Vocation Promotion: Infant Jesus Sisters

Who we are

We are an International group of Catholic Women Religious serving in 16 countries. We desire to centre ourselves in God, who is constantly creating and recreating all that lives.


How did we begin


It all began with Nicolas Barré a man of vision and courage who inspired our first Sisters to educate the ‘street children’ of Rouen in 1662 and to form community in 1666.

As it was at its’ origin the mission of the Institute has been lived out principally through Education. An ever changing world has presented new challenges and so new and creative ways to carry out this mission of ‘education’ have evolved.


What inspires us

Impelled by the Spirit we reflect on the world around us in the light of the Gospel. This inspires us to respond to the needs of our time.

"Glory be to God whose power in us can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine..." (Eph:20)


Our Work here in Malaysia

The Sisters arrived in Malaya as it then was in 1852 – the first mission on foreign soil since the Founding of the Institute in 1666. The first School as well as an Orphanage was in Penang and others soon followed. Today the work of education in both formal and informal settings continues in Kuala Lumpur, Bukit Nanas, Kapor, Rawang, Port Dickson, Seremban, Cameron Highlands, Bagan Serai, Ipoh, Sitiawan, Teluk Intan, Jahor Baru, Melaka, Keningau, Penampang as well as in Penang.

The IJ Sisters in Seremban are actively involved in education of the young among the urban poor (with their learning centre in Kampung Pasir). The sisters also participate in the pastoral ministry of the parish in the areas of catechetics and youth. Previously, the IJ's in Seremban were also involved in the Orang Asli ministry.

For more information about us, please go to our website.

Vocation Discernment 2/2

It is not particularly easy to discern God’s call for us nor do we often receive a clear indication that one is being called to the priesthood or religious life. No flash of light, nor mysterious voice in the night. Sometimes it may only be a mere yearning that persists. Here are some pointers which you may need to explore. Always remember that they are not ‘full-proof’ and do not exhaust the many various types of vocation experiences that one may encounter.

1. One’s gifts and abilities. Many of these are necessary for any occupation, but as all, or almost all, begin to converge in an individual, there is serious reason to consider whether God is calling that person to the priesthood. Nevertheless, possessing certain gifts which may be suited to the ministry of the priesthood is never to be considered as conclusive. Perhaps we can indicate some of these gifts by a series of questions.
a) Is the Lord giving me gifts or has he given me gifts that will serve many, in contrast to the gifts given to a husband and father who will serve a few?
b) Is the Lord giving me the ability to approach many people of varying personalities and to share him with them?
c) Is he giving me the ability to talk effectively to groups of people and to bring to them the message of Jesus?
d) Is there a growing concern for all people, the desire to touch and to heal the wounds of their hearts?

2. Growing conviction of a call. There is a growing conviction that the Lord is saying, “Come, follow me, and I will make you a fisher of men.” This may take the form of a growing desire for a life of total service to the Christian community, in contrast to the part-time service of a member of the community. There is a sense that God is calling me to be permanent instrument of his ministry.

3. A variety of experiences. Sometimes this conviction meets with eagerness. First, one sort of entertains the idea. Then, “Lord if that is what you want, I am ready.” Finally, leaving all things I follow him. At other times one hears and tries to shut out the sound of the Lord’s voice. Deep down, we know that it is the Lord. He is saying, “Go, sell everything ... and come follow me.” At times there is a very active rebellion – “Why me, Lord? Look, I want to continue my studies, I’ve got a job, I’ve got a girlfriend (or a boyfriend), everything I want out of life. Why me?”

4. The opposite may actually point the way. If the thought of the priesthood makes one angry, rebellious, or abnormally fearful, one can suspect the Lord is calling. We don’t ordinarily react strongly to something that has no particular meaning for us.

5. What is the cost? If the cost of ‘leaving everything’ to follow Jesus is high, when one’s open declaration of wanting to become a priest is confronted with strong opposition and painful obstacles, it may be an indication that God is calling us to this life.

If one has the interior disposition to follow the Lord no matter where he calls and no matter what has to be given up, then if one is leading a life of prayer - daily, on a regular basis, giving the Lord time to get at him - what God wants will become clear. The conviction grows stronger and stronger; the rebellion, the fear, the anger quiet down, most especially during moments of prayer. An inner peace and the assuring voice of the Lord comes to us, “My grace is sufficient for you.” So many people think that if God calls someone to the priesthood or religious life it is a call to misery. God never calls to misery. He may call to sacrifice and this call may entail opposition from those who do not understand; he never calls to unhappiness. It is safe to put our lives in his hands, no matter what he asks, for he loves us better than we love ourselves.

