In Singapore, a simple act of attention changed the direction of Linda’s life.

For some time, she had been selling packets of tissue paper outside Novena Church. Many people passed by, but some parishioners stopped, noticed her situation, and offered help. Eventually, one of them connected her with the Society of St. Vincent de Paul Conference of Our Lady of Lourdes.

That encounter became the beginning of a new chapter.

Linda (left) and Doreen (right) sharing a meal at their favourite coffee shop.

Linda was 65 and had already lived through many difficult years. A long period of working late nights in nightclubs, together with heavy drinking, smoking, and drug use, had taken a serious toll on her physical and emotional health. She was frail, unable to work, and living with several medical conditions.

She shared a rental flat with her husband and son, while also remaining connected to another son and daughter. Family life had not been easy, and the household needed financial assistance, but the Vincentians who came to know her gradually realized that Linda was looking for more than material support.

She longed for faith.

Doreen See and Jane Tan, Vincentians from the Conference of Our Lady of Lourdes, remember the early stages of accompanying her. Linda began the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults at the Church of Saints Peter and Paul, but the journey was difficult.

She missed classes. At times, she arrived confused or unwell. Progress was slow and uncertain.

Still, she did not give up.

Neither did the people accompanying her.

For nearly three years, Vincentians remained beside her with patience and encouragement. They did not expect a quick transformation. They simply continued to visit, support, listen, and walk with her.

Eventually, Linda was baptized.

For those who had accompanied her, it was a moment of deep joy, but baptism was not the end of the story. It marked the beginning of a new way of living.

Linda herself noticed the change.

“I learned to be more ‘lady-like’ from Doreen and Jane,” she said. “When I became Catholic, I felt so peaceful. I don’t scold or fight with people as much anymore.”

Her words are simple, but they reveal something profound. The friendship she received helped her rediscover her own dignity. Faith gave her peace, and the community gave her a place where she belonged.

Over time, Linda became a familiar and cherished presence at the parish.

During the monthly distribution of assistance, families and individuals supported by the Society gather for breakfast and fellowship. Many are elderly and live alone in rental flats. For them, the gathering is not merely an occasion to receive aid. It is a chance to speak, laugh, eat together, and feel remembered.

Linda began helping to organize the breakfast. She welcomed people, helped them settle in, and made sure others felt comfortable.

The woman who had once stood alone outside a church was now welcoming others inside a community.

In many ways, she became what the Conference affectionately described as an “honorary” Vincentian.

Her story shows that Vincentian service is not a one-way relationship between those who give and those who receive. When accompaniment is rooted in friendship and respect, the person who first comes seeking help may later become a source of welcome and encouragement for others.

Linda’s health, however, has remained fragile. In recent months, she experienced heart and stomach problems and lost almost ten kilograms. Because she was not eating well, she began receiving nutritional milk through the Society’s Supplementary Needs Action Programme. Her weight slowly started to improve, although she remained underweight.

Illness also prevented her from attending church as often as she wished.

“I really miss going to church now that I am sick,” she said.

There is no easy or perfect ending to Linda’s story. Her health problems have not disappeared, and her family still faces difficulties. Yet her life has changed in ways that cannot be measured only by income, weight, or medical reports.

She is no longer alone.

She has found faith, friendship, and a community in which she is known by name. She has also discovered that she still has something to give.

For Vincentians, Linda’s journey offers a quiet but powerful reminder. The first step in service is often simply to notice someone whom others have learned to overlook. A packet of tissues sold outside a church may conceal a lifetime of pain, a longing for God, and gifts that have not yet found a place to flourish.

The Vincentians who accompanied Linda did not solve everything. They remained close. They gave practical help, but they also made room for trust, patience, and faith to grow.

That kind of accompaniment takes time. It may involve setbacks, missed appointments, disappointment, and uncertainty, but it can also open doors that no financial assistance alone could open.

Linda’s transformation began because someone stopped.

Someone listened.

Someone introduced her to a community.

And that community kept walking with her.

Today, her life stands as a testimony to the power of many helping hands—and to the hope that can emerge when Vincentian charity becomes friendship.

Article based on information from the 2025 Annual Report of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul in Singapore.