The College was opened on March 2, 1896 with 211 boys in the College proper and 96 in the Preparatory school. As the building was unfinished at the time, o E.
As the building was unfinished at the time, only one half of it was open to students, and for some time the voices of pupils and masters mingled with the incessant clang of hammers. To this inconvenience was added another which was more keenly felt. Masters and pupils were strangers. All sorts and conditions of boys had flocked together from almost every school in the Island, and it required 'no l
ittle tack, care, and patience' to weld these diverse elements into a homogeneous whole, but before this could have been accomplished, some unsuitable boys left of their own accord, a few were expelled, their places were filled up, and in the words, of the Rector "a healthy tone began to reign in the College". These changes have led to St. Joseph's College being renowned for inculcating discipline and strong social skills which has enabled it to send out its students to society as men with values and knowledge. By November 1896 construction was completed at a cost of Rs.120,000, supplied one-half by the people's contribution, the other half by the donation of His Grace, Archbishop Melizan. On November 27, H. Mgr. Zaleski solemnly blessed the building which was formally opened on the following day by H. Sir Joseph West Ridge way. The school was not without its teething problems. Despite partial government funding a major share of the expenses had to be borne by the Church. The financial constraints were somewhat improved with the dawn of independence. However a major setback was the government takeover of missionary schools in 1962, which led to the school being forced to function till the change of government till 1977, without levying fees. Undaunted the College continued helped by generous donations and scrupulous financial management. It is presently managed by the Archdiocese of Colombo.
