Originally published in The Gateway Issue No. 4 (June 2008)
A Born Leader
Brother Raphael Egan was a big man, a larger than life figure. He was born on 3rd December 1918 in County Laois, Ireland, and was baptized Patrick Joseph. He came from a devoted Catholic family of nine children, five girls and four boys. All his five sisters became nuns, while two of the boys joined the La Salle Brothers. Two of his uncles and two of his cousins were also La Salle Brothers. This must be something of a record, even for the Ireland of his day, with its large families and strong practice of the Catholic faith.
Brother Raphael left for the Brothers’ Juniorate in Castletown, County Laois, on 17th August 1932. Here he showed early signs of practical piety and spiritual good sense. Following his Novitiate, he went directly to Faithlegg, County Waterford, for two years of Scholasticate. In 1939, he did his teacher training course in De La Salle College, Waterford. Two years later, he was assigned to teach in a Lasallian school in Ardee, County Louth. After teaching there for four years, he was sent to Dublin to study for a university degree while still attached to Ardee during holiday periods.
His superiors must have observed a missionary streak in Brother Raphael or else he himself must have received the call because in October 1947 we find him arriving at La Salle College, Hong Kong. His arrival was a godsend. At the time Hong Kong was trying to recover from the war years. Though conditions were far from satisfactory, Brother Raphael taught the matriculation class, worked hard, put new spirit into his students, and achieved unprecedented success in public examinations.
In the words of Brother Raphael himself: “ It was tough going but the pupils who were all about 20 years old, studied like fury realizing how much they missed during the war years. I thought at the time that my standard of teaching was good but after only two years I was appointed Principal of St. Joseph’s College. This sudden promotion made me have second thoughts as it has been said that if one can’t teach well, it’s better promote him to Principalship.”
And so it came to pass that, at the relatively tender age of 31, Brother Raphael became a very youthful Director and Principal of St. Joseph’s College and soon began to make his mark. With Brother Brendan Dunne as his right-hand man, he put St. Joseph’s back on an even keel after the ravages of the war years. He set about refurnishing and reorganizing, recruiting better teachers and encouraging the students to make up for the four years of education they had missed during the war. The staff and students considered him a born headmaster and a great educator.
As with many teachers and Headmasters, he had a nickname, “Red-faced Kwan Kung.” Kwan Kung was one of the three blood brothers in the Chinese epic ‘The Romance of the Three Kingdoms’ and was always depicted with a very red complexion. As it turned out, the nickname was not bad for Kwan Kung was reputed to be full of courage and righteousness, not at all a bad fellow.
Moreover, at this time he extended care and hospitality to the missionary Brothers and priests who had been expelled from Mainland China. He provided shelter and support for these servants of God. Indeed, throughout his life he continued to give generously to those in need.
After nine years of dedicated service at the helm of St Joseph’s, Brother Raphael was entrusted with a new challenge. He left behind a school with an enviable reputation as one of the best in Hong Kong. The new challenge was to pioneer the Brothers’ first venture in Sabah, Malaysia. He was to spend the next thirteen years building up the Lasallian schools in Kota Kinabalu and Sandakan. Many of the students at the time he took over were not up to standard and the schools somewhat rundown. Through hard work and determination Raphael changed things round and these schools became leading institutions in the State.
As a Brother there at the time recalls: “He was a big strong man and I was later to realize he was big and strong also in mind, in heart, in vision. He was the boss, made the decisions, results were achieved and nobody was unduly worried how they were achieved. He was generous and people found it easy to relate with him.” He saw the need for boarding facilities and put up a boarding department to accommodate 60 boys. He would often join them at manual labour and always lead them in night prayers. He did Trojan work in these schools and is still gratefully remembered by staff and students.
Hong Kong came calling again in 1971. After being absent from La Salle College for 14 years, Brother Raphael returned in 1971. He was to be Principal for the following 12 years. As he took over the reins, we read the following in the school magazine: ”Students of Biblical Knowledge will recall Christ asking his disciples on their return from John the Baptist ‘What went ye out to see? A reed shaken by the wind?’ Our new Headmaster, as you gaze on his 6 foot massive frame, certainly does not look like a broken reed.” In the event he was to need all the strength of mind and body he could muster.
During his tenure, he made lots of innovations. In 1975, he turned the old Prefect’s Board, which helped the administration to oversee student affairs, into the Student Association, which represented student welfare. He established the Guidance Centre and the Religious Centre and introduced Computer Studies into the curriculum. He also allowed the old boys to use the schools’ sports facilities on Sundays.
