Jean-Marie Beurel
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Reverend Father The Reverend (abbreviated as The Revd, The Rev'd or The Rev) is an honorific style (form of address), style given to certain (primarily Western Christian, Western) Christian clergy and Christian minister, ministers. There are sometimes differen ...
Jean-Marie Beurel (5 February 1813 – 3 October 1872) was a French
Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
priest and missionary who founded the
Cathedral of the Good Shepherd The Cathedral of the Good Shepherd ( zh, 善牧主教座堂) is the oldest Catholic Church, Catholic church in Singapore, built in 1847. It is located in the Museum Planning Area within the Civic District. Bounded by the parallel Queen Street, ...
, the St Joseph’s Institution and the
Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus The Sisters of the Infant Jesus, also known as the Dames of Saint Maur, are a religious institute of the Catholic Church originating from Paris, France and dedicated to teaching. History Origins In 1659 Barré, who was a respected scholar with ...
girls' schools in Singapore.


Biography

Beurel was born on 5 February 1813 at Plouguenast, in
Lower Brittany Lower Brittany (; ) denotes the parts of Brittany west of Ploërmel, where the Breton language has been traditionally spoken, and where the culture associated with this language is most prolific. The name is in distinction to Upper Brittany, th ...
, France. He joined the
Missions Étrangères de Paris The Society of Foreign Missions of Paris (, , MEP) is a Catholic missionary organization. It is not a religious institute, but an organization of secular priests and lay persons dedicated to missionary work in foreign lands. The Society of For ...
as a deacon on 23 August 1838 and was assigned to the Mission of
Siam Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...
. At the age of 26, he left France on 16 March 1839 and would arrived
Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...
on 29 October 1839. Beurel had come as a
parish priest A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or ...
for the
Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
chapel on Bras Basah Road. When Bishop Jean-Paul-Hilaire-Michel Courvezy talked of extending the chapel because it was getting too small, Father Beurel suggested that a church be built elsewhere so that the current site could be used for a school for boys. Fund-raising for the cathedral began in 1840. Faced with a shortage of funds, Beurel travelled as far as
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
and the
Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...
to seek help. Contributions were received 4,000
franc The franc is any of various units of currency. One franc is typically divided into 100 centimes. The name is said to derive from the Latin inscription ''francorum rex'' (King of the Franks) used on early French coins and until the 18th century ...
s from Queen Marie-Amelie Therese of France, 3,000
Spanish dollar The Spanish dollar, also known as the piece of eight (, , , or ), is a silver coin of approximately diameter worth eight Spanish reales. It was minted in the Spanish Empire following a monetary reform in 1497 with content fine silver. It w ...
s from the Archbishop of
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and the
Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...
community in Singapore. Of the two
architectural Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and construction, constructi ...
plans submitted, the chosen design was by Denis McSwiney, a former clerk to
George Drumgoole Coleman George Drumgoole Coleman (179527 March 1844), also known as George Drumgold Coleman, was an Irish civil architect who played an instrumental role in the design and construction of much of the civil infrastructure in early Singapore, after it wa ...
. The foundation stone was laid on 18 June 1843 by John Conolly, a merchant resident of Singapore.
Cathedral of the Good Shepherd The Cathedral of the Good Shepherd ( zh, 善牧主教座堂) is the oldest Catholic Church, Catholic church in Singapore, built in 1847. It is located in the Museum Planning Area within the Civic District. Bounded by the parallel Queen Street, ...
was completed at the cost of 18,355.22
Spanish dollar The Spanish dollar, also known as the piece of eight (, , , or ), is a silver coin of approximately diameter worth eight Spanish reales. It was minted in the Spanish Empire following a monetary reform in 1497 with content fine silver. It w ...
