What's Happening

By Sister Maria Yolanda Manapsal, OP
Chapter Prioress, Our Lady of Remedies Mission Chapter

March 27, 2025, Angeles City, Pampanga, Philippines – The Adrian Dominican Sisters of Our Lady of Remedies Mission Chapter, based in the Philippines, recently gathered with clergy and community members to witness the blessing of the newly constructed Covered Court, a sacred space that will serve as a hub for various activities and gatherings. 
 
The occasion was graced with the presence of the two Archbishops of the Archdiocese of San Fernando who hold a special spot in their hearts for the Sisters: Archbishop Florentino G. Lavarias, DD, and Archbishop Emeritus Paciano B. Aniceto, DD. Friends, family members, and benefactors also joined in the ribbon-cutting ceremony and Holy Eucharist. In his homily, Archbishop Lavarias emphasized the importance of listening to God in prayer to discern God’s will and faithfully follow God’s path.  

The Covered Court was designed by the Arkiteks Envision Design and Construction Firm, headed by Architect Gerard F. Angeles and his team. The Covered Court represents a dream come true for the Sisters and the entire community of the Dominican School of Angeles City Foundation, Inc. It will provide a safe and comfortable space for the Sisters’ activities and serve as a venue for the students, who for many years had to endure the heat of the sun during school events. In addition, learners will engage in athletic and other recreational activities in the Covered Court.

This sacred space will be a beacon of hope and compassion for our less fortunate brothers and sisters, including the Indigenous Aeta and Badjao people, persons with disabilities, children and adults on the street, women, family members of victims of extra-judicial killings, and farmers, who will gather for various programs and services.

Finally, this Covered Court is a remarkable gift from God to the Sisters, realized through the collective efforts of everyone who worked tirelessly, especially the Dominican School of Angeles City community and the Pampanga clergy, who sold tickets and solicited donations. 

The Mission Council of the Our Lady of Remedies Mission Chapter, led by Sister Maria Yolanda G. Manapsal, OP, and the school community, are deeply grateful for God’s continuous blessings. Truly, God’s plan unfolds in God’s perfect time.

The Covered Court was in use shortly after its dedication. The Dominican School of Angeles City, led by Sister Arsenia Marie T. Puno, OP, PhD, the school Directress, and Principal Sister Rowena Marie D. Cruz, OP, held its recognition and graduation ceremonies on March 27 and 28 in the Covered Court. 

The graduation event was honorably attended by Father Jomarsus Gatus, who in his homily reminded the students that their achievements are not solely the result of their own efforts but also a reflection of the support provided by those who served as instruments in their success.

 

The recognition ceremony welcomed proud parents and guardians, who gathered to applaud their children for their accomplishments throughout the school year. Sister Arsenia shared a powerful message about camaraderie, friendship, and the importance of recognizing the talents gifted to us by God. 

This day stands as a celebration of achievements for students, teachers, and parents alike, honoring the collective efforts and the belief that hard work truly pays off. It serves as a reminder that with dedication and support, achieving great things is indeed possible.
 

Caption for above feature photo: Adrian Dominican Sisters of the Our Lady of Remedies Mission Chapter, along with Archbishop Florentino G. Lavarias, DD, and Archbishop Emeritus Paciano B. Aniceto, DD, and community members prepare to cut the ribbon for the new Covered Court at the Dominican School of Angeles City Foundation.

March 5, 2025, Sección San José, Bani, Dominican Republic – A sense of celebration permeated Sección San José, Bani, a small village in the Dominican Republic, as 300 people gathered to enjoy speakers, a marching band, a brigade of batons and flags, and refreshments on February 15, 2025. Sisters Basilia De la Cruz, OP, Nery "Luchy" Sori, OP, and Eneida Santiago, OP, were in attendance for this joyful inauguration of the Centro de Capacitación Téchnica Integral Hermanas Dominicas de Adrian, a technical and comprehensive training center that could make a difference in the lives of many of the residents throughout the province.
  
The event brought the vision and nine years of work and planning of the Adrian Dominican Sisters’ Resilient Community Committee for the Dominican Republic closer to reality.

“I do not think it is an exaggeration when I say that this Centro represents all that is good in our world – and what our world so urgently needs today,” said Sister Elise D. García, OP, Prioress of the Adrian Dominican Sisters, during her talk at the inauguration ceremony. She addressed the community in Spanish.

Sister Elise said the Centro is the “concrete result” of a dream and a vision “to provide comprehensive technical training that will impact not only the lives of your families but the larger world beyond.” She said it is also the “concrete result” of a “mission to work together for the common good of the community” and of a “commitment to seed hope for a brighter future.” Read Sister Elise’s comments in Spanish and in English.

The training center is the centerpiece of the resilient communities plan, Developing Resiliency in the Community of San José, the Dominican Republic. This and five other regional resilient communities initiatives were created in response to the Adrian Dominican Sisters’ Enactment on Resilient Communities, approved during the Congregation’s 2016 General Chapter.

