Our Beginnings
Singapore
December 1939 saw the arrival of two Irish Good Shepherd sisters from Colombo (today Sri Lanka). Two other Irish sisters followed a month later. By 01 Feb 1940, the first convent of the Religious of the Good Shepherd Sisters (RGS) was blessed by Bishop A. Devals. The Good Shepherd Sisters opened their doors to women and girls who were troubled or abused and in need of healing and reconciliation. As the numbers grew, there was a need to secure larger premises.
However the Second World War disrupted their plans and during the Japanese Occupation, the sisters went to Bahau, Malaysia. They returned after the war and eventually moved to Marymount at Thomson Road in the 1950s. At Marymount, they operated a home for orphans who were mainly post-war children. As there was a need for education, Marymount Convent School was set up. There were a number of local vocations, and the sisters gradually expanded their ministries.
Malaysia
In 1956, the Good Shepherd Sisters reached out to set up the Good Shepherd Convent at Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur. Good Shepherd Convent School in Jalan Ampang opened in 1957 and was initiated to reach out to the community through their children. The Good Shepherd Convent School consisted of the Junior International School and Good Shepherd Kindergarten and Nursery. The sisters started providing residential services to girls from poor families and taught them sewing, art and craft and cooking
Due to overwhelming response to Good Shepherd Convent School, the sisters moved their convent to Madonna Heights, Jalan Hulu Kelang, Ampang, Selangor so that every available space could be used for education. With that, the welfare services for girls from poor families also moved to Madonna Heights. Thus began the Madonna Heights Welfare Centre for Teenage Girls. From Kuala Lumpur, the Good Shepherd Sisters established communities in Ipoh, Johor and Sabah, East Malaysia
The Good Shepherd Sisters in Singapore and Malaysia continue to respond to the needs of society, always with the mission of reconciliation – in particular they minister to women and children to bring them to a healthier relationship with themselves, their families and society.