s, and was consecrated by Father Beurel on 6 June 1847, before a crowd of more than 1,500 people. In 1848, Beurel asked the
Straits Settlements The Straits Settlements () were a group of British territories located in Southeast Asia. Originally established in 1826 as part of the territories controlled by the British East India Company, the Straits Settlements came under control of the ...
government for land to build a school, but was refused. He left Singapore on 28 October 1850 for France. While he was in France, Beurel approached the Reverend Mother Saint François de Sales de Faudoas, the 14th Superior General of the Infant Jesus Sisters, to enlist some sisters in starting a school for girls. He returned to Singapore on 29 March 1852 with six Brothers from the
Brothers of the Christian Schools The De La Salle Brothers, officially named the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools (; ; ) abbreviated FSC, is a Catholic lay religious congregation of pontifical right for men founded in France by Jean-Baptiste de La Salle (16 ...
and two Infant Jesus Sisters. In May 1852, Beurel and the Brothers founded Saint Joseph's Institution in the former chapel. In July 1852, he asked the Straits Settlements Government once again for land next to the church for a charitable institution for girls. When he was told that there was already sufficient land given to the church, he bought a
house A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...
in Victoria Street with his own money of 4,000
franc The franc is any of various units of currency. One franc is typically divided into 100 centimes. The name is said to derive from the Latin inscription ''francorum rex'' (King of the Franks) used on early French coins and until the 18th century ...
s that
George Drumgoole Coleman George Drumgoole Coleman (179527 March 1844), also known as George Drumgold Coleman, was an Irish civil architect who played an instrumental role in the design and construction of much of the civil infrastructure in early Singapore, after it wa ...
had built for H. C. Caldwell, Senior Sworn Clerk who later became Registrar of the Court. With the help of Mother Mathilde Raclot and her fellow Sisters, Town Convent, the first
Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus The Sisters of the Infant Jesus, also known as the Dames of Saint Maur, are a religious institute of the Catholic Church originating from Paris, France and dedicated to teaching. History Origins In 1659 Barré, who was a respected scholar with ...
in Singapore, was opened in February 1854. To further the expansion of the Town Convent, Beurel had acquired all the nine lots of land that would constitute the entire Convent complex. In 1859, Beurel had completed the
parochial Parochial is an adjective which may refer to: * Parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a ...
house next to the Cathedral of the Good Shepherd. In 1868, he returned to France on account of illness. Beurel died in Paris, France, on 3 October 1872 at the age of 59 and was buried in the
Montparnasse Cemetery Montparnasse Cemetery () is a cemetery in the Montparnasse quarter of Paris, in the city's 14th arrondissement of Paris, 14th arrondissement. The cemetery is roughly 47 acres and is the second largest cemetery in Paris. The cemetery has over 35,00 ...
. At the
Cathedral of the Good Shepherd The Cathedral of the Good Shepherd ( zh, 善牧主教座堂) is the oldest Catholic Church, Catholic church in Singapore, built in 1847. It is located in the Museum Planning Area within the Civic District. Bounded by the parallel Queen Street, ...
is a memorial plaque to Beurel.


See also

*
Cathedral of the Good Shepherd The Cathedral of the Good Shepherd ( zh, 善牧主教座堂) is the oldest Catholic Church, Catholic church in Singapore, built in 1847. It is located in the Museum Planning Area within the Civic District. Bounded by the parallel Queen Street, ...
* Saint Joseph's Institution * Former Saint Joseph's Institution *
CHIJMES CHIJMES (pronounced "''chimes''") is a historic building complex in Singapore, which began life as a Catholic convent known as the ''Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus'' (CHIJ). The complex is located at Victoria Street in the Downtown Core, wi ...


References


Works cited

*


Bibliography

*Sathisan, Dinesh. (2009). ''Father Jean-Marie Beurel''. Retrieved 2009 20, 2009, fro
Father Jean-Marie Beurel , Infopedia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Beurel, Jean-Marie 1813 births 1872 deaths 19th-century French Roman Catholic priests Singaporean religious leaders