Columba of Sens and St. Joseph Catholic High School (Greenville, Mississippi)

Saint Columba of Sens (c . 257 in Spain – beheaded 273) was a saintly virgin associated with Sens in France and a fountain named d'Azon.

Her whole history is somewhat legendary. It is reported that, at the age of 16, she fled Spain for Gaul (modern France) to escape the persecutions of Emperor Aurelian. She was located, and imprisoned. While she was in prison, one of the gaolers tried to rape her. A bear that was being used at a nearby amphitheatre attacked the guard and rescued her. However, she was later martyred at Meaux.

A chapel was built at the grave, followed later by the Abbey of Sens. Other churches in France have borne her name. She is also said to have been patroness of the parish church of Chevilly, in the diocese of Paris.

In art, Saint Columba is portrayed as a crowned maiden in chains. At times she may: have a dog or bear on a chain, hold a book and a peacock's feather, be with an angel on a funeral pyre, or be beheaded Saint Comba

Veneration of "Saint Comba" in Galicia dates from the Middle Ages; her cult, according to Allyson M. Poska, was "probably a combination of the cults of two virgin martyrs." These were Columba of Sens and Columba of Spain.

A Galician legend held that before becoming a virtuous virgin martyr, Comba was a witch. This legend relates that one day, the witch Comba, encountering Jesus Christ on a Galician road, changed her life after Christ remarked, “Go ahead and be the witch, but you will not enter my kingdom.” The tale states that Comba converted to Christianity and was martyred for her faith after refusing to deny it, or after refusing the sexual advances of men. She became the patron saint of witches in Galicia, acting both as an intercessor on behalf of witches and as an intercessor against witches.

At Coimbra, according to one 19th century travel guide, there was a small chapel that was said to mark the spot where Comba suffered martyrdom, and that "towards the close of the spring, the young girls of Coimbra deck her shrine with wreaths of roses in remembrance of the rosy crown of martyrdom they believe she won."

St. Joseph Catholic High School (Greenville, Mississippi) and Columba of Sens

The history of St. Joseph Catholic School began with St. Rose of Lima Academy, founded by Father P.J. Korstenbroek and staffed by the Sisters of Mercy. Located next to the St. Joseph Parish Church, St. Rose was the standard for Catholic education in the Delta for sixty-two years. By 1949 the enrollment had exceeded the space of the building, and St. Joseph Elementary and High School was opened in 1950. In 1964, once again the enrollment and needs of the school family called for another facility. A new elementary school, Our Lady of Lourdes, was constructed on Reed Road. St. Joseph became the combined middle school and high school. St. Joseph High School continued to meet the needs of the students by adding six classrooms for the Middle School in 1965 and an additional four classrooms in 1994.

St. Joseph Catholic High School embarked on an ambitious building project with the construction of a new 61,000-square-foot (5,700 m2) St. Joseph Middle/Senior High School located on VFW Road. St. Joseph offers an academic program that includes 16 honors classes in the disciplines of English, mathematics, science, and social studies. Qualified students at the junior and senior level may enroll in college courses for dual credit at both the secondary and collegiate levels. Students may earn 27 college hours all within the regular school day over the two-year period with a capital outlay of just $15 per credit hour. Qualified students are identified as those who have completed a minimum of 14 Carnegie units with at least an overall B average. Additional academic enrichment and college hours are available through enrollment in the school's Advanced Placement (AP) classes. Students may attend the community’s vocational-technical center for skilled training as part of their daily class schedule. Offerings there range from mechanical and building trades to office technology and health care. St. Joseph follows a 7 period non-rotating schedule day. Students have access to an outstanding venue of co-curricular clubs, organizations, and sport offerings.

One early morning in the early summer of 2012 the "Old" St.Joe located at 700 Golf St. in Greenville, Mississippi was destroyed by a fire. The High School was completely destroyed and the Middle School and Gym were damaged but still intact. The former site has been razed. College scholarships offerings generally exceed one million dollars to class sizes in the mid to upper thirties. The average ACT Composite Test Score is 21.9. International Science Fair participants three consecutive years. 31 Students Placed in the Regional Science & Engineering Fair. There were four State Science Fair winners. Regional Scholar Bowl Champions. Principal of the Year Award 2008 and 2009. Mississippi High School Activities Association’s Sportsmanship Award. MHSAA Scholar-Athlete Award four consecutive years. Recipient of Reader's Choice, Best High School. 2009 Mississippi Governor’s Award: Outstanding School-Community Partnership. State Baseball Champions 2013. External links St. Joseph High School, Greenville
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