By Adrianna Chan
KUCHING — The new St Teresa of Avila Chapel at SMK St Teresa was blessed on 30 November 2022. It is named after the school’s patron saint, St Teresa of Avila.
The chapel was blessed by Kuching Archbishop Simon Poh who also celebrated its first Mass there, concelebrated by Fr Galvin Ngumbang.
Originally, the chapel was the school’s old office that was converted to a chapel after the office was moved to the school’s new block. The existence of St Teresa of Avila is made possible with the generous contributions from the school’s Christian teachers, ex-Teresians, parents and friends.
As a mission school with about 300 Christian students, St Teresa’s Secondary school needs a chapel to provide regular times of worship to honour God and empower a Christian living, offer teaching on the rudiments of Christian belief and its relevance to our daily lives, expose our community to a variety of Christian worship practices and encourage perspectives and practices that contribute to spiritual, psychological and physically healthy well-being.
With St Teresa of Avila as patron saint, it is hoped that the students would emulate her works and prayerful life and to seek God when they are anxious and afraid by praying the beautiful poem written by St Teresa of Avila –
Let nothing disturb you,
Let nothing frighten you,
All things are passing away:
God never changes.
Patience obtains all things
Whoever has God lacks nothing;
God alone suffices.
We would like to thank Archbishop Simon Poh, Fr Galvin Ngumbang, all donors and everyone who have contributed in one way or another to make St Teresa of Avila Chapel possible in St Teresa’s Secondary School. God bless!
