BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//GSSM - ECPv6.15.18//NONSGML v1.0//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH X-WR-CALNAME:GSSM X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://gssmmission.org X-WR-CALDESC:Events for GSSM REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H X-Robots-Tag:noindex X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:UTC BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:+0000 TZOFFSETTO:+0000 TZNAME:UTC DTSTART:20110101T000000 END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20160328T080000 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20160329T170000 DTSTAMP:20260404T142534 CREATED:20170728T024217Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170731T230705Z UID:269-1459152000-1459270800@gssmmission.org SUMMARY:Child Sexual Abuse Awareness Program DESCRIPTION:By Jairin Lansan\, \nChildren Enrichment Program \nEighty-nine participants\, from different locations in Sabah\, took part in the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and the Child Sexual Abuse Awareness Program (CSA). \nThis program was successfully conducted by the staff of Good Shepherd Services. The objectives were to improve the awareness of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and the quality of life of the children through the Child Sexual Abuse Program. \nThrough this program the community has been strengthened in their understanding and enhanced in their knowledge which they will apply when necessary. The parents were very thankful to Good Shepherd Services for conducting the program and also for conducting the Keeping Me Safe (KMS) program for children. † URL:https://gssmmission.org/event/child-sexual-abuse-awareness-program/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://gssmmission.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/1109549407_CSA_Awareness_Program.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20160318T080000 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20160318T080000 DTSTAMP:20260404T142534 CREATED:20170728T024503Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170731T225850Z UID:272-1458288000-1458288000@gssmmission.org SUMMARY:Earth Hour 2016 DESCRIPTION:All I knew about Earth Hour was just switching off the electricity in the house and stay at home with my family\, chilling in the dark in silence. As I grew older I understood more and I need to help save the Earth which is in a critical condition mostly caused by humans. \nOn March 19th\, I became a volunteer for the Earth Hour Kota Kinabalu 2016 at Segama Waterfront organised by Kota Kinabalu City Hall. Together with other volunteers\, we helped out in arranging the candles that were put into recycled bottles with some sand in them. When the lights were switched off we lit the candles. \nThe skies were clear and stunning as the stars were shining brightly. I also learned about light pollution\, mostly through the effects of industrial civilisation. It will have serious consequences towards our health. This was mentioned during the star gazing session during the event. We cannot work alone to make this event a success as we need more support and ideas from communities to spread awareness about the environmental issues we face. \nThis will be one of the night that I will always remember in my life. † URL:https://gssmmission.org/event/earth-hour-2016/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://gssmmission.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/1674221040_Earth_Hour_2016.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20160213T080000 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20160214T170000 DTSTAMP:20260404T142534 CREATED:20170728T025037Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170731T224928Z UID:278-1455350400-1455469200@gssmmission.org SUMMARY:One Billion Rising (OBR) DESCRIPTION:By Evelyn Doikin\, Programme \nCoordinator at the Youth-PREP Centre \nOne Billion Rising (OBR) is a global campaign to end violence against women. It is a call to break the silence and realize stories through art\, dance\, marches\, rituals\, songs\, spoken word\, testimonies and in whatever way that feels right. \nThis year the OBR campaign focuses on sexual harassment and violence in a relationship. The campaign was conducted in SM La Salle\, SM St. Martin\, Tambunan and San Damiano Hostel Kiulu. With a total participation of 1\,450 students\, this campaign aims to raise awareness among youths to end violence against women and girls. \nTo make this campaign more effective we worked with the school counsellor and hostel wardens. We also worked together with our volunteers to form new strategies in organizing the campaign. \nThe activity started with an introduction of Good Shepherd Services followed by a session on dating violence. We then had a video screening on issues of violence against women and girls. It ended with everyone dancing the One Billion Rising Dance. \nThe teachers and students shared that the campaign was an eye opener to all of them especially on the issue of emotional and mental violence. † URL:https://gssmmission.org/event/one-billion-rising-obr/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://gssmmission.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/1556590709_OBR_2016_1.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20151209T080000 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20151210T170000 DTSTAMP:20260404T142534 CREATED:20170728T025256Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170731T224838Z UID:281-1449648000-1449766800@gssmmission.org SUMMARY:16 Days of Activism - Say No to Violence Against Women and Children DESCRIPTION:On an annual basis\, Good Shepherd Services Malaysia organises a campaign during the 16 days of activism from 25 November to 10 December to create awareness on “Say NO to Violence Against Women and Children.” This year is no exception with the focus on domestic violence. \nTe following initiatives were organised to pread the message in the three different states in Malaysia where Good Shepherd Services has a presence: \nTraining of the Trainers Workshop \nThe Training-of-the-Trainers workshop primarily for leaders of churches from various denominations. The workshop was to promote the 16 Days of Activism campaign and to encourage the participants to answer the call to action to ORANGE THE WORLD and say NO to violence against women and children. Over 40 participants took part in the one and a half day workshop which was held on 6 and 7 of November. At the conclusion of the workshop\, the participants were committed to raise awareness of volence against women and chldren and to support those in need of help. Good Shepherd Services is grateful and ecouraged by the sharing which took place and the passion shown by the participants to make adifference within their circe of influence. \nVideo Entitled “Behind Closed Doors\, it is a Different Story” \nTo maximise its impact\, the video hadto portray scenes of violence that take place behind closed doors\, in the private sphere. Professionally produced\, the video has been well received as a strong call to action. It encourages those who suffer\, commt or witness violence to seek hep and break the silence. For more insights into “Behind Closed Doors” see http://www.thestar.com.my/videos/2015/11/28/awareness-video-on-violence-against-women-and-children/ To be effective in its reach to the multi racial society of Malaysia\, “Behind Closed Doors” is available at http://goodshepherd.my/behind-closed-doors See Good Shepherd Services Facebook for more informaton. URL:https://gssmmission.org/event/16-days-of-activism-say-no-to-violence-against-women-and-children/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://gssmmission.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/763112247_Orange_The_World_1_640x532.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20151120T080000 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20151121T170000 DTSTAMP:20260404T142534 CREATED:20170728T025831Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170731T224759Z UID:284-1448006400-1448125200@gssmmission.org SUMMARY:Meeting with President Barack Obama DESCRIPTION:Malaysia is a destination country and to a lesser extent a source and transit country of victims of human trafficking. The US Department of State’s Trafficking In Persons Report ranked Malaysia on the Tier 2 Watchlist from 2010 to 2013. \nDuring the four years\, as the situation of human trafficking did not improve in Malaysia\, it was automatically downgraded to Tier 3 in 2014. Malaysia was however upgraded to Tier 2 Watchlist in 2015 despite strong views from NGOs and civil society organisations that the upgrading was unwarranted as the situation of human trafficking has not improved in the country. \nGood Shepherd’s involvement in anti-human trafficking initiatives Good Shepherd Malaysia\, in line with the thrust of the Congregation Direction Statements\, capacity built itself to reach out to victims of human trafficking and refugees who were vulnerable to being trafficked. \nIn 2009\, from the initial shelter provision for 14 victims of human trafficking from Myanmar\, Good Shepherd Malaysia now has its own shelters for female victims of human trafficking and unaccompanied refugee minors. It also conducts program activities (which includes counselling & faith sharing for Christians) and case management support in the three government shelters for female trafficked victims in Malaysia. We are the only NGO that has access toall three shelters simultaneously. The organization also conducts prevention programs with communities on the issue of human trafficking. \nGood Shepherd Malaysia’s networking partners include UNHCR\, the International Catholic Migration Commission (ICMC)\, Embassies\, government agencies\, other NGOs\, faith based organisations and civil society organisations. \nthe meeting with president obama\nGood Shepherd Malaysia\, represented by Theresa Symons\, its Executive Director\, together with seven other civil society members\, were invited to a roundtable discussion with Mr. Barack Obama\, the President of United States\, on Saturday\, 21 November 2015 in conjunction with his official visit to Malaysia for the Asean Summit in Kuala Lumpur. \nThe discussion started with the President expressing his appreciation and support for the work done by civil society in Malaysia. Obama stated that the “US firmly believed that having a strong civil society was necessary to achieve more accountable governance\, and that it was his country’s policy to meet leaders of such groups during his trips abroad.” \nTheresa shared on the topic of human trafficking in Malaysia whilst other members expressed views on their various areas of specialization in the closed door discussion. Human trafficking is a systemic problem which requires strong political will and determination to address. Although the Anti Trafficking In Persons and Smuggling of Persons Act was enacted in Malaysia in 2007\, its implementation has been dismal. In the proposed\nimplementation of the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement of which Malaysia is a party to\, Theresa called on the US to balance economic gains alongside fundamental human rights of just recruitment and employment practices and fair working conditions for migrant workers including providing legal recourse for those who were exploited. \nThis rare opportunity to meet the President of the United States lasted an hour and 10 minutes. † URL:https://gssmmission.org/event/meeting-with-president-barack-obama/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://gssmmission.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/117256593_Meeting_with_President_Barack_Obama.