Visit to the RVM Nuns: A Cherished Apostolate

"Once a Marian, always a Marian."

I haven’t been active with the St. Mary’s College Alumni Foundation, Inc. (SMCAFI) for quite some time now. At least for the last two to three years, I reckon.

But there are activities that I try not to miss despite my busy, busy schedule. One, the medical missions we conduct and more importantly, the yearly visits to the sick and elderly nuns of the Religious of the Virgin Mary (RVM).

Back in my good old days as a grade school student in at St. Mary’s College, I really didn’t know any of the RVM sisters. Of course, we knew they ran the school and that we had to behave in front of them but that was just about it. I was just a skinny kid who was more concerned about my childhood crushes, Voltes V, basketball, childhood crushes, comic books, Manila Sound, Star Wars, etc. (Did I mention childhood crushes?)

Yup, I really didn’t get to meet the nuns. While I still believe that the values I have right now could be attributed to my formative years in SMC, I never really got to appreciate the sisters until I became active member of the alumni.

Prior to 1993, I have already attended several of the annual homecomings by the SMC alumni. I have always had this nostalgic longing for St. Mary’s. I remember attending the school fairs during December whenever I can if only to meet former classmates, teachers and friends. But in 1993, I remember being elected at the homecoming. If I recall correctly, I was elected too , along with some of my male batchmates to the Alumni Board but for some reason were never really called up to be active and serve in the association. This year was different, and my “love affair” with St. Mary’s took on a whole new level. By 1995, the Alumni had been transformed into a Foundation primarily to obtain a juridical personality as well as finance a scholarship fund for deserving students. Around this time, the alumni had ventured into many endeavors including the Visit to the RVM nuns in the RVM Mother House.

Originally undertaken every year during one of the early pre-Christmas weekends of December, it was eventually moved to January. This year, it had been moved to February 3, making it somewhat of a pre-Valentine activity. Historically speaking, the visit according to Dean Gloria Santos had already been going on since the years following the Second World War. I guess we just made for fun for everyone.

Since I became active in the alumni, I got to interact with the RVM sisters on a closer level. RVM sisters in many ways were much like ordinary people like us. They have their good and bad traits as well. They know how to laugh and to get angry. I’m sure they also know how to cry. I’m sure they also get old and sick.

That why I chose to be consistently active in this apostolate. RVM sisters are people too. Especially in their old age they need to be reminded that people still care for them. During the visits, I get the chance to converse with at least some of them, recalling events in their lives particularly as nuns getting a peek at where they have been and what they have been through, much of which they have dedicated for the Lord.

Year in, year out, I always saw old and new faces. Every year, we hear the news that some of the sisters have been called on by the Lord to be with Him. This year, the members of the St. Joseph’s Infirmary in the RVM Convent have been comparatively higher that the years before. In fact, many sisters failed to see our program because many were bed ridden at the basement. I had a glimpse of the bedridden sisters when I helped one sister with her wheelchair going to the basement floor. That was unfortunate for they could only hear of our program through a public address system speaker.

This year, High School batch 1981 sponsored the event along with current Alumni officers who were strangely few this year. Dean Santos as always was indefatigably present. Madam Pompeya Naval, former long time high school Principal sadly couldn’t make it due to health reasons. Risse Jose and yours truly were the emcees again for the longest time. We must be doing something good.

As we parted ways, we always promised to be there next year. By God’s grace, we always did. Often, you see the glow in the sisters’ faces every time we were there. I look forward to seeing those same faces glow again next year…and the year after that.