“Weeping may come in the evening, but with the dawn rejoicing.” – Psalm 30
HONG KONG (SE): Sister Teresa Leung Suk-Ching [梁淑貞修女] passed away peacefully at the Maryknoll Sisters Centre in the United States on September 14, the feast of the Holy Cross. She was 94-years-old and had been a Maryknoll Sister for 70 years.
Born in Hong Kong as one of four siblings, Sister Leung was predeceased by her sister Mary. Her brother Peter resides in Canada, while her sister Margaret remains in Hong Kong. She attended Maryknoll Convent School, graduating with a Hong Kong School Certificate in 1952. She later completed secretarial training at Hong Kong Technical School and worked at a law office before deciding to pursue religious life.
Sister Leung attributed her decision to join religious life to her Catholic upbringing and formative years at Maryknoll Convent School. She entered the Maryknoll Sisters on 2 September 1956, in Maryknoll, New York, making her first vows there on 24 June 1959, and her final vows in Hong Kong on the same date in 1965.
Sister Leung began her ministry in Hong Kong in 1960, working with refugees, providing pastoral care, and leading retreats. She also worked as a secretary at Maryknoll Hospital before returning to Chai Wan. After earning a Bachelor of Science in Education from New York in 1972, she started teaching at Maryknoll Convent School in 1974, where she taught both elementary and high school English and literature until 1987.
Following her tenure at Maryknoll Convent School, Leung served at the Maryknoll Centre before her assignment to the Central Pacific Region in 1991, where she worked with child and family services for two years. She returned to the centre and served there from 1993 to 1996.
Between 1987 and 2024, Leung served as Alumnae Relations Liaison with Maryknoll Hong Kong Graduates, utilising her skills as a secretary, fundraiser, mentor, and friend to many of the women she had known in Hong Kong.
She maintained close relationships with her former students, staying in contact with them and their families over the years. Many visited her at Maryknoll regularly.
In 2018, Sister Leung contributed actively to the elderly community, sharing her skills in computer troubleshooting, Chinese cooking, and hair-cutting. She would also drive and accompany sisters to medical appointments. Known for her devotion to the Blessed Mother and her ever-present rosary, she accepted additional assistance in her final days and has now passed away peacefully.
The Maryknoll Sisters will celebrate a Memorial Mass for deceased Maryknoll members on November 14 at 10:00am in the MCS Primary School Assembly Hall – New Wing. Family and friends are welcome.
