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Saint Mary Euphrasia Pelletier, the Foundress of the Good Shepherd Sisters, believed in the Good News, that God was like a compassionate Shepherd. Christ of the New Testament reveals to us that God is our Father whose love for us is boundless, creating us with dignity, in God’s own image. Mary Euphrasia was courageous to act always in the light of this same mission: to love and respect the dignity of each person as a child of God.
The Sisters of the Good Shepherd approach each person with the same care of Jesus, the Good Shepherd. We are guided by the principle that, “One person is of more value than a world.”
Through contemplation and action our mission of reconciliation impels us to act with justice and peace. We take a fourth vow of zeal, the heart of our Good Shepherd vocation. This leads us to search out the wounded, those left behind by the world. We minister in all areas of human services, with a particular focus on the needs of women and children.
A Sister of the Good Shepherd can express her zeal for God’s people either as an apostolic or contemplative sister.
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The International Order St. Mary Euphrasia was born in Noirmoutier, France on 31 July 1796. She was named Rose Virginie Pelletier. At the young age of 18, she joined the Order of Our Lady of Charity. She worked zealously with girls and women in need of love and guidance. Moved by their loneliness and feelings of rejection, she was filled with a burning desire to reach out to girls and women all over the world. To do this, she founded the Congregation of the Sisters of |
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the Good Shepherd in 1835. She founded 110 Convents and missioned Good Shepherd Sisters to all five continents. To St. Mary Euphrasia, one person was more precious than the whole world. She often told her sisters, "Do all for love. Do as I did. I was not possessed of great talents. I...only...loved...But I loved with all the strength of my soul...Nothing is impossible to one who loves." She died on 24 April 1868. She was canonised on 2 May 1940. Today, the Good Shepherd Sisters are present in 68 countries all around the world. |
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The Order in Singapore In December 1939, two Irish Good Shepherd sisters from Colombo (today Sri Lanka) arrived in Singapore followed by two other Irish sisters a month later. The sisters lodged at the Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus at Victoria Street while a house for them at 8th Mile, Ponggol Road was being repaired and renovated. By Feb 1, 1940, the first convent of the Religious of the Good |
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Shepherd Sisters (RGS) was blessed by Bishop A. Devals. The Good Shepherd Sisters opened their doors to women and girls who were troubled or abused and in need of healing and reconciliation. As the number grew, there was a need to secure larger premises. However the Second World War disrupted their plans and during the Japanese Occupation, the sisters went to Bahau, Malaysia. They returned after the war and stayed in MacPherson Road and Kampong Java Road, eventually moving to Marymount at Thomson Road in the 1950s. At Marymount, they operated a home for orphans who were mainly post-war children. As there was a need for education, Marymount Convent School was set up. There were a number of local vocations, and the sisters gradually expanded their ministries. Over the years, as more and more women joined the workforce, many students from Marymount Convent became latchkey children as both parents would be at work. The sisters responded by providing a centre, the Marian Centre, for before and after-school care. By the 1980s it was serving around 80 percent of the student population, around 60 children at that time. The Good Shepherd sisters continue to respond to the needs of society, always with the mission of reconciliation – in particular they minister to women and children to bring them to a healthier relationship with themselves, their families and society. Apart from Marymount Primary School, the sisters run two kindergartens – Marymount at Thomson Road and the Good Shepherd kindergarten at Nallur Road. They also operate the AHUVA Good Shepherd Children’s Home at Marymount Centre which looks after girls below the age of 16 from low income, single parent families. The Good Shepherd Centre at Yishun is a residential centre for women and children who are victims of domestic violence and for migrant workers suffering employer abuse and also takes care of unwed women in pregnancy crisis. The Centre offers a temporary shelter, counselling, and empowerment to its residents. We also have a retreat centre within Marymount called The Oasis. Men and women who are in need of re-charging themselves spiritually or who wants to spend some quiet time with God to find meaning beyond the moment are welcomed to spend some time there. The accompaniment of these people is provided by the Life Direction Team (LDT) which is a Singapore-based group of spiritual directors. The LDT is an ecumenical spiritual direction team consisting of about 40 spiritual directors and facilitators, from the Catholic, Anglican and Methodist churches. The Sisters also conduct outreach programmes at their Nallur Road premises, where counselling sessions are available for women with problems. Stay-in programmes such as Restful Waters, are also held at Nallur Road. One of our Sisters is also actively involved in the Roman Catholic Prison Ministry which was set up jointly by the Redemptorist Fathers, the Jesuits and the Good Shepherd Sisters in 1977. Today, there are 11 priests and some 80 volunteers engaged in this ministry. |
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| Provincial: | Sr Susan Chia |
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| Address: | Good Shepherd Provincialate Blk 236 Yishun Ring Road #09-1018, Singapore 760236 Tel: 6752-6164 Fax: 6752-0670 |
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Good Shepherd Convent “Marymount” 790 Thomson Road, Singapore 298142 Tel: 6250-9151 Fax: 6250-1804 Sr Cecilia Cheang (Contact person) |
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| Hotlinks: | Veritas |
| Catholic News article – At the Service of Healing, Reconciliation and Restoration | |
