Sister Gloria Tamayo
Current ministry location – Chicago, IL
Gloria Tamayo was born October 18, 1940 in Cavite Kawit, Cavite, Philippines to Sebestiana (Pabiana) Tamayo and Guadencio Tamayo but grew up in the mountains of Baguio. She had one brother: Romeo. Gloria graduated from St. Louis High School, Baguio, Republic of the Philippines in 1960. She also earned a Bachelor of Science-Education degree from St. Louis University also in Baguio. She taught at La Salette School in Santiago, Isabella before joining the Maryknoll Sisters in 1968.
Gloria entered the Maryknoll Sisters June 23, 1968 at the Center, NY. She professed First Vows June 2, 1973 at the Center and Final Vows November 15, 1975 in Hawaii.
Sister Gloria received her first overseas mission assignment to Hawaii in 1969. She spent more than two decades in mission in the Pacific. As a Montessori teacher, she was head teacher for kindergarten students and also taught in the other elementary grades, until she began to serve as chaplain for the Filipino Catholic community, and assistant to the Director of Filipino Ministries for Honolulu.
She worked in six parishes on the windward side of Oahu in basic ecclesial communities among the Filipino people, responsible for the spiritual formation of lay leaders. Her pastoral work varied depending on the needs of the communities.
Sister Gloria was assigned from 1981 – 1984 to the congregational admissions team in Chicago, IL, assisting women interested in religious missionary life, and on the Central Pacific admissions team, as well as the Honolulu Vocation promotion team from 1988 – 1993.
“My hope is that young people will be true to their own questions, by being true to themselves,” she said.
Sister Gloria also spent a short time, 1999 – 2001, in Bolivia, where she took advantage of the opportunity to study basic Spanish. She enjoyed connections with the Language Institute community and the Filipino community and spent some time with the rural poor in Santa Cruz.
In 2002, she became a member of our Eastern U.S. Region and entered familiar pastoral work in Chicago. She was a pre-kindergarten teacher at St. John de la Salle School and a pre-K teacher at St. Thomas the Apostle School.
In 2015, Sister Gloria was assigned to the Vocations Team for Maryknoll Sisters, helping women discern a possible call to religious life with the congregation.