By Lilly Cheng

"Because of my own experience I am able to connect with people. I can share my own struggles of loneliness and isolation and help others to accept themselves as deaf and blind and to improve their attitude about self. ... "

⭐A Childhood in Silence

Cyril Axelrod was born in 1942 in South Africa into a Jewish immigrant family deeply rooted in tradition. His father, Abe Axelrod (born Abelis Akselrodaski), came from a rabbinic family in Vilnius. He had hoped to become a rabbi, but the outbreak of the First World War forced him to abandon that path and emigrate to South Africa. Because of his extensive religious knowledge, he was highly respected within the local Jewish community.

His mother, Yetta Goodman (born Eta Gutman), was raised in a devout Jewish family in Lithuania. Under her mother's guidance, she learned to read the Hebrew Psalms from an early age. Like many Eastern European Jewish families of that era, both sides of Cyril’s family migrated to South Africa during periods of political instability in Europe. His parents were married in Johannesburg in 1937 in a traditional synagogue ceremony.

At the age of three, Cyril was diagnosed with a hearing impairment. However, because of the limited medical and educational resources available at the time, as well as his parents’ religious concerns, he did not receive formal special education until he was seven years old. One reason for the delay was that the only specialized school available was operated by the Catholic Church. During those early years, his world remained largely silent and isolated.

Everything changed when he was seven. A fire incident made his parents realize the dangers posed by his inability to communicate effectively. Fascinated by the flames, young Cyril did not understand the risk until his father physically pulled him away from the fire. This incident became a turning point. His parents realized that without proper communication skills, their son’s safety and future would be at risk.

Despite their strong Jewish faith, they made a difficult decision—to enroll him in a Catholic school, one of the few institutions that provided structured education and sign language training for deaf children. There, Cyril learned to read, write, lip-read, and communicate through sign language for the first time. Gradually, his silent world began to open.

⭐Calling and Conflict: Faith and Identity

However, entering the Catholic priesthood from a deeply traditional Jewish family was a profound shock to both his family and the wider Jewish community, at times leading to a break in contact with relatives and friends. His decision was seen as a departure from tradition, yet his inner motivation was not a rejection of faith, but a desire, through God’s calling, to create greater understanding and voice for the Deaf community—an aim that became central to his lifelong mission.

Initially, his mother struggled to accept his decision and responded with strong resistance. However, over the course of three years of theological formation and pastoral training, her attitude gradually changed. She eventually accepted his vocation and attended his ordination ceremony in person, offering her support and presence.

At the moment of ordination, he deeply felt that his life had entered a new stage and became fully aware that his path of service to the Deaf community had truly begun and would define his future mission.

⭐South Africa Mission: Voices in Apartheid Silence

In the 1970s, Fr. Cyril Axelrod began his long-term mission in South Africa at a convent in Pretoria, supported by Father Kevin Dowling, who emphasized that disability should not define human dignity. He was given responsibilities equal to other members and encouraged religious communities to learn sign language and engage in ministry.

During apartheid, he witnessed severe poverty and educational inequality among Black communities. After the 1976 Soweto uprising, he continued supporting Black Deaf individuals, even under threats of arrest.

In 1978, he found that Black Deaf children had almost no access to education and helped establish a small class for 40 students. He later successfully advocated for English as the language of instruction, making it the first Black Deaf day school in South Africa to use English, later growing into the Zizwile School for the Deaf with over 500 students.

In 1987, he co-founded the Deaf Community of Cape Town, the first cross-racial Deaf organization during apartheid.

Over the years, he supported Deaf individuals in higher education and vocational training, many of whom later became MPs, educators, and professionals who continue to serve the community.

⭐Early Steps into Asian Mission

 From an early age, he learned Chinese writing through the influence of his teachers and Chinese friends, and was exposed to Chinese food and culture. He gradually became interested in cultural differences and developed a strong fascination with Chinese history and wisdom. Before 1985, he mainly preached in South Africa, Europe, and the United States. Later, encouraged by Kevin Dowling, he began to consider short-term missionary work in new regions, choosing Singapore as his first destination due to his long-standing connection with the Congregation of the Holy Saviour there.

⭐Singapore Short-Term Outreach

He spent three months in Singapore, where the diverse migrant population exposed him to multicultural realities. During this time, he also began practicing meditation and contemplative prayer.

During his ministry there, he encountered many Deaf individuals both inside and outside the Church. One encounter had a profound impact on him: a Deaf man who had never received formal education and who could not communicate even through basic gestures.

Although the man had attended church for more than fifty years, he had never been permitted to receive Holy Communion due to a lack of religious instruction.

Fr. Axelrod sought a way to change this situation.He used simple gestures and visual materials to conduct a two-week catechetical preparation. He cut out images from magazines—flowers, forests, food, and water—to explain God’s creation. On the Sunday before his departure from Singapore—coinciding with the man’s 64th birthday—he accompanied him to receive Holy Communion for the first time.

