WAN HUA ALUMNI ASSOCIATION'S MISSION STATEMENT
Our goal is (1) to provide networking opportunities among Wan Hua alumni worldwide and (2) to provide assistance to Wan Hua nuns and retired teachers who remain in Burma.
The Wanhua Alumni Association was formed at a potluck party attended by former students of the Catholic Anglo Chinese School and St. Emilie's Convent. The event took place at Scanlan Hall, St. Thomas More Church, 1300 Junipero Serra Blvd., San Francisco, California on October 29, 2005. Felix Chin and Stan Liou were nominated President and Vice-President respectively.
The History of Catholic Anglo Chinese School
Rev. Father Germain Allard arrived in Burma from France in December 1901 to promote Catholicism in Burma. Initially he was sent to Bassein. Out of its population of 35000 inhabitants, eight to nine thousand people in Bassein were Chinese. Later he was responsible for converting Chinese living in Rangoon. Language had been a problem for the missionaries. None of them spoke Chinese. Father Allard was therefore sent to Singapore to learn at least two Chinese dialects there. In 1907, Father Allard returned to Burma and was sent to St. John's Parish to work with its Chinese parishioners. There were altogether 244 of them. They were in need of a separate church and a separate school. In 1909, Father Allard's health deteriorated because of his busy schedules and he was sent back to Europe for a rest. But in 1910, despite his health problems, he traveled to Rome, Canada, United States and Latin America. During his tour there, he gave lectures and tried to raise funds for his projects in Burma. Twice in Rome, he had audiences with the Pope, who gave him his blessings on his good work with Chinese Catholics in Burma. In 1912, he returned to Burma again and worked relentlessly on his projects.
In 1915, with borrowed money and help from Chinese merchants, he was able to buy a piece of land on Kili Street on which a huge house was built. The Chinese Mission Schools for Girls and Boys occupied the ground floor of the house, and the second floor of the house became a place of worship for Chinese parishioners. In 1921, the school had 160 students. Father Allard went to Singapore again and, in his absence, Rev. Father P. Roy was to be in charge of the school. They were at the time looking for bible teachers well-versed in Fuchien and Hakka dialects. When Father Allard returned to Burma, Chinese community leaders warmly greeted him. They promised to help him on his project to build a church. In June of 1922, he formed a governing body of the school which comprised of 27 Chinese community leaders. Presently the school now had a total of 173 boarding students.
Father Allard now wanted to establish a separate school for girls. So he went on an extensive tour of towns to raise money. Catholics in Bassein gave him Kyats 3000. In addition, he received a total of Kyats 8000 from 43 different places.
On May 17, 1925, Mother Theresa was declared a Saint by the Vatican. At the recommendation of Rev. Father Pierre Roy, the church that was being built on Mission Road was named St. Theresa's Church. The church was completed in 1927. Father Roy helped Father Allard in his work as Head of the church and the school. Having worked really hard for 20 years, Father Allard developed a serious bronchitis problem. He was sent back to France for medical care. Even though he was in France, his mind was in Burma. This was especially so when a serious earthquake hit Lower Burma on May 5, 1930. Father Allard was worried about the new church that was built of bricks. The girls' school was in a wood building at the time. Father Allard returned to Burma in October of that year. That was the time when a disturbing incident took place between the Burmans and Indians in Rangoon. Chinese merchants were also attacked during the incident. They fled to churches to seek refuge and Father Allard offered to help his Chinese parishioners. In 1934, the school had 185 boarding students. In 1936, the number of boarding students grew to 200. The boys’ school had moved into a brick building.
In October 1936, Father B. Danis arrived from France to replace Father Allard as Head of the church and the schools. Father Lucas Wee became Assistant to Father Danis. Father Allard was already sick at the time. He was sent to India for medical care there. He passed away in Bangalore on October 21, 1937.
Father Danis, who came from a wealthy family, had artistic talents and a good voice. He was well liked by teachers and parents. They had a great respect for him and were willing to help him. While taking care of the day-to-day affairs of the church and the school, Father Danis took time out of his busy schedules to learn Chinese in 1938. In the same year, Father Danis and Father Wee travelled town after town visiting Chinese merchants. Father Danis was like a friend to his students. Even though he was running a school with 351 students, he looked quite cheerful. Proud of their school, his students were in high spirits. Like a company of troopers, they were united. They were an asset to the school in recruiting new students. The school had about a dozen orphans and during holidays Father Danis would take them along for a vacation at a cottage by the sea in Kyaikhami.
Fr. Danis's religious work was in no way affected by the World War II that started in Europe in 1939. Even in 1941, when the war got worse, it was hardly a problem for him. During that period, many Chinese fled to Yunan. Taking advantage of the slow period of attendance, Father Danis had improvements made to his school. He invited a Chinese priest, who passed by Rangoon, to supervise an exam at his school. Fr. Danis also threw a banquet and a concert highlighting Chinese costume and culture for his Chinese patrons. That was the time when the Japanese attack on Burma was imminent, and the Chinese military, in a race against time, sent trucks and vehicles moving supplies between Rangoon and Kunming.
On December 8, 1941 the Second World War finally spread to Burma. On December 23 the first time Japanese bombed Rangoon, killing 5000 people. On Christmas Eve, the Japanese bombed Rangoon again, killing another 2000. At that time, Rangoon had a population of 450,000. Frightened, many people fled Rangoon. Both the church and the school suffered extensive damages as the Japanese planes dropped bombs on a nearby power station and a wood making factory.
In 1954, a separate girls' school was established and named "St. Emilie's Convent." Sister Dorothy Kiely was appointed Head of the St. Emilie's Convent. About that time, Father Danis was diagnosed of a tumor in the head. So he returned to his native France for medical care.