Seen through the eyes of Brother William Molloy - Part One
Brother William Molloy, one of the first two Marist Brothers from South Australia, was born 17 December 1883. His early Marist formation took place in Sydney, beginning at the Juniorate, at St Mary’s Chapter Hall 1, and then the novitiate at St Joseph’s College Hunters Hill.
Br William, 1917, West Maitland, NSW.
He went on to become one of our most outstanding headmasters in the first half of the 20th century. His first headmastership was at Maitland, New South Wales (1914-20) where he founded the then Marist Brothers’ High School. He was appointed headmaster of Assumption College Kilmore, in Victoria, on three occasions (1922-7, 1931-36, and 1943). He also was headmaster of the then St Patrick’s College Sale, Victoria (1928 -30), and St Gregory’s College, Campbelltown, New South Wales, (1937-42).
Brother William wrote extensive notes about his earlier life - mostly put together after his retirement as submissions to Brother Alban Doyle, as Alban was writing his book Marist Brothers in Australia 1872 -1972, which was published in our centenary year, 1972.
Fortunately, these notes have been preserved and give us some valuable insights into the Brothers’ recruitment and teacher training methods of that period as well as some of the customs and weaknesses of the then provincial administration.
As a boy, the son of James and Eliza Nelly Molloy, Laurence Molloy grew up on a small dairy farm in Rosewater, South Australia, very close to Port Adelaide.
Life on a small dairy farm must have been very tough in those days and not all that economically rewarding. There were no milking machines, and he tells us that his father rose at three o’clock each morning to get the job done manually. He hints that at thirteen years of age, the age he went to the Brothers’ school, he saw his future as helping his father on the farm.
He was enrolled as a pupil at the Brothers’ school in Port Adelaide on its opening day, 16 November 1897, together with fifty other boys all from the convent school conducted by the Sisters of St Joseph. Brother John Dullea, the then Provincial, was present and addressed the pupils. The legendary Brother Jules Stephen Debourg, a Frenchman, oversaw the founding of the school. Young Laurence was in the primary school and soon came under the spell of Brother Daniel Flaherty, an Irishman. Writing in later life he refers to Brother Daniel as, ‘a very religious man who gave soul-searching, thought provoking instructions,’ (i.e. religion lessons). It was he who suggested to the young Laurence that he should think about becoming a Marist Brother.
Brother William tells the story: ‘One day in March or April 1898, rain had fallen very heavily in the early morning hours and our small school yard - saucer shaped - had collected a lot of water in the centre. Boys, having little else to do during recreations, had made ‘boats’ of a kind with paper sails, and were conducting races. Brother Daniel Flaherty, of very happy memory, who impressed many of the pupils as a good living man, was, with the aid of the younger fry, gathering up yard papers. He heard me and he said ‘Laurence, I have a bone to pick with you! Come into my room. I followed him in…. he sat at his desk and said, ‘Laurence what are you going to do when you leave school?’ I replied in words like these: ‘I suppose I shall help Dad on his farm.’ ‘Have you ever thought of becoming a Brother?’ ‘No Brother, I haven’t.’
As I didn’t think much of the Brothers in those days - of their training, etc - I may have thought the Brothers dropped down from heaven. So, I said, ‘No Brother!’ He went on to stress the good work the Brothers could do, and realising how much he was doing for us by his prayerful conduct and his soul-stirring thoughts during the so-called Catechism period, I felt he was speaking the truth. To his further question of, ‘How would your parents take it if you were so inclined?’ I said something like this: ‘Dad would probably like me to work with him on the farm.’ He advised me to speak to my mother and father. I did rush up to Mum when I arrived home and, in a half-amused way, exclaimed: ‘What do you think Mum, Brother Daniel wants to make a Brother of me!!’ She looked and smiled not, but appeared interested and asked something like this: ‘What does a Brother do?’ I said something – perhaps this, that he teaches arithmetic, tables etc. ‘Anything else?’ I replied he taught Catechism, Bible History and other things. She replied something like this: ‘He’s the one who makes a boy good - who becomes a good living man, who dies in sanctifying grace and gets to heaven. Who puts him there? I got rid of the silly grin. She was apparently willing and eventually agreed.
I returned to Brother Daniel in a few days and said, ‘Yes, Brother, I would.’
Another boy in his class, Stanislaus Ashworth, later Brother Honorius, (who presumably also fell under the influence of Brother Daniel) felt the same calling to be a Marist Brother. Together, they entered the Juniorate, at far off St Mary’s Chapter Hall in Sydney, on 23 January 1899, after a journey by boat of eight days. No trains or planes in those days! A huge step for a fifteen-year-old South Australian farm boy.
A studio portrait of James Ryan, who entered the Juniorate aged 12 in 1913, when the Juniorate was located at St Joseph’s College. He later became Brother Columba, a distinguished Marist Brother, who died in a tragic accident at Newcastle in 1950 at the age of 49. This photo is of interest because it gives some idea of how the Juniors who taught as pupil teachers may have dressed. Those going to St Benedict’s in Abercrombie Street would not venture there without an accompanying adult, as some had had bad experiences with the local toughs who took exception to these well-dressed intruders!
Interestingly, two other boys, contemporaries of Brother William at the Port Adelaide school, but younger, also went on to become Brothers: Michael Byrt (Brother Sixtus) and James Burke (Brother Timothy.)
So, it would seem recruitment depended on the local Brothers. Those targeted for recruitment were the adolescent schoolboys the Brothers were teaching. It is safe to say that this recruitment process was being repeated in all Marist schools all around Australia and New Zealand during this period. It was a model which remained with the Brothers till the 1970s.
Laurence entered the Juniorate just a few weeks after his fifteenth birthday. There were twenty-two boys in the Juniorate when he arrived. Of these, three died as Marist Brothers. Looking at the admission register of 1899, the origins of boys admitted that year were seven from New South Wales, two from New Zealand four from Victoria, and four from South Australia.
(Look out for Part Two of this article in the September edition of Christlife Connect.)
Br Michael Flanagan
Province Archivist
Footnotes:
1. The Elizabethan style Chapter Hall, constructed between 1843 and 1845, is the oldest building in St Mary’s Cathedral precinct, and was built to designs drawn up in England by Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin. He designed many churches in England, some in Ireland and Australia.
The building contractor was Jacob Inder. Initially, it was used as a Catholic school but was converted to a chapter hall in 1910.
Research suggests that the final design of the Chapter Hall was the result of successive amendments to earlier schemes for a larger structure. Colonial Architect Mortimer Lewis appears to have selected the site for the Chapter Hall, and may have been responsible for overseeing its construction.
