SXI Chapter II

TheXaverian
Journey

Chapter

II

La Julie brought the first group of
La Salle Brothers from Antwerp,
Belgium to Singapore.

Bro Director Aloysius (1879-1898) and other SXI Brothers. SXI Prospectus 1877.
6 The Xaverian Journey

II

Dawn of the
Lasallian Ethos
1852-1940

Fr Jean Marie Beurel who travelled Humble Origins of
with the Brothers to Penang. St Xavier’s Institution

The three-masted sailing ship La Julie brought the first group of
pioneering La Salle Brothers to Singapore. They had been recruited
by Reverend Father Beurel, who accompanied six La Salle Brothers
(Brothers of the Christian Schools) and four Infant Jesus (IJ) nuns, and
arrived in Singapore in 1852. They had set sail from Antwerp, Belgium,
on 3 December 1851. This journey marked the beginning of a new dawn
in the East.

With foresight and unwavering persistence three La Salle Brothers,
Br Lothaire-Marie Combes, Br Jerome King and Br Venere Chapuis
arrived in Penang on 16 April 1852. Almost immediately they took
over the administration of the existing St Francis Xavier Free School
in Church Street and renamed the first Lasallian school in Asia

Dawn of the Lasallian Ethos 7

St Xavier’s Institution. Its chosen motto was: Labor Omnia Vincit or
Labour Conquers All. They were graciously welcomed by His Lordship
Monsignor Dr Jean Baptiste Boucho, Vicar Apostolic of Occidental
Siam, the Malay and Malaccan Peninsula. Work on a new school
building, situated in Farquhar Street, started in early 1856 and was
completed in 1857. Accordingly, the La Salle Brothers relocated the
school to Farquhar Street in 1858. The Eurasian community in Argus
Lane-Love Lane, just next door to the school, continued to be at the
service of the Brothers.

SXI Brothers – early years. Apart from the Eurasians, the students included orphans whom the
Brothers also took care of and who comprised the original group of
boarders. Later, boys from “outstation” joined the boarding section. The
enrolment of the school rose from 80 in 1852 to 125 in 1856. Word
had got around that the Brothers were providing not just excellent
education but were also nurturing an ethos that motivated the young to
care for family and community.

SXI just after 1905. SXI in the 1930s.
8 The Xaverian Journey

Baroque-Style New Building

When the school was relocated to Farquhar Street, it was renamed St. SXI chapel in 1915.
Xavier’s Institution. Brother Venere, one of the first three Brothers who
had arrived in Penang in 1852, was appointed the first Director of the
school.

The original building of St Xavier’s erected in 1857 was thirty
metres by ten metres and consisted of two floors only. After twenty
years, the building had to be expanded to accommodate a larger intake
of students. In 1895, the original building was replaced with a grander
Baroque-style double-storey building. In 1901, a third floor was added
to the main building. In the centre of the façade on the third floor was
the school clock. There was a concrete floor over the porch surrounded
by a three feet high wall.

In 1901, there were 520 students enrolled in St Xavier’s. In 1907, it was
reported that enrolment had risen to 1,048 students. Increased intake
of students meant that the school had to be further expanded. Hence
when funds were available, wings were erected and additional floors
added. New buildings were also put up occasionally, funds permitting.
For instance, at the end of 1910 a successful appeal was made to parents
and friends to raise funds for the erection of a more spacious Assembly
Hall. The Government provided $18,750 towards its construction. In
1913, an ornate new chapel was constructed over the recreation hall.
The point is that the school consisted
of a conglomeration of buildings with
no architectural uniformity.

The sketch plan shows the ground
plan of St Xavier’s on the eve of the
Japanese invasion.

As evident in the plan, there was
a three storey Baroque-styled main
building (A) facing Farquhar Street
with a wing at each end (B&D)
extending backwards. However,
other buildings displayed other styles
like the ornate chapel over the new
recreation hall. There was also a three Sketch plan.

SXI in the late 1930s with front wall. The “New Building” (G) completed in 1907, located at the Muntri Street end.
Dawn of the Lasallian Ethos
9

storey structure known as the T-Building (C), a two storey block of
14 classes known as the New Building (G), and other small buildings
notably Lyons Hall. All these buildings stood for a varying number of
years until they were severely damaged by Allied bombing during the
Pacific War, discussed in the following chapter.