Although illiterate, the man was finally able to participate in the liturgy in his own way.For Fr. Axelrod, this was a breakthrough: Deaf individuals could learn and grow not only through formal education but also through lived experience.

⭐The Path of Deaf Ministry in Hong Kong: Peace for the People*

After returning to South Africa in 1985, he became increasingly convinced that his future mission lay in Southeast Asia, despite the progressive deterioration of his eyesight.

In 1988, he arrived in Hong Kong.

Upon arrival, Deaf children had been told in advance that a Deaf priest from Africa was coming. When they saw that he was white, they were shocked and jokingly called him the “White Devil.”

In the following weeks, he adapted to local life and studied Chinese culture, philosophy, and the wisdom embedded in Chinese society.

He was later given a Chinese name: Fr. Chan Man On, meaning “peace for people.” This became the name by which both Deaf and hearing communities referred to him.

Unable to enroll in a language school due to his hearing impairment, he studied Chinese privately each week. He practiced tones until his jaw ached, memorized hundreds of radicals, and wrote characters repeatedly until his hands became stiff.

Although Hong Kong Deaf communities hoped he would stay, and Singapore remained his initial preference, a short retreat in Macau ultimately changed the direction of his life.

⭐Macau: Seeing Need from the Margins

In 1989, Fr. Cyril Axelrod came to Macau and, through careful observation, identified a critical gap in services for Deaf people. Unlike Hong Kong, Macau had no dedicated Deaf support system, only a general disability service center where Deaf people were grouped with other disabilities and lacked specialized assistance.

He began working in a rehabilitation center serving blind, physically disabled, and Deaf individuals, gradually building relationships with Deaf workers engaged mainly in sewing and handicrafts. After he learned local sign language, Deaf individuals began to share lived experiences, describing marginalization, low social status, and a strong desire for a dedicated service center.

He also met parents of Deaf children and discovered a painful social reality: in some Chinese families, children with disabilities were considered “inauspicious” or a source of shame. As a result, many parents kept their children at home, away from public view, and in some cases did not register their existence with authorities.

His first initiative was to establish a small hearing and speech clinic. Working with limited resources, he raised funds independently, recruited teachers, and designed programs. His goal was to help families see Deaf children not as a burden, but as “bearers of hope.” However, the government later reclassified the program as educational and requested his withdrawal.

At a moment of discouragement, a Deaf individual encouraged him with a thumbs-down and thumbs-up gesture and the proverb: “You should never say you will fail; you will eventually succeed,” which restored his confidence.

Caritas Macau later provided a small space, and in 1991 a second room allowed the formation of the Deaf Social Service Center. In 1994, after two years of negotiations, the Macau Deaf Association was officially recognized, emphasizing independence from both Church and government. Leadership training followed, including collaboration with Gallaudet University and international programs. By 1999, the Macau Deaf Social Service Center was inaugurated, marking the culmination of years of grassroots development, community empowerment, and institutional growth.

⭐Return to the United Kingdom: Crossing Blindness and Rebuilding Life

In 2000, Dr. Cyril Axelrod returned to the United Kingdom. By then, he had completely lost both sight and hearing. Although he experienced anxiety and uncertainty, he regarded this moment not as an ending, but as the beginning of a new stage in his life journey.

He enrolled in Deafblind rehabilitation programs, learning Braille, assistive technologies, and independent living skills. Gradually, he regained independence, learning to travel on his own and rebuild his daily autonomy.

Using his remaining senses of touch and smell, he obtained professional qualifications in massage therapy and aromatherapy. He also engaged in artistic creation, reconstructing the visual world he once knew through memory and imagination.

Through lectures, writings, and media interviews, he continued to share his life story and raise public awareness of Deafblind individuals. Even in silence and darkness, he continued to inspire others through resilience, faith, and compassion.

⭐A New Chapter of Mission in Macau: Light in the Silent Darkness

In 2025, at the invitation of the Macau Deaf Association, Dr. Axelrod returned to Macau to continue his service to Deaf and Deafblind communities.

While living in the United Kingdom, he was supported by caregivers. However, as his long-term caregiver approached retirement, he began to feel uncertainty about his future daily life.

The author, who had served as a volunteer at the Macau Deaf Association for many years, had long been aware of his work and deeply hoped to meet him. In June 2025, they finally met in Macau for the first time, an encounter that was profoundly emotional and unforgettable.

Since his return, he has continued to promote Deafblind services and training programs, including communication techniques, tactile sign language, assistive devices, and mobility safety systems.

These efforts continue the mission he established more than three decades earlier: to improve public understanding, develop Deafblind services, and promote independent living and social inclusion.

Although he lives in a world without sight and sound, an inner guiding light continues to shine within him.

"...Hopefully I can be the bridge that brings these worlds closer together. "

*Fr. Cyril Axelrod was diagnosed at the age of 38 with Usher Syndrome following a fall that led to medical examination. This is a rare genetic disorder that causes progressive hearing and vision loss, and he eventually lost both his sight and hearing around the year 2000, becoming deafblind.