Discernment is a process where our lives must be given over to prayer, for it is only in prayer can we ultimately discern the voice of God calling us to our specific vocation in life. This is one thing that you and only you can discern. But this also means that one must avail of the rich heritage of the Catholic tradition - spiritual writings, recollections and retreats. Speak to the Vocation Director of your diocese. The guidance and support of a spiritual director or companion, one who has also made this journey of discovery and discernment, is essential to sieve through the many differing attractions and motivations.

As you think about your vocation the important thing to keep in mind is: What is the Lord calling you to? He himself says, “Each as his proper gift, and it is in faithfulness to the gift that we find our fulfilment.”

Vocation Discernment 1/2

I don’t know Who - or what - put the question,
I don’t know when it was put.
I don’t even remember answering.
But at some moment I did answer Yes to Someone -
Or Something -
and from that hour I was certain that existence is meaningful and
that, therefore, my life in self-surrender, had a goal.

Do I have a call to become a priest or a religious sister or a brother?
How do I know if I am really called by God, or if it is a figment of my imagination?
What if God calls me to do something I can’t do or don’t want to do?

The process by which we try to find answers to these questions is called ‘Vocation discernment.’ It is a process that seeks to find out God’s will or special call for me. This process that takes time, patience and much prayer. Of course, clear answers, perfect and unambiguous, do not come for each of these questions at once and we may never be fully (one hundred per cent) certain that the answer is so. We eventually have to ‘grow into’ and ‘live the questions.’ We may never see the ultimate end of our journey, it is only necessary that we risk taking each step as it comes.

To speak of some persons having a vocation and others not is clearly a misconception of what vocation is all about. Everyone has a vocation and it is the same: to live life to it’s fullest by way of loving. Love is at the very core of every vocation. But here we are speaking more specifically of the unique vocation where a person is called to experience and express this common human vocation of life and love either as a single person, a married person, a religious brother or sister or as a priest. There is clearly no issue of a higher vocation. For the only highest vocation is love itself, resounding through all these different expressions.

A young man came to Mother Teresa seeking advice. He wanted only one assignment, to work with the lepers. Mother told him that his vocation was not necessarily to work with the lepers. His vocation was to belong to Jesus, and because he belonged to Jesus, he could put his love for Jesus in action by service to the lepers.
“It makes no difference whether you are teaching university-level people, or whether you are in the slums, or just cleaning or washing or scrubbing, washing wounds, picking up maggots, all this makes no difference. Not what we do, but how much love we put into doing is what concerns Jesus.”




(to be continued tomorrow)

Lay People need Religious to inspire them

HUA HIN, Thailand (UCAN) -- Men and women Religious are needed in Asia today to inspire laypeople and be a powerful a sign of God's presence in their economically driven societies.

This was the message a lay Church worker gave to leading Asian Religious gathered for a Federation of Asian Bishops' (FABC) meeting in Hua Hin, Thailand.

Religious must live the consecrated life not only for themselves but as an inspiration for laypeople, who face the pressures of modern living, Sherman Kuek told some 60 nuns, brothers, priests and bishops at the Nov. 16-21 FABC symposium. The meeting had the theme, "The Impact of Today's Culture on the Church, especially as regards Consecrated Life in Asia Today."

Kuek, 33, is director of the Melaka-Johor Diocesan Pastoral Institute in Malaysia and was the only lay speaker at the symposium. Religious must live radical antithetical lives that inspire and excite laypeople to emulate them, albeit in their lay state of life, he said.

He noted that laypeople live in a culture that urges them to "work more, earn more, spend more," and which is "at odds with the Gospel."

He said that laypeople have inevitably reinterpreted, redefined and compartmentalized religion. From being at the center of their lives, it is now relegated to a corner. They faithfully perform religious duties and obligations but otherwise they are busy engaging with a culture that advocates consumption and the acquiring of wealth.

In modern Asian societies such as Singapore, Hong Kong and Japan, laypeople "choose both God and mammon," Kuek asserted.

Now the Church in Asia is challenged to answer a prophetic call to authentic discipleship, Kuek continued, explaining that this call is for Religious to make a stand for the sake of the laity.

"The Church can shout and shout" in condemning materialism and urging charity but laypeople do not necessarily listen because they have to survive in the modern world, he stressed.

Many Religious said on the sidelines that his call to them was a powerful challenge.

Filipina Sister Julma Neo noted that after Vatican Council II, many Religious not only "adapted" to the world, as was intended, but also "adopted" the ways of the world.

The former general councilor for Asia of the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul agreed that for the consecrated life to make sense, it must be mystical, prophetic and counter-cultural.

(Published in UCAN News, November 19)
Dr. Sherman Kuek was Pastoral Associate of Formation and Youth Ministry in the Church of Visitation, Seremban and Chapel of St. Theresa, Nilai from 2008-2009. He now serves as Director of the Pastoral Institute of the Melaka-Johor Diocese.