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St Esprit College celebrates its 70th anniversary ?with dignity and humility?
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St Esprit College celebrates its 70th anniversary ?with dignity and humility?
?70 years old? That deserves a celebration! As this anniversary coincides with another important event of our country?s history, we thought it was necessary to celebrate both of them with equal dignity,? says the rector of the St Esprit College, Jacques Malié. A series of activities have been planned around this event and Jacques Malié makes it clear that they are all imbued with dignity, citizenship and altruism ? values championed by the college since it was set up in 1938.
One of the celebrations planned is a flag raising ceremony today at the top of Piton de la Petite Rivière Noire. This will take place at the same time as the official ceremony at school with the bishop of Port-Louis, Maurice Piat, an old boy of the school, as guest speaker. ?Some old boys, who have organized the event, will pitch the flags of Mauritius and of the college at the top of the mountain where an original message will be read. This message will address all Mauritian citizens, young people, the minister of Education, political leaders as well as business leaders,? explains the rector.
What has made St Esprit College special is the objective its leaders have of seeking the all-round development of its pupils. ?The golden rule for this is a healthy mind in a healthy body. Courses, sports and music have always been balanced and harmoniously taught to achieve this all-round development. We?ve always tried to maintain the same standards while remaining simple and humble,? says the rector.
It is not by chance that the college has chosen the ?rehabilitation? of inter-college competitions as one of its main activities for its anniversary. All colleges under the aegis of the Bureau of Catholic Education will take part in these games as well as a few others invited by St Esprit. ?I don?t think we will be able to revive the inter-college competition of yesteryear but we hope that it will be fun with a good atmosphere."?
Shortage of priests led to closure</B>
St Esprit College has not always borne this name. In fact, the Father Laval Seminary was founded in 1918 by Mgr Murphy from the St Esprit congregation, who was bishop of Port-Louis between 1916 and 1926. He was the one to recommend the creation of a major Catholic college in Quatre-Bornes, like St Joseph College in Curepipe. Work started on 20th December 1924. Father Laval College opened on 11th January 1926.
However, the college had to close four years later because there was a shortage of priests throughout the island and the teachers had to dedicate themselves to their parishes.
It was only seven years later that St Esprit College opened under the guidance of Father Daniel Liston. The St Esprit congregation was responsible for the functioning of the establishment.
The rector knows that the school has already left its imprint on the country and is confident that, after 70 years, it still has ?a large contribution to make in the educational and sports sector at the national level". He added, "We tend to focus on results but we hope to continue to enrich the years students spend here with the hope of making them become good citizens.?
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