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20151030T080000 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20151031T170000 DTSTAMP:20260404T142534 CREATED:20170728T030108Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170731T224718Z UID:287-1446192000-1446310800@gssmmission.org SUMMARY:Seed of New Hope - Sabah DESCRIPTION:Opportunity\, it has been said\,\noften presents itself in times of\nmisfortune. This is indeed the story\nfor the women from Kg Kiau Nuluh\,\na village fringing the foothills of Mt\nKinabalu which was badly affected\nby the June 5th Sabah earthquake\nand it’s after quake tremors. \nWomen form a substantial segment of the pineapple cultivation economy at Kg Kiau Nuluh. The earthquake\nand its aftermath had a devastating economic impact on women as the harvesting and cultivation of crops were left unattended due to their fear and anxiety. Furthermore\, the low wholesale market price of the fruit also did not encourage them to take risk. Their economic woes were compounded by the closure of the mountain summit which affected 70% of household income as it was heavily reliant on mountain\nguiding and pottering services. \nIn an effort towards building social and economic community resilience\, GSS (Good Shepherd Services) piloted a community-based project to downstream pineapple production. One of the hopes for this initiative was to encourage the community to re-commence their farming activities. Eleven women whose main source of income depended on pineapple produce were chosen by the community to participate in this three-month pilot project. The only investment that was required of the participants\, dubbed the Group of Eleven\, for this project was their own pineapple produce plus their commitment of time to the production process. \nThe recipe for the two products\, Pineapple Chutney and Pineapple Jam\, were shared by GSS volunteers who made fortnightly two-hour journey down to Kg Kiau Nuluh to supervise the production. GSS assisted with the marketing which was not difficult task as within the day all the products would be snapped up at St Simon Church Kota Kinabalu. \nThe pilot phase started on 1 August and ended on 31 October. In all\, they produce 600 bottles of pineapple product which generated a net profit of RM4\,500 for the group or about RM400 each. Their total investment per person was 60 kg of pineapple equivalent to an income of RM90 had they sold the produce to a wholesaler. The quality and potential of the products were recognized by Rotary Club when they won a RM5\,000 Biz Grant for their project. \nThe viability of Pineapple Chutney and Pineapple Jam project as an economic enterprise to supplement income for families have been an empowering experience for Kg Kiau Nuluh\, particularly the women. Many dreams and hopes have been expressed as they aspire towards establishing an inclusive community-based enterprise that will directly benefit the well-being of women and their families. Importantly\, the excitement of this continuing project has renewed personal energies\, lifted the human spirit and given new hope to this earthquake-affected community. \n“In the midst of sorrows\, there\nare always great graces” \n– St Mary Euphrasia URL:https://gssmmission.org/event/seed-of-new-hope-sabah/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://gssmmission.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/180985247_Seed_of_New_Hope_-_Sabah_Pineapple_Jam.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20151023T080000 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20151024T170000 DTSTAMP:20260404T142534 CREATED:20170728T030801Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170731T224617Z UID:290-1445587200-1445706000@gssmmission.org SUMMARY:Voice Out 2015: Connect To Change DESCRIPTION:Pusat Belia Youth-PREP Alamesra – Sabah \n“Connect To Change” was the theme for this year’s annual arts festival. It talks about the active involvement of youths today with the social media. A public forum moderated by our local social media personality\, Jasmine Rajah talked about the realities of connectivity to social media and how youths can apply it in making positive changes. \nSpeaking as a parent and senior in active civil society movements\, Puan Norhanida Annol urged everyone to be aware that being connected also means being exposed\, so it is crucial to be prudent\, careful and critical while being connected. Adam Tambakau\, a web developer said “People need to experience social media by understanding how it works including the pros\, cons and particularly the harm it might bring to us. Do speak out to someone when the situation gets dangerous to you. Overcoming the negativity that you receive somehow will give you courage; just remember to trust your own ability and the good intention in whatever you are doing”. \nBavhithira Chelvakumar\, a psychology and counselling Masters student from Unversiti Malaysia Sabah\, felt that youths nowadays are more confident in expressing themselves especially since the existence of social media which is helpful for people who are introverts. She further commented that it is also a boost to a person’s self-esteem when they use this platform to inspire others. The event was held at the Oceanus Waterfront Mall\, Kota Kinabalu on Saturday\, 24th October. † URL:https://gssmmission.org/event/voice-out-2015-connect-to-change/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://gssmmission.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/1974487123_Voice_Out_2015_-_Connect_to_Change_4.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20150919T080000 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20150920T170000 DTSTAMP:20260404T142534 CREATED:20170728T032303Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170731T224533Z UID:293-1442649600-1442768400@gssmmission.org SUMMARY:DAWN - Singapore DESCRIPTION:DAWN\, a Ministry to migrants is a joint project of the Redemptorist Fathers and the Good Shepherd Sisters. It offers 14-sessions’ courses for foreign domestic workers to assist them in enhancing their advancement and development towards a better future while working in Singapore. The courses are mainly conducted on two Sundays of each month. On 20 September\, we had our Graduation Ceremony for 135 students who successfully completed their respective courses. It began with the Eucharistic Celebration by Rev. Simon Tan\, CSsr\, Spiritual Director of DAWN\, to praise and thank God for all the blessings bestowed on us all – students\, volunteer trainers and management committee. The new intake of 129 students had their orientation on 1 November. Due to the demand for the Care-giving course\, Man Fut Tong Nursing Home has increased its staffing to run two groups of 30 students concurrently. There is now an advanced level for the Cake Decoration Course. Six students have enrolled for this. † URL:https://gssmmission.org/event/dawn-singapore/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://gssmmission.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/900538178_DAWN_-_Singapore_3.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20150619T080000 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20150620T170000 DTSTAMP:20260404T142534 CREATED:20170731T191620Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170801T005213Z UID:342-1434700800-1434819600@gssmmission.org SUMMARY:World Refugee Day\, 20 June - Ipoh DESCRIPTION:Rose Virginie Good Shepherd Centre celebrated World Refuge Day with its residents. \nobjectives\n– To introduce the challenges that refugees and migrants faced in their home countries and when escaping to other countries.\n– To educate the residents on the definition and difference between ‘migrant’ and ‘refugee’.\n– To honor the courage and strength of refugees who were forced to flee under the threat of persecution\, conflict and violence.\n– To instill a sense of gratitude in the residents \nThe residents then listed down on heart-shaped paper\, five things that they were grateful for. They then pasted them on the mahjong paper to honor the courage and strength of refugees across the world. † URL:https://gssmmission.org/event/world-refugee-day-20-june-ipoh/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://gssmmission.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/1467583237_World_Refugee_Day_pic_2.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20150613T080000 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20150614T170000 DTSTAMP:20260404T142534 CREATED:20170731T195059Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170731T195059Z UID:345-1434182400-1434301200@gssmmission.org SUMMARY:The First Anniversary of Good Shepherd Oasis: A Dual Celebration of Joy & Gratitude DESCRIPTION:The First Anniversary of Good Shepherd Oasis : A Dual Celebration of Joy & Gratitude \nby Sr. Elizabeth Lim \nOn Saturday June 13\, 2015 a MINT TEA GATHERING was held on the 4th Floor\, Block C of Good Shepherd Place\, 9 Lorong 8 Toa Payoh. \nThe occasion? A dual\, First Anniversary Celebration of JOY and GRATITUDE \n· The Good Shepherd Oasis (in its new location!) and \n· The reunification of Our Lady of Charity and the Good Shepherd Sisters \nIt was indeed a beautiful and inspiring Eucharistic celebration where by the prompting of God’s Spirit of Love\, three priests concelebrated: A Diocesan Priest Fr Valerian Chong\, A Redemptorist Priest Jacob Ong and a Franciscan\, Friar John Wong. The “ecumenical” congregation comprised former retreatants\, retreat directors and counsellors from all walks of life\, from various faith traditions\, benefactors and believers in the Good Shepherd Mission of Reconciliation and our own dear Sisters of the Good Shepherd and lay Mission Partners. It could easily number slightly over one hundred children of God in the Chapel of the Good Shepherd Place. \nThe main celebrant Fr Jacob was at ease with the choir streaming along with soothing and calming Taize hymns for the whole Mass. \nThe homilist Fr Valerian brought out the nature of Retreat work as he expounded and clearly mapped out our personal journey with that of the Gospel text: Mark 4: 26-34. Providentially the Liturgical readings seem to further help us understand the mission of the Good Shepherd Oasis. \nAt the conclusion of the Eucharist celebration\, the Chairperson of the Good Shepherd Oasis Management Committee\, Ms Selina Gan gave her welcome address to all present and thanked our Province Leadership Team for the encouragement and support given to this mission. This was followed by an inspirational meditation sung by our aspirant\, Ms Jacinta Teo and accompanied on the piano by Mrs Audrey Ruyters: THE KING OF LOVE MY SHEPHERD IS by Ch Gounod\, indeed expresses the work of what GSO strives to be and do and this was fleshed out in the powerpoint presentation. \nA tour of the Oasis was given in small groups while others were in the Hall having their refreshments\, sponsored by a member of GSO Management Committee. Guests meet up with members of the Management\, former and would be retreatants\, retreat directors and friends\, families\, supporters and volunteers. \nAt the conclusion of the evening\, each guest was invited to take a Booklet of the life of St Mary Euphrasia Pelletier and a set of her quotes\, a brochure and book mark of Good Shepherd Oasis. \nWe give thanks to our Creator-God for this afternoon mint-tea gathering at the Good Shepherd Place and for the on going benefits of “Quiet Journeys” where each can find stillness in chaos. May our beautiful God-created world fraught with experiences of conflict\, struggles\, non-peace and violence offer all\, the courage to continually seek and strive for enduring love and unity found only in the Heart of our Loving Shepherd God and King in the sanctuary of Good Shepherd Oasis. URL:https://gssmmission.org/event/the-first-anniversary-of-good-shepherd-oasis-a-dual-celebration-of-joy-gratitude/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://gssmmission.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/1731411978_GoodShepOasis_14.