In January 2007, Fr Laurence Martin visited the Salesians in Hong Kong and China and was present at a Memorial Mass for his brother, Fr Denis Martin, one year after Fr Denis had died. Fr Denis had spent 65 years as a Salesian missionary in China.

Image: Fr Laurence greets youngsters at a Salesian Orphanage near Canton

Fr Denis was ordained in Shanghai in 1949, but soon after his ordination the Communists invaded China from the North. They gradually confiscated all the Salesian Schools and Fr Denis was expelled from China after a brief spell in prison. He spent a year recuperating with his mother in England but then returned to Hong Kong, which was then under British rule, and spent forty years as Headmaster in various Salesian Schools.

Fr Denis was most impressed by the intelligence and the industry of the Chinese pupils. He thought it was a great pity that so many promising pupils had no opportunity of continuing their education to University level. He began arranging for many of them to study in various Universities abroad, in England, USA, Australia, New Zealand, etc. Many of these boys went on to do extremely well in the various professions they took up, and they became successful businessmen.

When Fr Denis died, a group of these past pupils undertook to launch a Trust Fund in his memory, which would provide scholarships for present-day needy Chinese pupils from Salesian schools to enable them to proceed to a University education. They published a book about Fr Denis' life to honour him and to promote the fund.

On the first Anniversary of Fr Denis' death, his elder brother, Fr Laurence Martin, now 87 years old, was invited to go to China and visit four of the schools in Hong Kong where Fr Denis had been Headmaster and to speak to the present pupils about his brother. While he was there, the first 36 scholarships were awarded, enabling 36 present-day Chinese Salesian boys to proceed to University education.

Fr Laurence, in his talks to these Salesian pupils in Hong Kong, was careful to stress a theme which had always been very dear to his brother. Fr Denis repeatedly reminded his pupils that while he tried to help them to make a success of their life on this earth, his chief aim was always to help them to get to Heaven. He was far more interested and far more anxious to help them get to Heaven, than he was to help them get on in this world.