Serving to Change
Comfort staff during their visit to St Joseph ’ s Home
4
A HOME NOT JUST FOR CATHOLICS , BUT EVERYONE
Mention St Joseph ’ s and what may come to mind is that this is a Catholic home for Catholics mainly . But clearly , many people saw the home beyond its religious label . The good work of the Sisters attracted others like Venerable Master Chin Kung of the Singapore Buddhist Lodge to donate $ 100,000 to the Canossian Missions and taxi drivers from Comfort Transportation to pledge $ 3,000 and 10 wheelchairs to the home . Both acts were reported in the local papers . To this day , the home continues to welcome residents and visitors of all backgrounds and from all walks of life .
5
THE LATE DAME CICELY SAUNDERS WAS A GUEST OF ST JOSEPH ’ S HOME
St Joseph ’ s Home was privileged to host the founder of the modern hospice movement , the late Dame Cicely Saunders when she visited the home in the 1990s . Her work and beliefs have inspired many to rethink care for the dying and more importantly , how to enable them to live fully before death . As she put it “ You matter because you are you , and you matter to the end of your life . We will do all we can not only to help you die peacefully , but also to live until you die .”
Mass at the new chapel in the second home in Jurong Road
6
ST . JOSEPH ’ S HOME USED TO BE ON FREEHOLD LAND
But turns out freehold was not so freehold after all . As HDB flats sprang up in Jurong , the government wanted St . Joseph ’ s Home to leave its original site at the now nonexistent Gek Poh Road . Citing flood control as the official reason , the freehold deal was annulled and replaced with a 30-year lease . One of the founding sisters , Sister Mary , recalls this piece of news as a “ very painful moment ” but nonetheless necessary for nation-building and urban renewal .
26 | St Joseph ’ s Home