As well, the school acquired six acres of property in December 1908.
The property facing the sea provided the pupils with a much needed
playground. In the event, enrolment hit a peak in 1929 at 1,330. Due
to the uncertain economic conditions caused by the global economic
depression in the 1930s, enrolment dropped slightly but still ranged
from 1,100 to 1,200 (Lee: 1992: 102).

Moving Beyond Penang

This initial educational venture in Penang was the fruit of much
dedication and commitment on the part of the leaders of the Church
and the general administration of the Brothers in Rome. What was their
dream for Asia?

First, the early La Salle Brothers in Penang not only provided a
relevant education in the context of Asia but also introduced English as
the medium of instruction to prepare students for the British colonial
government, especially clerical workers for the civil and municipal
services. Later, the doors were opened to produce professionals with
skills, some of whom continued their education in the United Kingdom.

10 The Xaverian Journey

Second, it was “integral”, making it both a human and spiritual
education. Hence St Xavier’s was to lead the way in integrity and
character-building as founded in the vision of John Baptist de La Salle.
Indeed the Brothers were inspired by faith, driven by zeal and served
the children with love. These seeds of success initially planted in St
Xavier’s Institution, Penang were later to be transplanted to many parts
of Malaya and Asia.

As a result of the efforts of the Brothers and the attractiveness of
their model of integral education, the Mission began to expand in spite
of being in a world that was strange and unfamiliar. For a period of
seven years the Brothers grew in numbers too. With increased numbers
and spurred by the success of St Xavier’s in Penang, the Brothers next
moved to India, Burma, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Hong Kong and eventually
to the Philippines. By drawing from their first experiences in Malaya,
they set up at least 10 other schools in the region. This was our gift
of the “St Xavier’s Penang model” to Asia. It was possible to replicate
because it began small and proved sustainable.

Secret of Success

A number of reasons explain the success of the St Xavier’s venture: Br James Byrne.

Prophetic Leadership

In the pioneering years the prophetic leadership was due to the work
of two dynamic Brothers whose energy, entrepreneurialism and rigid
adherence to the La Salle code of conduct made them pivotal players at
critical times during the school’s growth and development.

Br Aloysius Gonzaga Pin’s choice of a teaching career no doubt
stemmed from his own upbringing as a student of St Joseph’s Institution
in Singapore. His subsequent training and teaching took him first to
India and then to Ceylon before he was sent to Penang as Director of St
Xavier’s in 1879.

Br James Byrne from Ireland came to Penang in 1887 as an 18-year-
old following completion of his novitiate training in Paris. At first, he
taught in St Xavier’s Primary School, but was soon given more senior
tasks. He made a strong impression because, immediately after the
passing of Br Aloysius in 1897, he was made the school’s acting Director.
He officially assumed the Directorship in 1901 and was appointed
Brother Visitor in 1912.

Collaboration with Church and Government

From its beginning SXI maintained good relations with both Church as
well as State authorities. The school enjoyed the esteem and confidence
of the public too, as the standard of education was of high order, and
discipline was strict, but just. Recognition of her excellence as an
educational institute was echoed in official circles during the early years.

Dawn of the Lasallian Ethos 11

SXI Brothers in the mid-1930s with An examiner with the Cambridge Local Examination expressed his
Br James Byrne in the centre. admiration with these words: “Judged by the results of the Cambridge
Local Examination 1903, St Xavier’s School stands first in the Colony
Noah’s Ark. [Penang]”.
12 The Xaverian Journey
His Excellency Sir Shenton Thomas, Governor of the Straits
Settlements and British High Commissioner of the Federated Malay
States visited SXI in 1916. He paid this tribute to the school in his
address to the students: “Your education has not finished when you
leave school….It has just begun. When you leave school... behave as a
pupil of St Xavier’s. It has a good name”.

Academic Excellence

On numerous occasions SXI pupils topped the list in the Junior and
Senior Cambridge Local Examinations in Penang. The students proved
their academic worth and standing in the highly coveted and very
competitive Queen’s Scholarship founded in 1885 in honour of Queen
Victoria. The first awards were given in 1886 and in 1888. Dunstan A
Aeria became the first Queen’s Scholar of St Xavier’s Institution. Of
the 88 scholarships awarded between the years 1886 and 1939 for the
Straits Settlements and the Malay States, fourteen of these were won by
Xaverians. Without doubt, the dedicated and competent Brothers and
teachers played vital roles in this achievement.

