History
History
Canossa Catholic Primary School (CCPS) is a co-educational Catholic school that centres its entire curriculum on the Canossian Education, which emphasizes on the Formation of the Heart. Previously known as Canossa Convent Primary School, it was established in 1941 by the Canossian Daughters of Charity in Singapore.
The Canossian Education emulates the work and spirit of our foundress, St Magdalene of Canossa, to serve the poor in spirit and needs. It is inclusive and embraces children of all faiths and races.
Saint Magdalene of Canossa (canonized in 1988) was born
in Italy in 1774 at a time when education was the
prerogative of the nobility and the middle class. There
was no schooling for the masses and working class except
for the initiatives of some religious congregations. But
these congregations continued to follow aristocratic
traditions. Magdalene insisted that her schools would be
“charity schools” where service would be given free to
the poorest of the poor, the most wretched and
abandoned. She targeted girls and women as
beneficiaries of her charity schools for the simple reason
that an educated wife and mother, faithful to God, was
the best way to build a wholesome family. Such families
would lead to a morally strong society and this in turn
would lead to God-loving nations. For Magdalene, the goal
of education was to lead people to the awareness and
experience of God’s love for them. This was for her, the
greatest act of charity. The charity schools were not
about philanthropy; rather they were for the greater
glory of God.
Saint Josephine Bakhita (canonized in 2000) was born in
Sudan in 1869. Bakhita, which in Arabic means “Lucky One”
is the name given to her by her kidnappers. Sold and
resold, she experienced the humiliation and suffering of
slavery. According to the fashion of the time and place,
she was tattooed with 114 elaborate designs incised with a
razor, then kept open by being rubbed with salt.
She was brought to Italy, ending this period of slavery,
and joined the Canossian sisters. Throughout her life, St.
Bakhita exhibited cheerfulness. She was known for her
gentle voice and smile. When speaking of her enslavement,
she often professed she would thank her kidnappers. For
had she not been kidnapped, she might never have come
to know Jesus Christ and enter His church.
She thanked God for the good that had come from her
suffering. “If I were to meet those who kidnapped me, and
even those who tortured me,” she wrote, “I would kneel
and kiss their hands. For if these things had not happened,
I would not have been a Christian and a religious today.”
Rather it was for the greater glory of God.
Canossian Daughters of Charity
In its emphasis on the Formation of the Heart, children are encouraged and affirmed in their personal growth as a child of God. The school strives to cultivate a personal relationship with God in everyone and a community spirit of love and acceptance. Mother Foundress, St Magdalene of Canossa, spread her love of Jesus through works of great service and belief in “the conduct of one’s whole life depends on education”.
Anchoring on that, Canossian educators recognise the need to develop the child’s attitudes, behaviours and respect, for the dignity of others. The school’s culture of love and care enables each Canossian daughter and son to become the best versions of themselves for God and others.
