Current Ministry Location: Panama

Sister Nena was born on November 27, 1963, and raised in Island Garden City of Samal in the Southern Philippines. In 1985, she entered the Teresian Daughters of Mary, a local religious congregation, where she enjoyed 25 years of community and mission life, primarily working as a school administrator. 

Then, she felt a new calling—one to work directly with people, particularly in a cross-cultural context. After meeting several Maryknoll Sisters, Sister Nena was drawn to their missionary spirit, which emphasizes making God’s love visible throughout all of creation. In 2010, after much discernment, she requested a transfer from the Teresian Daughters of Mary to the Maryknoll Sisters. She was accepted into the Congregation on April 5, 2011, in the Philippines. 

At the Maryknoll Sisters Center in Maryknoll, NY, Sister Nena signed her Associate Maryknoll Sister contract on January 5, 2012. She received her first overseas assignment to Bolivia, where she worked in an after-school program for at-risk children. She made her Final Incorporation of Vows on June 14, 2015. 

In 2016, Sister Nena was assigned to Panama. After several months of orientation to the new culture and community, she chose to work with a social action group at a local parish. She became involved in various social action projects aimed at helping those in need, including food distribution, parish fundraising initiatives, visiting sick community members, and assessing families in need of housing. 

After the pandemic in 2021, Sister Nena opened a Pastoral Center in the Vallecito community of St. John Maria Vianney Parish in the Archdiocese of Panama. The Pastoral Center serves as a venue for an after-school program for children, a lunch program for both children and the elderly in the community, and a formation program focused on skills development for women through income-generating projects. It also offers catechesis for children and youth preparing to receive their First Communion and Confirmation. 

Currently, Sister Nena is focused on her ministry, which includes formation programs for women’s development, a lunch program, family visitations, housing projects, and the construction of toilets.