E . Boustead , J . Guthrie and W . H . Read headed the list of donors in the building of the school . The Press also lent its support to the efforts of Father Beurel . For example , the Singapore Free Press of June 22nd 1848 states that , " the prospectus of the school , which , if properly carried out , will be productive , of much usefulness not only in Singapore but in the neighbouring native states . This school will in a great measure afford the means of accomplishing the purposes which Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles had in view in founding the Singapore Institution ( later known as Raffles Institution ), but which none since his departure have possessed significant zeal and influence to carry out . The indefatigable energy and perseverance of the missionaries of the Society for the Propogation of the of the Faith will probably enable them to undertake this successfully ". Paying a tribute to the Christian Brothers , the press further stated that , " these teachers are well known in many parts of Europe , to be thoroughly qualified to instruct youth , as their are specially brought up for the purpose and bind themselves by vow to devote their lives to the furtherance of this most eminently Christian and civilising asking no remuneration for their labours beyond what may be necessary for their food and dress ". With such whole-hearted support from the community in Singapore , on 2nd July 1848 , Bishop Boucho eventually gave his consent to Father Beurel to establish a school under the care of the Christian Brothers .
With episcopal sanction given to his efforts in Singapore , Father Beurel had only one final hurdle to clear - the Superior General in Paris . In Sept . 1850 , Father Beurel decided to go to France to add the personal touch to his pleas for support . He sailed on 25th Oct . 1850 in a French vessel L ' Artilleur , reaching Havre , France on 14th March 1851 . He returned with six Brothers , four teaching sisters , a lay sister and two young missionaries . They first sailed to Antwerp to join another vessel , the La Jul ie . With a few personal belongings and a fine old grandfather clock ( still in working condition ). they disembarked in Singapore on 28th March 1852 . Three of the Brothers went to Penang and th ree Brothers remained in Singapore ; namely Brother Liefroy ( 1809 - 67 ), the Director , Brother Gregory ( 1820 - 65 ), the Sub-Director and
Brother Lothaire ( 1827 - 89 ).
Father Beurel used to remark that it was on 6th June 1847 , the Feast of Corpus Christi at High Mass that he spoke about the schools , and began to say a public prayer for their success at High Mass on every Sunday morning . Co-incidentally , it was also on the 6th June 1851 , four years later , that the Superior General in Paris gave his consent
beyond all expectations !
The Brothers commenced teaching on 1st May 1852 in the old church with a staff of 3 Brothers - one French Brother Liefroy and two Irish Brothers , Gregory and Sweibert . Brother Lothaire later went to Penang .
On 22nd July 1852 , a Prospectus of " St . John ' s School ", as it was then named , was issued . It stated that St . John ' s was to be a free school ( as in Singapore Institution ), to be held in the large and airy premises lately used as a Catholic Church in No . 3 Bras Basah Road . As the teachers received no more than their support for their pious labours , it was hoped that the generous and enlightened public would support it according to their means . Every care would be taken to inculcate in the Catholic children in the solid maxims of Christian piety , but there would be no interference with the religious tenets of other creeds . The school was to depend on the public for its survival for the next 13 years .
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