The Philippine Province of the Good Shepherd concluded the Centennial Celebrations last October 20, World Mission Sunday.
During the 7 a.m. Eucharistic Celebration held at the Good Shepherd Chapel in Quezon City, Sr. Bernadette Guzman of the Centennial Committee recalled the beginning of the three year preparation when Fr. Tony de Castro SJ said in October 2009 that during the celebrations "Good Shepherd Sisters need to tell stories of what the Good Shepherd Sisters have been doing since the first group of Sisters arrived 100 years ago and to allow it to be the period of encouraging one another to tell the many stories of sisters and to draw the appropriate lessons from them for the present and for the future."
The first Irish Good Shepherd Sisters arrived in the Philippines on October 4, 2012 upon the invitation of Bishop Giuseppe 'Joseph' Petrelli of the newly created Diocese of Lipa. Superior General Domitilla Larose responded favorably to the invitation by asking the sisters missioned in Burma (Myanmar) to go to the Philippines to see the possibility of opening a foundation in the Philippines.
Sr. Bernadette invited the faithful to view the slides of the past 100 years of the Good Shepherd Sisters and though the soft launching of the celebrations in 2009 was marked by typhoon Ondoy (codename Ketsana) and other calamities, the succeeding years of celebrations were full of joy, praise and thanksgiving.
The visit of the Centennial Cross to the different communities all over the country was also shown.
In thanking God for the past 100 years, the Philippine Province also remembered the many Filipina Good Shepherd Sisters who went to foreign missions. To date, there are 31 Filipina Good Shepherd Sisters serving the Church in foreign mission.
Excerpts from Pope Francis' message on World Mission Sunday was also read, "Faith is God’s precious gift, which opens our mind to know and love him. He wants to enter into relationship with us and allow us to participate in his own life in order to make our life more meaningful, better and more beautiful. God loves us! Faith, however, needs to be accepted, it needs our personal response, the courage to entrust ourselves to God, to live his love and be grateful for his infinite mercy. It is a gift, not reserved for a few but offered with generosity. Everyone should be able to experience the joy of being loved by God, the joy of salvation! It is a gift that one cannot keep to oneself, but it is to be shared. "
In his homily, Fr. Vic de Jesus SJ also echoed the joy of the sisters celebration of 100 years and cited the contributions of the sisters to the upliftment of the dignity of women and children in the country.He also called on foreign missionaries who left their homelands to serve in the Philippines, among them Sr. Helen Graham MM, and Sr. Mercy de Leon, a Filipina RGS who is part of the Mid-North America province.
Photo: From left, Sr. Juanita Dano, Sr. Carmen Barcinas and Sr. Bernadette Guzman.
During the Offertory procession, Sr. M. Cecilia Torres carried the number 1 to the altar making 100 to 101, looking with hope to the next 100 years of the Good Shepherd Sisters in the Philippines.
Sr. Marion Chipeco, local leader of Heart of Mary Villa, thanked on behalf of the 1043 local leaders and communities (those located in 1043 Aurora Boulevard, Quezon City), the many people who prayed with, supported the mission of the Good Shepherd Sisters in the Philippines.
The World Mission Sunday Mass was followed by breakfast of sisters, mission partners and those who attend Masses at the Good Shepherd convent.