Partners with the Adrian Dominican Sisters in developing the technical training center include the Dominican Republic’s Institute for Professional Technical Training (INFOTEP), which will offer internationally recognized certification to graduates of the technical center, and Fe y Alegría, a federation of local organizations that provide education in poor areas in 19 nations, particularly in Latin America. Centro Espíritu Santo Fe y Alegría is a school in Sección San José founded 30 years ago by members of the local community and Adrian Dominican Sisters Maurine Barzantni, OP, and Renee Richie, OP. The school is part of that federation, which also works with technical and vocational schools.

The training center will offer technical and vocational training to the people in the region offering certification needed for well-paying jobs. It will offer tuition-free training in areas such as electrical work, plumbing, recycling, welding, hospitality, cooking, and jewelry-making. Graduates will earn certification from INFOTEP.   

Along with hands-on workshops, the technical center includes a community garden and seven classrooms, four of them named in memory of Adrian Dominican Sisters who ministered in Sección San José: Sisters Maurine and Renee, along with Sisters Margaret Lane, OP, and Sharon McGuire, OP, who often ministered in healthcare, said Sister Luchy, who ministers at Centro Espíritu Santo. 
 
“We hope [the Center] will be ready to open in two months or so,” said Sister Eneida, who also ministers at Centro Espíritu Santo with Sister Luchy and Sister Basilia, the principal. She said the technical center is waiting to be connected to electricity to allow for the completion of the workshops. “When everything is ready, [INFOTEP] will give us the approval. Then we’ll open the school,” Sister Eneida said. 

The technical center “is for every town around our little town” and for people at all levels of education, Sister Luchy said. Programs are available to working adults who need the training and certification to earn higher wages; adults who have completed high school and those who have not; and high school students who seek extra training on weekends and in evenings. 

The new center is also causing excitement among Adrian Dominican Sisters and Associates who came to the Dominican Republic to attend the inauguration. Sister Carol Gross, OP, who ministered in the Dominican Republic for more than 30 years, said she was pleased to return and to see the growth of Centro Espíritu Santo. Four of the school’s original teachers attended the dedication of the technical center, she said. 

Sister Carol described the technical center as a “dream come true” for Sister Maurine. “Maurine, right from the very, very beginning, was concerned about vocational education and helping people to get those skills that they could use to be productive members of society,” she said. “It was special for me to think that that dream was right there from the beginning.”  

Lloyd Van Bylevelt, an Adrian Dominican Associate and member of the Resilient Community Committee that planned the technical center, recalled the committee’s hard work. “Basically, we had a lot of meetings, probably once or twice monthly for close to a year, figuring out the ideas and getting some resiliency into the plans,” he said. 

Lloyd was impressed by the celebratory nature of the dedication – and by the technical center itself. “To see it become real was very fulfilling,” he said. He anticipates that it will be a “major contributor” to the lives of the local community members and will augment the benefits that Centro Espíritu Santo has brought to the community over the years. 

Dee Joyner, an Adrian Dominican Associate and former Director of Resilient Communities, also attended the ceremony and was pleased by the construction and dedication of the technical center. “Just to see the project come together like that and the end result was a real highlight for me,” she said. “It was the vision the Sisters had when we first started working with them to develop the plan.”

Dee was also pleased with the local community. “The level of engagement of the community in the project was exactly what we were hoping for,” particularly the commitment of the local community to bring the project forward and make it sustainable – so that it can be continued in years to come. “It’s so apparent that they’re invested in the project,” she said.

As Director of Resilient Communities, Dee oversaw the committees whose initiatives were approved by the Adrian Dominican Sisters General Council. These included five initiatives in addition to the project in the Dominican Republic.

•    McKinley Park Resilient Community Initiative: Creating a More Resilient Immigrant Community, Chicago.
•    Growing Up Resilient: The East Adrian Youth Resilience Collaborative, Adrian.
•    An investment to construct a second building at the Dominican School of Angeles City in the Mining barangay, Province of Pampanga, Philippines.
•    Affordable Housing as a Platform for Education, Equity, and Community Resilience, Seattle.
•    The Empowering Resilient Women Initiative, Flint, Michigan. 

View a highlight reel of the inauguration below, in Spanish:

Caption for feature photo at top: Sister Elise D. García, OP, Prioress of the Adrian Dominican Sisters, cuts the ribbon during the inauguration of the Centro de Capacitación Técnica Integral Hermanas Dominicas de Adrian with Father José R. López, SJ, Director of Fe y Alegría Dominicana. Among the community members are representatives of the Adrian Dominican Congregation: Associate Dee Joyner, behind Sister Elise; and from the left of Sister Elise, Sisters Basilia De la Cruz, OP, and Eneida Santiago, OP; Associate Lloyd Van Bylevelt; and Sister Nery (Luchy) Sori, OP.