and aesthetic faculties. Established primarily for the education of Catholics, the school is also open to other children irrespective of religion, caste and language. Value education classes are conducted for all, but religions education is only for catholics students.

OUR SCHOOL MOTTO

Every institution has its own motto to give it a special identity. This motto is inscribed within the emblem which is special to a school, an institution or an organization. A student at St. Joseph’s School must know her/his motto, the meaning of the school emblem and be worthy of it. Inscribed within the shield are the words “VIRTUE ALONE ENNOBLES” What makes a girl/boy noble is not her/his education or the colour of her/his skin or the race to which she belongs. It is her/his character, and her/his character is formed by the practice of certain virtues, Inculcating these virtues is a life-long task, so a student of St. Josephs has to work at becoming noble all her/his life. She/He cannot take a holiday from her/his work. Wherever she/he is, wherever she/he goes and in whatever she/he does, she/he must remember this important work of becoming noble through the practice of virtues. It is her/his prerogative to be kind, gentle, respectful, helpful, cheerful, hardworking and enthusiastic at all times. This is what makes her/him different from others .This is what makes her/him noble and great. The Lily is symbolic of our Patron Saint Joseph Like the lily, a student of St. Joseph gives to others the soft fragrance of her/his goodness. The whiteness of the lily signifies the purity of her/his thought, word and action. She/He does or says nothing that will hurt God or her/his neighbour. She/he unfolds and blooms like the lily at all times and in all places. The letters S and J stand for ‘SAINT JOSEPH’ whose qualities she/he imitates and develops. Like Saint Joseph, She/he is always available for service in a quiet and humble way. She/He puts her/his faith in God, her/his loving Father, and looks for ways and means to please Him. Thus she/ he becomes a true child of God and a worthy student of St. Joseph’s.