“Our founder, St. Jeanne Jugan, said, ‘Making the elderly happy is all that counts!’ This is our vital mission to accompany the elderly in their joy and in their pain,” said Sister Cecila Hui Yuen-yuet of the Little Sisters of the Poor, who has served the elderly in different countries for over 30 years. With the congregation celebrating its centennial, Sister Hui was invited by the Sunday Examiner to share about the experience of the sisters in recent decades.
Sister Hui now serves at St. Joseph’s Home for the Aged, Sheung Shui, which has been run by the sisters for a century, in addition to a newer one in Aberdeen, St. Mary’s Home for the Aged, which was set up in 1960s. She is also responsible for the collection of donations for the congregation.
The two homes care for some 200 residents, including retired priests and sisters, as well as other poor, elderly people.
In addition to the three religious vows of chastity, poverty, and obedience, the Little Sisters of the Poor make a fourth vow: hospitality, which means providing a comfortable and loving home for the old. “Our Hospitaller mission to the aged poor is to bear witness to the mercy of the Father and the compassionate Heart of Jesus, and cultivate a family spirit with them,” she explained.
Sister Monica Chiu, superior of St. Mary’s Home for the Aged, said that among the around 20 sisters working in Hong Kong, nearly half come from overseas. She said there is a shortage of staff and a shortage of vocations. One reason is due to the difficult job nature of caring for the elderly. She shared that in the two homes, some of the residents can be emotionally burdened by an unhappy life in their past, adds to the difficulty of taking care of them.
in February 2022. Photo: Little Sisters of the Poor/File photo
Through the years of service, Sister Hui learned that it is important to humbly see the need of the elderly first before helping. It is only after a long time of getting along with the residents, that a mutual understanding can be developed so they will, in some cases, know the resident’s needs before they speak.
Furthermore, she was happy to see some residents becoming less and less hot-tempered, learning to see the needs of other residents and caring about one another in the community. But she stressed that the process takes time and patience.
She recalled that there have been many residents who gave her memorable experiences. When she was a young sister she was assigned to serve in a infirmary at Auch, France. A lady in her 90s, who was unwilling to stay there, was brought to her care service unit.
In the beginning, she tried her best to accompany her and help her settle down. The resident was still very sad so the sisters advised her family to take her back, but her family refused for some reason. So she showed the old lady more tender, love and care, and gradually she recovered her smiles.
Our founder, St. Jeanne Jugan, said, ‘Making the elderly happy is all that counts!’ This is our vital mission to accompany the elderly in their joy and in their pain,” said Sister Cecila Hui Yuen-yuet of the Little Sisters of the Poor
Sister Cecila Hui
Sister Hui remembered that one night, the lady had a heart attack and she stayed at her bedside. “Sister, you have your vocation to stay here, but I do not!” the lady said to her. Hearing that, Sister Hui recalled what Jesus said to Peter in the last chapter of St. John’s Gospel: “… when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go” [John 21:18]. She was also reminded of what the constitution of the congregation stated: show hospitality towards the aged suffering because of their age from poverty, loneliness or other difficulties, is an immense field for the apostolate.
The two homes run by the Little Sisters of the Poor are self-financing, which is one of the rules set out by its founder, St. Jeanne, who did not allow regular income from any source, including governments or dioceses, and insisted that all income should rely on donations, that is, to rely on God’s providence.
The residents are charged a minimal fee, which can be even exempted if they have real difficulty in paying.
As for the collection of donations, Sister Hui shared that it is not difficult, as people are eager to help whenever she shares in parishes about their needs. “It does not depend on how much money a donor has… It depends on how many hearts we have touched, so that more people can respond to God’s call and open their hearts to share,” she explained.
In 1923, the Little Sisters of the Poor began to take over the care of some 80 elderly people in Kowloon Tong who were being looked after by the Canossian Sisters.
She recalled that before entering the convent, she used to study in the quiet and peaceful old people’s home after her voluntary work there during her secondary school days
A few years later, the sisters purchased a large property in Ngau Chi Wan and set up the earliest well-established home for the elderly in Hong Kong.
In the early 1990s, due to the need to comply with the regulations for residential care homes enforced by the Social Welfare Department, the home in Ngau Chi Wan Home had to be repaired and improved, which required a huge amount of money that the Little Sisters could not afford.
In 1996, a decision was made with the developer to exchange the home in Ngau Chi Wan for a new, well-equipped residential home in Po Kin Road, Sheung Shui. The construction of a new home with updated facilities was completed in 2003.
As for St. Mary’s Home for the in Aberdeen, it was initiated in 1958 by Bishop Lorenzo Bianchi who had invited the Little Sisters of the Poor to set up a second home. The building was finally completed in 1962 and officially opened on September 11 that year.
Thinking about the former St. Joseph Home for the Aged in Ngau Chi Wan, which is now listed as a Grade II Historic Building, Sister Hui said it is a good place for evangelisation, considering that it is an early missionary spot for the Little Sister of the Poor.
Without a community, the place is not different from other buildings. So what is most important is not an historical building in Ngau Chi Wan or other places. It is the work of a group, or if it can effectively serve people
Sister Hui
She recalled that before entering the convent, she used to study in the quiet and peaceful old people’s home after her voluntary work there during her secondary school days.
She felt sad to leave that place at first. She shared that she had similar experiences in France and Malaysia, when an historical old people’s home has to be relocated for development; the buildings with grand architecture looked empty without people working inside. She soon realised that a building is meaningful only because of a community.
“Without a community, the place is not different from other buildings. So what is most important is not an historical building in Ngau Chi Wan or other places. It is the work of a group, or if it can effectively serve people,” she said.
Sister Hui believes the home in Sheung Shui is a better place to give residential care as the design enables the staff to divide areas for different services, and conveniently gather residents for birthday parties or other gatherings, which is very important for the social life and the happiness of the residents.
It is also possible to increase the supply of electricity in Sheung Shui, which was a problem with the old building in Ngau Chi Wan, and made it hard for the home to acquire additional electronic medical facilities.
Above all, she thanked the volunteers from the Association of Jeanne Jugan, retired people, foreign domestic workers as well as others who came regularly to help with different tasks in the homes.
However, according to the sister, many rooms at its Sheung Shui home are still empty. “The building is so big. It is impossible to full utilise it due to the shortage of manpower. We have a heart to serve more residents and hope that more people can join us,” she said.
