“I don’t know where I get the strength and courage to do this work, but my strong relationship with God helps. It is a privilege to walk with them till the end and see the beautiful change that comes upon them.”
~ Sister Gerard Fernandez (Good Shepherd Sisters)
Not too long ago, I read a book titled Unholy Trinity, by Singaporean writer Alan John, who wrote a detailed account on Singapore’s most bizarre murders known as “Adrian Lim’s Ritual Child Killings“, which took place in 1981.
The last chapter of the book is dedicated to an exclusive interview with a Catholic sister who counseled and journeyed with the co-accused Catherine Tan Mui Choo and Hoe Kah Hong. They also prayed for Adrian Lim to repent before they went to the gallows. That sister who served as the bridge between God and the trio is Sister Gerard Fernandez, who belongs to the Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd (also known as Good Shepherd Sisters).
After reading the book, I was inspired by how Sister Gerard reached out to death row inmates in Singapore Changi Prison. Being inquisitive, I did some research on the internet and came across articles written about Sister Gerard’s life and work. In a few of the articles, she also shared about how she discovered her calling to reach out to death row inmates. She has visited countless of prisoners over 35 years as a pioneer volunteer counselor with the Roman Catholic Prison Ministry. She became the first Singaporean to make the BBC’s annual list of 100 influential women from around the world.
There is a short film on YouTube titled Sister, portraying how Sister Gerard journeyed with Catherine Tan Mui Choo (one of Adrian Lim’s accomplices) until her last day before being hanged. The film was emotionally intensive, yet it showed me how God can send light into dark places in people’s lives, similar to how Sister Gerard visited Catherine and Hoe Kah Hong in the Changi Women’s Prison.
Sister spends a great deal of time in prayer with them. They received the Eucharist at Masses celebrated by Father Brian Doro. Catherine and Hoe Kah Hong eventually repented of their sins through Confession. Catherine gradually returned to her Catholic faith. Hoe Kah Hong was baptized and became a Catholic. Adrian Lim asked for Confession and Holy Communion. All three prodigal children returned home to our Heavenly Father.
What compelled me to want to meet Sister Gerard in person? Her compassion and Christlike heart towards men and women facing the death penalty sparked an interest within me. Her story captured my heart. I prayed to God to send me an opportunity to meet Sister Gerard Fernandez. My prayers were answered through a friend who introduced me to her. He is a catechist from the Church of the Risen Christ and invited Sister Gerard to give a talk at a session, so he was able to help me connect with Sister.
The following week, I met Sister for tea. She was very sweet, giving me a rosary which she made herself. She shared about her experiences journeying with inmates on death row. To keep it short, I have summarized her sharing in four points:
- I pray for the inmates every day. I love them. I care because Jesus the Good Shepherd shares His love and cares for us intimately. I do my best and pray for the grace to live a life that reflects the Good Shepherd’s heart.
~ - Once the inmates open their hearts to God, God will take over. In God’s time, the inmates will seek for forgiveness and penance. This is where religious counsellors come in to facilitate the process and walk with them.(This second point by Sister Gerard reminded me of a spiritual reflection by St. Josemaría Escrivá, in his book titled Friends with God. Paragraph 215 states,
“Holy Scripture points out that even ‘the just man falls seven times’. Whenever I read this phrase, my soul trembles with love and sorrow. This divine indication shows us Our Lord once again setting out to meet us and speak to us about His mercy, His tenderness and clemency that know no limits. Be sure of this: God does not want our wretchedness, but He is aware of it, and indeed he makes use of our weakness to make saints of us.”
- When an inmate decides to see a religious counselor and seeks peace, joy, and forgiveness, it is a grace moment given by God. All the inmates I have walked with so far want to return to God with peace, knowing that they have been forgiven by the families of the victim. God does not abandon anyone, no matter the seriousness of our sin.
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The inmates are aware of their wrongdoing and humbly admit that they have offended God and people. Through this disposition of their hearts, God comes in and reassures them He is with them until the end of their time in the cell. They no longer see the gallows as an end to the journey of their life, but it is the door to meet their Maker with confidence.
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Before that, we talk to them and pray with them to help them experience God’s love and believe that His mercy has no limits. Families of the victims also respond to God’s grace and forgive the inmate. There is a time to forgive, and we help them arrive there.
~ - Treat them as persons who are unique in the eyes of God. As Catholics, we recognize that the dignity of a human person applies to both the victim and inmate. Our faith teaches us that all human beings are good by nature, as we are made in the image and likeness of God.
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However, inclined to committing sin, we offend God and reject His perfect love and justice. But there is hope! There is good news, and it is Jesus! Jesus came to show us how a person who is broken can be made beautiful again. It is a work of grace, and God brings it to completion in us.
My personal reflection:
- After spending time with Sister Gerard, I walked away feeling overwhelmed by Sister’s humility, compassion and ability to reach out to prisoners on death row, “doing her best to open their hearts to ask for and accept forgiveness, and preparing them to meet God.”
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Sister Gerard truly exemplifies Jesus the Good Shepherd, because like Jesus, she reaches out to people who are labelled as ‘condemned’ by society due to their unpalatable acts. She shows us how the power of God’s mercy can reach out even to those who commit the most heinous crimes.
~ - There is a tendency to condemn people when they commit a crime. We condemn the sin, but not the sinner. Each man has a conscience, and God speaks to him through his conscience. We can discern what is good and evil by our conscience.
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Our conscience must continue to be formed so that when faced with any situations, we can know how to make good moral choices according to reason and divine grace.
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There is always room for conversion and hope, as what Sister Gerard shared. St Paul said “Where sin increased, grace abounded all the more” and “(God’s) grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.”
~ - Christ was declared a blasphemer by the Sanhedrin and condemned to death as a common criminal. He was hung on the cross with two thieves by His side. After Christ’s death came His resurrection. The message is that good has triumphed over evil. Death no longer has power over us, and nothing can separate us from the love of God if we choose Christ Who said, “I am the way and the truth and the life.”
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All the ways and ideas of the world will diminish, but these three lead us to everlasting happiness. By sinning, we deviate from our final destination. Jesus came to show us the way to Heaven, the truth about the mystery of God’s unconditional love and mercy, and how we ought to live our life modeled after Him.
~ - Hope and conversion are possible because with His grace, our wounds can heal. Some people think a sinner has no hope and doesn’t deserve a second chance; God shows us how He never tires of forgiving us through the story of the Prodigal Son. The sinless one heals the one who is in sin, and the one who is in sin goes through conversion and penance to become a saint.
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Sister Gerard’s calling to reach out to “people who are broken” reminds us of Jesus Christ the Good Shepherd Who “leaves the ninety-nine sheep in the wilderness and goes looking for the one sheep that is lost until He finds it.” (Luke 15:4)
~ - I pray and hope that Sister Gerard’s mission will inspire us to serve and reach out to the most poor, lost and abandoned in society and pray for the three theological virtues — faith, hope and love, which are gifts from God Who infuses them into our souls so we can believe in Him, desire eternal life and love Him above all things. (CCC 1842-1844)
