The first local born Priest in St Peter and Paul and the first founding fathers of St Peter and Paul

Father Michael Seet had the honour to be the first local priest in Singapore and he was the first local born priest to serve in St Peter and Paul church.

He was ordained in 1911 when Singapore had no seminary yet.

In those days, the seminary was in college general in Penang as the MEPs developed a base there for missionary works in this region. The seminary was run by the MEPs.

Father Michael Seet had studied there for 12 years. He was ordained by Bishop Emile Barrilon and concelebrated by Rev Fathers Emile Joseph Mariette(Master of Ceremony) , Father Duvelle, and Father G. Chevauche(all MEP Fathers).

In 1911, Bishop Barillon was overseer in Malacca and Singapore. Father G Chevauche was the first to erect the first church, a plank chapel, in Kampar, and an outstation of mother church St Joseph in Penang under Barillon, Bishop of Malacca. It was blessed and officiated by Bishop Barillon.

The other priest that later were locally born and ordained were Stephen Lee and Rudolf de Souza in 1922.

Notably Father Michael Seet, was the second son of cathechist Seet Twa Tee. He had been a cathechist for 30 years. He lived in the house next to the church, and these houses had been erected after Chan Teck Hee, the famous donor to the church, director of Sze Tong Hai bank and Kiam Hoa Heng Co Bangkok, purchased the plot and build hoses for the Cathechists, the widows and the aged.

In 1911, the year Father Michael Seet was ordained, there were indeed 5 parishes only, namely, the Cathedral of Good shepherd, St Peter and Paul, Our Lady of Lourdes, and St Joseph Church(Bukit Timah) with priests linked to the MEP with the fifth from St Joseph church(Of which St Joseph church belonged to Portugese mission) and Catholics numbered

The first founding Fathers of St Peter and Paul were Father Issaly and Father Pierre Paris.

Father Michael Seet died at the age of 63 on 18 June 1946, and was buried at Bidadari Cemetary.

http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/straitstimes19280314.2.41.aspx
http://www.penangdiocese.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/spSHJ.pdf
http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/singfreepressb19300910.2.47.aspx