Mangaluru: A farewell programme was organised by St Joseph Engineering College (SJEC), Vamanjoor to the President of SJEC, His Excellency Most Rev. Dr Aloysius Paul D’Souza, Bishop of Mangalore Diocese, on Tuesday, 11th September 2018, at the Kalam Auditorium of the college.
The farewell programme began with a prayer song led by the college choir. Dr Vincent Crasta, Professor and Head, Department of Physics welcomed the gathering.
Founder Director Rev. Fr Valerian D’Souza in his words of felicitation said, “Bishop Dr Aloysius Paul D’Souza was a ray of hope for the children who are poor but intelligent and who could not afford to meet the expenses of technical education. The Bishop’s concern for the education of children and youth is praiseworthy. His policy to consider such children and bring them to the mainstream of the society will be remembered in the days to come.”
Dr Rio D’Souza, Principal of SJEC in his address to the gathering recalled his association with the Bishop and called him a mass leader who devoted himself to the service of the community. He appreciated the Bishop’s decision to start SJEC to spread engineering education in this part of the country. “St Joseph Engineering College is a result of one such daring decision taken at the right time for the betterment of the people, especially the underprivileged sectors of the society and the society will always remain grateful to his vision, concern and compassion,” he stated.
Rev. Fr Wilfred Prakash D’Souza, Director of SJEC in his felicitation speech stated that every dream germinates in the mind of a true visionary. The Bishop had several dreams at the beginning of his episcopate and he successfully realized them one after the other. When we walk down the memory lane and blissfully remember those magnificent milestones, we find SJEC standing out as one of the central milestones in the episcopate of Bishop Aloysius. Despite the initial struggles, the Bishop could withstand the test of time because of his passionate pursuit of his vision and make this college acquire the international standard. Today, St Joseph’s is not just an engineering college, it is a little world in itself, which is churning out vibrant youngsters with sound values along with academic excellence, he added.
Bishop was felicitated on this occasion and Rev. Fr Rohith D’Costa read the citation.
After the felicitation, His Excellency Most Rev. Dr Aloysius Paul D’Souza stated that SJEC was started to cater to the needs of the needy students who could not bear the high cost of technical education. He urged everyone to continue the mission of imparting quality education through human values. He appreciated the efforts of the staff for tirelessly working for the institution and making it reach greater heights.
A souvenir titled “Reverentia-Tribute to a Visionary” was released in honour of the Bishop. A video on the journey of the Bishop was also presented. Prizes for the best outgoing students in honour of His Excellency Most Rev. Dr Aloysius Paul D’Souza, Bishop of Mangalore and the President of SJEC were instituted on this occasion.
Dr Prakash Pinto, Dean of MBA and Convener of the farewell programme proposed the vote of thanks. Smitha Maria D’Souza, Assistant Professor of the Department of Chemistry, compeered the programme. The Governing Board and Governing Council members, former Principals, teaching, non-teaching staff and students were present.
