Please pray for the eternal repose of
Dra. Asuncion Villa who was buried Saturday, January 31, after the 11:30 funeral Mass.
The following sharing of Sister Lorenza
Sangalang will tell you who Dra. Villa is.
One of the manifold graces we thank God
for is the gift of persons. Today, we would like to make a special
mention of someone who has lived the Good Shepherd charism for thirty nine
years. It is not a surprise when people address her as Sister. All
that she has not done is to make public profession of the vows.
She started her once-a-week-volunteer
work in Heart of Mary Villa in 1965 that was interrupted for three years when
she worked in Vietnam and Yemen Arab Republic. In 1968 she resumed her
weekly schedule in spite of her busy medical practice in the poor areas of San
Andres Bukid, Paco, Santa Ana and Singalong. When she was the school
physician of St. Bridget School in Quezon City, she made her services available
to St. Domitilla's School, St. Euphrasia's School and to the Contemplative
Sisters. She likewise assisted our Sisters in Kaunlaran Multi-Purpose
Center. Even before Damayan formally became a Community Center, she had
been helping the poor families in Malabon.
On August 1, 1980 she accepted the
invitation of Sr. Carmelita Cruz, the local superior then, to stay full time in
Heart of Mary Villa, primarily to take care of Sr. John Toomey, who had a
stroke. From then on, she has been part of the RGS community.
The Sisters come and go, so she has
been a link of the past to the present. A sharp memory that accompanies
her compassionate concern for the women, babies and families makes her
remember. As an aid to remembering she has maintained records that
facilitated the establishment of the present data bank of HMV.
She has not confined herself to medical
practice in the Nursery, in the maternity home, and in Damayan Community
Center. She continues to facilitate the sponsorship of poor but deserving
students finish elementary, high school and college.
Not only for what she can do, do we
value her, but more so for the gift of herself. Her deep faith, her
unassuming ways, her sincerity, the totality of her life continuously inspires
us, both the Sisters and the lay staff.
In 2007, when Heart of Mary Villa
celebrated Golden Jubilee of foundation, they awarded Dra. Villa a plaque, a
token of love and gratitude for her 39 years of living the Good Shepherd
charism in her compassionate service to the Sisters, staff, women, babies and
families.