Article by Wendy Louis, Chair of Catholic Health Care Asia and former teacher at Catholic Junior College, Singapore and Jo Halford, FMDM Archivist
Originally published in Catholic News Singapore, 5th August 2026
Franciscan Missionaries of the Divine Motherhood (FMDM) Sister June Shirville, who taught mathematics at Catholic Junior College (CJC) from 1975 to 1982, died in June in Ladywell Convent, Surrey, England at the age of 99.
Also known as Sr Annunciation, or Nuncy as she was called by staff and students of CJC, she was born in London on 10th December 1926, and first came to Singapore as a missionary in 1957.
From 1957 to 1960, she taught science and mathematics in Trafalgar Home, the home for patients with leprosy and their families, near Yio Chu Kang. The leprosarium, established in 1926, was renamed Trafalgar Home in 1950 and closed in 1993.
Throughout her years of religious life, Sr June embraced a variety of ministries and responded to changing needs by serving in FMDM communities around the world, including the United States, Zambia, and the Philippines.
Notably, she was Novice Mistress in Ladywell from 1963 to 1966, and then Junior Mistress at nearby Maryvale, Bramley from 1966 to 1971.
In 1974, the Archbishop of Singapore, Michel Olçomendy MEP, asked the Catholic congregations in Singapore to provide teachers for the newly established CJC.
The FMDM Mother General, knowing Sr June had a degree in mathematics from the University of London and a Diploma in Education from Oxford, sent her to teach there.
Her students remembered her as a strict but gentle teacher, and many kept in touch with her long after they had left the school.
Dr Euan Murugasu, a surgeon, recalled his intense dislike for mathematics and how he had given Sr June the nickname “battleship”.
“Sister Annunciation once threatened me: ‘Young man, if you’re not going to do your maths homework you can leave my class and don’t come back,’” he said. “In the end, I got an A for A-level maths – all was forgiven and we became good friends.”
Retiree Mr Chris Bogaars a CJC student from the pioneer batch who graduated in 1976, appreciated how Sr June never made her students feel foolish for not knowing the answer to a problem.
“Instead, she encouraged us to keep trying, to think differently, and to believe that every problem had a solution if approached with patience and determination,” said Mr Bogaars. “I remember not only the teacher who taught me mathematics but also the person who taught me perseverance, integrity, and the value of believing in myself.”
In 1982, Sr June returned to the United Kingdom, where she ran a diocesan pastoral centre in Bramley, Surrey, near Ladywell, the motherhouse of the FMDM congregation.
She died peacefully on 11th June 2026, and is buried in the sisters’ cemetery at Ladywell.