Egbert Xavier Kelly

Brother Egbert Xavier Kelly FSC, born William Kelly, (March 4, 1894 - February 12, 1945 was an Irish De La Salle Brother who was last assigned to the De La Salle Brothers in the Philippines and was kidnapped and then murdered by the retreating Japanese Imperial Forces at the De La Salle College, of which he was President, during the Allied Liberation of Manila during World War II.

Early life

Br. Xavier was born on March 4, 1894 at County Wicklow in Ireland. During his youth decided to become a De La Salle Brother and went to the Christian Brothers Retreat in Castletown to test his vocation. He was then admitted to the Novitiate and became a full-fledged Brother.

Assignment to the Philippines

In 1911, he was assigned to the Christian Brothers District of Penang. During his trip, he went for a brief stay in Colombo, Ceylon after which he proceeded to De La Salle College in Manila. He began teaching in the grade school department until he was tasked to teach in the high school department.

Assignment to Belgium

Br. Xavier was selected by the Christian Brothers Superiors to help in the establishment of a Second Novitiate of the Mother House in Lebecq-les-Hal in Belgium. This assignment was completed in 1930.

Return to the Philippines

Upon the completion of his assignment to the Mother House, Br. Xavier returned to Asia to teach for three years in Rangoon, Burma and another three years in Hong Kong. In 1935, he was reassigned to Manila and was appointed President of De La Salle College in 1937.

His first six years as President was spent in expanding the facilities of the College. A large classroom wing was constructed at the north end of St. La Salle Hall and a new chapel was constructed at its south end. This chapel was considered the most beautiful in the Philippines and had few rivals in the District, although the Brothers would regret about the chapel's limited size. The chapel was dedicated in 1940 and was large enough to accommodate the school's entire student body, which was then 1,200. [ [http://www.usls.edu.ph/brothers/index.php?display=xavier_e Br. Egbert Xavier FSC] [http://www.usls.edu.ph/brothers/ La Salle Brothers in R.P.] Accessed September 9, 2006]

World War II

Brother Xavier FSC was the President of De La Salle College in Manila when the Japanese invaded the Philippines starting December 8, 1941.

In January 1942, Japanese troops forcibly entered De La Salle College and began to occupy all but a small portion of the building. The Brothers were left to the chapel and a few small rooms while the American De La Salle Christian Brothers were interned first in a Retreat House of the Society of Jesus at Santa Ana, Manila and later to a Spanish hospital in San Pedro, Makati. They were later put in a Japanese Concentration Camp in Los Banos, Laguna until they were rescued and freed together with their other fellow clergy-prisoners by the American Forces under General Douglas MacArthur in February 1945.

The other De La Salle Christian Brothers on the De La Salle Taft Campus, including the then Brother-President Egbert Xavier FSC who was an Irish National, who were non-Americans or from countries was not in war with, were not imprisoned by the Japanese at the start of the Japanese Occupation and permitted to stay on the De La Salle campus on Taft Avenue.

On February 12, 1945, a Japanese detail forcibly took Br. Xavier, separated him from the others in the building. Brother Xavier was never seen again and his body was never recovered.

Brother Xavier plus the other sixteen (16) De La Salle Christian Brothers murdered/martyred by the Japanese inside De La Salle College on February 1945 are now honored with an elegant marble plaque at the entrance of the De La Salle Main Chapel.

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