IJ Sisters celebrate Diamond and Golden Jubilees

It was a time of joy and celebration for both the IJ Sisters and parishioners of St Francis De Sales (SFDS) and St Anthony’s, Telok Intan, when four IJ Sisters celebrated their 60th and 50th anniversary in Religious life.

The multilingual Eucharistic celebration was presided over by SFDS parish priest, Fr Vincent Paul (Sitiawan), with Fr Edmund Woon (Batu Gajah) and Fr Aloysius Tan (Kampar) concelebrating. The Sisters from different communities gathered together to celebrate the Diamond and Golden Jubilee of Sr John Bosco Vong (Diamond Jubilee) from Telok Intan; Sr Bernadette Ng (Golden Jubilee) from Telok Intan; Sr Antonia Manikam (Golden Jubilee) from Telok Intan; Sr Lourdes Mak (Golden Jubilee) from Sitiawan.

Fr Woon, in his homily, congratulated the Sisters for their achievements in serving the Lord for 210 years collectively. He thanked them for their commitment and selfless services given to the community and schools. During their final profession, they made vows to be faithful to the Lord all their lives. There may have been doubts, but they never gave up serving with humility and, at the same time, suffering for the Lord.

Later, all the Sisters present also renewed their vows. They renewed their commitments to serve God, relying on the power of the Holy Spirit to serve God in an apostolic manner by the vows of obedience, poverty and chastity.

After the Eucharistic celebration, Sr M Theresa Chua, provincial, expressed her deep sense of gratitude to God, through Fr Vincent Paul, for the opportunity to make this celebration a memorable one.

She quoted Pope Francis’ recent reflection with those in consecrated life which consists of three pillars, namely PRAYER, POVERTY and PATIENCE. For Pope Francis, Prayer is a return to the Lord who invites the consecrated person to be close to him and that makes one work for God. The Spirit of Poverty helps them to discern what is happening in the world and to be challenged to “look into the drawer of their souls.” Thirdly, patience gives one the capacity to bear suffering and constantly pray for those who are suffering in the world.

She challenged the young people of the parish to have the courage to respond to God’s call in the different vocations God reveals to them.

To the elderly, she asked them to remember Psalm 92:15: “They will bear fruit at an old age” and continue to live life to the full. In conclusion, she said that it was a day of Thanksgiving to God for the gift of religious vocation. “Let your hearts be opened with holy joy as you contemplate your happiness and the excellence of your vocation.”

Before the final blessing, Fr Vincent Paul thanked the priests who had come all the way to join the celebration. He also thanked the Sisters and the congregation for the growth of the parish and community and invited everyone for a fellowship. The coordinator, Peter Francis welcomed all to the celebration.

Fr Vincent Paul blessed the cake before it was cut by the Sisters whilst the congregation sang “Happy Anniversary.” A song in Bahasa entitled “Sayang Sayang di Sayang” was also dedicated to the Sisters.

In conclusion, we will continue praying for all the religious and their mission in bringing Christ to others.

Article reproduced from Herald Malaysia online