Fr Michel Bonamy 

Born: Nantes,France  1902

Ordained 1927 at the Seminary of the Paris Foreign Mission (MEP)

Died aged 54 in Singapore 14^th May 1957

Last post: Vicar-General of the Malacca  Diocese (inc Singapore)

                                            The story of the Catholic priest who founded our alma mater is a colourful and inspiring one. Father Michel Bonamy was a man of boundless energy who was destined for high office within the Catholic Church in Malaya. He was  educated in France and spent some years in India studying Tamil in order to prepare for missionary work among the Tamil-speaking people of the Malay Peninsula. He is described as a fluent speaker in Tamil.

                                            Upon arrival in Malaya in 1927, he was posted as Assistant Parish Priest of the Cathedral of the Good Shepherd in Singapore. He served at this post for a year before he was posted to the Federated Malay States for nearly 30 years.His missionary work took place mainly in Kuala Lumpur, Teluk Anson and Sungei Petani.

                                          Father Bonamy  served as Parish Priest at the Church of St.Anthony, Teluk Anson, from 1931 to 1934. He founded our school in 1931 with 11 pioneer pupils. The final impetus for the completion of the new school building came from Father John Edmond who served as Parish Priest from 1936 to 1947. It was also Father John Edmond who made the strongest efforts to get the Lasalle Brothers to run the school. The transfer of the school administration to the La Salle Brothers took place under Father Arokianathan (1947-1949). In later years, Father Matthias Ki (1959-70) started St.Anthony’s School,Langkap. 

                                          Now let us return to the subject of Father Bonamy. When he arrived in Teluk Anson in 1931, this town was virtually the capital of South Perak which covered the entire area from Tapah-Bidor to Bagan Datoh as well as Sitiawan-Lumut and Ipoh.This was the vast area covered by Fr Bonamy as a missionary priest. Travel from Teluk Anson to Sitiawan-Lumut was by boat while much of the rest of the hinterland was travelled by motorcycle. The founder of our school was a man of stamina noted not only for his rugged, handsome looks but was a man of deep religious faith and personal piety. He was clearly being earmarked for greatness in his priestly vocation.

                                        Father R.Girard, personal secretary to Archbishop Michel Olcomendy of Malacca-Singapore (1950s-60s)  was Father Bonamy’s classmate at the seminary in Paris where they were both trained for the priesthood. Father Girard recalls: “ He was a priest much admired and beloved of his parishioners. He drove himself very hard as a missionary, visiting homes and especially the sick.”    

                                        In 1941, Father Bonamy returned to Singapore as Parish Priest of the Cathedral of the Good Shepherd. He was to remain at this post until he was appointed Vicar-General of the diocese of Singapore-Malacca (the second highest post in the Catholic Church in Malaya). He was clearly destined to be the future Archbishop of the Catholic Church in Malaya. But it was not be. From the age of 50, Fr Bonamy suffered a heart ailment which took his life at the age of 54.

                                        His memory is special to us at St Anthony’s. He was a firm believer in the best education for the young. He was a man of deep religious faith. He also believed that young people achieve great things through self-discipline and the inspiration of their educators.

(A Note on Other Priests of Note who served in Teluk Anson)

Father  Rene Michel  Marie Fee ,founder of the parish of St Anthony Teluk Anson was Parish Priest 1894 – 1896. He was installed as Bishop  of Singapore on 22 November 1898

Father Louis Perrichon  Parish Priest  (1896-1900) became Auxiliary Bishop of Malacca.

Blogger Louis Rozario Doss  past Principal
of SMK St Anthony (1996-98) is currently Head
of A Levels at Tenby International School Ipoh

Father Dominic Vendargon  ,Parish Priest (1950-51)  became the first Bishop of Kuala Lumpur in 1955.

Father Antony Selvanayagam, an old boy of st Anthony’s School,Teluk Intan, was appointed Bishop of Penang in the 1980s, a post he held until his retirement in 2014. 
(Contact: Blogger email: louisrozariodoss@yahoo.co.uk Hp 010-3905011)