PERPETUAL PROFESSION OF SR. WINNIE VUN, FMM

 

Kota Bharu, Wed 8 Dec 2021

Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The final profession of a Franciscan Missionary of Mary is a very significant moment in the life of a Religious Sister. It is here that she is totally consecrated to God for the purpose of building up His Kingdom.  In the availability of Jesus, Mary and St. Francis of Assisi, she is ready to be sent anywhere in the world to proclaim the Good News, even to places where Christ is least known.

On this feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Sr. Winnie Vun, fmm  made her definitive “YES to the Lord and received from her Provincial, Sr. Susan Thomas, her specific mission.

As Sr. Susan Thomas handed Sr. Winnie a lighted candle, her words were significant:

“Receive the light of Christ. In the name of the Superior General of the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary, and according to our Constitution, I send you forth, Winnie, to mission Christ in Ghana/Liberia, where you will proclaim Jesus, announce the Good news among the people and love your sisters in community.”

Next, Sr, Winnie received her missionary crucifix from Sr. Susan who reminded her:

“May this Missionary Crucifix remind you of your promise to follow Christ in His mission of salvation. May you bring to all people the light which now shines in your life, so that all may one day share with you in the glory of the Risen Christ.”

The mass for the Perpetual Profession of Sr. Winnie Vun was held at Fatima Hall, Church of Our Lady of Fatima of the Holy Rosary in the evening of Wednesday, 8 December 2021. It was concelebrated by His Lordship, Rt. Rev. Sebastian Francis, Bishop of Penang Diocese, Parish Priest, Rev. Fr. Francis Andrew and Rev. Fr. Konstend Gnanapragasam. The mass was live-streamed for the benefit of the family of Sr. Winnie Vun in Sabah and her fellow FMM sisters in Malaysia and Singapore who could not be physically present due to the Pandemic.

At the end of the mass, Sr. Susan Thomas in her speech thanked the concelebrants and the parish for making it possible to celebrate the Final Profession of Sr. Winnie Vun. She noted that this was 2^nd time a perpetual profession of an FMM sister was held in Kota Bharu. 

Sr. Winnie then shared her Vocation Story and she ended her speech in Kadazan and in Mandarin for her family and friends who were following the mass on-line back home in Sabah.

Bishop Sebastian Francis then blessed the congregation and announced the official closing of the ‘Year of St. Joseph’ from Kota Bharu for the whole Diocese of Penang.

 By Joseph Wang

 

        Concelebrants Fr. Francis Andrew, Bishop Sebastian Francis, Fr. Konstend Gnanapragasam

    Sr. Mary Anne Fletcher : 1st Reading

  Sr Enid Lopez leading the Responsorial Psalm

Fr. Konstend Gnanapragasam proclaiming the Gospel

Sr, Winnie Vun sharing her Vocation Story

Fr. Francis Andrew giving his speech at the end of mass

Group photo with the Bishop

L> R : Sr. Regina Ho, Provincial Sr. Susan Thomas, Bishop Sebastian Francis, Sr. Winnie Vun, Sr. Enid Lopez and Sr. Angeline Poh.

A Jubilant Sr. Winnie with her fellow FMM Sisters in Kota Bharu after the mass.

 Sr. Winnie Vun signing the documents of profession with the Celebrant, Bishop Sebastian Francis and the Provincial Superior, Sr. Susan Thomas as witnesses

Sr. Winnie with members of the Choir the mass

(L-R: David Pereira, Sr. Angeline Poh, Elizabeth Lee, Agnes Lee, Sr. Winnie, Rosalind Wong, Sr, Enid Lopez and Isaac

Logo of her Perpetual profession designed by Sr. Winnie herself with her theme: "Here I am Lord"

MY VOCATION STORY BY SR. WINNIE VUN

 

My Vocation Journey…

By Sr. Winnie Vun, fmm

To be a ‘missionary monk’ was my childhood dream. This idea came to me after my Buddhist father brought us to watch ‘The Life of the Little Monk’. Three things that caught my attention were ‘Meditating, Begging, and Helping.’ I was happy when my father assured me that one day I could be a monk.

My dream changed after I read the Book of Revelations chapter 20/21 on the ‘new heaven and a new earth’ and ‘Life after death’. Who will be my saviour then? Finally, after a few trials, I got baptised. As a newly baptised, I felt the need to be part of the church, so I joined the Prayer Meeting group at Jesus Caritas.  I remember the words that touched me were, ‘Come, I call you by your name’, the same words came to me during the youth camp organised by ASAYO, I became a bit uneasy because of these words that kept on following me. This became clearer when I saw the advertisement on vocations. Without wasting time; I thanked the Lord for calling me to be His instrument, so I began to fill the Franciscan priest form for my younger brother (without his knowledge!) and I changed his signature and the contact number, but the signature looked so miserable that I decided to write my name as small as I could so that the one who received it would not see it! After a few weeks, the reply came to me when one of the FMM sisters called me. After a long chat, I told her that I was not interested in religious life and actually the form I filled up was for my brother!

The Sister didn’t give up, she kept on calling me and I kept on trying to escape by making all kinds of excuses - till one day I told myself, “I will see her face to face”. So I went to see her, I was so happy to see with her a missionary sister from Vietnam. After that, I was the one who always called that Sister! After a few meetings with her and a week of retreat, I decided to resign from my job and stay in the convent for a month and following that, three months in my hometown. Finally, I made my decision: to say good bye to my boyfriend and I flew to Kuala Terengganu, for the first stage of my formation.

19^th March 2010, the Feast of St Joseph, I enter into pre-novitiate.  There were quite a few times that I wanted to go home but I still remained in the convent. 2011. It was time for novitiate, I felt reluctant to write an application letter, I went to the chapel, I told Jesus everything, that I couldn’t continue this way of life and by the time I finished my complaint and just before I made the sign of the cross, I began to cry…I felt Jesus embracing me and saying, “My child, I call you by your name…come…” The next day I wrote my application letter to the provincial to tell her that I was ready to proceed to the next stage of formation.

19^th Mac 2012, the Feast of St Joseph. Entry into Novitiate. This was the place where I found my home and God’s voice became clearer to me. I faced many challenges but I always went back to Jesus.

In 2018, as a young religious I was sent to Sri Lanka for more formation and I witnessed the bomb blast damage at a few churches and even the convent where I stayed was almost destroyed by the bomb but thank God the sisters were quick to take action. In the midst of chaos, I asked the local sisters to allow me to visit the victims and help at the relief centre. My request was granted. My Provincial in Malaysia asked me if I wanted to come back to Malaysia, my answer was ‘No’. As a missionary I felt ready to face the uncertainty of life because Jesus is with me.  

Today, 8^th Dec 2021. The Feast of Immaculate of Conception and the closing of the Year of St Joseph.  I make my perpetual profession. What are the double joy it was for me. First, to be finally professed and second to be sent Ghana/ Liberia as a missionary. As our foundress says, ‘We have only one homeland but the whole world is ours; so be fruitful wherever you are sent.’

I would like to thank all who have journeyed directly or indirectly with me and made my journey smooth, challenging and full of excitement.

 

By; Sr Winnie Vun,  FMM

     Our Lady of Fatima of the Holy Rosary Kota Bharu

Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary 2021

Sr. Winnie Vun sharing her Vocation Story