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20150517T080000 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20150518T170000 DTSTAMP:20260404T142534 CREATED:20170731T195218Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170731T195218Z UID:348-1431849600-1431968400@gssmmission.org SUMMARY:Good Shepherd Malaysia speaking on behalf of refugees stranded in boats with no food or water! DESCRIPTION:As part of an NGO coalition focused on the issue of migration and the rights of migrants\, Good Shepherd Malaysia is active in responding to the urgent humanitarian crisis of refugees now off their coast. Mostly from the oppressed and non-state-recognized Rohingya minority of Myanmar\, they are seeking asylum in Malaysia via Thailand. The governments of the region have been rejecting them resulting in a deplorable plight. \nThis situation is a multi-layered crisis with broad and deep root; it entwines issues of national identity\, migration\, trafficking\, refugee status\, international human rights and responsibilities and\, most basically\, human compassion. \nBelow is a press release by the coalition\, The Migration Working Group (MWG) which advocates for the rights of migrants\, refugees\, stateless persons\, trafficked persons and foreign spouses. Good Shepherd Welfare Services Malaysia has endorsed it. \nPress release: \nMigration Working Group (MWG)\nTurning Boats Away Not an Option\nFor immediate release: 14 May 2015\nFor more information:\nKristine Yap\, kristine.wao@gmail.com / 03 7957 5636\nJessica Low\, jpylow@hotmail.com \nMalaysia must act humanely and keep its borders open to receive these survivors of human trafficking\, some who are believed to have been at sea for up to three months. In a statement\, volunteer organisation\, Migration Working Group (MWG)\, said that the recent announcement by the Malaysian government that it would push back boats carrying thousands of women\, men and children was a looming human tragedy. “Many will be fleeing systematic persecution and untold horrors in Myanmar and on the Bangladeshi border\, and many\, including children\, will be survivors of human trafficking and other abuses and deprivation\,” MWG spokesperson Sumitra Visvanathan said. \n“We stand appalled at the decision. We urge our government and agencies to admit\, protect and provide for the new arrivals. The time to act is now.” Malaysia\, she said\, must set a positive example as a member of UN Security Council and as Chair of ASEAN. \n“A coordinated emergency humanitarian response is critical at this time. Instead of washing its hands of the problem and abandoning the thousands of human beings to possibly die at sea\, the Malaysian authorities must demonstrate leadership through implementing an emergency response plan to meet their immediate humanitarian needs\,” Sumitra said. \nMWG lauds the Langkawi police and local communities for their immediate humanitarian response to the recent boat arrivals there\, which demonstrated Malaysians’ capacity to aid individuals in dire need. But the Malaysian government must step up. It should view these recent boat arrivals in Langkawi as the catalyst to spur local and regional action. “International law and our shared common humanity demand we respond to individuals in need of international protection\,” she said. \nThe systemic abuse\, discrimination and persecution underlying the Rohingya’s refugee protection needs are crystal clear. Under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights\, everyone has the right to seek asylum from persecution. While Malaysia is not yet a party to the 1951 Refugee Convention\, under customary international law the Malaysian government has an obligation of “non-refoulement” – not to return anyone to places where their life or freedom would be at risk. The Executive Committee of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reaffirmed the basic human right to seek asylum and stated that “as a general rule\, asylum seekers should not be detained” and should be admitted to the State in which they first seek refuge. We must be guided by the international standard. \nThus\, it is not an option to turn the boats away\, neither is it an option to treat all new arrivals as illegal migrants who needed be detained and returned to Myanmar or Bangladesh. “We urge the Malaysian government to work closely with Malaysian civil society and the UNHCR\, to first provide humanitarian relief to everyone on board\, and thereafter to screen all boat arrivals to ensure people in need of international protection are accorded their due rights\,” Sumitra said. \nASEAN and national governments has been ineffective in handling similar situations although it had been occurring in the region for many years. “It is precisely because of this inaction in the face of well-documented horrific abuses and killings\, those human traffickers and criminal syndicates have flourished. Similarly there have been vast and protracted regional displacement of groups like the Rohingya\, and thousands have ended up in horrific Thai trafficking camps\,” she said. \nThe decision to turn back the boats compounds the authorities’ indifference\, and would only serve to fuel the scale of the tragedy and is potentially a death sentence for the women\, men and children onboard. \nAs recent as last month\, Malaysia’s Foreign Minister emphasised that the Rohingya refugee issue should be resolved within ASEAN. \n“We support this and echo the call by the Thai Government to urgently and sustainably address this as a regional issue through a cooperative ASEAN and inter-agency framework for action\, but while we get this going\, we must not abandon thousands of people in need. We must protect them\,” she said. \nPetition: \nTo the Secretary-General of ASEAN\, H.E.Le Luong Minh\, Chair of ASEAN Govt of M’sia: \nAppeal for action to save boat refugees\nWe\, Good Shepherd Sisters and mission partners of Malaysia\, Indonesia and Thailand from the Asia Pacific Justice Peace Network\, are deeply concerned over the plight of the thousands of Rohingyas trying to reach the shores of Malaysia\, Indonesia and Thailand. \nIn Myanmar they face extreme oppression\, discrimination and poverty. They have been deprived of citizenship and subjected to forced labour and forcible displacement in Myanmar and on the Bangladeshi border. Many including women and children have fallen prey to traffickers. Women have been reported raped on boats. \nWe urge the governments of Malaysia\, Indonesia and Thailand: \nTo rescue the boat refugees on humanitarian grounds and provide them with shelter\, medical care\, food and water\nTo respect life\, show compassion and offer protection for the vulnerable against human traffickers and smugglers\nTo collaborate with other ASEAN member countries to accord internally displaced persons\, such as the Rohingyas\, the right to life\, dignity and livelihood\nDo the right thing\, save them now! \nBelow is the link to the petition:\nhttps://secure.avaaz.org/en/petition/SecretaryGeneral_of_ASEAN_HELe_Luong_Minh_Chair_of_ASEAN_Govt_of_Msia_Appeal_for_action_to_save_boat_refugees/?tkgYFhb /?tkgYFhb URL:https://gssmmission.org/event/good-shepherd-malaysia-speaking-on-behalf-of-refugees-stranded-in-boats-with-no-food-or-water/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://gssmmission.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/843714056_Malaysia.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20150507T080000 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20150508T170000 DTSTAMP:20260404T142534 CREATED:20170731T200717Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170731T200717Z UID:357-1430985600-1431104400@gssmmission.org SUMMARY:Year of Consecrated Life : Sr. Lucy Chia DESCRIPTION:Read about Sr. Lucy Chia’s inspiring and heartwarming journey and experience as a Religious: \nYear of Consecrated Life : A peep into the life of Sr. Lucy Chia\, RGS URL:https://gssmmission.org/event/year-of-consecrated-life-sr-lucy-chia/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://gssmmission.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/305866163_sr_lucy_chia_Thumb.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20150502T080000 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20150503T170000 DTSTAMP:20260404T142534 CREATED:20170731T200546Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170731T200546Z UID:351-1430553600-1430672400@gssmmission.org SUMMARY:Opening Ceremony of the Good Shepherd Place DESCRIPTION:Official Opening of Good Shepherd Place by \nSingapore’s Prime Minister\, Mr Lee Hsien Loong \nSingapore – May 2\, 2015 was a joyous day for the Good Shepherd Sisters\, mission partners\, and benefactors in Singapore as we celebrated the official opening of Good Shepherd Place by Singapore’s Prime Minister\, Mr Lee Hsien Loong. \nAs Ms Cecilia Ee\, chairperson of the Marymount Centre Board said in her welcome address\, “the acquisition of the land at Thomson Road came earlier than expected”. The land at Thomson Road was where the Good Shepherd Convent was located for more than 50 years and where the Sisters had contributed to the Singapore community through their ministries\, caring for women and children at the margins of society. Ms Ee thanked all who had supported the Good Shepherd Sisters in making the dream of the new Good Shepherd Place a reality. \nIn her address\, Sr Joan Lopez\, Leader of the Province of Singapore-Malaysia\, thanked all present and all Good Shepherd Sisters\, mission partners\, the architects\, consultants and the builders for their support and hard work in the development of Good Shepherd Place which took 15 months. Many who have visited the Good Shepherd Place had found the place to be a place filled with love\, peace and welcome. \nThe Good Shepherd Place was then declared open by Singapore’s Prime Minister\, Mr Lee Hsien Loong with the unveiling of a plaque. This was then followed by a touching rendition of the song “ You Raised Me Up” by a trio which included a pioneer Singaporean Good Shepherd Sister\, Sr Gerard Fernandez. The children from Marymount Kindergarten and Ahuva Good Shepherd then “wowed” the audience with two very energetic and exuberant gymnastics and dance performances. The event ended with lunch for all and a tour of the Good Shepherd Place. \nContributed by: Ms Cecilia Lim\, Principal of Marymount Convent School\, Singapore \nCatch a glimpse of photos and personal experiences of the Opening of the Good Shepherd Place at these 2 facebook pages: \nPrime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s personal experience \nReligious of the Good Shepherd\, Singapore and Malaysia \nAn article from the Catholica News: \nhttp://catholicnews.sg/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=10618:pm-lee-officially-opens-good-shepherd-place&catid=512&Itemid=207 URL:https://gssmmission.org/event/opening-ceremony-of-the-good-shepherd-place/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://gssmmission.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/1803800025_Good_Shepherd_Place_Night_Scene_T.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20150320T080000 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20150321T170000 DTSTAMP:20260404T142534 CREATED:20170731T203623Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170731T203623Z UID:360-1426838400-1426957200@gssmmission.org SUMMARY:Sr. Teresa Chye’s Golden Anniversary DESCRIPTION:March 21 was joyous day for Sr. Teresa Chye as she celebrates her Golden Anniversary with her fellow Good Shepherd Sisters\, lay mission partners and benefactors at Madonna Heights Good Shepherd Convent. \nRead more about this joyous occasion at the 2 links below : \nCatholic Sabah: St Teresa Chye Celebrates faithfulness of God by Sr Teresa Chye \nSr. Teresa Chye shares about how her mission started with the Good Shepherd sisters. \nGolden Jubilarian\, Sr Teresa Chye \nPosted on May 2\, 2015 by Thomas Madanan\nThomas Madanan writes about the Celebration at Madonna Heights Good Shepherd Convent. URL:https://gssmmission.org/event/sr-teresa-chyes-golden-anniversary/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://gssmmission.