Originally published in The Gateway Issue No. 6 (September 2008)
“A soldier held a revolver to my head, all the time repeating the same word which I did not understand until the translator came up. The word was, ‘Ingrisu-ka’!
‘Are you English’? ‘No’.
‘Are you a soldier’? ‘No’.
When the soldier grabbed me, he had caught my profession crucifix which was entangled in my pyjamas top. He examined it closely, let it drop gently and said, ’Kasorikku-ka?’ which I took to mean, ‘Are you a Catholic’? ‘Yes,’ I replied. He pushed me away but kept me covered with his gun.”
So Brother James wrote about the experience that was to leave an indelible mark on him for the rest of his life, namely, his arrest and imprisonment by the Japanese occupying forces in Malaysia. After this first encounter Brother James determined to learn Japanese! Indeed he would later learn many other languages associated with his life and work. The passage also reveals his gift for the dramatic, a gift that never left him.
Brother James was born in County Laois, Ireland, on the 30th August 1915 and received the name Michael in baptism. Fifteen years later he became an aspirant to the De La Salle Brothers, began his Novitiate in September 1931 and took his first vows a year later. When he received the habit of the Brothers, and in keeping with the times, he was given a new religious name, Brother James. He was fortunate to have an inspiring English language and literature teacher when pursuing his studies. Brother James retained an enthusiasm for language and literature for the rest of his life. After these initial studies and formation he volunteered for the missions.
In the summer of 1934, at the age of nineteen, he set out for the missions in the Far East. It would be 12 years before he saw home again. His first posting was to St Joseph’s, Singapore, for his first teaching assignment. Those were the days of wearing heavy black robes in sapping heat and with no air-conditioning. Three years later he was transferred to St John’s Kuala Lumpur and then on the 10th January 1939, to St George’s Taiping in Malaysia. He was already displaying fine teaching qualities, including his gift for holding the attention of the students. He also began learning the Malay language.
In the Chinese language Taiping connotes “peace”. Little did the Brothers and the town inhabitants realise how soon their peace would be shattered. As was the custom, the Brothers went to a bungalow in the Taiping hills for their Christmas break. On New Year’s Eve, Japanese soldiers arrived on the hills and came banging at the door of the Brother’s bungalow. Brother James opened the door to the revolver-wielding soldier described above. The Brothers were all arrested as spies and “escorted” downhill, hands tied behind their backs, during the night. They were taken to a school playing field not far from their own school and tied to the rugby goalposts.
The cross questioning began. A Japanese officer approached the Brothers, bowed three times most respectfully and said something in Japanese. Later they learned he had said “You will be shot to death as spies tomorrow morning”. They could well believe it since executions had already begun.
Fortunately another officer approached and, thinking that the Brothers were priests, ordered them to be cut free and jailed instead. It was a close shave. For the next few years the Brothers endured a not so merry-go-round of imprisonment and house arrest before liberation at the end of the war. Brother James, however, was at pains to point out that they came across a number of Japanese officers and soldiers who did their best to make life more tolerable for the prisoners.
He was sent on home leave in 1946 and we can only guess at the joy all round. Then it was off to Rome to follow a course aimed at strengthening his spiritual and Lasallian formation. The Brothers called this course a Second Novitiate. Here, as might be expected, he brushed up on his French and Italian. On his return to the East in 1948 he was appointed Director of aspirants to the De La Salle Brothers. The location was Penang, Malaysia, and he was to serve there for the next fourteen years. He left a deep impression on his young charges who remember him, not only for his spiritual qualities but also for his sense of humour and more especially for his story-telling flair. He could keep them spellbound with first-hand war stories. Another feature of his time there was the presence of dogs. They accompanied the Brothers everywhere, even to prayer! Obviously James appreciated the therapeutic value of animals to institutional life long before it became recognized.
It was at this time that Brother James’ writing abilities came into focus. He loved to write and kept up a large correspondence. His typewriter was seldom silent. He was now asked to produce and become the first editor of a quarterly magazine called “The Crusader” which contained short stories, general knowledge, a pen-pal section and information about our Lasallian world. The magazine proved very popular with teachers and students in Malaysia, Hong Kong and Singapore. Brother James was editor from 1949 to 1955 and again from 1957 to 1961 and copies reached 8,000 readers. The name of the magazine was later changed to “The Young Lasallian”.
