Contributing To Roman Catholic Expansion in Singapore, Bangkok and China
After having attained financial success, Jacobe Low donated large amounts of capital needed for the construction of local Chinese parishes and mission schools in Singapore, Bangkok and in Swatow China, especially between the mid-1890s to 1910. There is, however, no evidence to show if the Roman Catholic Church had a direct say in the use of Mr. Low’s business profits. From interviews with descendants in the 1970s and 1980s, it appears the reasons for doing so were totally personal. This wealthy patronage did not go unnoticed by some in the rival Protestant churches. Rev. J. A. Bethune Cook accused the Roman Catholic Church in 1907 of conducting ‘ordinary business houses in the name of Chinese traders and others.’
Much of Low's contributions were directed to the Catholic Church and its various instruments. In the late 19th century, Low single-handedly paid for restoration of damaged roofs at the Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus in the Singapore city precinct. His family and firm contributed several thousand dollars to Singapore's St Joseph's Institution. Kiam Hoa Heng also paid for refurbishments in the form of three large stained glass windows behind the alter, at the St Peter and Pauls Church in Queen Street, Singapore. In addition to this he gave large tracts of land and city-based properties to the Catholic Church in Bangkok. Around 1902, he paid for the construction of a church in his birthplace Shantou (formerly Swatow), in China, and during the Churches recent centennial celebrations, descendants of the Low family from London, Singapore and Bangkok were invited to the celebration there. The largest project funded by Low was the grand French Romanesque-revivalist Bangkok Roman Catholic Assumption Cathedral which still stands today. According to his daughter Veronica Low (b. April 1888 d. 4 Jan 1976), he was the primary financial sponsor to this Church, to a point where members of the Low family took on large cuts to their financial allowances. The Cathedral was completed in 1909. His last project was the modest Church of the Sacred Heart in Tank Road, Singapore completed in 1910, one year before his death.
Read more about this topic: Low Khiok Chiang
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