Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus Catholic school. The Infant Jesus Sisters is an order that was founded in France in 1666 by Father Nicolas Barré to reach out to the poor and disadvantaged in society, with a special focus on the education of girls. Nuns of the order arrived in Singapore in 1854, and opened their first school on the island, the Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus (CHIJ) on Victoria Street. Father Jean- Marie Beurel, a priest from the Missions Etrangères de Paris (MEP), was already in Singapore setting up a Catholic boys’ school (St Joseph’s Institution) at the time, and was instrumental in funding the initial establishment of the CHIJ, although the Sisters soon became self- sufficient.

The convent took in both boarders and day pupils, and also ran an orphanage. Its premises originally occupied one building, Caldwell House, but gradually expanded to incorporate an entire block on Victoria Street delimited by Bras Basah Road on the east, Stamford Road on the west and North Bridge Road on the south. Eurasians and Europeans made up a large proportion of the school population, although all ethnic groups were represented. The Gothic chapel, which is still a landmark, was designed by MEP priest Father Benedict Nain, and was built in 1903.

For more than 70 years, the CHIJ on Victoria Street was the only school run by the Infant Jesus Sisters in Singapore. The school began its first expansion in the 1930s, venturing beyond the city to open Katong Convent in an eastern suburb, where a predominantly Eurasian and Straits Chinese population resided. In 1933, it opened a third school, St Theresa’s Convent, in the poor, rural area of Kampong Bahru, populated mainly by Indian stevedores. The Sisters continued branching out with the setting up of St Joseph’s Convent in Paya Lebar in 1938, to cater to the working- class Teochew community in nearby Hougang and Serangoon.

The Japanese Occupation halted the expansion of CHIJ schools. However, after the war, the Sisters continued to open more schools, starting with St Nicholas Girls’ School, which was originally known as Victoria Girls’ School, and was opened in 1933. This was a Chinese school, although it was run with the same ethos as the other CHIJ schools. The 1950s saw the establishment of Bukit Timah Convent in 1955, Our Lady of the Nativity in 1957 and Our Lady of Good Counsel in 1960.

CHIJ schools are particularly proficient in teaching the arts and humanities. CHIJ schools have modified and improved their facilities and programmes, and have followed the national curriculum while remaining true to their original mission of providing a Catholic education for girls.

Notable CHIJ alumni include Chan Heng Chee, diplomat; Elizabeth Choy, Legislative Counsellor and war heroine; and Constance Singam, social activist and author. The original convent premises which is located on Victoria Street is now known as CHIJMES.

Photo credit: National Archives of Singapore/ Sisters of the Infant Jesus collection