St.Joseph College Of Arts and Science For Women
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Welcome to St. Joseph College of Arts and Science for Women (Affiliated to Periyar University, Salem) at Pagalpatty village, Omalur Taluk, Salem District - 636304, Tamilnadu, India. Established on September 2021, the college is a Catholic Minority Institution (a registered charitable society) managed by Franciscan Sisters of St. Aloysius Gonzaga, Puducherry, a congregation of consecrated sisters, wholly committed to the cause of message of the Gospel in the service of human development. The members of the congregation specially dedicate themselves in Faith to be in the service of the poor and the marginalised through education, health-care, and social action and welfare actions at national and international spheres since 1775. The geographic realm of their educational cum social service is carried out in various parts of the world, namely India (both North and South), Pondicherry, Burma/Myanmar, Germany, Israel and Italy.
St. Joseph College of Arts and Science for Women is established in rural region to impart education and development of women who hail from the marginalised communities of this region. The college is enriched by a network of Schools and Colleges managed by the congregation of the Franciscan Sisters of St. Aloysius Gonzaga. The networking of schools and college enables (i) to provide continued educational service to women from primary to higher education and (ii) to cater greater number of girl children to pursue higher education empowerment. The College aspires to be an Institution of Excellence Transforming Human Lives through socially relevant, quality education and empowerment, embedded in Faith, Justice, Equality, and Solidarity.
The Congregation of the Franciscan Sisters of St Aloysius Gonzaga, Puducherry a Catholic registered charitable entity committed to the cause of education and social transformation of the less privileged humanity, and women in particular in a rural environment was founded by Rev. Fr. Michael Ansaldo, SJ in 1775 at Puducherry. It has now a little over 1000 members at every level, dedicatedly serving through many educational and philanthropic centres in India and abroad all people, irrespective of caste, creed, race etc.
St. Joseph College of Arts and Science for Women is established in Salem region with the sole motive of imparting education and development of women especially from the marginalised communities in and around the region. A Gonzaga education is meant to challenge and inspire its educational community.
Our College continues to equip with modern state of infrastructure and comfortable amenities and human resources with the vision of promoting student-friendly pedagogy and facilitating the appropriate intellectual, moral, spiritual and integral formation of young minds to become wisely resourceful for building a Strong India.
Saint Aloysius Gonzaga, SJ is an Italian aristocrat who joined the Society of Jesus, whose members are called Jesuits. He was born as the eldest of seven children of Ferrante Gonzaga (1544–1586), and Marta Tana di Santena, in northern Italy. At the age of 8, he was sent to Florence to serve at the court and to receive education. When he fell ill, he started reading prayerfully about the saints.
Despite several of his family-members placing obstacles to his desire to become a priest, he joined the Jesuit Order, on 25 November 1585. As a young Jesuit, he suffered from the malfunctioning of his kidney, chronic headaches and insomnia etc. Yet, he volunteered to assist especially the victims of plague that broke out in Italy in 1591. He begged for alms for the victims, he worked with the sick, carrying the dying from the streets into hospitals. He admitted that he worked hard in spite of his physical repulsion. While engaged in such a mission, he himself grew ill and was bedridden by March 3, 1591. Aloysius Gonzaga died on June 21, 1591 with the name of Jesus on his lips. Purity was his notable virtue.
Aloysius was buried in the Church of Saint Ignatius of Loyola in Rome. On 19.10.1605, Pope Paul Fifth beatified him. And on 31.12.1726, Pope Benedict XIII made him a Saint. In 1729, Pope Benedict XIII declared Aloysius to be the patron saint of young students. Aloysius Gonzaga has become the patron both of AIDS sufferers and their care-givers.