THE NORTH BORNEO HERALD AND THE OFFICIAL GAZETTE
EDUCATIONAL SERIES BY BORNEO HISTORY
16th September 1938
SEJARAH NORTH BORNEO SABAH - SPECIAL EDITION
THE NEW SACRED HEART CHURCH AT JESSELTON
IMPRESSIVE OPENING
CEREMONY
An event of historic importance at Jesselton was the formal
opening of the $14,000.00 building of
the Sacred Heart Church on Sunday the 14th August 1938. Though the
"finishing touches" (painting etc.) are yet to be given , the
spacious edifice measuring 140 ft by 42 ft with a seating accommodation for
over 500 people and its surrounding
presented an attractive appearance when a great concourse of our cosmopolitan
population arrived before the appointed time. In addition to a large number of
Catholics for whom it was indeed a red-letter day, the gathering was
representative of many Non-Catholics and Non-Christians including a couple of
beturbaned Sikhs, and the ladies in their multicolour dress added to the
glamour of the occasion. Prominent
among, those present were Mr. Tay
Bee Chuan and family, Mr. and Mrs. T. J. H. Speedy, Mr. James Beatty, Mr. and
Mrs. C.D. Round Turner, Mrs. E. R. Baker, Mr. A. E. Tremenheere and
representatives of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce and other Associations .
The opening ceremony commenced punctually at 8 a m. when
Monsignor A. Wachter, the Prefect Apostolic of North Borneo, with his, two
assistants and Rev. Fathers, Francis Sint and John A. Van Haaren proceeded from
the Sacristy of the old Church to bless the new Church. The choir under the
capable direction of Sister St. Luke chanted the Litany of All Saints. After
the blessing a Pontifical High Mass was celebrated in spacious sanctuary, the
tile-flooring of which is the gift of Mr. and Mrs. T. J. H. Speedy.
Monsignor Wachter in glowing terms alluded to Mr Tay Bee
Chuan's very generous donation of $7,000.00 in the memory of his elder brother
Tay Bee Yong who passed to the Great Beyond in China in 1934. It was very
largely due to the generosity of this philanthropist that the erection of the
building was made possible and the fact that he is a Non-Catholic himself makes
his contribution all the more appreciative. The Right Reverend Monsignor also
referred to the liberal contributions
made by members of the congregation and
to all of whom he expressed his sincere thanks and appreciation.
That evening the event of the day was commemorated by an
interesting dinner party at which some forty persons participated. In the
convivial atmosphere of this representative gathering a special letter of thanks and appreciation was sent to Mr. Tay Bee
Chuan who was unavoidably unable to
attend the party. The speeches veered from the serious to the lighter vein as
Monsignor Wachter, Fathers Arnold
Verhoeven, Francis Sint and John A. Van Haaren spoke in turn. Mr Paul Lee Ah
Onn took this opportunity to voice the feelings of the local Catholic community
in general and old Boys of Sacred Heart School in particular, towards Rev.
Father V. Weber who has now retired to Penampang and it was regrettable that in
view of his advanced age he was unable to present there in person. It was he
who founded the Jesselton Mission more than 30 years ago and was mainly
instrumental in the erection of the original Convent and School building. The
value of his work in the cause of local education could hardly be overstressed
and in his Mission work he has been truly like the "Shepherds who do not
drive but lead the way".
A sad note in rejoicing was the reminder of the very
unfortunate accident which befell Brother Gregory who was principally
responsible for the designing of the building. While supervising the raising of
some heavy rafters a scaffolding gave way and he was precipitated into space
from the roof and landed on a heap of spars and scantlings. His left knee was
seriously injured and he was obliged to proceed home to his Native Tyrol where
he will remain a cripple for the rest of his life. It was decided to send him a
message conveying the thanks appreciation and sympathy of the local
Parishioners and wishing him a speedy recovery. Brother Alexander who took over
the work of supervision carried out his duties satisfactorily and an expression
of thanks was tendered to him the Rector on behalf of the parish.
A well deserved tribute was paid to the present Rector, Rev.
Father Arnold Verhoeven who had been a 'Live Wire" behind the scene and
whose efforts and energy were mainly responsible for the completion of this
building scheme within a year of commencing work.
Source :
- The British North Borneo Herald , 16th September 1938
- The Building of the North Borneo Railway and the Founding of Jesselton by Ross Ibbotson - Published by Opus Publication
- Colonial Townships in Sabah : West Coast by PAM Sabah Chapter
Photos Credit to :
- Father Cosmos Lee
- PAM Sabah Chapter
Edited by :
Kumis Kumis
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