It was a charming gathering of our Sisters at the Loyang Aloha resort on Thursday 23 May from 3 - 8 p.m. Sr. Valentina Pattano at the age of 91, was the eldest and Sr. Anna Ong the 'youngest'. We had the pleasure of the company of Sr. Janet Wang's mother, Angel Wong and her brother Henry, who was on a visit from the United States.
The Sisters were initially treated to a brief sessions of warming up exercises led by our youngest junior Sr.Christina Kho. An enjoyable time of jokes and riddle animated by Sr. Christine Norris was followed by a quiz with much fun and games. The Sisters then broke up for a sumptuous tea followed by free time.
The highlight of the evening was the session by Sr Janet where the sisters were led through a reflection and sharing session. Step-by-step in a simple and creative manner they penned down their memories of their God experience from birth, to baptism and in their religious profession. The process inspired them to think of how they could spend their "golden years" in prayerfulness, serenity and peace ~ being very much a part of our community of prayer and mission today.
Sr. Mary Tan and Sr. Joanna Tong began the evening liturgy with a skit. The theme was appreciation of the inner beauty, and the exchange between the young coconut and the old coconut was significant. It brought out the importance of a personal conviction that the elderly years continue to be precious for each Sister and the time valuable for praising and thanking God for our lives. The activity of choosing an item from a display of many and varied items that were well-used and well-worn, including faded and preserved leaves, reinforced the theme. The free expression of the Magnificat showed us how our Sisters are women of great faith and trust in their autumn years. Remembered in prayer were also Sr. Maria Redaelli and Sr. Elizabeth Yeo who were unable to be present. It was altogether a rather poignant prayer service.
The evening dinner was a celebration also Sr. Janet's birthday. Personally, I went home heartened by the thought that we have women of faith, hope and love in our elderly and sick Sisters who can reach out in prayer and solidarity with our aging population in Singapore. How can we continue to accompany them and tap from their years of faith life experiences in this chaotic era?
By: Sr Christina Yeo
