杏MAP导航

By Claudia Torres 鈥� Singapore

鈥淭he love of God abides in the world.鈥� That鈥檚 what鈥檚 written in Chinese on the wall behind the altar inside the chapel at St. Theresa鈥檚 Home for the elderly, 杏MAP导航 Francis鈥� second-to-last stop in Singapore before he returns to Rome on Friday.

The Catholic nursing home was established in 1935 by the Little Sisters of the Poor, and today is managed by Catholic Welfare Services (CWS), a non-profit, social service agency founded in 1959 with the aim of uplifting the lives of the less fortunate in the community.

鈥淭he love of God abides in the world,鈥� written in Chinese inside the chapel at St. Theresa鈥檚 Home

It鈥檚 a peaceful oasis for elderly people in Singapore who have nowhere else to go. A light breeze and the comforting sound of birds chirping in the trees filled the grounds with a sense of tranquility as the Director of Nursing, Gillian Beins, showed me around.

鈥淓very little thing that we do for the elderly residents, we do it with our heart,鈥� she said, 鈥渁nd I look forward to coming to work every day, because doing little things with great love gives me a lot of satisfaction, working among the elderly residents in St. Theresa鈥檚 Home.鈥�

鈥淭hey are my best friends actually,鈥� she said, standing next to residents Bridget Ng and Bertha Hang, who sat quietly in their wheelchairs outside their room. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 consider them patients or residents,鈥� said Gillian. 鈥淎ctually we are friends.鈥�

鈥淰ery good friends,鈥� confirmed Bridget, who shared her impressions of the home and of 杏MAP导航 Francis.

杏MAP导航 Francis is 鈥渁 very nice man,鈥� she said, and she joked that she was happy she wouldn鈥檛 have to travel all the way to the Vatican to see him. 鈥淗e鈥檚 so good; he comes here to see us. We are so very, very happy, so very lucky,鈥� she insisted.

Bertha, Bridget鈥檚 good friend and roommate, said she too was 鈥渧ery happy to hear the good news鈥� that 杏MAP导航 Francis was coming to visit them. When I asked her if she has many friends at the home, she pointed to Bridget with a smile. 鈥淥nly we two speak English,鈥� she laughed. 鈥淭he others all speak Chinese.鈥�

Candy Lin, HR Manager, said that for her it鈥檚 a privilege to work at St. Theresa鈥檚 Home, where she has been employed for 20 years. She too is happy to finally be able to see the Holy Father in person. 鈥溞覯AP导航 John Paul came [to Singapore] 38 years ago, and I missed that, so I feel that I wouldn鈥檛 want to miss this opportunity again,鈥� she said.

She also expressed her admiration for 杏MAP导航 Francis鈥� tireless dedication to the faithful鈥攈e鈥檚 almost 88 years old and about to complete the longest Apostolic Journey of his pontificate. 鈥淒espite his health challenges, he鈥檚 still full of zeal,鈥� she noted. 鈥淗e still wants to go on and on for his people. I think he wants to create this hope in people, and bring us together,鈥� she said.

Outside the entrance of St. Theresa鈥檚 Home for the elderly

St. Theresa鈥檚 Home currently houses 185 elderly men and women, on average between the ages of 80 and 90.

鈥淢ore residents have been coming to the home,鈥� explained Executive Director Victor Seng. 鈥淔amily members are not able to take care of their own parents, because most of the time they are actually with their own children, and they are also working.鈥� He also noted that the high cost of living in Singapore keeps many couples from having kids. Because of this, he explained, 鈥渢he gap between the young and the old is getting wider and wider.鈥�

Victor explained that Catholic Welfare Services sees to all the financial needs of residents whose families can鈥檛 afford to pay for the home.

In addition to receiving government support through subsidies, St. Theresa鈥檚 Home also benefits from cooperation between different religious groups.

 鈥淲hether you鈥檙e a Buddhist, or any other religion, healthcare in Singapore is actually a standard practice,鈥� explained the Executive Director. 鈥淲hat we all do is to love these people,鈥� he said, affirming that 鈥渁ll religions practice and advocate the beautiful thing called love.鈥�

Victor Seng, Executive Director of St. Theresa鈥檚 Home, stands in front of the chapel

In addition to local staff members, the nursing home employs workers from Myanmar, the Philippines, India and Malaysia. It offers residents medical services, rehabilitation activities and pastoral care.

Victor said his goal is to give older people 鈥渁 happy and good life before God takes them back home,鈥� and to give them 鈥渢he best care and love鈥� that he can 鈥� that love of God that abides in the world and, in a very tangible way, in St. Theresa鈥檚 Home.