Fr Michel Bonamy
Born: Nantes,France 1902
Ordained 1927 at the Seminary of the Paris Foreign Mission (MEP)
Died aged 54 in Singapore 14th 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.
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| 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)
(Contact: Blogger email: louisrozariodoss@yahoo.co.uk Hp 010-3905011)