From Noah’s Ark to St Xavier’s
Branch School

As St Xavier’s in Farquhar Street was firmly taking root and growing, the
Brothers did not forget or forsake their links with one of their favoured
endeavours with the Eurasian community in Penang. A small private
school started and operated by the Catholic Mission in Pulau Tikus
catered for the largely Eurasian community. In 1890, the little wooden
building fondly known as “Noah’s Ark” by the Pulau Tikus Eurasian
community conducted classes for Primary 1, 2 and Standard 1. On 1
October 1907, Noah’s Ark was incorporated into SXI and came under

the management of the Brothers. It was to become the home of many
prominent Xaverians and future La Salle Brothers.

In the late 1920s, the Brothers decided to establish a “Branch School”
to complement the “Town School” in Farquhar Street. The Branch
School was first located in Kelawei Road, and its building was completed
in 1930 and became operational in 1932. Children who had already
completed their Standard 1 at Noah’s Ark continued their Standard 2
at this new school until Standard 8. Upon completion, students had
to go to the Town School for Standard 9 – their Senior Cambridge
Certificate class. In that way, there could be an interchange of teachers.
Indeed some of the very best of teachers including Mr Frank Reutens,
Mr Willie Williams, Mr Kam Kee Chye and Mr JL Cornelius attended to
the Primary and Standard 1 pupils giving them the spirit of St Xavier’s
by word and example.

St Joseph’s Training College

As a result of the growing viability and evident visibility of this first St Joseph’s front facade.
Lasallian project in the Far East, the Central Administration of the Dawn of the Lasallian Ethos 13
Brothers in Paris encouraged the recruitment and training of local
Brothers. Br James Byrne, as Brother Visitor with the wisdom and
ability as an industrious forward–thinker, set up a central college to
train local Brothers based upon his assessment of the future needs of
the Institute. In 1916, the La Salle Brothers had bought a large piece of
land next to the College General, the Catholic Seminary. Both plots of
land stretched from Kelawei Road to the beach. In 1918, the St Joseph’s
Training College (SJTC) in Penang was founded. A two-storey building,
directly facing the sea, with a chapel on the upper floor with lovely
stained-glass windows, was completed in 1925. SJTC comprised three
integral parts: a Juniorate for young student aspirants, a Novitiate for
their Religious Formation, and a Scholasticate for the academic and
professional training of young Brothers who came not just from Malaya
but from many other countries in Asia including Burma, Sri Lanka and
Pakistan.

From the beginning its training programmes received informal
recognition from the British colonial government. Many of these young
Brothers returned to their countries of origin to serve in their respective
schools that had been set up over the years.

This initial project was workable due to the close links between St
Xavier’s Institution and the Brothers’ community in Penang. As well,
SJTC in Penang not only prepared Brothers to be teachers in the newly
established Lasallian schools in Malaya but also to be their future
Directors. The Brothers who subsequently became Directors included Br
Michael Jacques (St Xavier’s, Penang), Br Casimir L’Angellier (St Joseph’s,
Singapore) Br Lawrence Robless (St Xavier’s, Penang) and Br Alban D’
Rozario (St Francis, Malacca). All of them studied in St Joseph’s Training
College Penang as did the hundreds of Brothers and Lay Teachers who
subsequently served the Lasallian Schools in Malaya and Singapore.

Boarding School

Meanwhile the boarding school expanded too. The boarders were no
longer limited to orphans. Nor were all of them Catholic youths from
Bukit Mertajam, Prai, Ipoh and northern Malaya whose parents wanted
to ensure a good Catholic education for their young boys. Beginning
from the 1920s, the boarders were no longer limited to Catholic youths.
As well, they were coming from Rangoon, Mandalay and Moulmein
in Burma; from Bangkok, Phuket, Patani and Chiengmai in Thailand;
from Medan and Padang in Sumatra; from Kuching and other parts of
Borneo; and from Kelantan and Terengganu on the east coast of the
Malayan peninsula.

A few of these boarders who came from afar ended up staying on in
St Xavier’s after they had completed their schooling! Three outstanding
boarders were Mr Khaw Bian Teng from Bangkok, Mr Lim Gim Boon
from Padang, Sumatra, and Mr Tan Kim Lum from Sabak Bernam.
All three became trainee-teachers and when they qualified as teachers
joined the staff of St Xavier’s. At the time of their retirement Mr Khaw
was headmaster of St Xavier’s Private School; Mr Lim was headmaster of
St Xavier’s Primary School, and Mr Tan was headmaster of Assumption
School in Butterworth.