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/874982830_Sr_T_Chye_A3_Thumb.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20141211T080000 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20141212T170000 DTSTAMP:20260404T142534 CREATED:20170731T203839Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170731T203839Z UID:363-1418284800-1418403600@gssmmission.org SUMMARY:Good Shepherd Sisters Singapore Mark 75 Years DESCRIPTION:The Good Shepherd SIsters and aspirants of the Singapore-Malaysia Province outside their new chapel at Good Shepherd Place\, Lorong 8 Toa Payoh\, SIngapore \nArticle is from the Catholic News\, written by Mel Diamse-Lee \nRejoicing over their 75 years here\, the Religious of the Good Shepherd (RGS) of Singapore-Malaysia Province celebrated with a Mass in their spanking new hall. \nOver 200 family members\, friends\, collaborators\, benefactors\, currect and former students of Marymount Convent School joined the Sisters for the Mass and dinner on December 12\, 2014 at Good Shepherd Place\, Toa Payoh Lorong 8.\nFr. Cyril Lee\, who delivered the homily at the concelebrated Mass\, noted that the four Irish Sisters who sailed to Singapore from Sri Lanka in 1939 endured much hardship. This included having their first convent in Punggol destroyed and being exiled in Bahau\, Malaysia during World War II. \nToday\, he added\, “the Sisters’ mission has diversified but the focus remains” in that they serve the needy and disadvantaged women and children.Dominican Fr Antonio Gonzalez\, CICM Fr Kamelus Kamus\, and Frs John Sim and Peter Paul concelebrated the Mass with Fr Lee.\nIn her thank-you speech after the Mass\, Sr Joan Lopez\, the Province Leader\, expressed gratitude and “indebtedness to the pioneers”. She also thanked the families of the Sisters for having made many sacrifices and sharing their child or sister with the Congregation. \nTwo of the earliest local members of the Congregation\, Sr Gerard Fernandez and Sr Therese Thong spoke of their joy at being present for the celebration. \nSr Gerard\, 76\, told Catholic News\, “I feel privileged to be alive to celebrate our 75th year. I knew the pioneers…I saw the building of Marymount Convent…Now with our new buildings\, it’s a joy to be here. I hope our Sisters will be able to carry on our mission in a big way. I also believe that vocations will come. We now have three aspirants and that’s wonderful!” \nSr Therese\, 77\, has been on mission in Hong Kong and Taiwan for over 30 years. She decided to take up Taiwanese citizenship years ago in order to continue the mission of the Sisters there. “This is the first time I came back for the [anniversary] celebration…I’m very happy to see we have aspirants and collaborators\,” she said. \nJoining the Sisters from the Province were fellow Congregation members from Indonesia\, Sri Lanka and Taiwan. Also present were representatives from the Brothers of Mercy\, Canossian Daughters of Charity\, Cenacle Sisters\, Infant Jesus Sisters\, Franciscan Missionaries of Mary\, Franciscan Missionaries of the Divine Motherhood and Missionaries of Charity Sisters.\nThe RGS Sisters began their anniversary celebration 75 days earlier\, in September\, by remembering in prayer their pioneers\, local Church leaders\, benefactors and Sisters who have passed on. \nTheir first convent\, a bungalow\, was donated by Fr Lee’s grandfather\, the late Paul Lee. \nMeanwhile\, Sr Cecilia LIew\, who heads the community in Good Shepherd Place\, shared that its official inauguration will take place in April next year. The compound has a chapel\, the Marymount headquarters\, a convent\, a hall with a seating capacity of 200\, a kindergarten\, a children’s home and a retreat centre. \nShe added that journeying forward\, the Sisters hope for greater and more creative involvement in the work against human trafficking\, to be more actively engaged in their Toa Payoh neighbourhood\, and be involved internationally in the movement for peace and non-violence\, respect for human life and the environment. She also noted that without volunteers and collaborators\, the Congregation would not have enjoyed 75 years in Singapore. URL:https://gssmmission.org/event/good-shepherd-sisters-singapore-mark-75-years/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://gssmmission.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/1593750176_RGS_Sisters_Group_Photo_Thumbnail.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20140619T080000 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20140620T170000 DTSTAMP:20260404T142534 CREATED:20170731T210442Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170731T210442Z UID:371-1403164800-1403283600@gssmmission.org SUMMARY:Remembering the Forgetten\, Giving Hope DESCRIPTION:Remembering the Forgotten\, Giving Hope \nEaster – a time to celebrate new life. This Easter we are blessed with the joy of celebrating the success of a special fundraising project – “Remembering the Forgotten\, Giving Hope”. \nThis joint project by Good Shepherd Convent Restful Waters\, Singapore (RW)\, Good Shepherd Mission Development Office\, Rome (MDO) and the Good Shepherd International Justice and Peace Office\, New York (GSIJPO)\, began at the Feast of Epiphany with a humble target of US$100\,000\, which was quickly revised upward to US$200\,000. Through the collective effort of family\, friends\, benefactors\, volunteers and Good Shepherd mission partners across the Province\, we managed to surpass the target with a total collection of US$320\,000!\nListening to Sr Susan Chia’s account of the living conditions in Kolwezi – the hunger and desperation of children having to eat sand to fill their stomachs\, the rampant rape and abuse of women and children\, and the punishing conditions of working in the mines – these injustices stirred our hearts with compassion. They called out to us with urgency to respond to the cries of the people in Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). \nThe committee of RW resolved to spearhead a project to raise funds and create an awareness of the realities of life in DRC\, especially the plight of the women and children. The MDO and GSIJPO were fully supportive of this initiative and provided us with much information required to enable RW to highlight the dire situation in DRC and the GS Sisters’ plans to improve the lives of the people in Kolwezi. A collective approach was taken by RW with an aim to multiply resources\, to gather as many Good Shepherd people as possible to help tell the story of DRC so that far more people can hear the cries and reach out to the poor. \nOn 4 January 2014\, close friends and family members were invited to the launch of “Remembering the Forgotten\, Giving Hope”. Many at the launch were touched by the stories and personal accounts of Sr Susan Chia and Sr Margaret Lee. They could not imagine anyone eating sand to survive but the realities and truth coming out from Kolwezi cannot be ignored or forgotten. \nThose present pledged their support for Kolwezi and were determined to ensure the projects planned would be successfully implemented and sustained. They were confident\, especially when in-depth research and planning had been carried out and regularly reviewed by MDO and that capacity building sessions by GSIJPO are ongoing for sisters\, staff and volunteers. \nThe spirit of generosity of partners in mission was evident with many making immediate donations but more importantly\, they went home to tell others of the story of Kolwezi. As the message began to spread through Mission Partners who attended the gathering and through the fundraising blog\, we witnessed the multiplication effect taking place. \nJane Ng\, who produced the launch music video ‘Do they know its Christmastime’ wrote\, “I was first attracted to the Congo project by curiosity. I wanted to know what was behind the invitation to spend a morning or afternoon at Restful Waters. Before I knew it\, I was well and truly caught\, simply because of my inability to say no to Susan’s request to put photographs to music for the launch of the Congo project. I was delighted to use my new-found skills to create a video for the project. Selecting the photographs to accompany the lyrics was a profoundly moving experience and making the video was a simple labour of love. \nListening to Susan and Morene at the launch of the project touched me to the core. I was deeply moved by Susan’s courage and faith\, and her love for the people of Congo. I thought the idea of reaching out to the people of Congo through this project to compensate for Susan’s cancelled trip was ingenious\, even divinely inspired. \nAt the earliest opportunity\, I shared with my family and friends the plight of the poor people of Congo. People who endure hardship and suffer exploitation to feed our reliance on computers and hand phones. I was so grateful and happy that many hearts were touched and responded generously. \nThis project has revealed to me how wondrous God’s ways are. From the pain and suffering of one person\, Susan\, awareness and compassion were stirred for the pain and suffering of people in another continent\, another hemisphere halfway across the world. Loving hearts opened wallets to give generously\, and hope for a better life for the poor people of Congo can become certainty. We are one human family after all\, one flock belonging to the same Shepherd\, and having been blessed abundantly by our Shepherd God\, the least we could do when we heard of the plight of our brothers and sisters in Congo\, was to share our blessings with them.” \nThe experiences and encounters over these few months have been one of solidarity\, standing together to raise the dignity of the forgotten ones in DRC. It had been an encouraging journey that went beyond benefactors coming forth with donations\, but of numerous personal stories of generosity\, self-sacrifice and gratitude. \nSuch stories include a couple who immediately came the very next day after the launch with a very generous donation and stating that they see value in the project and want to give their full support to it. \nAnother sharing is of a lady from a humble background willingly sacrificing her shopping allowance to make a $1\,000 donation. A teenage student felt compassion so deep as to share his $10 school allowance with the people in DRC. \nA mother in Malaysia\, whose young son had passed away\, generously donated the sum of money that she had set aside for him. She said that her son no longer needed the money now but she could still make a difference for other children by sharing it. \nThe following are some reports filed by the different ministries in the Province of Singapore-Malaysia. \nMarymount Convent School\, Singapore \n“Every year during Lent\, our pupils are encouraged to set aside some pocket money as part of almsgiving and donate the it to a local charity. This year\, in addition to almsgiving\, we wanted to raise awareness of the Good Shepherd Mission around the world and chose Kolwezi\, Congo to benefit from it. We wanted our pupils to reflect on and live out the Good Shepherd values of “Gratitude” for all that they have been blessed with and “Compassion” for others. The pupils were told that no amount was “too little”. \nThe project was launched on 10 February 2014. It was still within the Chinese New Year period and we knew that many pupils had received “ang pows” from their relatives. We showed our pupils and staff slides on Kolwezi and highlighted the children’s plight. Many pupils “teared” on hearing about the lack of food and facilities for education. The pupils dropped in what they brought into