“She was, by the hands of the One she greatly loved, she was – beautifully beyond our knowing – she was blessed, she was broken, she was shared. Thank you, Sister Naty, for the self-giving with which you placed yourself in His hands. Truly to be blessed, to be broken, to be shared.” Fr. Catalino Arevalo SJ, presider of the Mass of the Resurrection on August 10, summed up the life of Sr. Mary Natividad Banaag RGS who died peacefully on August 7 after 61 years as a Religious of the Good Shepherd.
Members of the Banaag and Barrion families, Good Shepherd Sisters --apostolic and contemplative—friends and women and men served, gathered at the Good Shepherd Chapel in Quezon City to celebrate the eternal life of Sr. Naty who served as provincial superior of the Good Shepherd Sisters in the Philippines from 1976 to 1984.
Fr. Arevalo, in his homily, said, “She was born on Christmas Eve 1924, just a few months before my own date of birth, so we were in a real sense “contemporaries”. Those of our age who went through the painful years of the crises which emerged from within the Church, and beyond the Church, after Vatican II; from martial law and what it brought to our people and our country, -- we went through months and years when we felt that so much of the world we knew and grew up in, -- the stable, sober, reliable world of our family life, our youth, our Catholic schooling, our novitiate years – so much of it was literally falling apart around us. Even that dramatic world where she went through the tele-novelic – “Ma-alaala mo kaya” – chapter of her life, -- that was changing too.” (Full text of homily below.)Before the Mass, Sr. M. Jane Pineda, on behalf of the Good Shepherd Sisters in the Philippine Province, paid tribute to Sr. Naty.
“In humility and with deep trust in God, Sr. Naty accepted the heavy burden of leading a polarized Philippine Province in great need of healing during the oppressive years of military rule. Her loving and forgiving ways inspired the sisters to reach out to each other and arrive at reconciliation. She weathered the storms and carried the cross with infinite patience, deep humility and bigness of heart. Like the Good Shepherd whom she vowed to follow, she forgave those who misunderstood her decisions and criticized her leadership during these turbulent years.”
Sr. Jane recalled the Provincial Chapter of 1982 when Sr. Naty was reelected and “a polarized, divided Philippine Province experienced genuine reconciliation.” The 1982 chapter of reconciliation, Sr. Jane said, “ was Naty’s greatest gift to the Province and to the Congregation.”
| Tribute to +Sr. M. Natividad Banaag RGS By Sr. M. Jane Pineda RGS |
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| Homily By Fr. Catalino G. Arevalo SJ |
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| Thank You Message - Good Shepherd Sisters By Sr. M. Lydia Ebora RGS |
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| Thank You Message -Banaag Family By Ms. Concepcion Banaag |
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| PHOTO GALLERY | |
| Excerpts from Provincial Reports 1982 and 1984 |
“It was under Naty’s watch in 1983,” she continued, “when we lost four Good Shepherd sisters in the sinking of M/V Cassandra. Following in the footsteps of the Good Shepherd, Sr. Naty did not leave a stone unturned during the search for the remains of our sisters.” (Full text of Tribute below.)
Sr. Suzanne Sinense led the Rite Symbolizing Light and Life Received in Baptism. The Paschal Candle, symbol of the Risen Jesus, was lighted by Sr. Emma Marzan, RGS while the White Cloth symbol of her baptism was draped on the urn with the ashes of Sr. Naty by Ms. Conching Banaag and Sr. Joan Salamanca, RGS. A copy of the Vows and a Crucifix, symbols of her being a Religious of the Good Shepherd were laid on the urn by Sr. M. Cecilia V. Torres, RGS.
The Mass of the Resurrection was a beautiful gathering of family and friends, full of gratitude to the Lord for the Paschal mystery and for the life of Sr. Naty and for her life of prayers, “she helped make it possible for the Good Shepherd himself to bring things together: together in sufficient saving measure of reconciliation and peace. Much of her contribution to that peace was a serenity of spirit which was her courage, its willingness to accept pain,” Fr. Arevalo continued.Sr. Lydia Ebora, president of St. Bridget College in Batangas, the first foundation of the Good Shepherd Sisters in the Philippines, thanked all those who prayed with the Good Shepherd Sisters and cared for and visited Sr. Naty.
Ms. Conching Banaag for her part, recalled that Sr. Naty has always been an angel to the family. "We do not lose our sister, Sr. Naty. With God, she is more than ever with us, looking after us, loving us more."After the Mass, Sisters, family and friends made a procession towards the Good Shepherd Columbary where the ashes of Sr. Naty were laid to rest.