In 1962 Brother James was sent to De La Salle University, Manila and took out a Masters degree in Journalism. Upon completion he was posted as Director and Principal of St Joseph’s College, Hong Kong, arriving on the 17th January 1964. He was then 49 years old, at his peak as it were. He was succeeding Brother Brendan Dunne who had been associated with the school since 1932. Brother Brendan‘s avuncular style was not an easy act to follow but if Brother James was considered a lightweight in comparison he soon set about dispelling the myth. He prodded and cajoled the staff and students until they came around and the school went from strength to strength. He encouraged a wide range of extra curricular activities. He kept the school community regularly informed by circular and produced what may be considered the school’s first Student Handbook, laying a strong emphasis on discipline and politeness.
One aspect of discipline that Brother James focused on was the lining up of students before going to class. He insisted that form teachers lead the students back to their classrooms in an orderly manner. This was considered quite an ‘innovation’ at the time and it took time to implement but eventually caught on.
During his term as Principal the Communist inspired riots of 1967 broke out. It was a tense time for all. Mao Tse Tung’s little red book had become the left-wing bible. Crowds of slogan chanting rioters marched daily to Government house, quite close to the College. Schools in Hong Kong were also targeted and students were encouraged to start their own ‘Cultural Revolution’ in and outside the schools. Brother James and his staff managed to keep the College going without undue disturbance. A couple of articles attacking the school and its policies were published in one of the communist daily papers and a few small bombs, some fake, were planted near the school. Nothing came of it.
At that time in St Joseph’s, the house was full of Brothers, about 14 in all. Whenever there was a social, the Brothers would try to get Brother James to sing. He had quite a sweet voice. One of his favourite party pieces was ‘Abdul the Bulbul Ameer ‘which he rendered in suitably dramatic fashion. Another of his favourites was the ‘Scottish Soldier’.
The 1960s and 70s witnessed a big growth in the Hong Kong Lasallian mission. There were sufficient Brothers to lead the way. Plans for new schools began to take shape with Brother James much in support. He saw the need for a feeder Primary and so was born St Joseph’s Primary School which opened its doors in 1968, much to the delight of parents. St Joseph’s Primary was soon to become one of the most popular Primary schools in Hong Kong.
Brother James was also actively involved in the negotiations with the Chan family in preparation for a new Lasallian secondary school in Kowloon. Negotiations were successfully concluded and Chan Sui Ki (La Salle) College opened its doors in 1969. He also accepted an offer to sponsor a new College in Chaiwan, in the east of Hong Kong island, to cater mainly for children of a working class area. Despite challenges and the pains of fund-raising, he persevered. The school opened in 1971 and was called Chong Gene Hang College in memory of its chief benefactor. Brother James was always on the go.
Having completed the canonical six years as Director and Principal, he was transferred to La Salle College in Kowloon in January 1970, returning to the ranks as a regular teacher. Despite the lapse of many years he had not lost his touch and his English lessons to the senior classes were so interesting his students would not miss them for anything. He always tried to follow the Lasallian motto of being firm but kind in class. He also found time to become the Spiritual Director of one of the Legion of Mary praesidium in the school, Our Lady of Fatima. To add to his portfolio, he grasped every opportunity to study Chinese (Cantonese) and could make himself quite well understood in this difficult language.
In 1977, while still happily teaching in La Salle College, he was invited to Rome by the Superior General to take charge of SECOLI for the next six years. SECOLI was the fund raising and dispensing arm of the Institute, channeling funds to deserving Lasallian third world projects, especially to Asia and Africa. For Brother James this required a vast correspondence, much travel and cool judgement. In Rome he also took the opportunity to hone his Italian and French language skills.
His term of six years with SECOLI ended in 1983 and he decided to return to Ireland with a special portfolio to promote the missions. He was based in the Provincialate community in Dublin. Over the next nine years he did regular rounds of the schools giving inspirational talks and slide shows on the missions. His first hand experiences coupled with his gift for story telling made for compelling presentations and the students responded most generously with their contributions.
At the age of seventy-seven he took official retirement, first in Kildare and then in Downpatrick for his remaining years. He was still interested in news of the schools East and West, still kept up a big correspondence and enjoyed welcoming friends and visitors to the house. Anyone from Hong Kong would be greeted with a few sentences in Cantonese. He had strong family ties and really looked forward to his annual home leave. Although his health was gradually deteriorating he was reluctant to part from his beloved community in Downpatrick. Eventually the Brothers and his family helped him reach the decision to retire to the Brother’s nursing home in Castletown. It was a matter of weeks before the end.
Brother James passed away at Castletown on the 29th July 2001, just a few weeks short of his 86th birthday. Since it was holiday time, quite a number of Brothers were on home leave from the East and they all attended the funeral. Brother Patrick Collier delivered a fine eulogy. After Communion, a nephew of brother James, John Sheeran, sang “The End of a Perfect Day”. Brother James was then laid to rest to the strains of the traditional “Salve Regina”, a fitting finale for one who loved the Mother of God.
