Originally published in The Gateway Issue No. 13 (April 2009)
Brother John, also known as Celba John, was born on March 3rd 1886 in Ballick, Moyler, Co Laois, Ireland. Two of his relatives also joined the Order. They were called Brothers Finian and Alban Lynam.
Brother John joined the Brothers at Castletown on the 17th March 1902 as a junior novice and received the holy habit on 29th July 1902. After the spiritual formation of the novitiate he began his further studies.
However, in 1904, at the age of 18, he was asked to leave his native shores and was sent to New York. For the next 7 years he tested his teaching skills in New York, in particular in St Brigid’s School. Then, in 1911, he was asked to move again, this time to Manila in the Philippines. He was to be one of the pioneer group to open the first Lasallian school there, called De La Salle College which, in time, became De La Salle University.
Brother John was only 25 years old when he landed in the Philippines. Apart from a short interlude in Malaysia, he was to spend the next 24 years teaching and helping Filipino youth in various roles.
He adopted a relatively relaxed atmosphere in class in order to bring out the best in his pupils. A puckish sense of humour was a great asset. With a straight face he would crack jokes and have the whole class in stitches. As is often the case with a born storyteller, his listeners often wondered if he was joking or telling the truth. On the one hand he explained trigonometry, solid geometry and advanced algebra admirably well while on the other hand he brought Literature to life.
Soon after the establishment of De La Salle College, and in keeping with his abiding interest in sports, he started the first basketball team. To this day the College basketball team is one of the best in the country. In 1924 he was a founding member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association of the Philippines. Later he organized the Philippine Amateur Athletic Association and was Chairman of the Football Committee.
In 1927 he became the Director of the College and worked wonders for the morale of the staff and students. Perhaps his most memorable achievement was the ability to place his Commerce graduates in various business and commercial firms. He worked tirelessly and successfully to place his charges in good professional positions. When asked how he did it he would quietly wave off any personal credit but did admit he had many friends.
He also helped in the organization of the College Alumni Association, something the members never forgot. They were to welcome him back with open arms for the golden jubilee of the College.
In 1931 Brother John was asked to be Director of St Paul’s Institution, Seremban, Malaysia. He began the process of shaping the school quadrangle into a fine set of modern buildings. But the call of the Philippines was still strong and he was allowed to return in 1933.
In 1936 the Brothers’ superiors however, in their wisdom, saw fit to move Brother John again. This time he was to take over first as Sub-Director and teacher of Class 1 and then, in 1937, as Director of St Joseph’s College, Hong Kong. It was to be an eventful move as he would remain as Director throughout the war years.
For the first few years all went well, Brother John possessing a steady mind and hand. His correspondence with the Bishop for September 1941 contains this interesting piece: “We shall be glad to make St Joseph’s College available as a distributing centre for the American Red Cross in its efforts to assist the poor of the Colony with uncooked wheat and rice.” Shortly, however, the territory would be thrown into chaos with the advent of war.
The war years were a difficult time for the Brothers. Since both St Joseph’s and La Salle Colleges were taken over by the Japanese no teaching could take place. In addition, one of the Brothers who volunteered his services to the Red Cross was killed when the ambulance he was driving was hit by an exploding shell. It was decided that all the Brothers, except for three, would transfer to Lasallian schools in Vietnam. They were lucky to be able to find transport. The three who remained in Hong Kong were Brothers John, Paul O’Connell and Martin Kelleher and their role was to maintain a claim on their two schools. These three Brothers, being Irish nationals, would not be interned.
Brother John had a collection of stamps and it so happened that the Japanese officer in charge of the area had a similar interest. Brother John presented him with his collection of stamps. Because of this kind gesture the Brothers were spared harsh treatment. Moreover, across the road from St Joseph’s was Clementi School which had been transformed into a Japanese school. The Japanese headmaster and Brother John became friends. By all accounts Brother John’s personality effected a calming influence, something much appreciated especially in wartime. It was remarked, however, that he lost a good deal of weight during the occupation.
After the war ended in 1945, Brother John and his two companions set about restoring the school buildings to something approaching normal from a hospital and Japanese administrative offices. Much of the furniture and equipment had either been looted or destroyed. The Government could not offer much help. Many schools could not even get enough paper to print their exams. It was Brother John’s task also to find the former teachers who were still alive and living in Hong Kong and to recruit new teachers. Large numbers of pupils were applying to enter school, most of whom had lost out on their schooling during the war. Added to this was the influx of families from mainland China fleeing the Communist advance. Despite the difficulties, Brother John’s response was: “Even though we have to start from scratch, we are starting right in, with vim.”
Brother John also called on the services of a young Portuguese old boy, Enrico Rosario. Mr. Rosario was able to use his business contacts to supply the College with materials for teaching. He spent the rest of his working life as a much appreciated school secretary. He retired at the age of 70.
Brother John was happy to hand over the responsibilities of Director and Principal to Brother Raphael Egan in 1949, but for the next eleven years he continued to take an active role in teaching. He was particularly active in teaching religion and English dictation in the lower forms. He would correct all these dictation scripts conscientiously before distribution. The value of Dictation has its critics but Brother John’s students certainly developed an excellent listening ear.
The alumni of Manila had not forgotten and Brother John was able to visit in 1949 and again in 1961. In his 1949 visit the De La Salle Alumni Association President presented him with a pocket watch which he kept faithfully until his death. In the 1961 visit for the golden jubilee of the College his sprightly step had slowed and his eyes had dimmed but, as one spectator put it, “his sunny charm was still potent”. He was allowed to remain in Manila in retirement, in the city and among the students he loved so well.
In his later years Brother John suffered from a heart condition. He never slept in a bed but in an easy-chair. Unfortunately he had a fall from which he never really recovered. To heal a broken femur he underwent traction for three months at San Juan de Dios Hospital. Complications set in and grew more acute with the weeks. He faded away slowly and died on the 16th April 1964. In later years his remains were laid to rest in the grounds of what is now the Brothers Novitiate in Lipa, the Philippines.
Brother John had slipped quietly from this world but his passing did not go unnoticed, especially by his beloved old boys. The following appeared, in part, in the Manila Chronicle and Philippines Herald soon after the news of his death:
“Although he specialized in Mathematics, Brother John belonged to that breed of pedagogical titans who taught every subject well. He commanded the respect and affection of his students. We all felt close enough to him to disclose youthful intimacies, but nobody dared take liberties with him. Brother John was never known to have raised either his voice or his hand to deter or punish mischief. On one occasion he noticed a student copying from his neighbor on the left. He approached the student and softly whispered in his ear: ’If you must copy for survival, I suggest you copy from the other side because the fellow you’re copying from is as way off the mark as you are!’
A commanding personality in the classroom, he would nevertheless flush a healthy pink at the mere sight of his name in the papers.”
A friend who was with him when he died was particularly impressed by Brother John’s “resignation to the will of God”.
And so passed a man of pleasant temperament, refined, gentle and dignified in manner, as well as a natural storyteller.
