After finishing five years as the provincial councilor looking after the needs of Sisters in the former Mother Joseph Province, Sr. Jacqueline has assumed the role of Commissary for the Dominican Sisters. (Essentially, she is the Superior of an order that has too few Sisters remaining to fill that role.)
“People ask me what I like the best in my ministry,” says Sr. Jacqueline, “and I tell them the best part of my ministry is working with the Sisters. And then I tell them, the worst part is working with the Sisters. We can be a demanding lot.”
She was born in Kowloon, Hong Kong, to a Portuguese father, Leopoldo Fernandes, and a Chinese mother, Rosalind Lee Fernandes. The dangerous war years kept the family on the move as her father, a British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) manager, was transferred from Singapore to Batavia to Australia to India.
The family tried to follow but on the way to India, their ship was bombed by the Germans and they spent three years in a Japanese concentration camp.
Sr. Jacqueline met the Sisters of Providence when she attended a retreat at Providence Heights and was encouraged to meet Filipino Sisters and Sisters from Daughters of Mary in Uganda.
“I thought I would have a chance in the community,” she explained. With her father’s written consent, she entered the religious community in 1964, the summer that her father died.
“I asked mother what I should do and she said, ‘Go ahead with your plans because that’s what your father wants you to do.’”
She was assigned to community services in the early years, and then joined the treasurer’s office, where she worked with the late Sr. Susan Hunsaker, SP, “who taught me to be generous with the Sisters. She became a wonderful mentor and friend.”
Sr. Jacqueline loved the variety the job offered, handling Sisters’ moves, furniture, storage and cars.
For 16 years she was registrar and office manager at Providence High School in Burbank, California, where she enjoyed being with students and occasionally substituting. “I told them, ‘I know your grades, so get your books and study.’ And I taught PE class with running and Richard Simmons exercise tapes.”
In 1996, Sr. Jacqueline began the first of two terms on the Provincial Council when the Sacred Heart Province joined with the Saint Ignatius Province to form the new Mother Joseph Province. Her prior ministry experience came in handy as she took charge of ministries, living arrangements, board affiliations and as liaison for associates and vocations. She also ministered as superior/administrator of St. Joseph Residence.
“God has given me the grace,” she explained. “I’m not intellectual, but I can learn. I have common sense and patience, and I like people.”
Sr. Jacqueline reaches out to everyone she encounters, showing interest and concern for them, their families and their lives. She also loves to celebrate with others and will not let a Chinese New Year pass without organizing a party or bringing a crowd to her favorite Chinese restaurant.