By Adrianna Chan
KUCHING — A total of 30 students from St Teresa’s Secondary School and 19 single young ladies were very honoured and blessed to be invited to meet with the Nuns at the Carmelite Monastery visitors’ parlour from 3.30 pm – 5.00 pm, with Vespers from 5.00 – 5.30 pm on 15 October 2023 at the Carmelite Chapel.
The girls were enlightened about the life of St Teresa of Avila, the patron saint of the school and the foundress of the Carmelite Sisters. Throughout the meet session, the Nuns shared on the origin of the Carmelites, Carmel’s purpose, prayer, community life, work and their daily routine. They also shared how they were called to be Carmelite Sisters which was very inspiring to the students. Their experience as Carmelite Sisters has inspired the students to believe more in God’s plans when making a decision.
Archbishop Simon Poh also came for a short visit, giving encouraging and inspiring words and blessings to everyone present.
The meet ended with 30-minute Vesper prayers where the students joined the nuns in praying and singing at the Carmelite Chapel. The students were touched by the sisters’ kindness and friendliness as they welcomed them with such open arms and hearts.
On behalf of St Teresa’s Secondary school, I would like to thank the Carmelite Sisters for this opportunity to meet them and we will pray for their well-being as much as they pray for us. God bless them always! Amen!
Students share their experiences meeting the Carmelite Nuns
“The visit was really eye-opening. In a short period of time, I learnt a lot about St Teresa of Jesus, the patron saint of my own school. I’m also very impressed with the nuns. They were very humble and they live a simple life while fully devoting themselves to God. They explained the importance of vocation and God’s calling, which was really beneficial especially to those who want to become a nun in the future. The brochure given was really detailed as well. I got to know the daily routine of the nuns at the monastery, which was something I’ve been wondering for quite some time. The nuns were very welcoming and friendly in answering all our questions. They’ve shown that our faith will be the one leading to what we become in the future. Maybe one day, there will be an inspiration of calling for me too. Overall, it was an unforgettable experience and I had a lot of fun.” – Anastasia Chamie
“I was excited learning about the sisters and St Teresa. I was very interested in learning about St Teresa because my baptism name is Teresa and so is my confirmation name. I also found out that the date when St Teresa became a Doctor of the Church is the same date as my birthday. It was really fascinating! The sisters were so wholesome. Their experience as a sister made me believe more in God’s plans and be less doubtful when I make a decision. What surprised me was when the sisters made an announcement that if we were interested to be a Carmelite, we can drop an email to them. At that moment two of the sisters suddenly called my name and said, ‘Clarissa, I’m sure you will be interested’. That made me emotional. I’ve been working on my faith very often these past few months and hearing that made me trust God and leave my fate in God’s hands.” – Clarissa Danesse
“Meeting with the Carmelite Sisters was an enjoyable encounter, like a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It was was very fun as we listened to their stories and how they go about with their daily life in the monastery. The sisters were very kind and welcomed all of us with such open arms and hearts. I learnt a lot from the meeting with the sisters especially on how they’ll always pray for everyone, but have we ever thought of praying for them? When that thought hit me, it made me realise that the sisters will always pray for everyone’s well-being, but do we return them the favour by doing the same thing? That made me tear up a bit. Nevertheless, I enjoyed spending my time talking to them and listening to their stories.” – Shannon Victoria Sendi Ngumbang
“My experience meeting the Carmelite sisters was something I experienced for the first time in my life. I had fun listening to their interesting stories on how they chose to become a sister and some other stories they shared. Another thing I like about the whole session was us singing together with the sisters during the Vespers. Even though we had a few difficulties catching up, we still did quite well with the sisters’ guidance. All in all, I’m very grateful I took the opportunity to meet them as it will be something I’ll remember forever.” – Erika Yeo Tze Jia
