What's Happening

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

November 4, 2025, Bodø, Norway – The Adrian Dominican Sisters, Our Lady of Remedies Mission Chapter – based in Pampanga, Philippines – recently celebrated their 20 years of mission in Bodø, Norway, just north of the Arctic Circle. 

The mission began in 2005 with the presence of the late Sister Zenaida S. Nacpil, OP,  along with Sister Bibiana T. Colasito, OP, who came the next year. Through the years, other Sisters served in this mission: Sisters Lourdes Pamintuan, OP, May Cano, OP, Romina Bautista, OP, Jenny Fajardo, OP, and Racquel A. Rones, OP. Currently ministering in Bodø are Sisters Alma Zapanta, OP, since 2015, and Salvacion Valenzuela, OP, since 2022.

The Sisters’ mission evolved from domestic work to pastoral and catechetical ministries. They have also served as a comforting presence to Filipino people living in Bodø. Currently, the Sisters engage in evangelistic activity via social media and in education.

The Filipino community in Bodø helped to organize the 20th anniversary celebration with their bavanihan (collaborative) spirit. The celebration drew Sister Elise D. García, OP, Prioress of the Adrian Dominican Congregation; Sister Maria Yolanda Manapsal, OP, Chapter Prioress of Our Lady of Remedies; members of the local Filipino community; and Norwegian friends and Co-workers.

The celebration commenced with a Eucharistic Liturgy officiated by the priests formerly assigned to St. Eystein Parish in Bodø, Monsignor Torbjourn Olsen, Father Marek Shelmko, and the current parish priest, Father Reidar Voith.

During the celebration, some individuals gave heartwarming testimonies about how the presence of the Sisters had impacted their faith. Speakers showed their appreciation to the Sisters, many traveling long hours to attend the celebration. They expressed their gratitude and best wishes to Sisters Alma Zapanta and Salvacion Valenzuela, who serve not only as messengers of hope, but as beacons of light in a world that needs more loving presence and service.  

Jessa Marie Acer Artates, a Filipina who came to Norway in 2015, spoke of the difference that the Sisters made through activities for the Filipino community at Mariaklosteret, a local center. Jessa spoke of making friends with other members of the Filipino community, and of forming a sense of family.

The Sisters “never asked anything of us, but they gave us everything that mattered: a place to belong and a space to grow.” She thanked the Sisters who were present to them through the years. “Thank you for saying yes to the calling,” she said. “Thank you for making space not just for God but for us, who became guests, and guests who became family.” 

Community members who attended the celebration offered their time, talents, and treasure for the momentous event. They showcased their talents in singing, dancing, and playing the flute and the piano as their personal contributions to the celebration.

The occasion ended with words of gratitude by Sisters Elise and Yolanda to the people who journeyed with the Sisters for two decades.

 

Caption for above feature photo: Participants at the 20-year anniversary of the Our Lady of Remedies’ presence included, from left, Sister Maria Yolanda Manapsal, OP, Chapter Prioress; Sister Alma Zapanta, OP; Odd Emil, Mayor of Bodø; Sister Salvacion B. Valenzuela, OP; and Sister Elise D. García, OP, Prioress of the Congregation.

July 2, 2025, Pampanga, the Philippines – Sister Mary Ann Caulfield, OP, got a first-hand look recently at the work of a peace education organization for which she serves as a member of the Board of Trustees. She traveled to the Philippines to experience offered by Francisco “Frank” Vega, DMin, Program Director and Trainer, and Jean Marvel, Trainer, of the Peace Education Foundation, to local school faculty members, students, and Adrian Dominican Sisters. 

Based in Miami Shores, Florida, the Peace Education Foundation receives grant funding from the Adrian Dominican Sisters Ministry Trust in support of its mission to teach conflict resolution techniques and violence prevention strategies to Dominican teachers and lay leaders in Argentina, Venezuela, Dominican Republic, and the Philippines. Adrian Dominican Associate Lloyd Van Bylevelt is President of the Peace Education Foundation.

Sister Mary Ann, Co-Director of Resident Life for the Dominican Life Center in Adrian, said that for the past two years, she, Lloyd, and Frank planned the workshop during Zoom meetings with the Sisters in the Philippines. 

Because of her involvement, Sister Mary Ann felt it was important to attend the workshops in person. “I wanted to see how [the program] works, how they present it to the teachers, how you can bring this guided curriculum to the schools,” she said. “I felt blessed that I was able to go, to see how the program worked, and to be with our Sisters.”

The faculty workshops were held in schools where Adrian Dominican Sisters minister: a combined workshop for the Dominican School of Angeles City and the Dominican School of Apalit on June 3, 2025; Holy Rosary College, Tala, Caloocan, on June 5; and for professors and students representing diverse academic fields at the University of the Assumption on June 7, 2025. In all, 150 people attended the workshops.  

The training team coordinated workshops with Sister Rowena Cruz, OP, Principal at Dominican School of Angeles City; Sister Lourdes Pamintuan, OP, Principal at Dominican School of Apalit; Josephine Vendiola, Director of Holy Rosary College; and Sister Marissa Figueroa, OP, of the University of the Assumption. 

The team from the Peace Education Foundation also offered a day of recollection for all Sisters of the Our Lady of Remedies Chapter on June 8, 2025.

Sister Mary Ann characterized the workshops and the overall program of the Peace Education Foundation as “outstanding.” She was impressed by the way Frank and Jean worked together. “They interacted with each other on whatever lesson they taught,” she recalled. “They got the teachers involved in the project, helping them learn to teach the different themes to the children.” She said the workshops were interactive, including input and small-group activities.

The Peace Education Foundation offers training and follows up with the schools, families, and other organizations that it trains, Sister Mary Ann said. For the schools in the Philippines, for example, the Foundation will have follow-up Zoom sessions to check on the status of the schools’ peace training and to answer any questions. “We don’t leave them on their own,” she said.

The Peace Education Foundation offers a variety of training programs for teachers, administrators, counselors, students, parents, bus drivers, families, and communities. These training programs include conflict resolution, peer mediation, work with bullies, peacemaking skills for children, creating caring children, resolving family conflicts, and resolving issues drivers encounter.

The Foundation also offers books that schools can use in their curriculum, teaching peace skills at different, age-appropriate levels, from Pre-K through high school. “Each of the books has guidelines and teacher preparation and activity sheets,” Sister Mary Ann explained. “The children learn how to live peacefully. It’s a skill-based curriculum,” which can also be reinforced as all subjects are taught.

“Teachers are key,” Sister Mary Ann said. But once the children learn the skills and the principles, they can teach them or reinforce them with each other. For example, younger children can teach their peers that “hands are for helping, not hurting.” 

Sister Mary Ann said the philosophy and teaching of the Peace Education Center “goes hand in hand” with the Vision of the Adrian Dominican Sisters: Seek Truth, Make Peace, Reverence Life. For example, she said, if you don’t know somebody well, seeking truth can involve asking questions of that person to increase understanding, respect, and peace.

“We can live in peace, each one of us, if we work on it, if we respect one another,” Sister Mary Ann said. “If each of us can, within our soul, live one day in peace – mind, body, and spirit – would we not want to live it always?”