Dr Jemilah Mahmood, former president of Mercy Malaysia, said no one ever felt out of place and all got along harmoniously despite the diverse racial and religious backgrounds of Assunta’s pupils.
“Everyone was allowed to practise their beliefs in a safe environment. That is how a school should be, where ethics, politeness, and respect were of prime importance,” she told FMT.
Asimah Amaluddin, who later became a teacher at her old school, said Sister Enda was kind, gracious and loving towards all Assuntarians. “As far as I can remember, we were never made to feel as ‘non-Christians’.”
Former Assunta principal Teresa Chan said Sister Enda inspired her to become an even better version of herself, “to be more compassionate, empathetic and to be a servant-leader.”
Jemilah said Sister Enda “definitely shaped me into who I am today” by building her confidence in public speaking and interest in charity work.
Sister Enda was very concerned about public speaking and held oratory classes, she said. Being in a missionary school also meant that schoolchildren were involved in fundraising activities, Jemilah added.
“I’ve never forgotten to pay tribute to her influence on my life,” said Jemilah.
One of her fondest memories of Sister Enda was when she was invited to write the foreword for Sister Enda’s autobiography “Make Me An Instrument: The Singing Sister”.
She also described Sister Enda as being a “mother” to her students. “We will miss her very dearly.”
Asimah said she was privileged to study at the school before Sister Enda retired in 1989. She said Sister Enda epitomised Assunta’s motto “’Ad Veritatem Per Caritatem” (To Truth through Charity).
“We were often reminded that we were all equal, in pursuing education and becoming independent,” said Asimah, who is now an English-language teacher at her old secondary school.
Chan, who was headmistress of Assunta secondary school from 2017 to 2021, said that the school anthem, written by Sister Enda, had the biggest impact on her. The song represented Sister Enda’s love and aspiration for her students. “It epitomises the ethos and values educators would seek to instil in their students,” Chan said.
Sister Enda died this morning at the age of 95. She was best known for founding the Assunta primary and secondary schools as well as assisting in the growth of Ave Maria Clinic, which eventually expanded to become Assunta Hospital.
Born Eileen Philomena Ryan on Dec 30, 1928, in Ireland, she came to Malaya after graduating with a degree in education in 1954, following a request by the then Chief Justice, Michael Hogan, to set up schools for girls whose education had been disrupted during the Emergency to combat a communist insurgency.
She became a Malaysian citizen in October 1966.