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LUMEN | ALUMNI
Believe in
Yourself
Written by John Shutler and Marcus Tan
“ It may be a wrong step that you took when you began but you can always take a new step forward ”. Catholic priest Reverend Fr Joachim Chang is an old boy from SJI ’ s Class of 1981 . His story is one of resilience and of new beginnings . He now serves as the Parish Priest in the new Church of the Transfiguration located in Punggol which opened in 2017 . His education and experiences formed in his childhood and teenage years have helped him later on in life , aiding him greatly in his current calling .
“ It ’ s quite confusing because I joined SJI in 1976 but left in 1981 . Six years .”, Fr Joachim said with a smirk . His journey in SJI was one that was in a sense unique . Academics were not a particular strong suit in his journey in SJI and Fr Joachim had to take as he would put it , a detour . In fact in his third year , he decided to hold himself back a year , a decision brought about by his switch midway through the year from a
science-based stream to the arts stream where he would eventually continue on in his later years . Fr Joachim credited the SJI Military Band for helping him to become the man he is today . A clarinet player , Fr Joachim joined the band despite having no musical experience . Yet his love for the band led him to practice hard constantly to perfect his playing . In fact one of his proudest moments was when he was singled out and praised by the conductor during a concert for his playing . To Fr Joachim , the physical constraints of the time given the lack of financial aid or space did not negatively impact him . In fact , these perceived shortcomings went a long way in helping him . The boys learnt to make do with what they had , to improvise and overcome the little challenges they faced .
Fr Joachim recalled a time in SJI when discipline and leadership in uniformed groups