Singaporean nun who helped teenage pregnant girls and unwed mothers dies at 90

A Catholic nun, who ministered to teenage pregnant girls and unwed mothers for years, died in Singapore on May 24. She was 90.

Sister Cecilia Cheang, a member of Religious of the Good Shepherd, grew up a Methodist and went to Methodist Girls’ School. Through God’s guidance, she became a Catholic and responded to God’s call to become a nun after working for some years in a bank.

Despite objections from her mother, she persevered and made her profession as a Good Shepherd Sister.

As a young nun, she spent some time ministering to babies in Batu Arang, a town in Gombak District, Selangor, Malaysia, which is located about 50 km from the capital, Kuala Lumpur. She remembered it fondly and often recounted it as her first experience as a Good Shepherd Sister.

Back in Singapore, she looked after women and girls in pregnancy crisis, endearing herself to several babies. She found great joy in placing some babies in good and loving homes.

For some years, she took charge of Marymount Centre (the social service arm of the Good Shepherd Sisters in Singapore), then a teenage home meeting the challenges of the disadvantaged girls with courage and grace.

Then she became the mistress of Marymount Boarding for foreign students. She was focused on ensuring the borders were doing their best and delivering the best results. All of them did and can testify to Sr Cecilia’s hard work and loving presence.

Following the closure of the Boarding, she became a strong supporter of Sr Elizabeth Lim in the OLCGS Mission of retreat/spiritual direction ministry at Good Shepherd Oasis.

She ensured every retreatant and visitor received the best hospitality and had the right environment to encounter the God of love.

Cecilia was also the Good Shepherd Treasurer for many years, keeping meticulous records as needed.

Her health declined a few years after Good Shepherd Sisters moved to Toa Payoh, and she began to suffer signs of dementia and Parkinson's. Following a fall in September 2023, she became bedridden and received care from Villa Francis.

The Singapore-Malaysia Province of Religious of the Good Shepherd celebrates a life remarkably lived by her. Cecilia’s dedication to God and others is a testament to unwavering faith and ceaseless compassion.

She was meticulous in all she did, approaching life with grace and precision that reflected her deep love for others, especially for the people she served. That love extended to her family and cousins, with whom she constantly kept in touch. Her zeal and her spirit were always bright and welcoming. She possessed a capacity to love deeply, her heart open and generous to all she encountered.

Her kindness and unwavering faith will continue to inspire others. 

Many mourned the death of Cecilia.

“When I knew that Sr Cecilia was sick I prayed very hard for her. We are very good friends. When I was in the Home in Singapore she was in Rose Villa with the unwed mothers,” said Sr Therese Thong, RGS, Taiwan.

For years both helped each other, she did all Theres’s typing for her and Therese did Cecilia’s accounts and drafted her official letters to the government.

“She [Cecilia] disliked traveling but came to Taiwan for my Jubilee. My sympathies but I also feel very deeply she has left us,” said Therese. “At the same time, I feel better that she died because I heard she was suffering greatly.”

“Her [Sr Cecilia’s] life was a beautiful reflection of God’s love, faithfulness, and grace. Though we will miss her deeply, we rejoice that she is now with the Lord she served so faithfully. May her memory continue to ‘inspire us to live’ with the same love and devotion,” said Denise and David, a Christian couple who frequent the Oasis for retreat and spiritual direction.