In a Mission of Making Jesus Christ Known and Loved

The Congregation of the Sisters of the Presentation of Mary has been committed in the mission of deepening the faith of individuals, especially the young people since their arrival in Siasi, Sulu, Philippines in 1950 and 1953 in Davao City.

The congregation was founded in Thueyts, France in the diocese of Viviers in November 21, 1796 at the height of the French Revolution with Marie Rivier as the foundress. She beseeched Our Lady untiringly: “Holy Virgin, cure me and I will gather little ones around you. I’ll teach them and show them how to love you dearly.”

Three years later, she was completely healed on the Feast of the Assumption of Our Lady.

“Being the educators of faith and having been part on the faith development, I’ve been very grateful and honored that those past efforts up until now are acknowledged and recognized by the archdiocese,” said PM Sisters’ Provincial Superior Sr. Charito B. Gorgonio, PM, in an interview with Davao Catholic Herald.

Sr. Gorgonio has expressed her reaction upon being chosen as one of the awardees in the Diamond Jubilee Anniversary celebration of the Archdiocese of Davao. She emphasized that ever since the arrival of the congregation in the country, it has been all the life of the sisters in the diocese through their engagement in the education of faith.

In Davao City, the presence of the congregation can be seen alive in the three academic institutions, i.e., Holy Cross College of Calinan, Holy Cross College of Mintal, and St. Peter’s College of Toril.

The campus of the provincial house is located at Catalunan Grande, Talomo District, Davao City consisting of five communities, such as the formation house, provincial house, house for the elderly, retreat house, and an orphanage.

“The congregation is dedicated, is founded for young people making Jesus Christ known and loved,” emphasized by Sr. Charito Gorgonio.

Sr. Gorgonio has encouraged the youth to be close to Jesus and call the active youth in the Church to reach out to those who are quite far and to those who are shy to come closer and participate in parish activities.

“Challenges can be seen in two ways. It can be negative or positive but for me it means to grow as a province,” expressed by Sr. Gorgonio in a response to an interview question on the challenges faced by the congregation.

One of the challenges of the congregation is the smaller number of young people who are attracted to religious life, particularly to respond to the vocation.

The aging of sisters in the province, change of scenario on the country’s education system, management and on how to maintain a good quality Catholic education are some of the challenges shared by Sr. Gorgonio.

Amid the challenges, the congregation is consistently committed with its mission on the education of faith.

“We cannot avoid challenges in life but it’s the support of each other, our love for our vocation, our love for God, our deep faith that God is with us in everything that we are facing,” shared Sr. Gorgonio on how the congregation conquered challenges all throughout their mission in service.

“God is with us in all our personal struggles. God never fails. God is faithful in all promises,” she added highlighting what gives them strength to go on.

“I really admire how the Archdiocese of Davao have grown through these years getting closer with the people and in all aspects of life, especially sa amoa nga naa sa education, we felt your support and accompaniment,” said Sr. Gorgonio while expressing her gratitude to the diocese.

With the 71 years of presence and service in the Philippines, the boundless zeal of Marie Rivier’s spirit has flourished continuously and this is a true testament for her to be called the ‘Woman Apostle’. She was canonized on May 15, 2022 by Pope Francis. (Jeffrey Mondejar)