Daughters of Mary: Celebrating 60 years

Saturday, August 26th was a great day of celebration for the Sisters and the many friends of the Daughters of Mary, Mother of the Church, as well as the parishioners of St. Cecilia’s parish where the Sisters attend. Bishop McGrattan offered the Mass that was concelebrated by Fr. Derek Remus, the parish priest, and at the end of the Mass, gave a special blessing to the three Sisters, Sr. Emelyn, Sr. Gloria, and Sr. Ellen, that will strengthen them in their service to the Lord and His Church.

Sixty years ago, in the Archdiocese of Caceres in Bicol in the Philippines, Archbishop Teopisto V. Alberto wanted to form ladies as catechists for his Archdiocese. His friend, Mother Therese Vincente, a Carmelite nun, encouraged him to form a Religious community instead. He followed her advice and founded the community in 1966, shortly after the Second Vatican Council. It was at this Council that Mary was described as Mother of the Church. In the area of Bicol, there is a great devotion to Our Lady of Peñafrancia, and the Archbishop wanted the community to be devoted to her under this title. He started with eight Sisters and today there are over 100 Sisters. The community became a pontifical institute in the Church on the Feast of St. Peter and St. Paul, June 29, 2013, and is now present in the Philippines, Italy, USA, and Canada.

How did it come about that we have this community of Sisters in our Diocese? Three Sisters were missioned to the Archdiocese of Regina, Saskatchewan, at the request of Archbishop Bohan to serve the needs of the retired priests in Martha House. Having experienced the needs of the Church in Canada, the Sisters approached Bishop Henry of Calgary Diocese about another mission of the community here.

Bishop Henry initially thought to have the Sisters serve at Elizabeth House, but there were no openings at the time. So, he installed the three Sisters at the Catholic Pastoral Centre, Sr. Ely in the Tribunal, Sr. Bing in Pastoral Ministry, and Sr. Ellen in Finances. Over time, Sr. Ely was recalled to the Philippines and Sr. Emelyn came to replace her. Sr. Mariflor replaced Sr. Bing for a few years before returning to the Philippines and then Sr. Gloria came to assist in the Tribunal.

The Sisters have shared their joy in being here in our Diocese and are grateful for the witness they are able to provide that draws others to Christ. “They are always amazed at seeing Religious Sisters in habits, telling them that there is another way of life. The external sign makes a difference for them. We get asked, ‘Are you real nuns?’ and often the people make the sign of the Cross when they see us.”
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These Sisters are blessing our Diocese with their many gifts and talents as well as their particular devotion to Our Lady of Peñafrancia. They get very excited when they describe the beautiful processions they have experienced in the Philippines. Their community charism is specifically about making Mary known as Mother so that people can come to her, that she will listen to them, and show her care for them. The Sisters celebrate this devotion with everyone who honours Our Lady, but especially with the people of Bicol who now live all over the world. The Sisters rejoice that this region of the Philippines under Mary’s mantle has been a fruitful soil for priestly vocations, sending priests wherever they are needed. May Our Lady pray for our Diocese that we also may have many priestly vocations from our own parishes.