Convent Of The Holy Infant Jesus (CHIJ)

CONVENT OF THE HOLY INFANT JESUS (CHIJ)

Welcome to CHIJ........

"You can take the girl out of the Convent, but you can never take the Convent out of the girl"

"Once an IJ girls, Always an IJ girls"

Keep IJ Spirit burning.......

The Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus (CHIJ) schools are a group of eleven all-girls Catholic schools in Singapore. The first CHIJ school in Singapore was established at Victoria Street in 1854, by nuns of the Sisters of the Holy Infant Jesus. Today, the group includes six primary schools, four secondary schools, and one full school at various locations around Singapore. The schools are often referred to as "IJ schools".

History of IJ

One hundred and fifty years ago, a small group of Infant Jesus nuns arrived in Singapore from Europe. They had one mission in hand: to build Catholic schools and homes for girls. Their first school, convent and orphanage, was established on Victoria Street which became known as the Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus.

In the year 1662, a Minim Prist, Father Nicolas Barre saw for the education of the poor in France. He,

therefore, recruited educated women to help set up his first school near Rouen. As the enrolment increases, more schools were estalished, and four years later, the ladies in charge of these schools began to live in a community under a Superior. This was the beginning of a religious congregation whose main work was the education of the poor. The year 1666, therefore saw the founding of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Infant Jesus.
The outbreak of the French Revolution brought about several social and political charges in France but the work of the congregation spread rapidly. Less than twenty-five years after the opening of the Mother-House in Paris, eight schools for free education and forty boarding schools had been established in France. With the granting of offical approval from Rome, the Sisters extended their work to America, England, Spain, Malaysia, Japan and Thailand.
Over the years, the sisters went out on to open schools and centers in many other parts of the island. As the Infant Jesus Sisters celebrate their 150th anniversary in Singapore in 2004, they have six primary schools, four secondary schools, one full school and three homes and centers. Thousands of Singaporean girls have been educated in these schools and hundreds cared for in residences, many of who still maintain close ties to the IJ family.
An education in the CHIJ gives a sense of belonging while allowing individuals to develop according to their own strengths and interests. This has always been so from the very start.
In February 1854, three Sisters led by Rev Mother St Mathilde Raclot arrived in Singapore and set up the Convent in Singapore at Victoria Street. The sisters got to work and within ten days took in orphans, did needlework to support themselves and taught fourteen children. Soon the number of pupils increased and the school became well-known. In 1894, there were 167 pupils. Ten years later, the enrolment had increased to 300. Secondary education began in 1905. Under Mother Hombeline, the expansion programme continued.

Our founder - Father Nicholas Barre (1621 - 1686)

The convent, which used to occupy a full street block bordered by Bras Basah Road, Stamford Road, Victoria Street and North Bridge Road has since been redeveloped into a retail complex called CHIJmes and part of it has been demolished and converted into the offices of SMRT Corporation. The Convent was located at Victoria Street from 1854 - 1983 before being relocated to Toa Payoh Lorong 1 in 1984.
CHIJ (Toa Payoh) is an autonomous all girls Catholic school in Singapore. Founded in 1854, the school is the oldest of 11 CHIJ school in Singapore and CHIJ is the only schools in Singapore that all the girls wore the same uniforms for six primary schools , four secondary schools and 1 full school.

Uniform
All CHIJ schoolgirls wear a knee-length blue pinafore with a belt and a white blouse with a Peter-Pan collar beneath the pinafore, as well as white socks and white-based track shoes. There are slight variations between the CHIJ schools in the form and design of the badges worn on the pinafore. Apart from the crest on the pinafore, you can differentiate the students from what material their badge is made of and the initials on their school socks.

Crest
CHIJ Badge The School Crest is one is shared by our schools all over the world.
In the centre of the Crest lies a red shield with a silver band edged in gold. Red conveys the message of love.
God's love embracing the world.
The shield is surmounted by a gold cross. This serves as a reminder that inspiration, dedication and fidelity come from Christ.

The shield is encircled by a garland of white marguerites. The garland of marguerites speaks of simplicity - the most charming trait in young girlhood.
On the right lies a Gospel with a silver rosary. The gospel is a guide for those who seek God's will for a life of godliness. Live by it and you will attain peace and happiness. The Rosary of the Virgin Mary symbolises communication with God. Cultivate it and you will grow in the Knowledge of God.
The Distaff and the Spindle are symbols of womanly labour, typical of an earlier period when the weaving of cloth was done by women at home. The symbol is typically French, pointing to the French origin of the Sisters of the Infant Jesus. It reminds us of the satisfaction and fulfilment to be found in a task well-accomplished.
Emblazoned on the Crest is our motto: "Simple in Virtue, Steadfast in Duty"
The CHIJ school crest is a badge of honour, history and distinction, inspiring every IJ school student to live guided by noble deeds and to uphold a three-century old tradition of heroic virtue, Christian fidelity and the best elements of global citizenship.

Mission
The Mission of an Infant Jesus Convent is the creation of a Christ-centred school community where all work together for the promotion of truth, justice, freedom and love, with special reference to the need of the pupils who are disadvantaged in any way.

Motto
Simple in Virtue, Steadfast in Duty
Virtue is a personal possession; no one can take it away from you against your will. An upright virtue goes out to one’s neighbour with spontaneous warmth. It judges oneself with humble honesty and it goes straight to God with childlike confidence.
"Steadfast in Duty" speaks for itself. Perseverance in what is one’s assigned vocation is not always easy but it yields that inner peace and freedom which no money can buy. It stresses the importance of a sense of personal responsibility - an essential trait for everyone preparing for adulthood.

CHIJ Primary and Secondary
1854 CHIJ Toa Payoh (Primary / Secondary) - formely at Victoria Street
1930 CHIJ Katong (Primary / Secondary)
1933 CHIJ Saint Joseph's Convent (Secondary)
1933 CHIJ Saint Nicholas Girls' (Primary / Secondary) - full school
1933 CHIJ Saint Theresa's Convent (Secondary)
1955 CHIJ Our Lady Queen Of Peace (Primary) - formely CHIJ Bukit Timah
1957 CHIJ Our Lady Of The Nativity (Primary) - fromely CHIJ Ponggol
1960 CHIJ Our Lady Of Good Counsel (Primary)
1964 CHIJ Kellok (Primary)