Sr. Anita Gorrero Acosta, OND

September 11, 1964 – February 21, 2026

TAMONTAKA, DOS, MAGUINDANAO — Sr. Anita Gorrero Acosta, OND, returned peacefully to our Creator at 7:15 P.M. on February 21, 2026, at the Cotabato Regional Medical Center (CRMC) in Cotabato City. Sr. Anita was born in Midsayap, Cotabato, on September 11, 1964. She was the eldest of five children born to Mr. Marciano Acosta and Mrs. Remedios Gorrero Acosta, both of whom preceded her in death.

At the age of 26, answering a higher calling, she left her family to join the Oblates of Notre Dame in Cotabato City in 1990. She made her first profession of the evangelical counsels on May 1, 1993, and celebrated her final vows on March 25, 2000.

“Sr. Annie,” as she was fondly known, lived her missionary life as a pilgrimage of quiet and steady faithfulness. Inspired by her personal motto, “My trust is in You, O Lord…”, she served with zeal in various capacities, including Educational Ministry, Parish Ministry, and the Foreign Mission in Papua New Guinea. Her deep-seated faith served as an anchor through life’s inevitable storms and uncertainties.

The wake masses were presided over by Fr. Julito de la Cruz, OMI; Fr. Angel “Dondon” Singco, OMI; Fr. Ronald Abad, OMI; and Most Rev. Charlie Inzon, OMI, D.D., Archbishop of Cotabato.

The Funeral Mass was celebrated at Our Lady of Hope Chapel in Tamontaka on February 25, 2026, at 9:30 A.M. Burial rites followed at the adjacent OND Serenity Garden, with Most Rev. Angelito R. Lampon, OMI, D.D., Archbishop Emeritus of Cotabato, as the main presider and homilist.

On behalf of the congregation, Sr. Bernadette G. Baldimor, OND, Superior General, expressed heartfelt gratitude to all who supported Sr. Annie and the OND community. Special thanks are extended to the medical team of CRMC for their professional dedication, the sisters and caregivers, and especially to her sister, Daisy, who stayed faithfully by her side. The community also expresses deep appreciation to the relatives who traveled from Midsayap, Pikit, Manila, and Davao to pay their final respects. (Sr. Marilou P. Fernandez, OND)