Marymount Centre Singapore

St. Mary Euphrasia Pelletier (1796 -1868) believed in the Gospel message of Love and Compassion for the most vulnerable. The innate dignity of each person is at the heart of being Good Shepherd. It is Mary Euphrasia's love, compassion, courage and audacity that are part of the legacy to us, who now walk in her footsteps.

History
St. Mary Euphrasia Pelletier founded the Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd in Angers, France in 1835, where the Mother House of the Congregation is still based. As a young woman she had entered the Congregation of Our Lady of Charity and was asked to find a house of that Order in Angers. The foundation was dedicated to the Good Shepherd because a refuge by that name had existed there some years before.

St. Mary Euphrasia had a dream that embraced the whole world. Her deep longing and desire were for a Congregation that would show forth God's merciful love to the world. She said, “Our zeal must embrace the world". To realise her vision, she sought and was granted permission to found the Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd (Good Shepherd Sisters). In her lifetime she saw foundations established in all continents.

The Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd is an international congregation. Today, there are Good Shepherd Sisters and collaborators in mission in over 70 countries across the world.

Click here to read more about The Good Shepherd Sisters of Singapore-Malaysia.

“One Person is of more value than the whole world”

The history of the Good Shepherd in Singapore goes all the way back to 1939.

Following the invitation of Rt Rev A Devals, Bishop of Malacca, four young Irish women arrived in Singapore in December 1939. They hailed from Ceylon (Sri Lanka) and Burma (Myanmar), where they were first missionary. These pioneers of the Good Shepherd in Singapore first settled in Punggol and began taking in girls in need. At the end of their first year, 21 girls were in the home they had established. The war in 1941 interrupted their plans to move to a bigger house in MacPherson to accommodate more girls in need.

In 1942, the number of girls the Good Shepherd Sisters served increased to 220 after taking in girls from the Po Leung Kok Home for homeless children. The war years (1941 – 1945) saw them moving to safer abodes in the jungle in Bahau (Negri Sembilan) in 1943 where they faced several challenges including malaria. They returned to a new abode in Kampong Java in 1945.

In August 1950, the first batch of 140 girls from Kampong Java settled in the newly built Marymount Vocational Centre in Thomson Road. In 1965, Rose Villa was opened to provide residential care for teenage girls and single women in pregnancy crisis. The mission to promote Compassion, Justice, Reconciliation, Respect, and Dignity continues as the Sisters strive to respond to the needs of marginalised women and children.

As Singapore developed into a modern society, new needs emerged. In the early 80s, mothers were encouraged to work and the Sisters saw the need to set up before and after school care so that children do not have to be back to an empty flat but would have a safe and homely environment to study and play. The first Before and After School Care (“BASC”) was set up in 1982.

In 1986, another group of women who frequently requested for help were ex-women prisoners and women who were abused and battered by their husbands. Hence, a Crisis Shelter was set up to provide a safe haven for women and children who had to leave home for protection and safety. In collaboration with Catholic Welfare Services, Good Shepherd Centre was set up in Sembawang in 1986. As a bigger premise was needed to serve more clients, the Centre was moved to Yishun in 1988.

In keeping with new form of ministries, there was a change of name from Marymount Vocational Centre to Marymount Centre in 1994. During this time, the Sisters were inviting lay partners to join the mission as the Sisters recognised that the needs were plenty and that there were people who shared the same mission to reach out to women and children who are marginalised and neglected. Today, the mission of Marymount Centre is managed by a Board of Management and a team of dedicated staff, volunteers and Sisters.