Father Becheras, a model MEP who served St Peter and Paul and promoted bilingualism

Father Becheras was a prominent Catholic Priest featured in many old photographs. He had been instrumental in St Peter and Paul. He served since 1899 at St Peter and Paul. He was recalled to France after 15 years work in the region, in 1914 and returned in 1919. His role as Vicar in Serangoon Village after returning from France in 1919. He raised more than $100,000 to extend the Catholic school and the Church. He is also director of Holy Innocents school. Upon his arrival, he also restarted the Holy Innocents English school in Upper Serangoon in 1916 with a class size of 30 students. Today It is known as Monfort Secondary. He is a true shepherd in the sense too that he took care of his parishoners. Word has it that he would go around with a cane looking for "lost sheep" in Getai and bringing them back. (Getai is a popular community get together event, with drinking and sit down dinner normally on open grass field, hosted during important Chinese festivals like the 7th Month Hungry Ghost festival where singers would perform on stage and including auctions for items for charity and donations to temples) After falling down on a bicycle in 1929, he walks with a slight gait. He also founded Catholic High School in 1935 and prominent alumni include our Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. He supported education as Catholic High School taught bilingualism in Singapore, an influence of MEP carrying till to Modern Singapore. A former Parishoner writes of his Father as this of Father Becheras: "My father was educated in Chinese then but in Catholic he was also taught English. Most Chinese-speaking parents then usually wanted their children to be educated in Chinese for their cultural identity.Catholic High School was founded in 1935 by Rev. Fr. Edward Becheras, a French missionary. Although it is a Catholic school, it also accepts non-Catholic students like my father. Thanks to Rev. Fr. Edward Becheras, my father was educated in both Chinese and English. Becheras envisioned the school of bilingual learning." https://timesofmylife.wordpress.com/2008/07/14/my-fathers-time/ http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/singfreepressb19340406.2.20.aspx