HONG KONG (SE): Sister Helen Shum Choi-ying, from the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Angels, made her perpetual vow on September 8 during a Mass celebrated by Bishop Joseph Ha Chi-shing at St. Anthony’s Church, Pokfulam.
After professing her vow of total commitment to follow in the footsteps of Christ through a life of poverty, obedience and chastity forever, and dedicating herself to be a witness and messenger of the gospel among all nations, Sister Shum signed the formula of profession. Bishop Ha blessed Sister Shum, who then received her ring from her regional superior Sister Maricris Llasos.
The Mass was concelebrated by Father Matthias Choi, Father Efren Ojeda, Father Piotr Kakowczyk, Father Pierre Lam Minh, Father Moises Ngai, Father James Boey Tien Leung and Father Joseph Yim Tak-long with Deacon Charles Chu Nien Tsu assisting.
Before the celebration came to a close, Sister Shum shared about her path to religious life and thanked those who journeyed with her all these years. She thanked her congregation for the change in her life as well as those present for their support.
Sister Shum did not grow up in a Catholic family. She came to Hong Kong in 1996. Two years later, she was invited by a friend, Chung, to attend a Mass and meet God. She recalled that she had no knowledge of Catholicism but felt at peace when she heard the choir singing. Upon her friend’s invitation, she joined a catechism class for a year in 2002, but did not get baptised. It was not until December 2007 that she was baptised and Chung became her godmother.
After her recovery from a serious illness, she promised the Lord that she would do only his work, but joining a religious group was not in her mind. A St. Paul sister then encouraged her to enter the religious life and she kept this plan in her heart.
The Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Angels later invited her to join their retreat.
“I was attracted by their spirit of simplicity and joy when I visited their missionary work and joined their annual retreat. I was grateful to these sisters who have formed me to be a missionary in the past 10 years,” she said.
Sister Shum spent her formation years in the Philippines before coming back to Hong Kong.
The Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of the Angels was founded by Sister Mary of the Sacred Heart, a young missionary in Québec, Canada in 1922. The sisters later started to care for the sick, the lepers and the orphans in 16 different places in China. They were teaching English or Chinese but mostly giving religious education to young women consecrated to God. They were also trained to be lay apostles for evangelisation.
In 1926, the co-founder, Mother Mary Gabriel, and three other sisters arrived in Hong Kong to open a Chinese novitiate for girls.
At present, the missionary sisters render their services in Hong Kong, Macau, the Philippines, Japan, Brazil, Peru, Rwanda, Vietnam, Congo and Canada to spread the Good News of the Lord.
