IJ Sisters visit Infant Jesus Convent in Melaka

It was a memorable occasion for 21 excited Infant Jesus Sisters from Japan, Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia when they took a trip to Melaka to experience the neighbourhood and streets where Mother St Mathilde Raclot, the foundress of the IJ missions in the East, lived and walked.

Feb 06, 2015

By Lynn Yeow
It was a memorable occasion for 21 excited Infant Jesus Sisters from Japan, Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia when they took a trip to Melaka to experience the neighbourhood and streets where Mother St Mathilde Raclot, the foundress of the IJ missions in the East, lived and walked.

After Penang, Mother St Mathilde set up the second Convent in Singapore in February, 1854. With the school running smoothly in Singapore, Mother St Mathilde felt that she could do what Msgr Boucho, the Apostolic Vicar, and Fr Allard wanted — open a school in Malacca. The Catholic Church had been established there since the Portuguese had occupied the town over “...two hundred years earlier. St Francis Xavier, the Apostle of the Indies, had spent some time there. But for all its Catholic tradition, Malacca had fallen on bad times ….the Catholics had been so neglected that many had sunk into immoral and superstitious ways. Fr Allard…felt that he was battering his head against a wall as long as there was no school to give the children of Malacca a solid Catholic education. … it was the old team that set out from Singapore to Malacca — Mother St Mathilde, Sister St Appollinaire and Sister St Gregory. The day after their arrival in October, 1859, Mother St Mathilde was able to buy a piece of land and a house very close to the sea, a beautiful location…” (Excerpt from the biography of Mother St Mathilde, Where there is Darkness.)

They were warmly welcomed by the Heads and staff members when they stepped into the IJ Primary Schools. The Chairpersons and members of the Board of Governors and the Past Pupils Association of CHIJ Malacca, together with the Principal and members of the IJC Secondary School accorded them a warm welcome when they walked across to the Secondary School. They got a glimpse of the history of the founding of the Sisters of Charitable Instruction of the Holy Infant Jesus or Dames de St Maur (as the IJ Sisters were then called), their voyage East, first landing in Penang, then onto Singapore and Malacca. The Heritage Room also depicted the presence of the Irish Sisters and how the Infant Jesus Sisters left their mark on the lives of the students through their witnessing and living ethos. This is portrayed in the many ‘women of distinction’ as is envisioned in the IJ vision globally. Many made their mark locally and internationally, some being awarded the OBE by the Queen of England.

That evening, they went on a river cruise to experience the route that Mother St Mathilde would have taken as she walked along the river of this former port ministering to the poor and the under privileged. A walkabout through Jonker Walk helped them take in the narrow streets and ornate Dutch inspired ‘Peranakan’ buildings where Mother St Mathilde and the IJ Sisters would have passed by. The next day, the IJ Sisters visited the Church of St Francis Xavier and were given a brief history of its founding. It was also a poignant reminder of where the IJ Sisters, boarders and orphans used to celebrate the Eucharist. They connected with the presence of St Francis Xavier, who also walked about this bustling port ministering to the Catholics and preaching the Gospel, when they viewed the site of his tomb on St Paul’s Hill before he was later laid to rest in Goa.

Their visit to the Tzu Chi Branch in Melaka was reminiscent of the mission close to their hearts, that of ministering to the less fortunate and which was succinctly summed up in a speech given by their representative, who said that she was impressed and edified to note that theirs was also a journey into the heart, and what a labour of love can achieve when one experiences joy in helping — that is the purity of love.

These IJ Sisters were here January 14-21 for a gathering of all those who had taken their vows about 45 – 50 years ago. It was organized by the Mothers Provincial of Japan, Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia to help them review their life journey in the mission, how to grow old gracefully and taking another look at their IJ spirituality. It was also to discern their focus for the future as they moved on in age, in order to live life to the fullest and in so doing, experience the fullness of life.

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