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Anne comes from the city of Cayagan de Oro,
Mindanao, in the Southern Philippines and is one of a family of nine
– seven girls and two boys. In college, Anne studied nursing and was
particularly interested in the field of mental health. While
studying, Anne did some work experience with a group of sisters who
cared for the mentally ill. She was very impressed by their
commitment and attracted to their mission. Soon after finishing her
studies, Anne decided to join these sisters and was sent to Cebu to
begin her formation as a religious sister and from there she was
transferred to Manila. Gradually, however, she began to sense that
this way of life was not for her. She left the community and found a
job - the idea of being a sister almost totally abandoned – but not
quite.
One day a priest friend introduced her to another
group of sisters - the Columban Sisters –and gradually, bit by bit,
Anne began to sense once again that inner call that had first
attracted her to religious life. Eventually, she decided that, yes,
she would again set out in faith and offer herself to God for the
sake of mission.
She studied at the Institute of Spiritual
Formation in Manila and after three years made her First Commitment
as a Columban Sister. She worked with the Subanans in the Southern
Philippines for two years and was then invited to go on mission to
Peru. On her way there, she spent some months in England studying
for her SRN and in the Motherhouse in Ireland where she worked in
the Infirmary. Then it was off to Peru!
After finishing her Spanish language studies Anne
worked for about a year in a psychiatric hospital in Lima. During
this time, she also helped explore the possibility of opening a new
mission for the Columban Sisters in the mountains of Southern Peru.
Soon she and another sister set off for Ayacucho, This is a region
of Peru that has suffered intensely during the years of the Shining
Path guerrilla movement.. The scars of this suffering are
everywhere. To avoid it, many fled to the margins of the city of
Lima, but whether in the city or in the mountains their sufferings
have left a deep imprint on their lives. They need help to heal the
pain and the trauma. Anne got involved in a diocesan program that
provides such care, and a clinic was opened which gives specialized
attention and rehabilitation to those in need. In addition,
outreach is done to the various small pueblos in the mountains.
Professional teams come from Lima and from the U.S. to help with the
work. Now when she looks back on her life Anne truly believes that
she has found her mission!
When she began her search for what was to be her
direction in life, little could Anne have thought that her desire to
serve the mental health needs of those traumatized by life’s event
would find fulfillment in the mountains of Peru. Her early dreams
and plans did not seem to work out as she had hoped. However, she
was willing to try again and God gave back to her a hundredfold –
far beyond what she could ever have hoped for or imagined.
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