Gerard Fernandez

Gerard Fernandez (born 1938) is a Roman Catholic religious sister who is best known for her work as a death row counsellor in Singapore.[1]

For the French sports shooter, see Gérard Fernandez.

In her more than 40 years of work, she worked with 18 inmates on death row, the most notable of which were Catherine Tan Mui Choo and Hoe Kah Hong, the women accomplices of Adrian Lim in the murders of 2 children.[2]

Career

Her call to such work started one morning during enunciation drills when her father made her recite a verse "And I commit you to Sing Sing Prison, there to be hanged, drawn and quartered".[3] She joined the Good Shepherd Sisters, a Roman Catholic order of nuns at 18, and started her work with her first death row inmate at 36.[3]

Media

In 2018, she was featured in the short film Sister by film-maker Chai Yee Wei. The film highlighted Sister Gerard and her counseling of Catherine Tan Mui Choo and Hoe Kah Hong before their deaths.[4]

Awards

She is the first Singaporean woman to be included in BBC's 2019 list of the 100 Women, the most inspiring women across the globe.[5]

References
  1. "Singapore - 81-year-old-nun-first-singaporean-included-in-bbcs-yearly-most-influential-women-list - News - msn". www.msn.com. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
  2. Iau, Jean (18 October 2019). "Singapore nun who counselled death row inmates on BBC list of inspiring women". The New Paper. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
  3. hermes (25 December 2016). "It Changed My Life: 'My calling is people who are broken'". The Straits Times. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
  4. hermesauto (30 November 2018). "Short film about nun who counselled death-row inmates part of project to promote giving culture". The Straits Times. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
  5. "BBC 100 Women 2019: Who is on the list?". 16 October 2019. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
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