Augustine Périé (14 August 1832 — 16 January 1892) was a Catholic missionary who was active in
Penang
Penang ( ms, Pulau Pinang, is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia, by the Malacca Strait. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay ...
, Malaysia and Singapore.
Early life
Périé was born in
Saint-Chamarand, France on 14 August 1832. He joined the
Paris Foreign Missions Society seminary on 4 October 1856. He was ordained a priest on 18 June 1859.
Career
Périé was first sent to
Permatang Tinggi
Permatang Tinggi () is a small town in Central Seberang Perai District, Penang, Malaysia. It is situated not far from Bukit Mertajam. It is also located with a short distance from Penang
Penang ( ms, Pulau Pinang, is a Malaysian state lo ...
, Penang, Malaysia and then to
Batu Kawan. In 1860, he was sent to
Bukit Timah, Singapore to head the Bukit Timah mission. In 1562, he established the St Mary's Chapel in
Kranji.
In 1863, Périé went back to Malaysia and established a
Mission Station in Pontian Kitsil along the
Pontian River. In exchange for the land on which the colony was built, which was provided by
Abu Bakar of Johor, Périé was appointed the
kangchu
The Kangchu system was a socio-economic system of organisation and administration developed by Chinese agricultural settlers in Johor during the 19th century. The settlers organised themselves into informal associations (similar to the Kongsi ...
of the river. He soon banned gambling and opium within the colony, which deterred non-Christian Chinese from settling. The colony's terrain was marshy and further deterred potential settlers. In 1864, fears that a secret society was about to launch an attack on the church drove most Singapore Chinese migrants away to
Pontian, with only 15 Chinese planters remaining.
Périé established another colony in
Ayer Itam in 1867. In the following year, he returned to Bukit Timah, Singapore. He returned to France in 1870 due to his declining health.
After returning to France, he continued his pastoral work.
In 1871, he became a parish priest in the commune of
Pern. In 1872, he became chaplain of
Rocamadour. In 1874, he became a parish priest in the commune of
Le Roc. He died there on 16 January 1892.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Perie, Augustine
1832 births
1892 deaths
French missionaries