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Catholic Church begins canonization for nurse who supported the resistance during Japanese occupation of Malaya
THE Catholic Church in Penang has started a beatification and canonization process for Sybil Kathigasu – a celebrated nurse who underwent immense torture during the Japanese Occupation of World War II.
The church has started the process for her Sainthood with hope that it receives the final nod from the Vatican.
A ceremony was held recently at the Church of St Michael in Ipoh recently - 16km away from Papan where Kathigasu stood up against brutalism of torture, both physical and mental.
A book about how she became emboldened by her faith and refused to cave in to the physical and mental torture inflicted by her captors, was also launched.
The nurse was beaten to reveal locations and names of the Japanese resistance but stood strong even when her daughter was brought before her to be tortured.
The lady was born as Sybil Daly in Medan, Sumatra before she married her husband Dr Arumugam K. Pillay at the Kuala Lumpur General Hospital where she was posted as a nurse.
Dr Pillay became a Catholic, and was christened Abdon Clement Kathigasu, the name that would go down in history as one of Malaysia’s World War II heroes alongside his renowned wife.
“We will do well to revisit her life and works to find inspiration for our times. I wish that efforts be made to gather, compile, study, reflect, and make available her life and work as a testimony to us.
“I hope to advance her cause for beatification and canonization by God’s Grace,” said His Eminence Cardinal Francis.
Kathigasu was renowned for her compassion and resistance but what stood out in her short life, was her absolute faith, as a guiding force throughout turbulent times.
She died from injuries sustained during imprisonment on June 12, 1948, at the age of 48 in Britain and was initially buried in Lanark, Scotland.
Her body was later returned in 1949 to Malaya and reburied at the Roman Catholic cemetery beside the Church of St Michael on Jalan Sultan Idris Shah in Ipoh.
In her honour, Jalan Sybil Kathigasu in Fair Park, Ipoh, was named after Independence in honour of her.
Today, the shophouse at 74 Main Road in Papan, where she served as a nurse with her husband, is as a memorial museum, which is also a tourist spot.
Her book entitled: "No Dram of Mercy," was explained by persons who spent a great degree to understand and study what made this feisty lady tick.
The panel of Fahmi Mustaffa, Dr. Jean-Charles Khalifa, A.S. Francis and Prof Elsa Lafaye spoke about their admiration of Kathigasu.
Singapore-based French academic Michel Chambon enlightened the audience about how high her spirituality was during times of conflict.
Cardinal Sebastian spoke of how Kathigasu was, by every measure, a woman of deep conviction.
"She served, resisted, and endured suffering, a strength born of her Catholic faith.
“Her tale of No Dram of Mercy, is more than a memoir. It is a sacred testimony to the resilience of her human strength and spirit in the face of cruelty and war."
The testimony of her sufferings is evident in the titles given to her book, which has been translated into multiple languages, reflecting the universal impact and resonance of her story.
"May her story continue to inspire generations to live courageously and faithfully," added Sebastian. - July 30, 2025.