SXI school boarders, 1929.
14 The Xaverian Journey

Perhaps the most illustrious of the boarders was a young Michael
Jacques from Kuching who joined the Christian Brothers, studied
abroad and came back to serve his Alma Mater as Director. In this
extract from his memoirs, he recalled life in the boarding school in the
early 1930s:

I was to discover that the boarding department was run on strict
almost monastic lines. Everything was regulated by the clock.
Lack of punctuality was not tolerated. Strict silence had always
to be observed when in the ranks, in the study hall, the dressing
room, in the dormitory and when bathing. Holy Mass was a
must except on “long sleep” mornings. On Sundays we had to
hear two masses with communion at the early 6.00 am mass. The
regulations forbade leaving the boarding department except once
a month on Sunday when boarders were allowed to go to town to
make purchases. Ordinary needs like soap, toothpaste, etc could
be bought from the school’s bookshop. It was strictly forbidden to
frequent the cinema.

Supervision was close during games in the evenings and on other
periods of free time. All were expected to be present for morning
and night prayers. The daily mass on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday,
Friday and the first mass on Sundays were for Catholics only.
However, all attended the 8 o’clock Sunday mass as well as rosary
and benediction in the evening. …Prayers were always said before
and after meals. The rigid discipline was maintained by Brother
Prefect…Breaches of discipline were usually dealt with by caning
and even expulsion (Jacques 2010: 57-8).

Spreading Lasallian Education
throughout British Malaya

Almost 50 years after its establishment, St Xavier’s in Penang emerged as This is “The Eastern Iron Safe” where
the epi-centre for the spread of Lasallian education throughout Malaya the Brothers kept their money and
and later British Borneo as well. It was done in critical collaboration other valuables!
with the local Catholic Church, whose leaders began to appreciate the
tremendous contribution of the La Salle Brothers to Church and society. Dawn of the Lasallian Ethos 15

In October 1902, three La Salle Brothers – Br Maurice Joseph
(Director), Br Andrew Peter and Br Constantine Jeremiah – re-opened
St Francis’ Institution, Malacca that was closed in early 1902 because
the Government had withdrawn its aid due to lack of progress.

At the request of the Education Department and the Bishop of
Malacca, Monsignor Michael Marie Fee, three Brothers – Br Julian
Francis from Hong Kong, Br Andrew Corsini from Burma and Br Cyril
Alexander from Penang – were sent to Kuala Lumpur in 1904 to establish
St John’s Institution. Br Julian Francis was the first Brother Director of

St. Paul’s Institution, Seremban.

St John’s Institution. Later in the year, Br James Gilbert arrived from
Singapore to take his place as Brother Director of St John’s.

A little later in April 1909, the La Salle Brothers took over St Paul’s
Institution, Seremban that was founded in 1899 by Father Catesson of
the Paris Foreign Missions. Br James Gilbert, Brother Director of SJI,
arrived in Seremban to take over St Paul’s Institution on behalf of the La
Salle Brothers. Later Br Isidore-Albert was appointed Brother Director
after 25 years of teaching at St Xavier’s in Penang.

With the encouragement of Brother Visitor James Byrne and the
approval of the Perak State Government, St George’s Institution was
started in Taiping on 18 January 1915, on a piece of land donated by
the Kwa Family. Br James Gilbert served as the Director and principal
in the first year of its establishment. He later returned to serve another
term in 1923.

On 16 August 1920 the La Salle Brothers sent Irishman Br Paul
Gallanger to take charge of St Michael’s Institution in Ipoh. He was
joined by Br Hermenegild John and Br Finian Loarn. Br Gallanger was
also commissioned to draw up plans for a new building, but he had to
return to Ireland in January 1921 before any plans could be finalised. He
was replaced by Frenchman Br Vernier Augustus Clerc who was trained
in architecture and arranged for the construction of a proper building,
which was completed by the end of 1921.

Hence, over a period of two decades, the La Salle Brothers originally
based in Penang, had established or taken over the running of five other
schools: St Francis Institution in Malacca, St John’s Institution in Kuala
Lumpur, St Paul’s Institution in Seremban, St George’s Institution in
Taiping and St Michael’s Institution in Ipoh.

16 The Xaverian Journey

St. John’s Institution, Kuala Lumpur.
St. Michael’s Institution, Ipoh.
St. George’s Institution, Taiping.
St. Francis’ Institution, Malacca.

Dawn of the Lasallian Ethos 17