Serangoon/Montfort/St Gab History

 If you ask anyone if they remember  Father James F. Kearney, SJ? Few would know that name.  He spent only 8 years in Singapore and to those who know him, he was  the sharp editor who transformed the Malayan Catholic News (now Catholic News ) into a vibrant tabloid, and the American priest who brought smiles to local schoolboys when presenting sports gear on behalf of the National Catholic Welfare Conference (NCWC). Yet, behind his quick wit was an extraordinary life defined by resilience, a global mission far larger than Singapore, and surviving the harrowing frontlines of World War II in China. This is history on how  California is linked with Shanghai, Nanjing, the Jesuit Mission and Singapore. 1. From the American West Coast to China’s Mission Fields Born in the United States on August 15, 1896, James Kearney spent his early years rooted on the American West Coast. In 1914, he entered the Society of Jesus at the Sacred Heart Novitiate in Los Gatos, Ca...

  DEAD : Devotion, Equipment, and the Diamond - The World of Fr. James F. Kearney, Cyril Chew, , and the Founding of Montfort Softball (1959–1960) School Report on Softball, 1962 Saturday Softball, 2026 Many people associate Catholic schools with softball – St. Gabriel’s, Catholic High, Maris Stella, Montfort…all powerhouses today in their own way! However, few know that this is related to the context of the Cold War and the work of Fr Kearney, S.J., a Jesuit priest from St. Ignatius Church, Bukit Timah. Background Along historic Upper Serangoon Road in the late 1950s, Montfort School (historically Holy Innocents’ English School) was a bustling hub of growth. Spanning parish grounds, school halls, and sports fields, the institution expanded  rapidly under the Gabrielite Brothers and dedicated lay educators. Too many students, not enough physical activities to engage them, physical activities and outdoor sports as a way to engage youths. While history often remembers this era t...

Devotion to the Burden of Unremitting Duty : Leong Koo Chye (1911-1960) and the Teaching Dynasty of Upper Serangoon Along the historic stretch of Upper Serangoon Road—where church spires, parish grounds, and school bells framed everyday life—certain names stand as foundational pillars. Among them, the Leong family left a multi-generational mark on Catholic education across the Gabrielite schools at Holy Innocents’ (later Montfort) and St. Gabriel’s. At the center of this story is Leong Koo Chye, whose life reflected not only the growth of a school, but also the civic evolution of pre-war Serangoon and the radical teacher union movement of the 1950s. School Annual 1959 : AI Enhanced image using gemini.ai ; https://www.nlb.gov.sg/main/book-detail?cmsuuid=bc143ccf-86df-459a-ba5d-d3d3d9a20d5a Seated (L to R): Mr. Tay Keng Hock, Fr Ruadel, Mr P.A. D'Costa, Fr Moses Koh, Bro Gerard Majella, Fr Edward Becheras, Mr TNK Menon   Standing (L to R): Mr V Victor, Mr DF Ess, Mr Thalap, Mr L...