The area in Ireland where Brother Alphonsus was born is known as the “sunny south east.” It receives more sun annually than other parts of the country. Something of that climate must have rubbed off on Brother Alphonsus, for he displayed a sunny temperament all his life. When he smiled, and that was quite often, the sun smiled.
He was born on the 9th January 1930 in Rathangan, Co. Wexford, Ireland. He was given the name Martin in baptism. There were six boys and one girl in the family and Brother Alphonsus was the youngest. One of his brothers, Patrick, became a priest.
After attending the local primary school, Martin joined the De La Salle Brothers in 1943 and, after his Novitiate took the habit in 1946, taking the name Alphonsus. He followed the usual course of spiritual and academic formation before being sent to England to attend St. Mary's Teacher Training College at Strawberry Hill, London. This course lasted from 1949 to 1951.
He was then assigned to the missions in the Far East. Together with Brothers Lawrence Blake and Albinus Flaherty, he arrived in Singapore by ship in 1952. His first teaching experience was at St. Patrick’s Secondary School and St Joseph's Institution, Singapore, from 1952 to 1958.
He was transferred to Hong Kong in August 1958 and remained in Hong Kong ever since. His first teaching stint was at La Salle College, Kowloon where he experienced life in the temporary premises at Perth Street before moving back to the stately old school building on Boundary Street in 1959. While teaching some English and Religious Studies periods, he specialized in History and got the students to produce fine work in both La Salle and St. Joseph's.
The call to St. Joseph's College came in 1962. An old boy was told this by his father:
“My father told me that during his school days in St. Joseph’s, of all the Brothers whom he knew, Brother Alphonsus was closest to him. Brother Alphonsus was his Form Master for both his lower 6 and upper 6 classes. Besides being the best teacher and Form Master, Brother Alphonsus is also a great friend and a mentor who is extremely understanding and approachable. However, my father said that Brother Alphonsus would probably not be the strictest Principal because he has too much sympathy and understanding for his students. Therefore, to many naughty and mischievous students, Brother Alphonsus was not tough at all because he would not readily punish them. Those students often took advantage of the soft side of his personality.”
After teaching in St Joseph’s until 1969 he was appointed first as Principal of St. Joseph’s Primary School and then of the College. His easy style went down well with staff and students and standards did not in the least suffer. One colleague remembers him standing in the school hall on Report Card day and saying: “The results are not good. They are not good at all. They must improve.” And improve they did.
He had to leave the post in 1974 in order to take over the reins at De La Salle Secondary School, Fanling, in the New Territories. There he had a long reign, until 1993, and he loved the school, the people and the countryside. The surroundings of the community house, with tall trees dominating, was conducive to peace and tranquility. He also felt at home among the country people and the students and never passed up a chance for celebration. The school was at ease and Br Alphonsus received many visitors. Indeed, some Brothers often stayed the night in the ‘country house.’
Although he had left St. Joseph's he continued as Supervisor of St. Joseph's Primary School, this time with an even longer reign, from 1969 to 2012. He was also instrumental in the establishment of a new Lasallian school, Chong Gene Hang College and was present at the signing of the agreement with the benefactor.
In between all this, he took care of the St. Joseph's College Kindergarten, from 1974 to 2012 and he was also appointed Auxiliary Visitor of the Brothers in Hong Kong and had to attend a number of meetings overseas. Despite all these responsibilities, he kept a pleasant and sanguine temperament.
Brother Patrick Tierney has these memories:
“Brother Alphonsus entered my life in September 1964 when I was first posted to Hong Kong and to St Joseph’s College. From Day 1 it was easy to become his friend, for he was always approachable, available and open-minded. You could confide in him and get very sound advice too.
On the academic front, I admired the way he taught class and inter-acted with his students. He did so without fuss but always managed to get the best out of them. Of course he was good at teaching English but he had a particular passion for History. We used to joke with him, asking whether he was teaching about the Young Turks or the Old Turks!
It was not surprising to the Brothers when Br Alphonsus rose to the rank of Principal and Supervisor of schools. While never shirking responsibility, he generally ruled with a gentle hand, the welfare of staff and students as his top priority.
When he moved to De La Salle Secondary School in the Hong Kong countryside, he felt very much at home. The Brothers community house, surrounded by tall trees and flowers was a daily reminder of home. And the mountains were not far away. He also liked the ways of the people, the naturalness of the students. There was much celebration and enjoyment at staff parties. It was not surprising that he remained in this setting until his retirement.
It was outside the classroom that I most appreciated Br Alphonsus. We found two common pursuits, hiking and playing badminton. I reckon we hiked most of the mountains of Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and the New Territories, sometimes just the two of us and sometimes with other Brothers. He could keep on going and was a pleasant companion on all such hikes.