He himself took charge of two praesidia of the Legion of Mary and rarely missed the weekly meetings. Before the Legion meetings he would go to a flower stall to buy flowers for Our Lady’s altar. The stall owner’s curiosity eventually got the better of her and she said to Brother Raphael that he must love his wife very much and that she must be a beautiful woman. Brother Raphael said she was the most beautiful in the world!
In the midst of all his responsibilities, one more was added in 1979 when he was appointed Auxiliary Visitor to oversee the Lasallian mission in Hong Kong. He held this post until 1988. Brother Raphael’s style was to trust the Supervisors and Principals to do their work without undue interference. The Brothers joked that he would give you enough rope to hang yourself!
In fact he had a distinctive sense of humour. Sometimes his quips and jokes would be left hanging in the air and the penny would only drop later. One Brother recalls how he was invited by Brother Raphael to be Guest of Honour at a school Swimming Gala. Before he realized what was happening, Brother Raphael had introduced him to the spectators as a champion swimmer, almost able to swim across the Atlantic Ocean. The Brother concerned could hardly swim a stroke! Perhaps this is poetic (or Principals’) license!
Brother Raphael’s most memorable and daring undertaking was his proposal to demolish the original La Salle College building and build a new one. He had come to the conclusion that the old school, despite its majestic dome, was functionally inadequate. He put forward his proposal and left it to the Brothers to decide. In discussing the question, the Brothers were acutely aware that the old school held fond memories for the old boys. After much debate on the pros and cons the decision to go ahead was made.
From there on, Brother Raphael oversaw the project with determination and clarity of vision while leaving the day to day detail to the architect and to Brothers Alphonsus Chee and Thomas Lavin who saw to everything splendidly. Work began in 1977 with over 50 lorries carting away the earth and a multitude of workers on site. On Friday, 8th June 1979, the Brothers took possession of the new La Salle College. The whole building is centrally air-conditioned, a much appreciated facility not only because of the summer heat but because, at the time, the airport was just down the road and the noise could be horrendous. Sports facilities include a 50 metre swimming pool, a 6-lane 400 metre track, an indoor gymnasium and a full-size astro-turf soccer pitch. “In building this school we had in mind not 1979, but the year 2000” said Brother Raphael.
Bishop (later Cardinal) John Baptist Wu performed the official blessing on 6th January 1982. Then on the 19th February, the Governor, Sir Murray Mac Lehose, officially opened the new College.
In 1984, Brother Raphael reached mandatory retirement age and duly passed the baton to Brother Alphonsus Chee. However he remained the Director of the Brothers, the Supervisor of the College and took on the added responsibility of Supervisorship of La Salle Primary School. During these years he helped an untold number of people in need and his hospitality was legendary. He kept up a very large correspondence with personal friends as well as with old boys. The President of the Old Boys’ Chapter of Toronto, Peter Leung, recalls Brother Raphael’s final message: “He told us not to look back over our shoulders but to look forward, be prepared for the future, integrate into the local society. Seeds from a tree are not created to grow back into its root, but to disperse, to adapt and to multiply.”
All augured well until cancer raised its ugly head. At the end of September 1988, he underwent a major operation lasting over 7 hours. This marked his two-year personal battle with pain and suffering. He lost his physical strength and appetite. His spirit, however, was strong. Brother Henry Pang said, "He is very cheerful and bears his sufferings very bravely, trying his best not to show it and sometimes even venturing into my art room in order to crack a joke. He is full of faith and very prayerful, making regular trips to the chapel when he can walk."
Brother Raphael, accompanied by his cousin and confidante Mary Egan, returned to Ireland in 1990. He visited many of his relatives, in between repeated bouts of fever and hospitalization. Although he was thousands of miles away, his heart was with Hong Kong. He told his family, "If I feel alright, I want to return next month to Hong Kong which has 85% of me, of my heart and soul."
It was not to be. On 23rd July 1990, he was again hospitalized. On 24th July 1990, at 04:20, the great man left for heaven. The funeral Mass was held on the 26th July with Brother Patrick Tierney delivering the homily and in the presence of many friends and relations. Burial took place immediately afterwards in the Brothers’ graveyard in Castletown.
A student of Brother Raphael paid this personal tribute: “I miss Brother Raphael as a good friend, a great mentor and a most competent administrator. I can still feel Brother Raphael supervising us up there and, using his invisible hands to guide us along.”
At a commemorative Mass held in St Teresa’s Church, Kowloon, Brother Michael Jacques in his homily gave an overview: “He lies buried thousands of miles from his beloved Hong Kong but his spirit and example must remain to animate and to inspire us all. May his memory ever remain fresh and vivid, stimulating all of us to ever greater things, always to do ‘something more’ for the Lord in the service of our fellow-men.”
