Montfort School Blog: Emeritus Archbishop Gregory Yong Passes On

June 30 2008, Monday - Emeritus Archbishop Gregory Yong Passes On

The school spent a moment of silence as we prayed and remembered Emeritus Archbishop Gregory Yong who passed away on Saturday.

Gregory Yong Sooi Ngean (May 20, 1925 – June 28, 2008) was the Roman Catholic Archbishop Emeritus of Singapore.

Born in Taiping, Malaya on May 20, 1925, he was educated at St. George's Institution and St. Michael's Institution in Ipoh, Malaya. In January 1941, he entered the Minor Seminary and in 1944 graduated to the Major Seminary. He was ordained in 1951 and posted to the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Singapore. Hence his close association with our school.

In 1953, he left for studies in Rome where he was conferred a Doctorate in Canon Law, the very first local priest to achieve the distinction. Back in Singapore in 1956, he was sent as assistant Parish Priest to the Church of the Sacred Heart. In the following year, he joined the teaching stuff of the Minor Seminary. After a short stint as assistant Parish Priest at the Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, he was appointed to a teaching position in the Major Seminary, again, the very first local priest to be thus honoured.

On July 1, 1968, he was consecrated Bishop, and took over the Diocese Of Penang from Bishop Francis Chan who had died on October 27, 1967. Bishop Francis Chan was also closely connected with Montfort School when he was parish priest of the church of the nativity and came to several of our school funfairs.

(Brother Louis Gonzaga and Bishop Francish Chan)

On February 3, 1977, Archbisop Gregory Yong was appointed to succeed Archbishop Michel Olçomendy as the first of the local clergy to lead the Church in Singapore. On April 2, 1977, he was officially installed as the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore. He was the second Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Singapore, which was formed in 1972 when the Archdiocese of Malacca-Singapore split and held the office until retiring on October 14, 2000. Archbishop Gregory Yong also officiated over the ground-breaking ceremony of Montfort Secondary School's groundbreaking ceremony at its new premise in 1991. He died on June 28, 2008 at St Joseph's Home, Singapore of a heart failure

Archbishop Emeritus Gregory Yong will lie in state at the Good Sheperd Cathedral on Monday and Tuesday. There will be nightly masses at 8pm. The funeral mass on Wednesday, July 2, is at 1:30pm. Catholic students are encouraged to attend the wake and pray and reflect on the good works of His Grace.

Archdiocesan Commission for Catholic Schools (ACCS) Meeting at Montfort School

The ACCS conducted their meeting at Montfort School on Friday 28 July 2008. Leaders from the various Catholic schools were at the meeting, including our own Management Chairman, Mr Chua Cher Choon.

Some of the Catholic missionary groups who run schools in Singapore are:

a. The Brothers of St Gabriels (1936) / St Louis Grignion De Montfort - Assumption English School (1953), Assumption Vocation Institute (1938), Montfort Junior School (1917), Montfort Secondary School 1917), St Gabriels Primary School (1953), St Gabriels Secondary School (1953)

b. The Canossian Sisters / Canossian Daughters of Charity (1894)/ St Magdelene of Canossa - St Anthony's Canossian Primary School (1894), St Anthony's Canossian Secondary School (1894), Canossa Convent Primary (1941)

c. The Marist Brothers / Little Brothers of Mary (1949)/ St Marcellin Champagnat - Maris Stella High School (1958)

d. Franciscan Missionaries of Singapore (1954) / St Mary of the Passion/ St Francis of Assissi - Hai Sing Catholic School (1959)

e. Sisters of the Good Shepherd/ Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd (1940) St Euphrasia Pelletier - Marymount Convent School (1957)

f. Sisters of the Holy Infant Jesus / Les Dames De Saint-Maur (1854) / St Nicholas Barre - CHIJ Primary & Secondary (Toa Payoh) (1854), CHIJ (Katong) Convent (Primary and Secondary) (1930), CHIJ St Nicholas Girls' School (1933), CHIJ St Theresa's Convent (1929), CHIJ St Joseph's Convent (1938), CHIJ OUr Lady Queen of Peace Primary (1955); CHIJ Our Lady of the Nativity Primary (1957); CHIJ Our Lady of Good Counsel (1960/ Cooling CLose COnvent); CHIJ Kellock Primary (1964)

g. Lasalle Brothers / De La alle Christian Brothers (1852) / St John Baptiste La Salle - St Joseph Institution (1852); De La Salle School St Joseph's Institution International (2007); St Patrick's School (1933); St Stephen's School (1957); St Anthony's Primary School (1879)

h. Parish Schools / Church of the Nativity - Holy Innocent's High School (1920); Holy Innocents' Primary School (1920)