SHILLONG: Sr. Biola Shadap (RNDM), who was instrumental in setting up the permanent campus of the St. Mary’s College of Teacher Education, breathed her last at the Joseph’s Convent, Jaiaw, in the city on Wednesday.
Her funeral service will be held at St. Joseph’s Convent on December 18 at 1 pm followed by the funeral cortege to Laitumkhrah Catholic Cemetery.
Sr. Shadap was born on January 1, 1946 as the eldest child of Krisos Sympli and Genevieve Shadap at Mawkyndeng, Raliang in Jaintia Hills District.
As a young girl, Biola showed great interest in prayer and used to set examples for her three siblings. She studied in the mission school in Mawkyndeng till Class VI and later joined St. Mary’s, Shillong, as a boarder.
Being greatly influenced by the sisters in work and words, Biola expressed her desire to take up missionary activities in the Congregation of Our Lady of the Missions and was received in St. Joseph’s Convent on August 15, 1965, when she attained the age of 19. She joined her Novitiate on July 2, 1966 in the same Convent.
While in her Novitiate, her mother passed away exactly one year ahead of her profession; however, her missionary zeal and with encouragement from her father, aunt and younger siblings, she continued her Novitiate. She made her solemn promise for dedication and commitment in religious life through her First Profession on July 2, 1968.
In the year 2000, the Congregation handed over to Sr. Biola a very important task in the field of teacher’s education when the oldest B.T. / B.Ed. College for women in the region – St. Mary’s B.Ed. College – was about to be de-recognized for want of bifurcation and establishment of a separate independent campus.
Sr. Biola studied the files, worked hard, met people, communicated with academic and administrative authorities both in the State as well as the Centre and at the same time took upon herself the responsibility of constructing the St. Mary’s College of Teacher Education.