Mr Deeds: All Sec Three students were involved in the Gabrielite Foundation Flag Day to raise funds for the Gabrielite Foundation. There were told that the Gabrielite Foundation was set up to see to the running of the school. It also provided funds for the poor students of the Gabrielite school. And the Gabrielite Foundation NEEDED THEM!
Mr Wu Tian Hwee briefed the boys in the run-up and provided them with the key information and rationale for the donation drive:
a. Between 10 to 15 percent are on Financial Assistance and the school finds its own means to provide pocket money for food during recess and lunch for the financially underprivileged, free uniform and textbooks, courses. This needed funds. In the previous year, between $70,000 and $75,000 were used from the Gabrielite Foundation to see to their needs.
b. In addition to the mission of charity, Montfort School has to raise 5% of its own funds for the running of the school. These do not include non-standard items like the air-conditioning of the classrooms and school hall and other important programs.
c. The extra features like new badminton hall, PRIME, lease of the land also needed funds which amounted to millions.
Students were encouraged to be Mr Deeds at the flag day. Do as many good deeds as you can on that day. Help the elderly, assist the handicapped, smile and brighten up their morning, greet others courteously, make their day. Bow and be as polite as you can. Mr Lloyd Yeo added, "Make them feel guilty and feel bad about how nice you are to them".
Bible Passage: Jesus disciples were sent out by Jesus with the following instructions, "Do not go to any Gentile territory or any Samaritan towns. Instead, you are to go to those lost sheep...Go and preach, "The Kingdom of heaven is near! Heal the sick, bring the dead back to life, heal those who suffer from dreaded skin-diseases and drive out demons. You have received without paying, so give without being paid. Do not carry any gold, siler, or copper money in your pockets; do not carry a beggar's bag for the journey or an extra shirt or shoes or a stick. A worker is given what he needs.
When you come to a town or village, go in and look for someone who is willing to welcome you.....say, 'Peace be with you'. If the people...welcome you, let your greeting of peace remain; but if they do not welcome you, then take back your greeting....And if some home or town will not welcome you or listen to you, then leave that place and shake the dust off your feet." (Matthew: 10:5-14)
About the Gabrielite Mission: THE BROTHERS OF ST. GABRIEL played an active role in shaping Singapore education. The first Brothers came from Thailand in 1937 at the request of Bishop Devas of Singapore- Melaka.
Brothers Louis Gonzaga, Gerard Majella and Francis Tessier took responsibility for Holy Innocents’ English School at Hougang, now known as Montfort School.
The bishop gave land to the Brothers in 1938 but they scarcely had time to settle down when World War II broke out and the Japanese Occupation began. All Canadian Brothers were treated as prisoners of war while Brothers of other nationalities were sent to camps at Bahau, Malaya (West Malaysia today).
It was in the bleakness of Changi prison that Gabrielite Brother Vincent shared his vision of a boys’ home with a fellow prisoner, Australian philanthropist William T. McDermott.
Boys’ Town was born in January 1948 from that sharedexperience. The war was over and the island was in terrible conditions; Boys’ Town offered home and hope for boys who were orphaned, displaced by the war, from poor families, troubled and neglected.
Over the years, the Brothers established and ran seven schools – Montfort Primary and Secondary, St. Gabriel’s Primary and Secondary, Assumption English Secondary, Assumption Vocational Institute and Boys’ Town.“I CAME, I saw and I fell in love with Singapore,” Brother Emmanuel chuckled. During these 52 years the lovable Gabrielite Brother has touched countless lives at Holy Innocent’s English School, St. Gabriel’s and Boys’ Town and through the many Catholic ministries he has been involved in.
“We specialize in giving education and formation to all those who present themselves to us,” he said, to explain the Gabrielite mission. “We don’t aspire to be the top but to reach out to all, especially the rejected ones. We also specialize in training children who have no special attraction to education by providing them basic technical education,” he said.
Despite this philosophy or because of it “we have produced a good number of leaders and Catholics [including] the Archbishop of Singapore, priests, ministers in government who speak very well of the kind of education they received from the Brothers who taught them,” he said.
The kind Gabrielite Brother is unlike most people as he is convinced that there is no such thing as bad boys. And he is saddened that there is still a misconception among some people that students at Boys’ Town are delinquents. “If there are bad boys, it’s only because we have not done the right thing to them,” he said quietly. He looks forward to continuing his mission of “bringing something good into the lives of these boys”.
“As long as God gives you health, I don’t think there’s a place for retirement. That’s why I asked God, ‘Give me health and I will serve you and I will never turn down anyone who needs me to speak,’” Brother Emmanuel said. Then he laughed as he recalled his realization of his “mistake” because now he is unable to turn down anyone who approaches him to hold talks at parishes or schools. But “when you think you have done enough, that’s when you need to begin your ministry,” he continued. “That’s when God needs you. Jesus never resigned. If you resign, then the people whom God planned to send to you will never see you.”
Pictures and note on brothers - http://www.catholic.org.sg/cn/wordpress/?p=605&page=2
and http://www.montfortcentre.org/BrotherOfStGabriel.html
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