Singapore: St. Theresa’s Home an oasis of peace for the elderly

By Claudia Torres – Singapore

“God’s love abides in the world” is written in Chinese on the wall behind the altar of the chapel at St. Theresa’s retirement home, Pope Francis’ penultimate stop in Singapore before returning to Rome on Friday.

The Catholic nursing home was established in 1935 by the Little Sisters of the Poor and is now operated by Catholic Welfare Services (CWS), a nonprofit social service agency founded in 1959 with the goal of improving the lives of the less fortunate in the community.

“God’s love remains in the world,” written in Chinese inside the chapel of the Sainte-Thérèse house

It’s an oasis of peace for Singapore’s elderly who have nowhere else to go. A gentle breeze and the comforting chirping of birds in the trees filled the park with a sense of tranquility as Nursing Director Gillian Beins showed me around.

“Every little thing we do for the elderly residents, we do it with our heart,” she said, “and I look forward to coming to work every day, because doing little things with a lot of love gives me a lot of satisfaction, working among the elderly residents of the Sainte-Thérèse home.”

“They’re actually my best friends,” she said, standing next to residents Bridget Ng and Bertha Hang, who sat quietly in their wheelchairs outside their room. “I don’t think of them as patients or residents,” Gillian said. “We’re actually friends.”

“Very good friends,” confirmed Bridget, who shared her impressions of the house and Pope Francis.

Pope Francis is “a very nice man,” she said, and joked that she was glad she didn’t have to travel all the way to the Vatican to see him. “He’s so good, he comes here to see us. We’re so very, very happy, so lucky,” she insisted.

Bertha, Bridget’s good friend and roommate, said she too was “very happy to hear the good news” of Pope Francis’ visit. When I asked her if she had many friends at home, she pointed to Bridget with a smile. “We’re the only ones who speak English,” she said with a laugh. “The others all speak Chinese.”

Human resources manager Candy Lin said it was a privilege for her to work at St. Theresa’s House, where she has worked for 20 years. She too is happy to finally be able to see the Holy Father in person. “Pope John Paul II came (to Singapore) 38 years ago, and I missed that, so I wouldn’t want to miss this opportunity again,” she said.

She also expressed admiration for Pope Francis’ tireless dedication to the faithful. He is almost 88 years old and is about to complete the longest apostolic journey of his pontificate. “Despite his health problems, he is still full of zeal,” she noted. “He always wants to keep moving forward for his people. I think he wants to create that hope in people and bring us together,” she said.

In front of the entrance to the Sainte-Thérèse retirement home

The Maison Sainte-Thérèse currently houses 185 elderly men and women, with an average age of 80 to 90.

“More and more residents are coming to the house,” said executive director Victor Seng. “Family members cannot take care of their own parents because most of the time they are with their own children and they are also working.” He also noted that the high cost of living in Singapore prevents many couples from having children. For this reason, he explained, “the gap between the young and the old is growing wider and wider.”

Victor explained that Catholic Welfare Services takes care of all the financial needs of residents whose families cannot afford to pay for the house.

In addition to receiving government support through grants, Maison Sainte-Thérèse also benefits from cooperation between different religious groups.

“Whether you are Buddhist or any other religion, healthcare in Singapore is a common practice,” the executive director explained. “What we all do is love these people,” he said, asserting that “all religions practice and advocate this beautiful thing of love.”

Victor Seng, executive director of Maison Sainte-Thérèse, stands in front of the chapel

In addition to local staff, 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 offer seniors “a happy and good life before God takes them home,” and to give them “the best care and love” possible – that love of God that remains in the world and, in a very tangible way, in the Maison Sainte-Thérèse.