the Collection Box during Recess time at the canteen. We did one round of collection during the week. Some pupils spoke to their parents who also gave generously. One pupil in particular said that she received so much more than she needed\, so she wanted to share. Some pupils dropped by every day to donate their spare pocket money. They were very enthusiastic about the drive and a few pupils volunteered to walk around with the collection box during their break time. \nThrough this drive\, our pupils realised that they were very fortunate and were grateful that their parents had provided them with a comfortable life. They pledged to stop wasting food and water. They were sad to hear of children in Congo having to eat sand to stave off their hunger pangs and were amazed that they looked so happy even when they did not have proper school facilities. \nWe hope to highlight more Good Shepherd Mission projects around the world in future so that we can spread the awareness of what the Good Shepherd Mission does throughout the world.” \nMrs Susanna Teo (Head\, Chaplaincy Team\, Marymount Convent School\, Singapore)\nGood Shepherd Kuala Lumpur\, Malaysia \n“In Kuala Lumpur\, we watched a video clip where children waited in line for what was probably their only hot meal of the day\, each child carefully carrying a bowl in both hands so as not to spill any of the precious porridge. The irony was that we\, the Malaysians\, were watching this clip in a room surrounded by food in excess. We were surely made doubly aware of the plight of these poor people who obviously need help\, need funds urgently.” \nCaroline Gunn(Lay Associate) \nYes\, and for this very reason mission partners and friends gathered in Madonna Heights\, Kuala Lumpur in the afternoon of 15th February to witness the launch of a fund raising campaign for the community in Kolwezi. After the video clip presentation\, a hi-tea was served. The delicious spread was prepared by many generous donors including the residents of the Teenage Centre and the Women’s Shelter. There were brisk sales of satay\, tidbits\, cookies\, pickles\, apple pies and cakes mostly from Rose Virginie Good Shepherd Centre\, Ipoh at the launch too. Raffle numbers were available for sale and the first prize was a ladies’ watch worth about RM2\, 000.”\nGood Shepherd Sabah\, East Malaysia \nThe children from Asrama Desa Pukak\, a hostel for primary school children from rural villages in Sabah\, Malaysia\, made greeting cards to reach out to the children in Kolwezi. The cards were drawn by the children who also wrote messages of encouragement and friendship.\nGood Shepherd Kindergartens\, Malaysia \n“When the Good Shepherd Kindergartens got on board the project\, it was decided that the best way to spread the message and create awareness would be through a food and fun fair. It would coincide with Lent to create awareness among the children on the needs and suffering of others in the world. The children were shown the video and discussed poverty and sharing. Moral lessons and even assembly was used to expand on compassion\, sharing and loving beyond borders. \nMariaville Kindergarten\, Ipoh\, held their food and fun fair on 12 April and Villamaria\, Kuala Lumpur\, on 26 April. On both days\, we were blessed with clear skies that gave extra impetus to the activities of the day. The food stalls ranged from local delights to western fare and were sold out early. \nThe activities were popular with the children. These included T-shirt painting\, lucky dip\, games stalls\, sand art and\, the star attraction\, a pony ride. The clown had sore arms from non-stop balloon sculpting and the ponies were dizzy from the rides and even helped trim the grass while waiting! \nAll the while\, the video of the mission in Kolwezi played in a loop for people to find out more about why we were raising funds. The two days were deeply satisfying and the staff indeed did a wonderful job of organising and running the show together with the enthusiastic mission partners. \nThe combined total raised by both kindergartens was RM48\,548.00\, far exceeding the initial target. It showed the generosity and spirit of caring that the Good Shepherd Kindergartens always aim to instill in the young. It proves that education based on values is not just a phase or an idea but has a far reaching impact on the young and their adulthood later on in life.” \n(Anne Emmanuel\, Director of Good Shepherd Kindergartens & Nurseries\, Malaysia)\nThe support of Good Shepherd Mission Partners in the Province had been overwhelming and was a testimony to the living out of justice and inclusion. The experience allowed us to see the good works carried out by the Good Shepherd Mission in Kolwezi and we learnt to stretch our hearts and minds to see beyond the boundaries\, to recognise opportunities to help create new life beyond the pain and suffering brought about by war and oppression. URL:https://gssmmission.org/event/remembering-the-forgetten-giving-hope/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://gssmmission.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/1726388606_Congo_s.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20140430T080000 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20140430T170000 DTSTAMP:20260404T142534 CREATED:20170731T231931Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170731T231931Z UID:385-1398844800-1398877200@gssmmission.org SUMMARY:Launch of "The Story of St Mary Euphrasia" Book & Video DESCRIPTION: URL:https://gssmmission.org/event/launch-of-the-story-of-st-mary-euphrasia-book-video/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20140311T080000 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20140312T170000 DTSTAMP:20260404T142534 CREATED:20170731T233642Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170731T233642Z UID:388-1394524800-1394643600@gssmmission.org SUMMARY:International Women’s Day Celebration DESCRIPTION:International Women’s Day Celebration \nInternational Women’s Day (IWD) was widely celebrated by the various Good Shepherd ministries in Malaysia. These ministries are located in Sabah\, Kuala Lumpur and Perak. \n1) Seri Murni Crisis Center (SMCC)\, Sandakan\, Sabah \nIn Sandakan\, PKGS collaborated withthe Catholic Women’s Apostolate (CWA) of St. Mary’s parish\, Sandakan to conduc a half-day programme with the theme “Catholic Women: Precious and Loved.” Some 150 women and youth attended the event. \nThe main focus of the programme was affirming that all persons\, women and men\, are created in the image and likeness of God\, that the life and dignity of a human person is sacred and to be respected regardless of gender\, race\, economic status and others.One of the questions for reflection was\, “How can I better respond to God in my being a woman\, precious and loved?” The participants had an enriching time of sharing their own experiences of struggles\, challenges\, joys and pain as women\, mothers and/or wives. \nWhilst the women’s session was in progress\, the children participated in the Children’s Group Activity. The 19 children concluded the day’s programme with a song presentation to appreciate and thank their mothers on this special occasion. \nThe Sandakan team had also reached out to a group of 19 migrant women and youth on a separate session on 9th March with the same theme. It concluded with each receiving a gift of appreciation and a fellowship meal to celebrate together our recognition as women\, who are precious and loved by our Creator God. \n2) Youth-PREP Centre (YPC)\, Sabah \nThe YPC organised the Faith in Action programme from 7th to 9th March for 17 youths from \ndifferent locations\, schools and colleges in Kota Kinabalu. The objectives of the Faith in Action programme were: to create an opportunity for youth to reflect on “Who is my neighbour?”; to instill community spirit among the youth to contribute to society especially to those in need; and to be aware of the presence of God among\, around and in the people in need. \nThe key message imparted to the women in Kg. Tampasak was about the role of women in the community\, society and family in relation to social justice. The youths stayed with their foster mothers and joined the women in their daily routine such as fishing\, weeding\, \ngardening\, going into the forest to look for wood and wild ginger. \nDuring the 3-day programme\, the participants had the opportunity to learn about the history and struggle of the village\, how they were displaced by the construction of a dam\, and how the mothers voiced out for their rights and the needs of the community. This was done through an awareness session entitled Social Justice and Women. The programme was instrumental in increasing the participants’ awareness on social justice\, the social teaching of the church\, issues faced by women\, and the aspiration and hope of women. \n3)          Teenage Centre\, Kuala Lumpur \nOn 8 March 2014\, the Centre celebrated IWD with the theme as “Equality for Women is Progress for All.” In line with this theme\, Sr. Kelly presented the message from the UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN Women\, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka\, which amongst others\, called for the recommitment of ourselves to “working harder for gender equality\, together as women\, men\, youth and leaders of nations\, communities\, religion and commerce.” Our girls reflected on the inspiring message and shared what resonated most with them as well as what innate quality they recognised in themselves as a way of affirming and empowering themselves. \nThe second celebration took place on 12th March and joining in the celebration were Ms. Ruth Clarke and the HR Staff of Ritz Carlton Hotel. They provided the girls with baking lessons and shared their experiences of working in the hospitality industry. It was helpful and encouraging for the girls to be more aware of what it takes to pursue a career in the industry\, namely patience\, hard work and discipline. \n4)          Rose Virginie Good Shepherd Center (RVGSC)\, Ipoh\, Perak \nThe preparation for the celebration of IWD in RVGSC began about 2 weeks before the actual day of IWD. All the children and residents in RVGSC were introduced to the objective and meaning of IWD. The purpose of the celebration was to create awareness about IWD among the children and residents\, and to show them some of the achievements of successful women in the world. It was also an opportunity to encourage the residents to run a program for the women in the house\, focusing on empowerment and leadership among the girls and ladies in the shelter to bring out the message of gender equality. \nIn planning how to celebrate IWD\, the children organised a party for the women in the shelter. During the two weeks preceding the IWD\, the children made collages and decorations for the party\, practiced their song and dance\, and planned the games and menu for the party. \nOn IWD\, all the children and residents came together in celebration and appreciation of the gift of women. URL:https://gssmmission.org/event/international-womens-day-celebration/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://gssmmission.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/1337255048_IWD_T.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20140103T080000 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20140104T170000 DTSTAMP:20260404T142534 CREATED:20170731T234213Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170731T234213Z UID:391-1388736000-1388854800@gssmmission.org SUMMARY:Remembering the Forgotten\, Giving Hope DESCRIPTION:On a balmy Saturday morning\, in the last days of Christmas just before the culmination of the season in the Feast of Epiphany on 5 January 2014\, friends\, family and well-wishers gathered together on the premises of the Good Shepherd Convent Restful Waters in Singapore to traverse in spirit together as a community to Kolwezi in Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo)\, a forgotten place on a far side of the world in Africa. URL:https://gssmmission.org/event/remembering-the-forgotten-giving-hope/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://gssmmission.