This is our fifth article in our Focus Week on people who, despite their disabilities and special needs, have overcome obstacles and challenges they faced.
Deborah Choo –
A friar with the Church of the St Mary of the Angels in Singapore, Rowland Yeo answered God’s calling at the age of 21. As a man of the cloth, he was bounded by three evangelical vows: poverty, chastity and obedience.
An extremely intuitive person, Rowland hears – except that he physiologically cannot. He is deaf.
When he was 22, Rowland participated in the Asian Chess Tournament in Hong Kong and was the 10th national player. However, he was told before the competition that because he is deaf, he would be replaced.
Yet as the deaf struggle to find their place in society here, some demoralized after years of facing discrimination, Rowland faces these with a smile.
Rowland is the second of five sons and is the only deaf child in the family. Communication was tough as none of his family members knew sign language. He had to often gesture or write what he wanted to say on a piece of paper. Eventually he learnt to lip read.
Raised in a devout Buddhist family, he met a priest, Father Tom, when he was 20. That marked the beginning of his new life. With the help of the auspices of the House of Studies for Deaf Priests, he was sponsored by Father Coughlin to further his studies in Gallaudet University in Washington DC in 1986
Upon graduation with a B.A. in Philosophy, Rowland then spent two years in Peru, South America, as a lay missionary helping poor and deaf children.
On his return to Singapore thereafter, he applied to three different Orders and prayed for God’s direction; Rowland finally found his calling to be with the Franciscan Friars of the Catholic Church.
In 1997, Rowland began his journey with the Franciscans as a postulant. He was solemnly professed in the Church of St Mary of Angels in September 2003.
The next year, he was appointed to serve in the Columbarium Ministry in the church. His duties included opening and closing the services and helping out in masses, amongst other administrative jobs. His comforting and peaceful presence lends consolation to those who grief for their loved ones’ passing.
As he led me through the church, many stopped to ask him questions or simply nodded in respect. Children called out to greet him even though they knew he was deaf.
Rowland’s strong desire to contribute to society perhaps surpasses many out there. Every year, when it nears the International Day of the Deaf which falls on 25 September, he will plan something for fund raising. This year, he and his small team made a handmade doll which is a replica of Rowland himself and sells it at a nominal price. He hopes to raise funds for a new office as well as for the elderly who live alone in HDB flats.
During his schooling years, Rowland felt that his special school had insufficient teachers who knew sign language. He hopes that the Singapore government would consider setting up a special secondary school for the deaf which requires all students to learn English and sign language. He proposes for this institution to be the school for deaf children seeking secondary education and hopes that the Ministry of Education (MOE) can provide sufficient teachers who are competent in sign language to teach deaf children.
Rowland is now teaching first year friars a sign language course in his church. He created his own material for it, with illustrations for the book hand-drawn by him.
“I like it,” he said when asked about his life as a friar. “St. Francis taught me to be humble, and to love others like you love yourself.”
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When Haiti was hit by earthquake beginning this year, Singapore’s aid was a measly $50K, or about 1 week pay for some of our ministers.
Last heard that the Franciscan mission in Haiti then, whom own house was destroyed, coordinated & raised worldwide about US$23m for Haiti. But we have no problem overspendind S$280m for YOG.
It feels very good to learn that there are such Singaporeans with a dedicated heart to serve society within their own disabilities, and in a mad materialistic
place like Singapore, with our Govt promoting getting rich by all means is a must and not a sin.
But Singaporeans like Rowland is a rare specie, and is getting rarer by the day.
theforgottongeneration
hi,oh well…
in this “highly globalised(read GREEDIFIED?) world,only the POOR ARE HELPING THE POOR.
look,to cut costs,coprporate bosses and company majority shareholders,HAPPILY RETRENCHED ‘EXPENSIVE(?)’ WORKERS in order to save(?) the company for long-term sustainability….sounds great,isn’t it?
but,hey,look how the RICH has become RICHER in recent years as more and even more ordinary workers get laid out of out jobs.
even here,government-linked companies are doing what private entities are doing-’CUTTING COSTS’,which more often than not,meant FORCING ‘expensive’ ordinary workers out of their jobs and either replacing them with CHEAPER IS BETTER,aka LIM ‘SWEE SWEE SAY’,or getting the remaining staff to do the extra work left by their retrenched colleagues.
as the giant corporationa are supposedly warding off ‘costs’-aka retrenching workers-,the bosses and his top lieutenants are becoing richer,even in COMMUNIST countries like PRC and “poverty-stricken” countries like India.
just look at the increase in the number of billionaires and their increased wealth.
perhaps,it is indeed the RACE OF GLOBALISATION for the RICH to outdo each other to become the FIRST TRILLIONAIRE?!
God knows especially when the same rcih people are tlaking about long-term sustainability but are in fact,the very ones to HELP QUICKEN THE PACE OF SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEGRADATION and SLOWING the process of thIS world’s economic RECOVERY as ultimatley,ECONOMIC GROWTH and EXPANSION,depends on basic CONSUMPTION.
if people are getting more and more unmeployed and unemployable,where can we find SUSTAINABLE CONSUMPTION TO PROPEL SUSTAINABLE LONG-TERM ECONOMIC GROWTH?
the difference between those who live for God and those who live for money is this: those who live for God,live for other men;those who live for money live for themselves…ponder.
whichever faith we live by,at the end of our journeys,we are all judged by how we live for others as against SELF.
see,that’s why our past leaders were appreciated as they lived for other lesser mortal singaporeans but singaporeans cannot appreciate the new guard elites as they are mostly self-serving.
@LIONS ROAR
In every society, it is unfortunate that there will be those that serves and those that grabs. It is even more unfortunate if leaders are of the latter type. What a shame to the alma mater of Catholic High if/when they produced such a leader.
This will be the legency of self-governing Singapore’s short history – we blew the chance to build a prosperous yet gracious society; instead we have taken the road of exploiting the common mass for sake of the rich/elites.
It is comforting to know that such characters as Fr Rowland exist in our midst, helping others to help themselves in spite of his own disabilities.
I do not think we can simply divide our world made up of those who grab what they want for themselves, versus those who are altruistically aiding others. The equation is far more complicated than that.
I for one possess my ideals, to one day serve a common good for others beyond myself. However, I am also faced with the pressures of attaining and achieving success in my career, so that I can better provide materially for my loved ones and myself. That will inevitably mean having to get down and dirty, and partake of the challenges presented in this combative material world.
These are questions and concerns all of us face. Maybe there is no one or the other, and the acceptance that life is at times a living paradox. That it is indeed possible to live life being successful in both respects. For how can we truly aid others, without taking care of ourselves and those we love. While at the same time, can we live with ourselves being absolutely self contented?