Early Brothers of St Xavier’s with Br Aloysius Gonzaga Pin (Brother Director of SXI from 1879 to 1898)
MALAYSIA - March 29, 2022: On this day, 170 years ago, six pioneering La Salle Brothers - Br Liefroy Bajon, Br Lothaire Combes, Br Venere Chapuis, Br Gregory Connolly, Br Switbert Doyle and Br Jerome King arrived in Singapore from Antwerp. Brothers Liefroy, Switbert and Gregory stayed in Singapore while their three companions set out to Penang to inaugurate the Lasallian establishment there, the school which was to flourish under the title of the great Jesuit missionary, St Francis Xavier.
The Covid-19 pandemic has crippled the world. We experience a number of movement control orders and very strict SOPs enforced by the government due to the Delta and now Omicron variant. With sadness and disappointment, the Lasallian Family in Malaysia were unable to organise any meaningful events to commemorate the very significant date on the Malaysian Lasallian calendar.
Nevertheless, with borders opening on April 1, 2022, the Malaysian Federation of Lasallian Alumni Associations (MFOLSA) is confident that we can proceed to organise events and programs during the 3rd and 4th quarter of 2022.
MFOLSA in collaboration with the La Salle Brothers will be organising a series of events to commemorate 170 Years of La Salle Mission in Malaysia. There will be a Malaysian Lasallian Educators Conference in Taiping, Perak from September 8 - 10, 2022.
A 170 Years La Salle Golf Classic is planned for the 3rd Quarter of 2022. And a Thanksgiving Mass at the Church of St Francis Xavier, Petaling Jaya followed by 170th Year Gala Dinner is scheduled for the last Quarter of 2022. (Text & Photos: Mr. James Sia)
Picture of St Xavier’s Institution in early 1900. However, during World War II, the building was bombed and badly damaged and had to be demolished
Current St Xavier’s building