After Graduation – Sister Magda
Taught 2 years in PUP with Joseph Aranas. I learned that Cora Alano went to UE for commerce. I thought that would be a good 2nd course for me. So I enrolled in 1980 2nd sem. after PUP class. While waiting for my time,I would stay in the chapel where Mass was going on. There was an elderly Belgian priest, Fr. Robert van Esbroeck, there who was very zealous whose homily was moving me to know God more. So I was always there to listen to him. Later, I would borrow the books in the chapel and they became my reading, no longer Mills and Boons and teen magazines.. Then when I came across the life of St. Therese of Liseux, I was very touched by her young life, all for God.
In 1981, I was about to go to New York with my 2 siblings as immigrant but due tosome readings of the lives of the saints, I felt called to the religious life.
So by april 1981, even if I didn’t know Fr.Esbroeck, I went to his office and asked how to become a sister. He interviewed me and later sketched the Canossian convent in Paco, whereI am now. . I decided for it and no regrets. I joined the Canossian congregation in 1981. I spent 4 yrs in formation and became a sister in1985. We are 6 sisters who made it in batch 1985. I’ll be celebrating my silver anniversary on May 19, 2010 in our Novitiate in San Juan,Metro Manila.
Since my profession in 1985 till 2004, I have been assigned in our 4 schools first as Religion teacher, then GradeSchool Principal, then Directress and Superintendent of our schools. 3 in Laguna, 1 in Lipa City. Then I requested to be assigned in Pastoral communities for a change. One of them was in Papua New Guinea where 3 of us pioneered a Canossian community in a catholic secondary school which has been existing for 30 yrs with an American Franciscan Congregation as I have shared earlier.
July 2006 – March 2008 I was in Papua New Guinea mission school. The place is a highland, mountains and mountains and mountains. I joined the pioneer community of sisters to administer a secondary school, serving the tribes people of that place. That place was only 50 yrs evangelized and almost the same years discovered by modern people. U can imagine how traditional they still are even in clothing, housing and relating. It’s a real mission territory. But ‘modern’ life in PNG is Australian since they colonized the country and granted independence over 30 yrs ago.
After PNG, I was assigned again in one of our 4 schools. This year, I was moved to Paco, Manila our central convent for the Phils. connecting to other countries in the Canossian world. I was elected one of the 4 members of the Provincial Team and the Provincial Secretary. We have16 convents here and 2 in PNG. We visit them from time to time for fellowship and consultation.
