9 nuns and the 2nd generation of Scholastican ’53 High School

Way back in the ’50s most of St. Scholastica’s College faculty were German nuns, particularly in the high school department in Leon Guinto Street. The building complex occupied the whole block bordered by Estrada St., Vito Cruz and Singalong stretch.

Immersed in piety

Both jolly and stern German nuns, like Sr. Gracia, Sr. Kuniberta, Sr. Bruno, Sr. Ehrentrudis, Sr. Ermengardis, and Sr. Odiliana (our senior high class adviser) immersed us in piety. Daily visits to the Blessed Sacraments started the day at the mahogany-furnished chapel. Here, regular masses were celebrated and the Gregorian chant was sung. Complete silence was observed during the yearly two-day retreats led by our Irish school chaplain, Fr. McElroy.

As members of the Sodality we pledged our life to Blessed Mother Mary promising to be prayerful, modest in attire and behavior. Fr. McElroy promised to gift the first among us to get married with a complete set of Irish linen table cloth. I got it on March 1957, when I graduated and got engaged at the age of 18 to Max V. Soliven, and married him the following month on June 1.

Sr. Odiliana persistently persuaded us every Monday, after checking our daily mass chart, to first consider becoming nuns before thinking of marriage. So when I entered college in the same school I approached Sr. Ligouri, our dean, expressing the desire to become a Benedictine nun. Knowing my fondness for parties and dancing, she advised me to reflect longer for a year then go back to her. That was the year I met Max.

9 dynamic nuns

Sr. Sonia Aldeguer, RSCJ was the premier glamorous debutante in our class. She is the only child of the Aldeguers of Iloilo. We could not believe it when she answered the call to the religious life during her junior high school year. Sr. Sonia has been a member of the Society of the Sacred Heart, which was founded by St. Madeleine Sophie Barat in France in 1800, who was canonized in 1925.

Fifty years ago, Sr. Sonia joined the congregation. It was after 10 years when she received her final vows. Her current position is District Council Member of the Philippine District. She was with the Sacred Heart School of Tokyo, when Empress Michiko was still a student there.

In 1981, she became Superior of the Philippine Area; 1982-1988 General Council of the Society of the Sacred Heart based in Rome; 2007 District Council Member of the Philippine District, until now.

Sr. Mary John “Jill” Mananzan, OSB is a Missionary Benedictine sister. She obtained her doctorate degree in Philosophy major in Linguistic Philosophy at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, Italy, and a degree in Missiology at the Wilhelmsuniversitaet in Muenster, Germany.

As a feminist-activist, she has given birth to women-centered programs among them are: the Institute of Women’s Studies, Women Ecology and Wholeness Farm, and Women Crisis Center. She was the national chairperson of GABRIELA, a broad alliance of women’s organizations for 18 years (1986-2004). She served for five years as the international coordinator of the Women’s Commission of EATWOT, developing a feminist theology of liberation from the perspective of Third World women.

Sr. Mary John was president of St. Scholastica’s College for six years (1996-2002), and was elected Prioress of the Missionary Benedictine Sisters in the Manila Priory. Her book entitled, “Woman, Religion and Spirituality” is based on research done in four Asian countries.

Sr. Teresita Soriano belongs to the Religious of the Cenacle. Her fulfillment is found in the spirit of the first Cenacle. The Cenacle Sisters assist in “the awakening and deepening of faith and for the people of their time.” Founded in France in 1826 by St. Therese Coudrec and Fr. Stephen Terme, the Congregation of our Lady of the Retreat in Cenacle has spread worldwide.

It embraces as its mission the call to make Jesus known, especially through retreats and “spiritual direction.” Sr. Teresita stated, “It is a grace-filled experience for me to journey with people coming from different walks of life... Their experience of a mysterious God enables them to move in and believe that God is with them in their journey.”

Sr. Victorina De La Paz, MMS has been involved in the pastoral renewal of missionaries in Asia, the Pacific, and Africa. First, she was assigned as a Third World missionary in England for 12 years. Their congregation addressed the different issues and manifestations of “discrimination” so prevalent among international societies, in collaboration with British and Dutch experts as facilitators.

At her 77th year, Sr. Victorina has retired but continues with a pastoral ministry among the informal settlers around the Parish of Our Lady of Pentecost, Loyola Heights, Quezon City, and monthly visitations to abandoned women in the Correctional Institute for Women in Mandaluyong.

Our six other Scholastican classmates, who became nuns are Sr. Conchita Cruz, SSP, who is in Le La Mau Mare, Indonesia; Sr. Rosalinda Vijandre is with the Medical Missionary; Sr. Fe Collantes, OSB; Sr. Joseline Valdes, OS, is with the Fatima Prayer Community at Des Paines, Illinois, USA; and Sr. Consuelo “Rubia” Chuidian who gave her life to save Filipinos in an inter-island ship that sank in the Davao Sea.

