If I’d be asked how I remember Toyleen, I would say that one of my most vivid memories of Toyleen is the image of her petite stature standing next to a six-feet tall inmate inside the chapel at Edmonton Remand Centre. There they were having a fun and respectful interaction. That’s Toyleen – small stature, big character. She made people feel welcomed and accepted for who they are, with her gentleness, tender smile, and genuine attention.
Toyleen was born in Wales on July 18, 1951 to Chinese immigrant parents. She was the youngest of five children. At the age of 6, Toyleen and the family moved from United Kingdom to Hong Kong. In 1974, at the age of 23, Toyleen left Hong Kong to move to England and for the first time, she was away from home and from her family. Two years after that, in 1976 and with only $70 in her pocket, Toyleen moved to Canada and settled in Edmonton. Being away from family and having so little to get by with, Toyleen learned to rely on God’s providence.
Toyleen was not born into the Catholic faith but at the age of 9, she was received into the Catholic Church and she was educated in schools run by religious congregations. When she moved to Canada in 1976, she became associated with the Chinese Catholic community in Edmonton where she met Sr. Gertrude Kwan, a Sister of Providence. In her writings about her ministry with the refugees, Sr. Gertrude wrote about Toyleen:
“In 1979 and 1980, I began working with the Vietnamese refugees who were coming into Canada. A young Chinese girl, Toyleen Fook, made herself available to come with me every Saturday and Sunday to the refugees’ camp (Toyleen had a car). We went to motels, hotels, different refugee camps. As we spoke Cantonese we were able to communicate with many of the refugees. Ninety percent of them were Cantonese born in Vietnam and because of our ability to communicate with them we were able to gain their confidence.
Toyleen Fook was a member of the Legion of Mary. She did wonderful work in Edmonton. This young girl and I found each other in our work, and we both had the same attraction for the poor. The poorest were our preference. The Sisters of Providence spirit affected her deeply and she made up her mind to enter the community. In September 1981, she became our postulant.”
Speaking about her call to Religious Life, Toyleen wrote about it in her reflection that she read at her perpetual profession of vows at St. Francis Church in Calgary:
“I can still remember clearly in 1978, after visiting some refugees with Sister Kwan when she asked me whether I thought of dedicating my life to God as a Religious. At that time, I thought the whole idea was absolutely ridiculous. I had never thought of such thing in my life and on top of that I did not want to hear about it again. I was scared. However, the call persisted and the presence of religious people in my life continued to bother me. Do you believe, I even took off to Hong Kong to flee this call. I certainly was not going to give in. But God continued to call me even in sometimes painful events of my life. I gradually began to let go and let God take over. It took three years of struggle before I entered in 1981. Once I asked to enter, a deep sense of inner peace came over me.”
Toyleen had her initial formation as a Sister of Providence in Western Canada and Western United States. She learned the essentials of consecrated life and the special charism of the community which manifested in how she lived her life moving forward. Toyleen made her perpetual commitment to God as a consecrated woman in 1989.
Having completed a Diploma in Theological Studies at Newman Theological College in 1989, Toyleen ministered in parishes such as St. Patrick’s parish, St. Gerard’s Parish, and St. Francis’ parish in Calgary and St. John the Evangelist parish in Edmonton.
Toyleen’s last ministry was prison chaplaincy at Edmonton Remand Centre where she worked in the last 13 years. Toyleen loved her ministry at the Remand Centre. She was a strong advocate for prison ministry and she would always find time to encourage our Sisters and friends to volunteer at the Remand Centre. Toyleen had the gift of seeing the persons beyond their prison charges and records; for her, every single person is truly a child of God and deserves to be treated with respect and dignity. No wonder she was well respected not only by the officers and staff at Remand but especially by the inmates.
In addition to her external ministries, Toyleen also held important ministries within the congregation as Vocation Director, Novitiate house support, local house treasurer, local house director, and provincial councillor. As a support person in a novitiate house, Toyleen was our go-to person when we needed to talk during difficulties and when we wanted to have laid-back recreation at home, at the movies, or at coffee shops. One cannot question Toyleen’s support for vocation promotion and for younger Sisters in initial formation.
Toyleen has touched so many lives over the years. She had a lot of friends and connections in the congregation and in the greater community. For those of us who lived with Toyleen, we especially noted how close she was to her siblings. It was a little bit of transition for Toyleen when her three siblings decided to move back to Cardiff, Wales after living in Calgary for so many years, but they managed to communicate every day by video call and they always went on holidays together to Hong Kong in the last few years.
Toyleen was generally a healthy person and she always tried to be physically active. It was a great shock to us when she was suddenly diagnosed with cancer in August of this year. Toyleen moved temporarily to Providence Centre on Sept. 23, at the feast day of our foundress, Blessed Emilie Gamelin.
Toyleen received good care from the staff at Providence Centre and she had closer access to our Sisters who live here. On the night she was taken to the University of Alberta Hospital, Toyleen had only two things in her jacket pocket: her ID and her seven-dolor beads (the rosary beads we use to pray the Seven Sorrows of Mary). Even to the last moments of her life, Toyleen clung to Providence and sought refuge in Our Mother of Sorrows. She died peacefully in the afternoon of October 20 at the U of A hospital and in the company of three Sisters of Providence, and her siblings (via videocall).
-Sr. Rezebeth Noceja, SP
Prayers will be held on Nov. 9 at 6:30 p.m., and Father John Hesse will celebrate the Funeral Mass on Nov. 10 at 9 a.m. at Providence Centre Chapel. Interment will follow at the Sisters of Providence Cemetery in Calgary, at a later date.
Livestream link: https://www.rispektmedia.com/sister-toyleen-fook-11-10-0900
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