THINGS WE LOVE ABOUT SJI | LUMEN 15
Mr Raymond Wong
A Tale of 3 Statues
One of the most iconic monuments of SJI is the statue of the Founder , St . John Baptist de La Salle with his right arm outstretched with two young boys standing with him - the taller boy looking up to the Founder while the other boy is looking down at a book . This statue was found in the secondfloor portico under the silvery dome of the old Bras Basah campus overlooking the entrance to the school . This was the campus where I spent my first 3 years of secondary education in . It was a symbol of the Founder imparting knowledge to the young boys entrusted to his care while pointing to the right moral values for the young boys who entered the hallowed portal of the school . Those 3 formative years spent in the cramped confines of the old school building were memorable ones .
A year later SJI moved to its new campus at Malcolm Road and a replica of the statue was installed at the front of the school and was clearly visible when one came in through the school gates . I remember serving as an altar boy for the inaugural mass then and the statue brought a sense of history and continuity to the new school building . In a sense , we had a connection with our historical roots .
If you visit Missio 1852 now , you may spot a photograph of me bearing the processional cross at that inaugural mass ! Now the statue has been relocated to its current place of honour overlooking the school field where at every morning assembly , the Founder gazes out at us reminding us of our school values and
the connection we have with more than 350 years of Lasallian education . When I visited St . Peter ’ s Basilica in Rome some years ago on a Lasallian pilgrimage , it was with great excitement and awe that I saw that the original statue that I had grown so familiar with as a school boy and now as a Lasallian educator was right there ! Thus the statue connected the Lasallian education mission across time and place – from Rome to Bras Basah to Malcolm Road . Indeed , I am proud of being a Lasallian and a part of such a rich heritage !
Marcus Kuan Zhong Wei ( MN520 )
One thing I particularly enjoy about SJI is the tradition in songs such as ‘ We Are Lasallian ’ and ‘ St . Joseph ’ s Call ’, where everyone rests their arms on each other ’ s shoulders and sings their hearts out .
It is a particularly uplifting experience of joy , pride and unity with everyone in the school community , where each and every individual is vital in this unique “ conga line ” of song , jumping to the pounding beat of thundering toms , or swaying gently to the gentle caress of a piano .
It is a time when we come together and free ourselves of inhibitions of culture , race , identity and status , and truly resonate with everyone in the same location . It is a time when we scream out our fraternity loyalties or stand tall and proud of our achievements and how far we have come over the years . It is a time when we can truly appreciate one another . It is a time when we are truly Josephian