As wives and mothers, Scholastican raised a generation of competent leaders

We were so proud to have Mila Magsaysay as our classmate in SSC high school. The dance parties held at Camp Aguinaldo when her father was Secretary of Defense, were memorable; especially when she invited us to attend her debut at Malacañang, when her father became president of the Philippines. She left for studies in New York. Upon her return, she became public relations officer of the Manila Peninsula Hotel.

Mila is married to Cesar Infante Valenzuela of Bacolod, who has been a lawyer and banker for five decades. They have two sons: Rafael Magsaysay, a diplomate in Ophthalmology, who works as an eye pathology and researcher at the Philippine General Hospital and teaches at the University of the East Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Hospital; and Michael Magsaysay, a member of the De La Salle Brothers community. He has a master and doctorate in Theology and teaches in De La Salle, Taft. He is also a member of the board of trustees of La Salle Greenhills, La Salle Zobel, College of St. Benilde and De La Salle Antipolo.

Aurora Cojuangco-Lagdameo is married to Ernesto R. Lagdameo, a retired businessman. They have 9 children. Among them is Ma. Josefina “Nina” Lagdameo-Alba (SSC High School batch ’79) who is the director of International Promotions of Tiffany & Co., New York. She has 3 children with her husband Gerard Alba.

Her other daughter, Ma. Aurora “Maia” Lagdameo-Alvarez (SSC High School batch ’83) is an information technology analyst of the County of Fresno-Internal Services Department in California, USA. She is married to Antonio Alvarez and they have 4 children.

Mercedes Cantajal is from Vigan. She is married to Pedro de Leon Alvarado, a lawyer by profession and an architect by occupation. He helped put up the Pearl Plaza in Greenhills, Residence 888, Fernandina 88 Suites Hotel, and different residential houses.

Their son Joselito Alvarado, is the managing director of the family-owned Fernandina 88 Suites Hotel at the Araneta Shopping and Business Center in Quezon City. He is also the managing director of Secure Storage Services, a service company that offers first class storage amenities for personal and business needs.

Teresita Imperial Buenaventura is married to Wenceslao M. Buenaventura (deceased), a former banker. Their daughter, Isabel Jivven, manages CAN (Canada, Norway and America) Insurance Company. She has one child. Teresita’s other daughter, Maria Paz is married to Horace Mak, a marketing executive. She is a fulltime housewife with 2 children.

Yolly Vega-Sun is married to Rodolfo C. Sun, a retired engineer of the Manila Electric Company. Yolly has been managing the Sizzler at the UP Food Court for decades. They have 10 children. Their daughter, Teresa Sun-Kuek, is in Singapore, and is a franchise owner of Seafood Restaurant. Both she and Miguel, the youngest child, were scholars of Keppel International, which helped them graduate from the National University of Singapore. Their other children are Emmanuel, an architect and owner of 3M Pizza and Mexicali Restaurant, while Alberto is into the real estate business.

Anita Ladaw is married to Richard Cousart, an aeronautical engineer, who used to be Philips purchasing director. Their daughter, Ana is an accounting director of the advertising firm Publicis Jimenez Basic. She is married to Rolando Domingo, NCR-SM human resource officer. Their other daughter, Antoinette “Nancy” Cosuluela is working in America Online in San Francisco. Rhoderick, the youngest child, is an electronic engineer of Cellular Electronic Company in Hayward, California.

Erlinda Reyes-Paez is married to Jose Miguel Paez, a chemical and metallurgical engineer and a CAD-CAM mould designer. He is a founding member of the Repertory Philippines with Zenaida Amador, Baby Barredo, Leo Martinez, Subas Herrero, and Tony Mercado. Their daughter, Francesca Mercedes Paez (better known as Frankie), is married to Juan Ramon Carrion and is presently vice president for marketing services and communication of Pioneer Insurance and Security Corp. Their other son, John Benedict Paez lives in the US with his wife, Eleanor, and their 13-year-old son, Franz. John or Benz has followed the footsteps of his father, Buddi, and does computer-aided design (CAD-CAM) for the aeronautics industry.

Josefina Balinghasay worked at the US Embassy in Manila before. She joined the World Bank in Washington D.C. She has just retired as the executive assistant to the World Bank director of the Financial Section.

The new millennium apostolate

The German nuns of St. Scholastica, of the Holy Spirit, the French nuns of Assumption and Belgian nuns of St. Theresa, have departed to the spirit world, but they have set the trail for the new mission of lay apostolate. Both the nuns, wives, and single career women in our ’53 high school, have activated a new breed of “young activists” in this generation, who continues to provide equal opportunities to the under-privileged and illiterate population of the world. May these “new missionaries” continue to enhance the inner transformation of people for peace and unity in the world.