St. Joseph's College

The college was founded in 1882 by the Fathers of the French Foreign Mission. The need for instituting a College of this magnitude in Bangalore was felt by the catholic Missionaries and it was the vicar apostolic of the coramandel coast, the Rev. Dr. Bonnand, who propounded the idea, in 1841, in a letter to Rev. Fr. Bertrand. Complying with the order, the Foreign Missions Society of Paris bought a plot of land on St. John's Hill and gradually made the transition to the location it occupies today. The Cantonment of Bangalore could now boast of an Educational Institution that would cater to the needs of the students, just as that venerable Institution, the Central College, was doing for the Bangalore City area. The emblem of an institution is the central representation of the core values which it stands for. Envisioned by the French Foreign Missionary Fathers in 1882, the emblem and motto announce these core values of the institution. The emblem is made up of two scrolls, one scroll is placed above the crown, on which is inscribed the motto of the Institution in Latin - "Fide et Labore" which translated to "Faith and Toil" and on the other scroll is placed beneath the palm leaves which bear the name of the Institution. The shield which bears a cross in the centre is symbolic of Christian faith. There are two bees on either side of the lower part of the cross representing hard and persevering work. The crown, which is placed above the shield, is a heraldic symbol of supremacy and glory. The compartment beneath the shield consists of palm leaves that are a sign of victory. The College motto is 'Fide et Labore' which means 'Faith and Toil'. Faith among other things gives persons a commitment to God, to his fellowmen, to intellectual pursuits. Toil is a necessary pre-requisite for success.