Soeur Pascaline Mabontang Sumpto

List of Deceased Sisters

Date of Death 20/12/2022

Sister Pascaline Mabontang Sumpto smsm

Born:                     6^th April 1968, Port Orly, Vanuatu

Professed:           2^nd January 1993, Paita, New Caledonia

Died:                      20^th December 2022, Paray, Vanuatu

Pascaline Mabontang Sumpto was born into a deeply religious family, the daughter of Sylvestre Boulekou Sumpto and his wife Eudoxie Mabonsuc. The family are from Melsisi on Pentecost but her father was teaching at Port Orly on Santo.  Due to the limitations of space in high schools, Pascaline was unable to continue her education beyond primary school until a special course was set up by Sr M. Didier smsm for those who wanted to enter religious life but had limited education. 

Pascaline began her postulancy on 22^nd February 1990 and made her profession in New Caledonia on 2^nd January 1993. After giving community service for a year, Sr Pascaline began high school at Montmartre where she was taught by Sr M. Emmanuel.  The Sisters remember Sr Pascaline as a gentle, calm and hard-working student. All though Sr Pascaline was naturally a woman of few words, she mixed well with the other Sisters.  When she was assigned a task, she would do it calmly and carefully, and complete it on time.

In 1996, Srs Beatrice Loda and Pascaline opened the community in Lamlu on Tanna, under very difficult conditions.  Sr Pascaline was an excellent teacher in the primary school and was committed to community life and the activities of the parish. According to Sr Beatrice, Sr Pascaline often told her that she loved her vocation and tried to live her mission accordingly.  After making her perpetual profession in May 1999, Sr Pascaline left Vanuatu, first to give service in New Caledonia and then in 2001, she was sent to Madagascar.

In Madagascar, Sr Pascaline taught French to the young women at the Centre for the Advancement of Women and she put her heart and soul into teaching as she loved to teach.  In 2005, after her home leave and some medical care, Sr Pascaline returned to Madagascar but in 2008 she was transferred back to Vanuatu as the illness that was to affect the rest of her life became more apparent.  It is a rare inherited illness which appears later in life and affects the nervous system.  Her father and sister have died of it and two of her brothers are also affected.

Once again, Sr Pascaline was sent to Lamlu to teach in the primary school but despite medical treatment and times of rest, in November 2011 Sr Pascaline had to give up the work she loved so much, teaching.  The illness affected her speech and her movement, yet Sr Pascaline contributed to the life of community in whichever way she could, quietly and faithfully. She liked solitude and accepted what was happening with a deep sense of faith. 

From the time she returned to Port Vila, Sr Madeleine Fassion helped her with massages and exercises, both speech and physical.  In her simplicity, Sr Pascaline welcomed a Sister accompanying her to the doctor to explain her problems. Courageously, she held on to her independence for as long as she could but the disease progressed relentlessly until finally she was totally dependent.  As her needs increased, she needed the help of carers.  Some people had suggested that she should return to her family for care but Sr Pascaline insisted that she had committed herself to God in the congregation and that it is where she belonged.

Sr Pascaline had a wonderful sense of humour and a warm welcoming smile. When she was happy, her eyes sparkled.  As time passed, her speech became more and more difficult to understand but her eyes spoke volumes. Over the years of her gradual decline, the Sisters and the carers were dedicated in caring for her.  It was painful to see a once-vibrant woman deteriorating before their eyes.

During the season of Advent preparing for the coming of Jesus, after so many years of increasing suffering, on 20^th December as the O antiphon of the day asked, the Key of David, Jesus opened the door to free Sr Pascaline from the prison of her body to her eternal reward for her life of love, faithful service and prayerful surrender. 

May perpetual light shine upon her, may she rest in peace.

Thank you, Pascaline, for your example of faithfulness.

Sister Jennifer Clarke smsm