They were the early Christian missionaries from the Roman Catholic, Anglican and Methodist denominations. (Toman Mamora, Borneo Post)

They left their homes in Europe and the US to an unknown territory, placing their complete trust in God to lead them on.

Their missionary zeal finds perfect description in the words of John Keith Falconer, a Scottish evangelist of the same period, who wrote, “I have but one candle of life to burn, and I would rather burn it out in a land filled with darkness than in a land flooded with light.”

Thus begun the early Christian mission in what was then Brooke-ruled Sarawak in the pre-colonial era, where tolerance and respect for each other’s faith and culture was already evolving into a proud tradition and before long the Christian mission had become an integral component of the bigger social matrix unpolluted by what is today’s divisive politics.

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Education ranked high in the mission work of the three mainline churches in the past 100 years and many of the renowned premier schools, which were set up well before Sarawak was ceded to the British Crown, had contributed significantly to the advancement of education and transformation of thousands of lives, especially of those from the rural areas.

To the mission, education was an integral part of transformation and spiritual enlightenment and the opportunity must be accessible to as many people as possible.

Among these schools are St Joseph’s, St Thomas’, St Teresa’s and St Mary’s in Kuching, St Augustine’s School Betong, St Anthony’s in Sarikei, Methodist School, St Elizabeth’s and Sacred Heart School in Sibu, and St Columba’s and St Joseph’s in Miri.

The mission schools are renowned for their proud tradition, academic excellence and all-round commitment to producing fine products of outstanding character, discipline and citizenship.

The schools have always welcomed students from different racial, cultural, economic and religious backgrounds, treating them all equally throughout the years as they progressed in their studies.

Contrary to what many might perceive, the schools never imposed nor attempted to impose religious instruction on Christianity to non-Christians as they were very clear of their mission in educating the young and building them for a good future, while the job of evangelisation was undertaken by the respective churches and that, too, was carried out without compulsion.

FULL STORY

Tribute to Christian pioneers and missions schools (Borneo Post)