During the summer holidays when I was growing up, I would catch glimpses of two women wearing strange dresses with gentle, smiling faces. I wondered where they had come from, as I didn’t see them that often. It was only later that I realized they were my aunts, Dominican Sisters of the Most Holy Rosary of the Philippines.
I did not anticipate that one day I would be under the care of my Aunt Nun, far away from home—not really because we were relatives, but because of her deep desire as a Dominican to educate children deeply rooted in faith and values. Indeed, that’s how I became closer to the Church and discovered God’s buried desire for me to serve as a missionary, despite being a stubborn nephew.
I can’t help but let my imagination wander, thinking of the encounters my Mill Hill brothers had with the Dominican Sisters from its foundation. I couldn’t join the Dominicans myself, but becoming a Mill Hill Missionary still maintains a strong connection to the Dominican Sisters. Just nine years after the arrival of the Mill Hill Missionaries in 1906 in the Diocese of Jaro, Philippines, the desire to begin the congregation arose in 1915 through the facilitation of Most Rev. James McCloskey, the then-Bishop of the Diocese of Jaro. Ten years later, on July 24, 1925, the Holy See officially granted the request.
It is an honour to be personally present in Molo, Iloilo, for the celebration of the Dominican Sisters as they give thanks to God for 100 years of His faithfulness. The collaboration between the Mill Hill Missionaries and the Dominican Sisters in ministry is such an honour, particularly as they celebrate their Centennial Foundation Anniversary. Our partnership became even stronger when Fr. William Maierhofer, MHM, then the administrator of the Congregation, through The Most Reverend Colin Davies, MHM, Bishop of the Diocese of Ngong, Kenya, requested the Sisters to work in the diocese. The pioneering Sisters—Sr. Ma. Mark Berdin, OP, and Sr. Ma. Alphonsa Marahay, OP—arrived in Ngong Diocese on July 7, 1981, alongside Rev. Mo. Amparo Elmido, OP. Presently, they are not only continuing their ministry in Kenya but have also begun forming young Kenyan women by opening their formation house.
Congratulations on your Centennial Anniversary, dear Sisters! Thank you for being our mission partners, but above all, thank you for being our friends.
VENERABLE ROSARIO DE LA VISITACION – Foundress Of The Dominican Sisters Of The Most Holy Rosary Of The Philippines
Cover Photo Credit: Archdiocese of Jaro, Commission on Social Communications
Edson, MHM
