A combined 125 years in the Lord’s vineyard

Oct 23, 2015

By Percy D’Cruz
Religious Srs Santha Rajoo, Elizabeth Chan and Theresa Yeo of the Canossian Daughters of Charity of the Mater Dei Province of Malaysia celebrated a combined 125 years in the Lord’s Vineyard.

The three jubilarians, Sr Theresa and Sr Elizabeth (golden) and Sr Santha (silver), re-dedicated and renewed their vows in a thanksgiving Eucharistic Celebration. Sr Yeo’s nephew, Fr John Yoew, was the principal celebrant, with Frs Joe Stephen, Micheal Mannayagam, Eddie Rayappan and Mathew Bun concelebrating, and Deacon Anthony Chua assisting.

Educated at the Taiping Infant Jesus Convent, Sr Santha entered postulancy and the novitiate in Singapore between 1987 and 1988. She professed her first vows in Melaka in December 1990 and took her final vows in Kluang, six years later, before embarking to care for the elderly at the Mariam Home in Kluang.

From 2013 to 2015, Sr Santha studied professional nursing training at the Assunta College of Nursing. Since 2010, she has been the community superior and sister-in-charge of the Mariam Home till the present day.

In her testimony, she spoke eloquently saying, “My family’s prayerful lifestyle, hardworking parents and ever supportive siblings enabled me to answer the call to religious life.”

She said that prayers offered for the increase of labourers in the Lord’s Vineyard would remain just prayers if those who are called do not respond. “Parents, do not obstruct God’s call to your children or discourage them when they try to respond,” she urged.

Sr Chan was baptised in 1961 and joined the Canossian family in 1965, in Brisbane, at the age of 21. She professed her final vows in August 1974. As a trained teacher, she was initially posted to Melaka’s Sacred Heart Convent. She was also engaged in a Sabah mission outreach between 1998 and 2003, teaching catechetics in schools and parishes.

Touching on why religious life is most fulfilling, she answered, “It is the joy of belonging to the Lord while working in His Vineyard. He is the treasure I carry within my heart. I always seek to share this joy with all whom I meet in my life. That is the way I want to attain holiness in my religious life.”

Malacca-born Sr Yeo was educated at the Sacred Heart Canossian Convent between 1953 and 1962. After Form Six at Beatty Boys Secondary School in Singapore, she left for Brisbane in early 1965 to become a novitiate postulant. She then moved to Singapore’s St Anthony’s Convent to continue with formation studies before professing her final vows in September 1968.

Following a teacher training course at the Bukit Nanas Teachers’ Training College, she was posted to the Sacred Heart Canossian Convent in Melaka. In August 1982, she left for England for further studies and returned in 1985 to continue teaching at her alma mater.

She was then transferred to the Segamat Canossian Convent and was its principal from 1986 to early 1994. She then moved back to her alma mater and continued to serve as the convent’s last religious principal until retirement in 2001.

In sharing she said, “Together with my supportive and prayerful family, I was called to work for the glory of God. Being in community, prayer and apostolate are instruments in bringing Christ to all people, especially the neglected, the unfortunate, the poor, the needy, the disadvantaged and the marginalised, and those in most need of ‘spiritual food.’ By the way, it is always said that the religious are ordinary people doing extraordinary things by virtue of total commitment to Christ.”