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/1101022655_thumbnail.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20131229T080000 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20131230T170000 DTSTAMP:20260404T142534 CREATED:20170731T234429Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170731T234429Z UID:394-1388304000-1388422800@gssmmission.org SUMMARY:JPSM Newsletter Issue 14 DESCRIPTION: URL:https://gssmmission.org/event/jpsm-newsletter-issue-14/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://gssmmission.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/1215385314_JPSM_Newsletter_Issue_14.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20131004T080000 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20131005T170000 DTSTAMP:20260404T142534 CREATED:20170731T235327Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170731T235327Z UID:397-1380873600-1380992400@gssmmission.org SUMMARY:To Good Shepherd for their 25 years of mission: SALUTE DESCRIPTION:EXTRACT OF ARTICLE FROM CATHOLIC SABAH VOLUME 56\, NO. 2\, SUNDAY 20 OCTOBER 2013 \n  \nKOTA KINABALU\, EAST MALAYSIA \nWith great job and deep gratitude the Good Shepherd Sisters and lay partners involved in the Good Shepherd Mission marked 25 years of Mission in Sabah with a Thanksgiving Mass at St Simon Catholic Church\, Likas on October 5th.  Gathered for the joyous occasion were their Mission Partners\, benefactors\, supporters\, colunteers and friends\, the religious and guests from Singapore and West Malaysia. \nTwenty five years ago\, on October 5\, 1988\, upon the invitation of both the late Bishop Simon Fund and Bishop John Lee (now Emeritus Archbishop)\, three pioneering Sisters together with their Province Leader set out from Johor to Kota Kinabalu to establish the Good Shepherd Mission in Sabah. \nInspired and motivated by the words of their foundress\, St Mary Euphrasia\, “Our zeal must embrace the whole world”\, they came to the “land below the wind” to pitch their tents to teach out to the lost and those in need. \nWhat it this Good Shepherd Mission? \nIt is a Mission of compassion and reconciliation that embraces people who have experienced injustice\, oppression and alienation\, especially women and children\, awakening in each a sense of uniqueness\, worth and inestimable value. \nIt is the Mission that jesus\, the Good Shepherd\, has entrusted to the Good Shepherd Congregation through their foundress\, St Mary Euphrasia who saw each person as a wonder and work of art that when allowed and enabled to develop further is able to realise their God-given dignity and potential.  It is a Mission that believes “one person is of more value than the whole world”.  Emulating this belief of St Mary Euphrasis\, the Mission sets out to ensure that every person they journey with would be ministered to with care and respect. \nLooking back the past 25 years \nMany lives have been touched by the Shepherd’s love through the Mission.  These lives include Good Shepherd Mission Partners who have served in the community and ministries of Pusat Kebajikan Good Shepherd (PKGS)\, volunteers\, benefactors\, those who gave encouragement and support\, and the many children\, youth\, women and families whose lives have been touched and turned around and through whom the Sisters have been enabled to realised the true meaning and purpose of their being Good Shepherd. \nThrough the witnessing of their life and service\, the Mission has also attracted numerous local vocations to their Congregation\, fruits that the local Church is reaping today and for which thanksgiving is offered to God in the celebration of the 25th Anniversary of the Good Shepherd Mission in Sabah. \nThe Mission expanded and evolved \nThe Sabah Mission\, which is in the Province of Singapore-Malasia is the 6th offshoot from Singapore\, while the Province became the 352nd house of the Congregation with the arrival of the Sisters in Singapore in 1939. \nToday the Mission is made visible through their ministries.  Collaborative ministries with the laity now take on a more formal role.  Good Shepherd Mission partners comprising lay associates\, staff\, volunteers\, benefactors and friends mutually share\, support and develop the Mission\, and take greater responsibilities to continue it. \nFrom Kota Kinabalu\, the Good Shepherd has now spread to the dioceses of Sandakan and Keningau in response to the invitations of Bishop Julius Gitom and Bishop Cornelius Piong respectively. \nMinistries \nIn Singapore and Malaysia\, the Good Shepherd Mission includes ministries to women and girls\, who are survivors of domestic violence and exploitation including human trafficking\, single mothers; refugees and children in disadvantaged households\, in both residential and non-residential settings.  Other services are those for youth and families\, migrant workers\, indigenous people\, persons infected with HIV/AIDS\, and children with special needs.  It also provides pastoral and diocesan ministries such as retreats\, family life and basic ecclesial communities\, early childhood and primary education\, and rural community development. \nThe Good Shepherd Ministries collaborate and network with government and non-governmental organisations\, and faith-based organisations to promote justice\, peace and unity in a world disturbed by sin and conflict by changing systems and structures which condemn some to live marginal lives. \nGratitutde is the memory of the heart \nIn her address as Organising Chairperson\, Sr Patricia Barasik\, the first local community leader appointed in 2007\, expressed gratitude to God for guidance and for being the Mission’s shepherd companion for the past 25 years\, and to all Good Shepherd Sisters\, lay partners and associates\, corporates and individuals\, to whom she attributed the stability and growth of the Mission in Sabah. \nIn her turn\, Sr Joan Lopez\, Province Leader of the Province of Singapore and Malaysia said that in fact all are Mission partners but in different ways of partnership and because they share the Good Shepherd charism of Jesus Christ.  She acknowledged with gratitude that people are what made the 25 years fruitful for them\, as well as gratefulness for their ability to keep searching for new and innovative ways so as to be more effective\, efficient and relevant to the changing context and needs of the people they work with. \nArchbishop John Wong in articulating his gratefulness\, said that he joined his predecessors\, especially Emeritus Archbishop John Lee\, in thanking the Good Shepherd Sisters for their generous response to the plea of the local Church 25 years ago and for their continued service of compassion and reconciliation  to the people of Sabah.  He exhorted the Sisters to stay focused on Jesus Christ who is the source of their life and ministry as they continue to build up the people of God and to make Christ and His work of mercy\, compassion and reconciliation visible in the world. \nMission Candle \n25 years ago the three pioneer Sisters were given candles when they were missioned to Sabah.  Today Jesus\, the Good Shepherd invites each through the Good Shepherd Sisters to continue His Mission in Sabah.  Each person would receive a mission candle just as the pioneer Sisters did 25 years ago to take home and as they light it\, to pray that Jesus would empower them to spread His Good Shepherd Mission wherever they are. \nIn a symbolic way\, two of the pioneer Sisters\, Salomi and Barbara were invited to pass on the Mission to the Youth\, Children\, the Migrant Community and PKGS.  On behalf of all Mission Partners\, Chin Poh Choo\, Director of PKGS\, lit the Mission Candle for the next generation. \n  \nCS and other sources URL:https://gssmmission.org/event/to-good-shepherd-for-their-25-years-of-mission-salute/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://gssmmission.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/616877177_Sabah_25th_Anniversay_Article_Thumb.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20130609T080000 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20130610T170000 DTSTAMP:20260404T142534 CREATED:20170731T235808Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170731T235822Z UID:407-1370764800-1370883600@gssmmission.org SUMMARY:Good Shepherd Partnership Gathering 2013 DESCRIPTION:Some 72 lay partners and Sisters from the various Good Shepherd ministries in Singapore and Malaysia came together over the weekend of 8-9 June 2013 for the 7th Good Shepherd Partnership Gathering in Kuala Lumpur. Province Leader\, Sr Joan Lopez\, explained that the theme of Justice in Mission was chosen for the gathering as justice is an integral element in the mission of the Good Shepherd Order. The objectives of the gathering included creating greater awareness and developing a better understanding of the role of justice and the rights-based approach in the delivery of our programmes in the respective ministries. \nThe one and a half-day session was skilfully facilitated by Dr Alice Nah\, Research and Teaching Fellow at the Centre for Applied Human Rights at the University of York. Topics touched on included the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR)\, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and the Convention of the Rights of the Child (CRC).\nTwo-thirds of the participants at the gathering were first-timers and quite a number were also newbies to the Good Shepherd organisation. As such\, the weekend proved to be a real eye-opener for many on two levels. Firstly\, in terms of an increased awareness of the work and outreach done by the various ministries within the Good Shepherd Mission. And secondly\, in terms of a heightened sensitivity in recognising and respecting the inherent dignity of each and every person we encounter in the work we do on a daily basis. The gathering also served as a wonderful platform for networking and meeting our counterparts on both sides of the causeway\, as well as connecting more deeply with the Good Shepherd charism and spirituality.\nFrom the perspective of a first-time participant who is also new to the Good Shepherd organisation\, I took away with me a sense of how I am part of something bigger. The weekend inspired me in making me want to learn and do even more in continuing the legacy of our foundress\, St Mary Euphrasia.\nContributed by: \nLynette Fernandez\, \n Vice-Principal\, Marymount Convent School\, Singapore URL:https://gssmmission.org/event/good-shepherd-partnership-gathering-2013/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://gssmmission.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/1675125999_GSPPic11thumb.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20130609T080000 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20130610T170000 DTSTAMP:20260404T142534 CREATED:20170731T235436Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170731T235436Z UID:404-1370764800-1370883600@gssmmission.org SUMMARY:Justice in Good Shepherd Mission - The Beginnings DESCRIPTION: URL:https://gssmmission.org/event/justice-in-good-shepherd-mission-the-beginnings/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://gssmmission.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/543759728_GSPPic7thumb.