A day was reached, however, when time must have taken its toll, and he stopped near the foot of yet another mountain and said “this is ridiculous! You go on ahead and I will take my own time.
As for badminton, he was giving me 12 years in age but fought for every point. We would play even in very hot weather and finish in a lather of sweat. Sometimes, after that, we would enjoy a few cool beers!
Brother Alphonsus’ character and temperament was attractive. I never saw him getting too excited or losing balance. Rather, he was a rock of common sense and always loyal to his friends. He could and did talk with all classes of people – the teachers, office staff, janitorial staff, old boys, students and acquaintances. While he could be realistic in his appraisals, I never heard him utter an unkind word about anybody. Rather, he would tend to boost them up.
An unfailing trait of character was generosity. I well remember the days when I was studying at a University in Dublin, Ireland. We did not have much money in our pockets. It was a huge boost when, every so often, a letter and some money arrived from Hong Kong, courtesy of Br Alphonsus. That sure helped to keep the wolf from the door.
One aspect of Br Alphonsus’s character was humour. He had his own sense of humour and often gave witty responses to questions. This humourous trait never left him. Even when dealing with government officials, the humour would emerge. One of his long-standing school secretaries recalls:
“As he was not in his office every day there were letters from the Education Department and some needed his signature and attention. Yet, he just let them sit there. I remember at one time he was just about to return to Ireland for summer holiday, I asked him to tidy up his desk and sign those documents before he went away. He simply told Mrs. Lam, the janitor lady, to bring a big basket and he brushed everything on his desk into the basket to dump. I told him there were letters he had to reply but he said if they were important, they would send another one!”
All his life Brother Alphonsus spoke and acted with kindness for others. There is no doubt that he believed strongly in the dictum that a spoonful of honey is worth more than a barrel of vinegar.”
He died peacefully in Ruttonjee Hospital on 5th January 2019, just shy of his 89th birthday.
A Wake was held in the New Hall of St. Joseph’s College on the evening of the 17th of January followed by a Requiem Mass celebrated by Rev Father Patrick Sun, with Rev Father William Lo, S.J., concelebrating.
The Funeral Mass was celebrated the following day, also in the New Hall of St. Joseph’s College. The Mass was celebrated by Bishop Joseph Ha who gave an inspiring homily on the theme of “Let not your hearts be troubled.” The eulogy was delivered by Brother David Liao who said in part:
“Present with us today are Brother Alphonsus’ nieces from Wexford, Ireland: Mary, the daughter of his blood brother Michael R.I.P. Bridie, the daughter of his blood brother John R.I.P. and her husband James. We thank them for coming and your presence, Lasallians, Josephians and friends, assures them that their uncle, our beloved Brother Alphonsus, had a meaningful and purposeful missionary life, among us in Hong Kong. His caring personality had touched our hearts and changed our lives. Praise be to the Good Lord who sent Brother Alphonsus to journey with us in Hong Kong.
We are naturally sad to see him go but we also thank God that Brother Alphonsus left us quietly and peacefully in the morning of 5th January … without fuss, without troubling anyone and without a struggle … very much the person we know of him and in our relationship with him … a simple, humble and deeply spiritual person.
I first met Brother Alphonsus in Penang in December 1967. He was a rising star then and I was a rookie, a very young Brother just about to begin my teaching career in January 1968. I got to know him more in the 1970’s and 80’s when he came over to Malaysia for meetings of the Brothers. Then in the 1990’s, I became a regular visitor to Hong Kong. I got to know him more as we walk the many hiking trails all over Hong Kong Island and the New Territories and spent days together in Fanling. He was a great walker and an interesting talker. We walked far and fast to work up a thirst so that the cold beer after the walks soothed and relaxed the strained muscles.
To me, he was a great man living simply but generously in the service of others. To him, being happy and thankful for all that God has placed in his life, was the key to his attitude of accepting everyone and everything, as God’s way of leading him to live a meaningful and purposeful religious life. You, all of us present and those unable to come are the people knitted into the fabric of his marvelous life. I am sure he is smiling when on behalf our dear Brother Alphonsus, I say to everyone present, ‘Thank you.’
And so, we now say good bye to our beloved Brother Alphonsus who had touched our hearts and helped change our lives. He had lived out the words of our Founder St John Baptist de La Salle, ‘I adore in all things the will of God in my life.’ God bless us all. Live Jesus in our hearts. Forever.”
After the funeral Mass, the body was taken to St. Michael’s Catholic Cemetery, Happy Valley and laid in the Brother’s plot.
