SPECIAL FEATURE | LUMEN
5
Brother Pinto
This June 2011 , I will be celebrating my 20th anniversary of staying out of home . One can imagine how strong my decision was to walk out of home , because I was just 13 . There was the rejection from my family – something that happened in many Indian families that did not allow children to go out on their own , even grown-ups
I decided to join the Brothers ’ school while I was in the 10th Standard ( Secondary 4 ). My goal was to become a member of the football team in the school , one of the best in the state . I was more confident of making it into the football team than becoming a Brother . After my first week in the school , ironically I gave up my dream of being a soccer player and wanted to be a brother instead . My mother had continually asked me , “ Are you sure this is the life you want ?” My humble response always was , ‘ Yes ”. Her question was the same for many years until one day I told her boldly , “ I know what I am doing . Please leave me alone ”. In fact , I found it disturbing whenever she asked me this question . As rude as it may sound , I felt I could not live out my calling and be the person that God wanted me to be . I had a sense of being overprotected at home , which made me feel that I should go out to stand on my own feet and live my life fully .
As I grew up in the brotherhood , I was filled with a sense of fulfillment when I finally took my vows . Religious life has nothing to do with success ; it is about commitment . Life has not been a smooth ride . I continued to face obstacles from family , friends and even my volleyball coach once challenged me , “ Why don ’ t you join a professional team to make a lot of money rather than being proud of obeying your superiors like an oldfashioned monk ?” I consoled myself that these
obstacles will strengthen my grip on religious life . However the worst of these was the death of my younger brother on the day of my first vow . The immediate reaction from the superstitious South Indian society was that I should not continue with my vocation .
Over time , I have met and worked with many brothers who continue to inspire me to love my vocation . If I did not become a brother , I would not be what I am today . I am filled with a sense of inner freedom even though I belong to the Order .
My experience in SJI has been wonderful . I admire the Lasallian culture in the campus . Calling it a community instead of a school is inspiring . If I am ever to believe in miracles , it would be the recovery and resilience of Matthew Tan Ser Yung . It was the prayers and hope of a community that made it happen .
I am proud to be one of the Lasallians in SJI . As the Jesuit spirituality states , ‘ Think of what unites us rather than what divides us ’. ‘ Lasallian ’ is one of the things that unites me with others and connects me to the world outside .
Live Jesus in our hearts – forever !
Sister Julia Ong
Areligious vocation is a gift from God . God is the one who chooses . I was taken up by the faith , love , courage and strength of Mother Mathilde , the Infant Jesus Sister who came from France and founded the CHIJ schools and homes for abandoned children in Malaysia , Singapore and Japan . She became a model and an inspiration . My secondary school years were wonderful and I really enjoyed them . I started being interested in becoming a religious when I was in Secondary 3 .
When I was discerning to which ( congregation ) group of sisters , I was called to belong , I did a lot of homework by visiting and getting to know the different groups in Singapore .
In my early 20s , the Infant Jesus Sisters decided that since they were founded as lay women , they would no longer require the younger members to put on a uniform habit . Fr . Nichola Barre ( 1662 ) founded the sisters as a group that distance from the cloistered convent could limit their freedom to reach out to the young who are in need of human formation and development . He wanted the sisters to be available and free therefore he did not have them make vows or secure them with promise of an institution or any foundation that could take care of them .
The priests and all other religious groups in Singapore were displeased with the IJ sisters ' decision . But the sisters held fast to what they saw as an important step in their history to remain faithful and true to who they are and what they are about .
I thought to myself : If I were to choose to belong to a group of women and live the rest of my life with them , I would rather choose the group that has the courage to be true than one that has difficulty with others being different .
The habit as clothes is but the external , the habit of courage to stay true is far more worthy before God ' s eyes than all the exterior I could put on to profess my faithfulness . And so at 23 , I became a postulant with the Infant Jesus Sister . To be an Infant Jesus Sister is to be like a feather , allowing the Spirit of God to blow as God wills . To be a pen in God ' s hand for God to write love into the hearts of those who do not know that they are loved by God .
Coming to SJI , working towards the Lasallian mission and on boy ' s education has expanded my horizon , spiritually , professionally and paradigmatically . I enjoy the friends I have found in the staff room . I enjoy the lame jokes that keep me sane daily . I find a lot of meaning in working and growing with the teachers , with those who are willing to learn and grow , with those who accept me as I am , and together hope to make a difference to the lives of boys .
From my experience , when God has a purpose for me in one place , God will continue to supply visions and all that I have to do is to actualize them . When the vision stops coming , that is when God is sending me elsewhere . I go wherever God sends me . I do whatever God desires of me .
This page ( top ): Bro Pinto on a kayaking activity with the students and staff at SJI
This page ( centre ): Sister Julia at the farm of the Lasalle school in Philadelphia where deliquent boys care for the animals