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20130531T080000 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20130531T170000 DTSTAMP:20260404T142534 CREATED:20170801T000228Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170801T000228Z UID:413-1369987200-1370019600@gssmmission.org SUMMARY:Vocation Story of Sr Kelly Ngai DESCRIPTION:Although I was born into a Catholic family\, it was only at the age of twenty one years that I was baptised. I joined the parish youth group. Soon after the youth leader left for studies\, I was entrusted with the leadership role. This new responsibility was very challenging. I was not sure about how to lead and made many mistakes. I felt really helpless. The members of my youth group felt the same although they were very supportive as we struggled on. We felt that we were like sheep without a shepherd. Under those circumstances\, I started my personal search – “What is God’s calling for me? Where is God leading me?” \nExactly 50 days after my baptism\, on Pentecost Sunday\, a friend asked me\, “Do you want to be a Religious?” This question became very powerful to me after a year of struggling to lead the youth group. In my search\, deep down within me\, I knew I wanted to be a shepherd for the youth. I wanted to be a Religious Sister\, to spend my life as a shepherd\, equipped with skills and knowledge to lead the youth.\nAfter 5 years of continuous searching for my vocation in life and having made some contact with a Religious Congregation in Taiwan\, I was eventually led to the Good Shepherd Sisters in Kota Kinabalu. I believe that God has his own way of inviting me to follow him. At that time\, a friend of mine was faced with a pregnancy crisis. In the process of engaging and bridging the communication between the Good Shepherd Sisters and my friend\, I saw clearly the work of the Good Shepherd Sisters in reaching out to women and children. This attracted me so much. I left my job and my family. I entered the Good Shepherd Convent.\nIn my initial discernment when I was a youth leader to respond to God’s call\, I wished I could be the Good Shepherd for the youth who were like sheep without a shepherd to lead and guide them. Since then\, along my journey in life\, I have encountered other sheep – people who are facing problems\, challenges\, difficulties in their life\, those in the state of helplessness; they thirst for helping hands; some are imprisoned by unjust and disadvantaged situations; some thirst for love; they yearn for just a moment of attention; some need moral support and encouragement; some are broken by their past experiences and in need of reconciliation and compassion. \nThe harvest is plenty but labourers are few. This reality kept me going and helped me to know that deep in my heart\, I have chosen the right path in life.\nPosted By dospo to NEWS UPDATE ~ Diocese of Sandakan at 6/11/2013 08:07:00 AM \nSpeech by Sr Kelly Ngai on the occasion of her Final Profession \n“Your Lordship\, Rt Rev Datuk Julius\, Religious Brothers and Sisters\, Good Shepherd Sisters\, Religious Sisters and Brothers\, Good Shepherd Lay Associates and Good Shepherd Mission Partners\, my family members\, relatives\, friends\, brothers and sisters in Christ. \nThe theme I have chosen for my Perpetual Profession of Vows is from John 15:4 – “Abide in me\, I in you”. This is not just about my personal relationship with God but most important\, it is about my prayer to God to help me to be faithful to my religious consecration\, to be zealous in reaching out to those whom God entrusts to me. Recalling my years of experience since my initial ‘yes’ to God\, I feel that in the midst of my service to others\, I have actually received abundant blessings from God as what was written in John 15:1 “I am the true vine and my Father is the vine grower. If any of my branches does not bear fruit\, he breaks it off; and he prunes every branch that does bear fruit that it may bear even more fruit.” \nIn my formation years\, God has pruned me\, healed me\, blessed me with many talents and helped me to discover my gifts in different situations; to be whole\, to love unselfishly and unconditionally and that involves a life long journey. I ask God to give me the grace to walk on so that I can continue to be a cheerful wounded healer.\nGratitude is the memory of the heart! These are words often spoken by the foundress of the Good Shepherd Congregation\, Saint Mary Euphrasia. \nOn this very special occasion of my perpetual profession these words speak to me as I feel a deep sense of gratitude and express them to you here. \nTo Bishop Julius – my deep thanks to you Bishop for being the celebrant for the Eucharist\, for solemnizing my perpetual profession\, and for your prayers and support over the many years that I have known you. \nTo all the religious brothers and sisters from the different congregations\, thank you for your prayers and your presence here. \nIt is a joy to have you the parishioners of the different parishes of the Diocese of Sandakan and St Mark’s parish present here to celebrate with for this occasion. \nMy deep appreciation goes out to all those who have travelled quite a long distance to be here to celebrate with me – from Singapore\, Johor\, Ipoh\, Kuala Lumpur\, Selangor\, Kota Kinabalu and Tawau. Thank you very much for being here – your presence means a lot to me. \nBagi pihak Sister-sister Gembala Baik\, saya ingin mengucapkan setinggi-tinggi penghargaan dan terima kasih khasnya kepada: Majlis Pastoral Paroki St. Mary\, Sandakan\, Komiti Pastoral Gereja St. Mark\, Komiti Khas Perayaan\, Komuniti-komuniti dan semua pihak serta orang perseorangan yang telah memberi bantuan dan kerjasama dalam apa jua bentuk sehingga berjayanya upacara Ekaristi Pengikraran Kaul Kekal ini. \nHere I would also like to express my gratitude to many of you and some who are not present here who have played a significant role in molding and forming me for a life in the Good Shepherd Mission. \nTo Archbishop John Wong who was God’s instrument as a young priest in guiding me in a way that I could hear God’s call and follow the footsteps of Jesus\, our Good Shepherd. Exactly 50 days after my baptism\, on Pentecost Sunday\, he asked me\, “Do you want to be a Religious?” This question is very significant especially because it came after a year of having struggled and succeeded in leading the youth group in Saint Mark’s Church\, Sandakan . My sincere thanks to Archbishop John for his prayers and guidance in my initial searching for my vocation in life and his continual support for me. \nTo you\, the Good Shepherd Sisters\, I am very grateful for the experiences we shared both in community life and in the Mission. Thank you for your unceasing prayers\, love and support to strengthen my faith\, hope and love in God. Some of you as leaders\, formators and companions in community have played a significant role in my life with your guidance\, care\, support and encouragement throughout my formation years. \nMy sincere thanks to Srs Joan Lopez\, Salomi Cruz\, Susan Chia\, Cecilia Liew and the many other Sisters who I may not have named here but who have journeyed with me at different points in my mission journey. In your different ways you have inspired me and challenged me towards growth and positive change. \nTo my Spiritual Directors\, Fr Paul Cheong and Sr Teresa Chye\, I am grateful for your spiritual wisdom and understanding which enriched my life deeply and helped me in my spiritual growth. \nMy heartfelt thanks to the Good Shepherd Lay Associates and Mission Partners in Singapore and Malaysia who have together worked for a just and caring society. Your passion\, prayers\, support and zeal in realising the Good Shepherd Mission and reaching out to those in situations of marginalisation has always inspired and challenged me to live my vows in an authentic way. \nI remember my late parents Simon and Annie with a deep sense of gratitude. I believe that they are with me today in spirit. Though we were not well to do financially\, as children we did not lack for anything. My parents were very generous with what they had\, ready to help those who were in need and often opened their home to those who needed a place to stay temporarily. \nI would like to say a big thank you to my siblings\, for your active participation and for assisting in the preparation for this special occasion. Thank you for your presence here\, your love\, blessings and especially for always being a strength and support to me. \nLast but not least\, I would like to express my deep gratitude for all the women\, teenage girls\, youth\, children and the families whom I have served in the mission. They are God’s greatest gift to me because through journeying with them; their struggles\, their growth\, their joy and their sorrows\, my heart has been moved to respond with compassion and merciful love. Through them\, I have learnt to trust God and have the belief that God does hear the cry of the poor.\nI would now like to end with an invitation to all the young girls and boys present here today to open yourself to God’s whispering in your heart. Is God calling you to the priesthood or religious life? “If today you would listen to the voice of God\, harden not your hearts” Do come and see. Do find out what is the purpose of your life? You will truly be surprised at what God has in store for you; for with God\, nothing is impossible. \nThank you all once again for your presence and participation in this Celebration and may God continue to bless each and all abundantly.” URL:https://gssmmission.org/event/vocation-story-of-sr-kelly-ngai/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://gssmmission.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/1701594788_Kelly_Pic_1thumb.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20130531T080000 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20130531T170000 DTSTAMP:20260404T142534 CREATED:20170801T000037Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170801T000037Z UID:410-1369987200-1370019600@gssmmission.org SUMMARY:The Profession of Perpetual Vows of Sr Kelly Ngai DESCRIPTION:Sandakan – Sister Kelly Ngai made her final step in embracing the life of a Good Shepherd Sister June 1st at St Mark’s Church\, some 20 km from the town centre. Her profession of perpetual vows is a sign of sharing fully in the life and mission of her congregation. \n The Eucharistic Liturgy was celebrated by Bishop Julius who also conducted the Rite of Religious Consecration. In his homily he called on the young people to be courageous and emulate the step taken by Sr Kelly for it is our responsibility to respond to God’s call. Religious is a special people of God devoted in serving not just the Church but the community and the world at large. They are a visible and living sign of the Gospel.\nThe Religious of the Good Shepherd is very much involved in reaching out to the marginalized and oppressed especially to the migrant community. They are sensitive to her neighbours. Service to the people is always at their hearts as what Blessed Pope John Paul II said in his speech to the Religious Women in Rome in 1979\, ‘I ask you to be religious mothers\, sisters and friends to all the people.’He called upon Sr Kelly to remain faithful to the Lord in all circumstances as in John 15 : 4\, ‘Abide in me\, I in you’ and be the light to the world and salt to the earth. Through such example you will be able to attract more young people to the vocation which is much needed in the Church.The call to religious life demands a spirit of true self-sacrifice. As witnesses we will find Christ in people who are suffering\, underprivileged children\, the abuse\, in short those in need. He invited the congregation to pray for Sr Kelly and to all religious to be trully witnesses of the Gospel. The profession is truly a sign of hope.\nThe Rite of Religious Profession followed right after the homily with Sr Joan Lopez\, the Sister Provincial of the Good Shepherd Sisters for Singapore and Malaysia\, at the sanctuary calling for Sr Kelly. The rite included a self examination of Sister Kelly on her resolve to live and persevere in the promises of chastity\, poverty\, obedience and zeal\, as well as to strive for perfection in the love of God and neighbor by living the Gospel and keeping to the constitutions of the Religious of the Good Shepherd and to spend her life in generous service. She commits herself into a life of total consecration to God. She then signed the act of profession witnessed by the Bishop\, Sr Joan and the whole congregation.