Memory of Brother Albinus lives on

Former students paying respects to Brother Albinus

SIBU: The spirit of commitment and faithfulness of Brother Albinus must live on and continue not only in the hearts and minds of his former students but also in the younger generation.

In making this appeal, Bishop Joseph Hii said Brother Albinus was a great teacher who had committed his whole life to education.

“Let the spirit of Brother Albinus be part of us and to pass on to the future generations,” Hii said at a requiem mass organised yesterday to commemorate the passing of Brother Albinus at the Mill Hill, La Salle Centenary Hall of SMK Sacred Heart here.

Born Michael O’Flaherty in Ballyhoneen, County Kerry of Ireland, the educator passed away peacefully at Prince Court Hospital in Kuala Lumpur on Aug 4 after a short illness.

He was 83. His remains were laid to rest at St Joseph’s Cemetery, Kuching on Aug 8.

More than 1,000 people, including former students, teachers and prin-cipals of SMK Sacred Heart, as well as members of the school board of management and those from Sacred Heart Old Students Association (Shosa) attended the mass.

A former student, Hii said himself and many others would not be what they were today if not for the guidance of Brother Albinus who was the school principal from 1971 to 1987.

“While in primary school, I never picked up books to study and I was always last in the class.

“Because of him, I began to study seriously when I was in secondary school and at least once, I was top of my class,” he recalled.

Earlier Shosa president Robert Lau Hui Yew read out an eulogy at the mass.