SHILLONG: The Sisters of Our Lady of the Missions, commonly known as the RNDM sisters, mourned the demise of Sister Xavier Chirayil, RNDM, of St Mary’s Convent, Shillong on Sunday, in her native Kerala.
According to the notification issued by Sister Mildred Khongngain, the Provincial of the Sisters of Our Lady of the Missions, India North East Province, the funeral service of Sr Xavier will be held at the RNDM Convent, Kollam, Kerala on Wednesday at 11 am.
In Shillong, all priests, religious, teachers and staff, past and present pupils, the faithful and well wishers were invited to the concelebrated Requiem Mass at St Mary’s Convent chapel, Laitumkhrah on Tuesday, at 5:30 pm to offer prayers for the repose of the departed soul. In her more than half a century innings of religious life, Sr Xavier, 77, began her committed religious life in the RNDM order of the Catholic Church, as a postulant on July 2, 1962 at St Mary’s Convent, Shillong.
Soon after, she proceeded to St Scholastica Convent, Chittagong in present day Bangladesh then known as East Pakistan for her one-year novitiate where in 1965 she took her first religious vows. On returning to Shillong she enrolled in St Mary’s College where in 1968 she passed her Bachelor of Arts majoring in political science.
In 1970 she was at the Sudeep Training Course, Bangalore in Karnataka in preparation for her final profession or vow which she made on July 2, 1971 at St Joseph’s Convent, Shillong.
After a course at Rome, she was sent as headmistress of St John Bosco High School, Sohra in Meghalaya. In 1980 she was posted to St Michael’s School, Umsning where she was instrumental in upgrading it to secondary school level.