\nIn the solemn prayer of consecration\, Sister Kelly repeated the resolutions and received the bishop’s blessing. The ring\, an insignia of the congregation\, blessed by Bishop was then passed onto Sr Kelly by Sr Joan. The rite concluded with Sister Joan\, who formally accepted Sister Kelly as a member into the community. As part of the ceremony following the profession of vows\, the perpetually professed Sisters came forward to embrace Sister Kelly who became “one with us” in following the Lord in religious life.\nPresent at the ceremony were Sister Kelly’s family members\, relatives\, friends \, Good Shepherd Sisters’ mission partners and the local community who celebrated this special event in her honor. There were about 90 people who came from outside of the Sandakan Diocese\, the Good Shepherd Mission partners from Singapore\, KL\, Ipoh\, Johor\, Penang and Kota Kinabalu including 23 Good Shepherd Sisters from the province of Singapore and Malaysia.\nWe thank God for this day\, for one of us from St. Mark’s Church community has chosen to respond to God’s call to serve in his vineyard as a Good Shepherd sister. Below is a brief bio-data of Sr Kelly.\nSr Kelly is the daughter of the late Simon Ngai and Annie Chu. She is from Mile 12\, Jalan Labuk\, Sandakan. She is the fifth child of seven siblings and was baptized in 1994 at St. Mary’s Church Sandakan. After her baptism she was involved in the youth ministry of the Chinese community and also as a facilitator for the RCIA process in St. Mark’s Church. She received her early education at Pea Wah Chinese Primary School and pursued her secondary education at SMK St.Cecilia Convent. She previously served as an account clerk in a private company before entering the convent.\nSr. Kelly began her religious formation as an aspirant in Kota Kinabalu in 1999-2000\, as a pre-novice in Kuala Lumpur\, 2001-2003 and as a novice in 2004 in Kota Kinabalu and made her first profession of vows in 2006. In 2011 she went to the Philippines for her theological studies. Sr Kelly has served at the Rose Virgine Good Shepherd Centre Ipoh\, Seri Murni Crisis Centre Kota Kinabalu and Teenage Centre\, Kuala Lumpur.\n— Posted By dospo to NEWS UPDATE ~ Diocese of Sandakan at 6/09/2013 03:54:00 PM URL:https://gssmmission.org/event/the-profession-of-perpetual-vows-of-sr-kelly-ngai/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://gssmmission.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/991264798_Kelly_Pic_6thumb.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20130526T080000 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20130527T170000 DTSTAMP:20260404T142534 CREATED:20170801T001527Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170801T001527Z UID:417-1369555200-1369674000@gssmmission.org SUMMARY:Marymount Convent School\, Singapore\, Leadership Training DESCRIPTION:MARYMOUNT CONVENT SCHOOL\, LEADERSHIP TRAINING \nAs part of leadership training\, three staff members accompanied 16 student leaders aged 9 to 12 on an expedition to Pukak\, Sabah\, East Malaysia to mingle with and serve 22 children just about their ages. The children who reside at the Good Shepherd Hostel have their homes kilometres away from school. They are mainly children of rubber tappers and would have to walk about two hours to school were they to commute from their own homes. After some squimishes\, the budding leaders communited with their counterparts with their limited Bahasa Melayu and were soon interacting freely with the language of love and understanding. The Marand having little to live by. It had been a good experience for both staff and children from both sides. The Marymount girls brought books to help build up their library. This outreach took place on 26th and 27th May 2013. URL:https://gssmmission.org/event/marymount-convent-school-singapore-leadership-training/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://gssmmission.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/494493852_mcs_THUMB.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20130423T080000 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20130424T170000 DTSTAMP:20260404T142534 CREATED:20170801T002646Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170801T002646Z UID:423-1366704000-1366822800@gssmmission.org SUMMARY:New Ministry in Tulid\, Keningau Sabah DESCRIPTION:Community Project \nAs we celebrated the feast of St Mary Euphrasia on 24th April 2013\, we also celebrated our 1st anniversary of ministry in Tulid. Only a year ago\, at the invitation of Bishop Cornelius\, Pusat Kebajikan Good Shepherd (PKGS) started a survey on a few villages around Tulid. Subsequently the four communities in the villages worked together on the piece of land which belongs to the Diocese of Keningau. From the clearing of the land to planting\, harvesting\, packaging and selling\, we have seen the success in gathering the community to work together. Besides planting and harvesting for themselves\, the yield of the community project goes back to the community to finance the next planting and other community activities. A resting house or in the local language “Langkau Nasisimpungan” was built with the joint effort of the communities and PKGS at the site of the plantation. The colourful house was painted and decorated by the Children’s Team\, Youth Team\, Women’s Team\, World Vision Malaysia and PKGS. The Land Development Committee headed by Mr Stanis Sakunil meets every month to discuss on the projects they plan to do on the land.\nCommunity Service Centre \nThe construction of the Centre which took six months to complete\, costs RM215\,000 and was financed by Sabah Credit Corporation. In his speech\, Mr George Taitim\, Chief Financial Officer\, mentioned that this is the fifth project that they have supported PKGS. The other projects include the extension of Seri Murni Crisis Centre and the YouthPrep Centre. Our ministry of working with women and children is under their CSR focus groups – women\, children and children with special needs. \nOn the ground floor of the Centre\, there is an office space\, a meeting room\, a kitchen\, an area for the sale of items made by the women or produce from the plantation. There are four bedrooms on the first floor for the staff. Rooms are also available for women and girls in crisis situations. \nIn June last year\, we started running the Children’s Programme at Kg Delayan Baru\, the Youth Programme at Kg Kiulu Baru and the Women’s Programme at Kg Pauh and Tulid. These programmes are financed through the grant given by World Vision Malaysia. We have seen the community take responsibility and ownership in the development of their people in social\, environment\, education\, moral and economic aspects of their lives. \nThe communities are empowered to run the Children’s Programme. Volunteers from the community are trained in running the programme. They are now ready to run it on their own and will assist us in training other surround communities. \nWe have conducted the Family Building and Reconciliation Programme in two villages which have helped familited to address issues and to work on their relationships together. Programmes to empower women were conducted and they were encouraged to start small businesses to sustain themselves. \nTraining and visits to plantations were organised for exposure while speakers and trainers were invited to the villages to share their knowledge and experience. \nBishop Cornelius Piong of the Keningau Diocese expressed his gratitude\, to all parties who have contributed to the success of the Community Project\, at the Eucharistic Celebration. During dinner we launched “The Living Stories: In Her Footsteps” Volume 2. This comprises of testimonies written by sisters\, staff\, volunteers and beneficiaries of our programmes in the Province of Singapore-Malaysia.\nTruly\, the earth has yielded its harvest as we witnessed such great blessings for the day! URL:https://gssmmission.org/event/new-ministry-in-tulid-keningau-sabah/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://gssmmission.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/1646627922_DSC_0056_Thumb.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20130423T080000 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20130424T170000 DTSTAMP:20260404T142534 CREATED:20170801T001710Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170801T001727Z UID:420-1366704000-1366822800@gssmmission.org SUMMARY:Mariaville Kindergarten Celebrates Foundress Day & Book Launch DESCRIPTION:Early on 24th April 2013\, all the children\, staff and some parents gathered at the hall. We started the celebration with the lighting of the candle by Sister Dorothy. This was followed by a presentation on the life story of our Foundress Saint Mary Euphrasia. \nThe children then presented 5 meaningful sketches on the five core values\, after which they sang a song on the core values which was composed by Mrs. Moorthi and Mrs. Joseph. This was followed by a minute of quiet time\, when the staff and children reflected on the five core values. We felt very happy and even emotional as all present\, sang the lively Foundress Day song which Anna Low had composed with great gusto. \nNext\, we continued with the Launching of the book “Living Stories in Her Footsteps\, Vol 2.” After Mrs. Moorthi\, had said the opening prayer\, there was a brief introduction about the book by Mrs. Ng. This was followed by Miss Ganeswari sharing her story\, “From Desperation To Joy” which is published in the book.\nSister Dorothy was invited to the stage to cut the ribbon to launch the book which was immediately distributed to all the staff. Bookmarks on the 5 core values which had been coloured by the children were also distributed as souvenirs to the staff and children. The committee members and the children who participated in the sketches were given some goody bags. The programme ended at 9.50am. It was a beautiful and a memorable day for all of us. \n Reported by: Miss Ratha URL:https://gssmmission.org/event/mariaville-kindergarten-celebrates-foundress-day-book-launch/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://gssmmission.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/223247330_Pic1thumb.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20121224T080000 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20121225T170000 DTSTAMP:20260404T142534 CREATED:20170801T003114Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170801T003114Z UID:426-1356336000-1356454800@gssmmission.org SUMMARY:JPSM Newsletter Dec 2012 DESCRIPTION: URL:https://gssmmission.org/event/jpsm-newsletter-dec-2012/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://gssmmission.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/868043608_JPSN_Newsletter_Image_thumb.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20121215T080000 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20121216T170000 DTSTAMP:20260404T142534 CREATED:20170801T003220Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170801T003220Z UID:429-1355558400-1355677200@gssmmission.org SUMMARY:Quiet Journeys Book Launch DESCRIPTION:Quiet Journeys\, a book co-authored by Sr Elizabeth Lim and Ms Melanie Lee was officially launched on 16th December 2012. \nBelow are the feature story and book review that appeared in the December 30th issue of the Catholic News. URL:https://gssmmission.org/event/quiet-journeys-book-launch/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://gssmmission.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/859744073__MG_5811thumb.jpg END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR