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:20130101T000000 END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20140311T080000 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20140312T170000 DTSTAMP:20260404T140637 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:20140430T080000 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20140430T170000 DTSTAMP:20260404T140637 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:20140619T080000 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20140620T170000 DTSTAMP:20260404T140637 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:20141211T080000 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20141212T170000 DTSTAMP:20260404T140637 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:20150320T080000 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20150321T170000 DTSTAMP:20260404T140637 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:20150502T080000 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20150503T170000 DTSTAMP:20260404T140637 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:20150507T080000 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20150508T170000 DTSTAMP:20260404T140637 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:20150517T080000 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20150518T170000 DTSTAMP:20260404T140637 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:20150613T080000 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20150614T170000 DTSTAMP:20260404T140637 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:20150619T080000 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20150620T170000 DTSTAMP:20260404T140637 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:20150919T080000 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20150920T170000 DTSTAMP:20260404T140637 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:20151023T080000 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20151024T170000 DTSTAMP:20260404T140637 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:20151030T080000 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20151031T170000 DTSTAMP:20260404T140637 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:20151120T080000 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20151121T170000 DTSTAMP:20260404T140637 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:20151209T080000 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20151210T170000 DTSTAMP:20260404T140637 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:20160213T080000 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20160214T170000 DTSTAMP:20260404T140637 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:20160318T080000 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20160318T080000 DTSTAMP:20260404T140637 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:20160328T080000 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20160329T170000 DTSTAMP:20260404T140637 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;VALUE=DATE:20170210 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20170212 DTSTAMP:20260404T140637 CREATED:20170728T024630Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170816T002351Z UID:275-1486684800-1486857599@gssmmission.org SUMMARY:Compassion in Action DESCRIPTION:On 10 and 11 Feb 2017\, a group of sisters\, staff and volunteers gathered in Good Shepherd Place to give their rapt attention to Sister Inigo Joachim as she unpacked the topic\, “compassion”\, which she described as “weak”. \nSister Inigo Joachim is from the Sisters of St Anne’s of Chennai. Currently when she is not serving as a counsellor in the infamous Tihar Jail\, Delhi\, she is busy sharing Biblical truth with religious congregations and laity all over India and in many other countries\, including Singapore. In 2008\, she was the only female religious to present at a Catholic Bishops Conference in India; and the list of outstanding engagements goes on. It is nearly unbelievable that her mentor\, a priest had admonished the young timid nun\, “Sister Inigo\, please go and tell your general to keep you in the showcase. You are not fit to be novice mistress. You are fit to be in the showcase.” By God’s grace\, mercy and compassion Sister Inigo was the Superior General of her Congregation from 1990 to 2002\, and became a quietly confident\, inspiring speaker whose teachings are deeply based on Scriptures. \nOver the two days\, Sister Inigo repeatedly reminded the audience that God is compassionate; “his love endures forever” as intoned 26 times in Psalm 136. She drew out two dimensions of compassion: sensitivity and generosity through parables that our Lord taught\, especially the Parable of the Good Samaritan. Compassion essentially means to suffer with the one in pain. The Samaritan’s heart was moved into action; he was sensitive. He was generous to the wounded man by dressing his wound\, taking him to an inn\, paying for his expenses and promising to pay the dues on his return. The audience were urged to move from merely verbalizing mercy to making mercy a concrete act; to move from the heart to the hands just like the Good Samaritan. A two-day seminar\, even espoused in Biblical truth will not make any difference to the world which is full of pain and injustice\, unless our hearts are transformed to be like God who is full of compassion. \nThere was never a dull moment during the seminar as petite Sister Inigo weaved humour into her lived-out experience of showing mercy and compassion to the inmates of Tihar Jail. Through her stories\, we learnt that the poor has the capacity to teach us many lessons\, and values like hope\, patience\, resilience\, gratitude and above all\, a deep faith in God and Biblical truth. \nIf you are reading this and feeling that you have missed out on something\, look out for the next time Good Shepherd Convent Restful Waters invites Sister Inigo to feed our spirituality\, tentatively in July 2017. URL:https://gssmmission.org/event/compassion-in-action-10-11-feb-2017/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://gssmmission.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Inigo.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20170222 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20170225 DTSTAMP:20260404T140637 CREATED:20170728T024048Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170817T000136Z UID:266-1487721600-1487980799@gssmmission.org SUMMARY:Good Shepherd Mission Enrichment Journey DESCRIPTION:GOOD SHEPHERD MISSION ENRICHMENT JOURNEY (GROUP 1) \nThe Good Shepherd Mission Enrichment Journey is a response to Province Direction Statement\, Sept 2016 -“Ensure sustainability\, visibility and presence of Good Shepherd Mission through systematic formation for Mission Partners in deepening our Good Shepherd Spirituality and Charism.” Sr Helena and Sr Maria were tasked to bring to Mission Partners from Singapore and Malaysia the Program which takes participants on a journey of discovery\, encounter and engagement in Good Shepherd Charism and Values.\n Program Logo: The merging colours portray the vibrancy of this journey which is an integrated process of DISCOVERY\, ENCOUNTER\,and ENGAGEMENT with our founders and Good Shepherd Mission today. Zeal is the heart of the Good Shepherd Mission Journey. \nOn 22 Feb 2017\, 13 Mission Partners from Singapore\, Ipoh\, Kuala Lumpur and Sabah gathered at Good Shepherd Place\, Singapore to embark on the inaugural 3D2N program. Nervous laughter broke out when Sr Helena welcomed the group to a 3-day holiday. Some had made plans to sneak off to check emails. Their bodies were in the room but their minds were still plugged in to their work. However\, by lunchtime on the first day\, the buzz around the room was audible\, laughter signaled the forging of friendships and partnerships in mission. \nWhat some participants had to say:- \nEden of Marymount Kindergarten\, Singapore \n“The Good Shepherd Mission Enrichment Journey was a good experience for the participants. Listening to the stories and insights during sharing after every reflection encouraged us that we are not alone in this mission and that we are blessed to be a part of something beautiful. The Sisters helped us to have a better picture of the mission and the different ministries. Knowing about the founders and the early lay partners helped us understand the history and keep our focus on the call of saving souls\, despite the challenges or obstacles along the way. As mission partners\, we are called to respond and contribute in any way we can. Each part played\, no matter how big or small\, is valuable. The emphasis on the core values are significant because they serve as a guide\, and awareness of these values makes us more conscious to act according to the Good Shepherd spirit\, which in time (hopefully) will be instilled in us. May what we see help us to feel\, and in turn move us to act and actually do something.” \nOdette of Good Shepherd Kindergarten\, Singapore \n“When I was called to participate in the enrichment programme\, I was very reluctant because I could not put my work aside but it turned out otherwise. It not only deepened my knowledge of our founders through their works and deeds\, the Good Shepherd spirituality and also forming bonds with my fellow friends. It was truly enriching and fulfilling for me.” \nDion of Women Shelter\, Kuala Lumpur \n“The Enrichment session really helps me to understand what I am committed to. In this mission\, it is more than just ‘completing the job’. This session makes me realize ‘why I choose to be in Good Shepherd’ instead of other NGO.” \nCheryl of Marymount Convent School\, Singapore \n“It was a truly eye opening and enriching retreat. It has given me a better understanding of the Good Shepherd Mission. I’m truly inspired by all the work that has been done an am eager to do my part as a lay partner.” \nThere are 4 more Good Shepherd Mission Enrichment Journey scheduled for 2017. Sign up and be blessed. \n  \n Front (L-R): Sr Maria\, Odette\, Mary Joy\, Beatrice\, Pauline; Back (L-R): Sr Helena\, Christina\, Jeanette\, Cheryl\, Martha\, Evelyn\, Mag\, Eden\, Dion\, Vailat URL:https://gssmmission.org/event/good-shepherd-mission-enrichment-journey/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://gssmmission.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/1433304272_GSMEJ_logo-e1502788946112.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20170305 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20170306 DTSTAMP:20260404T140637 CREATED:20170728T023857Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170817T165739Z UID:263-1488672000-1488758399@gssmmission.org SUMMARY:Footsteps To Inspire DESCRIPTION:CLAIRE MCFARLANE: ONE WOMAN RUNNING ACROSS 184 COUNTRIES \nClaire is a picture of calmness\, which belies what she went through in Paris nearly 18 years ago. Read about how she overcame her worst nightmare to inspire others. \nhttp://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/running-to-help-sex-assault-victims \nhttp://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/woman-completes-16-km-run-at-east-coast-beach-to-raise-awareness-for-sexual-assault \nBe inspired to make a difference in your Mission. \nClaire and supporters running on the beach in East Coast\, Singapore URL:https://gssmmission.org/event/footsteps-to-inspire/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20170306 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20170307 DTSTAMP:20260404T140637 CREATED:20170814T223106Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170817T183809Z UID:839-1488758400-1488844799@gssmmission.org SUMMARY:International Women's Day - Singapore DESCRIPTION:GOOD SHEPHERD CENTRE\, SINGAPORE \nThe theme of IWD 2017 is “Be Bold for Change”. The event started with the women taking turns to light the candles symbolizing the sharing of lights and in solidarity to all women in the world. It was followed by silent prayer and listening to a song “Come As You Are.” \nThe history of IWD was briefly shared\, followed by a video of a woman named Pamela who is very courageous to overcome her challenges in life. Pamela’s dream is to be a singer but a year ago she had cancer when she was six months pregnant. She decided to keep the baby while receiving treatment. Unfortunately her baby only survived for one month. She joined the X Factor to fulfill her dream as a singer. She sang “Because of You” with passion. The residents were deeply touched and shared their impression of Pamela: brave\, courageous\, never give up\, strong woman\, she would like to reach her dream. \nFrom their impression of Pamela the residents answered this question\, “What do you see in yourself as a Woman?” The facilitator explained that it is important to have a change in our thoughts\, which hopefully will lead to a change in our world. Each one wrote one unique description of herself\, and posted it on the wall with an image of a woman – “Women of Courage.” Following are how they saw themselves. \n\nI am a supportive sister\nI am brave\nI am loving\nI am helpful\nI am caring\nI am a strong woman\nI am beautiful\nI am responsible\nI am creative\nI am independent\n\nThe residents gathered in circle\, held the candles and said aloud the names of women whom they are grateful for. Most remembered their mothers and daughters. \nThe celebration culminated with a song “One Woman”. The facilitator reiterated the value of unity in diversity; she mentioned the different nationality living in one house and how each one can be a support to another. As a symbol of unity each one gathered in the middle of the room and put their hands together. \n“Be Bold for Change” has to start from within before it can flow to the community where lives can be touched and healed. URL:https://gssmmission.org/event/international-womens-day-singapore/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://gssmmission.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/1308358615_InternationalWomensDay-portrait-e1502778174882.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20170308 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20170309 DTSTAMP:20260404T140637 CREATED:20170728T023329Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170814T222326Z UID:259-1488931200-1489017599@gssmmission.org SUMMARY:International Women’s Day 2017 - Sabah DESCRIPTION:International Women’s Day 2017\n Theme: Be Bold For Change \nWatch Pusat Belia Youth-Prep Alamesra\, Sabah’s Celebration of International Women’s Day on 08 Mar 2017 \nhttps://www.facebook.com/youthprepcentre/videos/1365860703457098/ \n  URL:https://gssmmission.org/event/international-womens-day-2017/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://gssmmission.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/1308358615_InternationalWomensDay-portrait-e1502778174882.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20170325 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20170326 DTSTAMP:20260404T140637 CREATED:20170728T022524Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170817T183952Z UID:257-1490400000-1490486399@gssmmission.org SUMMARY:Good Shepherd Centre Observes Earth Hour 2017 DESCRIPTION:Residents of Good Shepherd Centre hail from Bangladesh\, China\, India\, Indonesia\, Myanmar and Philippines. Most of them have not heard of Earth Hour before Sr Jossie and Michelle briefly told them just before dinner that we were observing it in solidarity with millions of people from 170 countries. \nAt 7.30pm staff turned off the air-conditioner in the office\, the photocopier and non-essential lights in the premises. All mobile phones were kept in the office. Residents gathered in the dining room\, chatting excitedly in anticipation of how Earth Hour was to be observed. At 8.30pm the dining room was plunged into darkness when the lights were switched off together with the fans. Two candles were lighted to provide rudimentary illumination. \nSince English was not fully understood by everyone\, Sr Jossie used simple terms to lead activities that helped the residents become aware of some irreversible damages due to man’s disregard for planet Earth. In silence\, each was guided to reflect on their homelands and how climate change had affected theirs and their families’ livelihood\, e.g. how rivers have dried up\, making farming difficult; how fishermen were coming back from their trips with smaller or no catch. During their group sharing\, many told of the challenges their families faced back home\, which they were previously unaware were due to the assault wreaked by man on nature. The mood turned sombre as each one said her name and in solidarity pledged to take steps towards saving Earth from more destruction. \nEach one pledged that while she was in Good Shepherd Centre\, she would conserve precious water by limiting showers to 5 minutes; wash crockery and utensils in basins instead of under running taps. They pledged to switch off lights and fans when they leave their rooms and common areas. In their conscious bid to recycle\, they pledged to separate waste products before disposing them responsibly in the proper containers provided instead of dumping everything into one waste bin. \nWhile observing Earth Hour is a good start\, it is vital that each one of us continue to intentionally do our part to preserve our planet for future generations. Everyone could resonate with the little ways to continue to save Earth\, such as switching off electrical items and removing plugs from the sockets; learn how to compost and harvest rainwater\, and use LED light bulbs. \nAs Mission Partners\, let us “embrace the process of a shift in consciousness which leads to a new understanding of God and inter-connectedness with one another and the environment”. URL:https://gssmmission.org/event/earth-hour-2017/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20170410 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20170411 DTSTAMP:20260404T140637 CREATED:20170814T194115Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170815T181309Z UID:810-1491782400-1491868799@gssmmission.org SUMMARY:Appointment of PKGS Staff as Protection Officers DESCRIPTION:By Wihelmina Mowe \nPartnership with Malaysian Government  \nAfter many years of engaging the government on issues of trafficking\,  the Malaysian government has recognized the roles of Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO) in combating trafficking in persons\, by adopting the concept of electing NGO staff as Protection Officers for victims of trafficking.  \nOn 10 April 2017\, five staff from Pusat Kebajikan Good Shepherd (PKGS) received their appointment as Protection Officers in a presentation ceremony at Putrajaya\, the federal administrative capital of Malaysia.   The appointment certificates were presented by Datuk Seri Dr. Ahmad Zahid Hamid\, Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia. \nWho are involved? \nA total of 12 Protection Officers from 6 NGOs were appointed to participate in this program\, 5 of who are from  PKGS. They are Dionetta David\, Mag Chin Yoke Yin and Teo Kar Im\, for Kuala Lumpur – Selangor; and Petra Poh Mei Ling\, and Maria Binti Masilang or Sabah state. \nHow does it work? \nAt present\, the main focus of the Protection Officers (PO) is to assist the government-run women shelters in case management.   In addition\, POs are required to accompany the women to court or hospital\, especially in the event that the government shelters are short-handed or in an emergency.  \nThis is a first for the Government of Malaysia and a major step in the government-NGO collaboration to combat human trafficking.  We are proud and excited to be part of this initiative as it takes us one step further into influencing the State to take on a more active approach in victim assistance and protection. \n \n  \n  \n  \n  URL:https://gssmmission.org/event/appointment-of-pkgs-staff-as-protection-officers/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://gssmmission.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/PO_Dion_1.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20170424 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20170425 DTSTAMP:20260404T140637 CREATED:20170808T202521Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170817T171522Z UID:647-1492992000-1493078399@gssmmission.org SUMMARY:Feast of St Mary Euphrasia DESCRIPTION:149th Anniversary  \n“Go to God with your troubles\, weariness and disappointments…you will come away consoled and strengthened for the path before you.” \nSt Mary Euphrasia URL:https://gssmmission.org/event/feast-of-st-mary-euphrasia/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://gssmmission.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/SME-young.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20170424 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20170425 DTSTAMP:20260404T140637 CREATED:20170814T235110Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170817T164955Z UID:862-1492992000-1493078399@gssmmission.org SUMMARY:Official Opening of Sunduan Pisompuruan\, Kiau Nuluh\, Sabah DESCRIPTION:NO MOUNTAIN TOO HIGH FOR GOOD SHEPHERD SERVICES\, SABAH \nOn 05 Jun 2015\, a couple of Good Shepherd Sisters felt the ground beneath their feet shake as they sat\ndown for breakfast. While they were used to mild rumblings as heavy vehicles past the Convent in Likas\,\nSabah\, they were alarmed on that morning. One of them who had served in the Philippines where\nearthquakes were more common\, cried out “Earthquake!” and ran out of the building. They later learnt\nthat a 6.0-magnitude earthquake had strike Mount Kinnabalu\, which at 4\,092 metre\, is South East Asia’s\nhighest peak. \nAmong the 18 people who died in that tragic 30-second quake were 7 students\, 2 teachers and an\nexpedition guide from Singapore. The small nation set aside a National Day of Remembrance as she\nmourned the loss of its citizens\, most of them 12 years old. \nIn the village of Kiau Nuluh in Kota Belud\, the community mourned for local mountain guide\, Robert\nSappingi\, fondly known as Robbi\, who reportedly lost his life while rescuing a tourist. Most of the men in\nKiau Nuluh work as guides and porters contributing about 70% to household income\, so when the\nmountain was closed after the earthquake the community faced economic hardships. The women who\ncultivated pineapple were afraid to return to their plots in the face of daily tremors and landslides. \nIn August 2015\, in line with Good Shepherd Congregational Direction on Economic Justice\, Good Shepherd\nServices (GSS) gingerly embarked on an inaugural community-based socio-economic project with the\nwomen to produce pineapple chutney and pineapple jam. The recipes were contributed by volunteers\,\nwho also made the arduous and sometimes dangerous fortnightly trips with staff to Kiau Nuluh to\nsupervise the production. The project was aptly named\, “Everything Pineapple”. Besides providing\nemotional\, psychological and business strategy support\, GSS helped to market and sell the products in\nKota Kinnabalu\, mostly to parishioners of St Simon Church. \nFast forward to 24 April 2017. Staff and volunteers of GSS Sabah\, the leadership team from the Province\nof Singapore-Malaysia and other well-wishers gathered with the women of Koonduan Kiau Nuluh\nEnterprise (KKNE) for a Thanksgiving Service to mark the opening of their newly built pineapple product\nprocessing centre\, Sunduan Pisompuruan. The cost of building the 2-storey centre\, with a built-up area of\n2\,000 square feet was sponsored by Sabah Credit Corporation. KKNE grew from an initial membership of\n11 women to 49 at the time of opening and there are plans to incorporate another 11 from the waiting\nlist by July 2017. The product list has also grown to include pineapple juice and pineapple chutney with\nanchovies. As the women are empowered to develop KKNE\, their creativity and business acumen have\nblossomed. With the addition of new technology in the bottling and canning process\, shelf life is extended\nfrom one month to one year. There are talks about expanding to markets overseas\, so watch out for KKNE\nproducts on a supermarket shelf near you! \nThere was palpable rejoicing in Kiau Nuluh as we celebrated Foundress Day with prayers\, songs\, and\ndances\, topped off by the sharing of delicious food contributed by the villagers and volunteers. You’ve\nguessed it; pineapple featured prominently. \n \nThanksgiving Service/Official Opening of Sunduan Pisompuruan at Kiau Nuluh on 24 April 2017\nFrom left: Ms Chin Poh Choo\, Executive Director\, Good Shepherd Services; Rev Fr Nicholas Stephen\, Parish\nPriest\, St Peter Claver Church\, Ranau; Sr Joan Lopez\, Province Leader\, Singapore-Malaysia\, Good Shepherd\nSisters; Datuk Vincent Pung\, Chief Executive Officer\, Sabah Credit Corporation URL:https://gssmmission.org/event/official-opening-of-sunduan-pisompuruan-kiau-nuluh-sabah/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20170601 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20170602 DTSTAMP:20260404T140637 CREATED:20170815T000645Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170815T001210Z UID:867-1496275200-1496361599@gssmmission.org SUMMARY:Marymount Centre Launches New Service in Singapore DESCRIPTION:MARYMOUNT CENTRE LAUNCHES NEW SERVICE – PILOT SMALL GROUP CARE – IN SINGAPORE \nMarymount Centre (MC)\, the social service arm of Good Shepherd Sisters in Singapore\, has been quietly but stoically living out its vision of “Touching Lives\, Building Hope”\, fulfilling Good Shepherd Position on the Girl Child. \nIn 2016\, the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) accepted MC’s proposal to fill a gap in service to the girl child through a Pilot Small Group Care (PSGC)\, which will provide mid-term care to girls aged 7 to 12 years who have higher needs.  We are excited\, yet humbled that we are ready to receive the first girl child into PSGC on 01 Jun 2017. \nPSGC will complete the continuum of our residential care service under the Ahuva Good Shepherd theme. Currently\, Ahuva Good Shepherd – Children’s Home provides long-term care to girls aged 4 to 16 years\, whose families are facing challenges\, such as marital discord\, domestic violence and parent’s incarceration\, while Ahuva Good Shepherd – Interim Placement and Assessment Centre (IPAC) serves children who enter the MSF Child Protection Services due to abuse or neglect\, loss or incarceration of parents\, abandonment or experiencing breakdown in their current care arrangements. IPAC provides a temporary safe environment for these children while social investigations and assessments are carried out to determine their future care arrangements. During their short-term stay\, usually between one and thirty days\, we provide casework services and conduct structured programmes for the children whose age ranges from 4 to 12 years. We work closely with MSF Child Protection Services to assess the care needs and critical emotional and behavioral issues of the children to better inform placement decisions. We help to facilitate the children’s transition to longer-term placements such as with next-of-kin\, foster family or in children’s homes. \nMarymount Centre has been blessed with staff who are dedicated and committed to the care of these girls. Sometimes staff are tested to the limits by the girls who are often unaware of their heightened state of anxiety and pain caused by the stresses and trauma they have been through. What keeps the staff patiently striving to sit through the storms with the girls is their belief in our Good Shepherd ethos and charism and living out what St Mary Euphrasia has passed on to us\, for example\, “It is not enough that you love them\, they must know that you love them.” \n \n  URL:https://gssmmission.org/event/marymount-centre-launches-new-service-in-singapore/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20170608 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20170609 DTSTAMP:20260404T140637 CREATED:20170808T202849Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170817T165103Z UID:653-1496880000-1496966399@gssmmission.org SUMMARY:Feast of Blessed Maria Droste DESCRIPTION:118th Anniversary \n“Let me pour out this Love into the hearts of all. Let me welcome with compassion the poor\, the oppressed\, the rejected\, those in danger\, and lead them all to you\, the Good Shepherd.” \nBlessed Maria URL:https://gssmmission.org/event/feast-of-blessed-maria-droste/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://gssmmission.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Maria-Droste-zu-Vischering-e1502786024751.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20170613 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20170614 DTSTAMP:20260404T140637 CREATED:20170815T190637Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170817T183717Z UID:902-1497312000-1497398399@gssmmission.org SUMMARY:Ahuva Good Shepherd Residents Celebrate Parents' Day with Elderly DESCRIPTION:Most of the young residents of Ahuva Good Shepherd Singapore had not heard of Teresa Teng\, let alone sing her songs in Mandarin. However\, they practised hard and confidently belted out “Yue Liang Dai Biao Wo De Xin” (The Moon Represents My Heart) to the delight of the elderly folks gathered at Adventist Active Centre at Kim Keat Avenue to celebrate Parents’ Day.  The audience of about 90 elderly residents from the surrounding blocks\, mostly from low-income households\, joined in enthusiastically to sing other oldies presented by the girls\, and many gamely participated in a fast-paced version of “Head\, Shoulders\, Knees and Toes”. \nThe beautiful bonding of young and old was a touching sight to behold. There was much laughter and playful bantering when both sides pitched their skills in picking up uncooked macaroni with chopsticks\, and folding and flying paper planes. Without any prompting from staff\, the girls joined the queue for food only after all the elderly were served. Many of the elderly residents said that they were impressed by the good manners of the children and appreciated the cupcakes that they made for them.   \nSome of the girls said that they were pleasantly surprised to see that this group of elderly were active\, independent and fun-loving; and they would like to have further opportunities to participate in community services.  \nAudience gamely joining in “Head\, Shoulders\, Knees and Toes”. URL:https://gssmmission.org/event/ahuva-good-shepherd-residents-celebrates-parents-day-with-elderly/ CATEGORIES:Feature Event ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://gssmmission.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/AGS-Parents-Day-Flyer.jpg END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR