Good Friday was turning point for newly professed Josephite sister

Sr Lee publicly professed her life commitment as a Sister of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart on March 29 at St Mary’s Church in Whanganui. Born in Malaysia, she first came to New Zealand to study at Massey University. Her role as international student officer exposed her to students from Asia, Africa and Oceania, each offering insights beyond formal education.

“I then felt called to return to Malaysia, specifically to Sarawak in East Malaysia, a place unknown to me, to work alongside indigenous communities,” she said.

Through her practical work with an ecumenical Christian organisation – which had objectives focused on rural development, health, essential sanitation projects and women’s literacy programmes – she was deeply affected.

“I witnessed first-hand the profound suffering caused by poverty, deforestation and the violation of indigenous land rights,” she said.

She was a not a Christian at this time, but she accepted an invitation from a co-worker to attend a Good Friday liturgy at the local Catholic church. It proved a pivotal moment in her life. During the Gospel, she connected with the “wounded Jesus”.

This realisation ignited a deeper understanding of Jesus – one centred on active empathy for the suffering of the world – and she felt a profound call to respond.

Returning to New Zealand and settling in Wellington, Sr Lee became involved with groups such as Justice and Peace, YCW, the union movement and the Sisters of St Joseph, who all worked to realise Gospel values and beliefs. In 2000, she was baptised at Newton parish, and her journey continued as she sought membership with the Josephite Sisters.

At the conclusion of the liturgy at which she was professed, she expressed her heartfelt gratitude, acknowledging the guiding presence of God on her spiritual path.

FULL STORY

Updates from around the Diocese – Tūmanako (By Sue Seconi/Catholic Diocese of Palmerston North)

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