The Philippine Province
of the Good Shepherd will launch on Saturday, October 3, 2009 the preparations
for the 2012 Centennial of the arrival of Good Shepherd Sisters in the
Philippines.
The Philippine Province of the Good Shepherd will launch on Saturday, October 3, 2009 the preparations for the 2012 Centennial of the arrival of Good Shepherd Sisters in The Philippines.
The launching will be held at the Good Shepherd Chapel located at the Good Shepherd Convent, 1043 Aurora Blvd. Quezon City. A Eucharistic Celebration at 3 p.m. will be presided by Fr. Antonio de Castro SJ of the Loyola School
of Theology.
Sr. Cecilia Torres RGS, province leader, said that the Province leadership team appointed earlier a think tank, a group of sisters that held brainstorming sessions on what could be the possible activities that will be done during the
celebrations.
After several sessions, the think tank composed of Srs. Lydia Ebora, Juliet Abrigo, Bernadette Guzman presented to the Province Leadership Team a list of activities for province and community levels. Members of the working committees for Researh,/Publication/Archives, Souvenirs/Calendar, Spirituality,
Logistics and Awards were also named. The team approved the suggestions
which will be presented during the ‘soft’ launching on Saturday,
so called because of the simplicity of the celebrations.
In 2011, another launch is expected to formally begin the celebrations
for the 2012 Centennial.
It was on October 4, 1912 that the first Irish missionaries arrived in the Philippines to begin a Good Shepherd foundation in Batangas City. The group of Good Shepherd Sisters who came were from the community in Burma
and stayed first upon arrival in Manila with the Sisters of St. Paul de Chartres before proceeding to Batangas. The first missionaries to the Philippines were: Sisters Mary Alphonsus Liguori Burke, Cyra O’Kane, Clare Morrissey and Gabrielle Zunino.
During the October 3 launching, the names of the Centennial Committee will be announced. Representatives of the various communities of Good Shepherd Sisters in the Philippines will also offer their initial contribution to Pondong
Euphrasia (Euphrasia Fund) that hopes to generate money to be turned over to the St. Mary Euphrasia Scholarship Fund in the hope that by 2012 a total of 100 youth will be able to avail of the scholarships. At present, there are
more than 180 Good Shepherd Sisters in the Philippines. Of these, about
150 are in the Philippines missioned in 28 communities, 24 are apostolic
and four contemplative, while about 35 are in the foreign missions.
