The
Organisation
The Association of Lay Canossians is a part of the Canossian Institute
of the Daughters of Charity in Singapore. The Canossian Daughters of
Charity have numerous communities in various parts of the island and
they run schools/institutions like St Anthony’s Canossian Primary
and Secondary Schools, Canossaville Children’s Home, School for the
Hearing Impaired and St Joseph Home for the Aged/Hospice.
The Association of Lay Canossians is an organization that groups
together all the Lay people who have been inspired by the spirit and
work of the Canossian Sisters and who want to live a deeper
understanding of the Gospel by following the footsteps of St Magdalene
of Canossa – foundress of the Canossian Daughters of Charity.
The Origin
The Association of Lay in Singapore had its roots in a group of six
ladies who were animated by Sr Natalia Tasca, an Italian nun, way back
in 1965. They called themselves the Canossian Auxillary Workers. As
the name implies, they were a group basically lending a helping hand
to the sisters in their various ministries, and at the same time were
being formed by the Canossian Sisters in the spirit of St Magdalene.
The Revival
In 1974, Sr Margaret Syn, a local sister, took over the group and
renamed it The Canossian Co-Workers. She brought with her, new
initiatives and energy and soon the group grew to 120 members at one
stage. In 1976 Mandarin-speaking members and the first batch of 6
Malaysians were enrolled in Malacca. In 1980, 4 men were admitted into
the hitherto-all-female group – a first in the Canossian world
perhaps. It was at this time too that the first group of 5 lady
members under the guidance of Sr Natalia Tasca, decided to consecrate
themselves by taking the three vows of poverty, chastity and
obedience. They became what we now call Consecrated Lay Canossians, a
sort of plain-clothes sisters who work and live in the secular world
but who are no less dedicated in living the charism of St Magdalene.
1984 can be said to be the heyday of the Canossian Co-workers. As a
zealous and closely-knit group, the Canossian Co-workers found it
within their strength to mount a 4-day International Seminar which
attracted 88 participants from USA, Italy, Australia, Japan, India,
Hong Kong, the Philippines and Malaysians. This was an important
milestone in the history of the Association of Lay Canossians in that
the seminar was a stepping stone for the lay people in the
participating countries to either form themselves into a group or to
formalize their structure. It also provided the impetus and direction
for many Lay Canossian groups in other countries.
In 1987, the name Canossian Co-Workers was changed to Canossian
Collaborators to better reflect the role and mission of its members.
All this while, the changes in name were merely cosmetic as the spirit
or what we like to call, the ‘charism’ of the members remained
steadfast as ever.
From the 1980s, the laity all over the world seemed to have awaken
from its slumber and flourished with many initiatives. The First
International Congress for Lay Canossians was organized by the
Canossian Institute at Rome in 1987 and we were represented by Louise
Lee and Brenda Teong accompanied by Sr Rosalia Yeo. In 1990, an
International Commission of Lay Canossians was convened at Rome to
draw up the General Statutes for Lay Canossians. We were represented
by Joseph Tan who went alone. The Second International Congress for
Lay Canossians in 1994 at Asiago was attended by Bridget Williams,
Anne Siew, Christina Lee and accompanied by Sr Natalina Biffi and Sr
Magdalen Ee.
The New Era
Following these overseas conferences and meetings, important
developments took place in our Association. For a start, the General
Statutes which were drawn up in 1990 gave Lay Canossians of the world
a common guideline for living the Canossian charism. A by-product of
the General Statutes was the promulgation of our National Statutes
which lay down the guidelines for living the Canossian charism in the
secular world in the Singapore context. For the first time, Lay
Canossians in Singapore have a common, proper set of guidelines on how
to live their Canossian charism and what is expected of them.
A by-product of the Second International Congress in 1994 was the
publication of the Formation Plan – a document which specifies how a
Lay Canossian should be formed. A Lay Canossian today is one who has
been properly formed in the charism of St Magdalene and willingly
enrolled in the Association according to the set guidelines and not
one who merely joins because it is fun to do so or because somebody
persuaded him/her to sign on the dotted line. Today our Formation
Team, which is made up of six Lay Canossians and a Sister Animator,
trains new recruits in a one-year Initial Formation Programme and
provides On-going Formation for members by giving spiritual inputs
through talks and sharing.
A New Identity
In 1996, the name Canossian Collaborators was changed to The
Association of Lay Canossians. Someone joked that the former name had
‘communist’ connotations and was therefore undesirable, but
seriously, the change was to reflect the coming of age of the Lay
Canossians in Singapore. The Laity and the importance of the role of
the lay people in the life of the Church were beginning to be
recognized. The Lay Canossians look upon themselves as no longer
merely collaborators or helpers of the Canossian Sisters, but equal
partners working side by side. The Lay Canossian today recognizes that
he or she is a co-heir of the charism of St Magdalene, no more or less
than the sisters, and equal in dignity – the only difference being
the milieu in which they work.
Lay Canossians today are involved in myriad fields of apostolate –
hospitals, schools, prison ministry, RCIA, lectors, under-privileged
children, etc. However, a Lay Canossian is not identified by the work
he or she does. His/Her identity comes from bearing within him/her the
image of Christ – a life lived with the ‘greatest love’ as
exemplified by Jesus on the Cross. His/Her mission is ‘to make
Christ known and loved.’ He/She seeks not his/her own glory and the
motto ‘For God Alone’ is his/her aim. He/She counts ‘humility’
and ‘charity’ amongst his/her greatest virtues and his/her model
in life is Mary, our Mother at the foot of the Cross. St Magdalene of
Canossa is, of course, our great foundress and teacher, whose charism
of the ‘Great Love’ we carry in our hearts and radiate to others.
Today the membership of the Association of Lay Canossians stands at 54
and there’s room for more. To be a Lay Canossian is a calling, a
gift from God. If you do feel the promptings of the Holy Spirit to
join us, we will welcome you with open arms into the family of the
‘Greatest Love’.
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