8 OPINION
PHILIPPINE ASIAN NEWS TODAY May 16 - 31 , 2018
Tinig Migrante Paalam , Sister Mary Radcliffe : A True Friend of the Filipino People
By E . Maestro
I find it very hard to believe that Sister Mary Radcliffe of the Missionary Sisters of St . Columban ( SSC ) has passed away . In visits to the Columban Mother House in Magheramore , Wicklow , Ireland in 2015 and 2017 , she always made references that she would be buried in the Convent Cemetery and she would point where it was from her room window . Of course , ever the optimist , I always thought Sr . Mary was always going to be around , and thus pushed away the knowledge that she was not as strong as she was when she was in the Philippines , and later in London .
If you were to ask me to describe Sr . Mary , I would tell you with no hesitation at all that she was a true friend of the Filipino people . And then I would say that she was my best friend . My daughter would say , Ninang Mary was her favourite aunt . My sister would say she was a very good friend . It was in human rights work that we met each other . After my husband was arrested , tortured and detained in one of the bigger raids in the city in 1982 , I left my teaching job so I could visit him in prison and work for his release . It was during this time that I found work in documenting human rights cases . It was around this time also that Sr . Mary had returned to the Philippines after a two-year stay in London for rest and renewal and signed up to work in the National Office of the Task Force Detainees of the Philippines ( TFDP ), the human rights arm of the Association of Major Religious Men and Women Superiors of the Philippines ( AMRSP ). Human rights work brought us together as human rights workers and made us friends .
Our friendship continued through the many changes in our lives and across long distances . We were tight friends and I will always be grateful for her friendship , help and support , especially during tough times .
Sr . Mary ’ s passion and commitment in the work for social justice , for human rights , for a decent world for all was very strong ; I think it was her commitment in taking up the preferential option for the poor that governed her life as a Columban sister .
In May 2015 , Sr . Mary celebrated her Golden Jubilee as a Columban sister in Magheramore , along with four other Sisters who also marked their 50th year anniversary : Mary Greaney , Maureen Grant , Rita Moore and Maura Lyden . At the homily during the Mass that day , Sr . Maura Lyden told the audience that it was in October 3 , 1962 when all five of them came to Magheramore as young sisters . It was an exciting moment for the Church ; eight days after entering the Congregation , the second Vatican Council under Pope John XXIII began which addressed the relations of the Catholic Church and the modern world . In Pope John ’ s words , it was the time to “ open the windows [ of the Church ] and let in some fresh air .” The impact of Vatican II was felt everywhere , more so in missionary work .
After several years of preparation , Sr . Mary was assigned to the Philippines and arrived there in 1969 ; the other sisters went to Hong Kong and Korea . In the homily at the Jubilee celebration , Sr . Mary ’ s early years in the Philippines were recalled . “ Mary Radcliffe said her first impressions of the Philippines were the heat and the lovely smiles of the people in spite of the poverty that she witnessed .” Sr . Mary taught in a Montessori School in Manila for one year , then transferred to St . Columban ’ s College in Lingayen , [ Pangasinan ] for a couple of years .
I believe that it was the declaration of Martial Law in September 21 , 1972 by then President Ferdinand Marcos that provided the major shift for Sr . Mary . It was recalled that a huge turning point in Mary ’ s life was going into class the next day and discovering that half of her class had been [ arrested ] by the military . Later , she was assigned
to Bataan and Bicol and in the 1980s , she joined the Rural Missionaries , described as a “ national movement of religious who chose to leave the city and live a simple life style in the neglected villages and work among the poor .”
In 1983 , she joined other religious sisters in human rights work and advocacy , considered risky under the Marcos dictatorship . Like the rest of the lay and religious staff in TFDP , she visited detention centres , helped organize KAPATID , the organization of families and relatives of political prisoners , participated in fact-finding missions in Manila and around the country , immersed herself in free committees , and human rights and justice campaigns , and served as the TFDP spokesperson when needed and took charge of international solidarity . She also marched on the streets with the progressive church people in solidarity with the families of political prisoners , lawyers , workers , peasants and other sectors . In doing all these and more , she helped push the people ’ s movement for change . “ Sr . Mary , as the Columban Sisters ’ representative , was dedicated to this work from the beginning and it was for this commitment that she is best remembered in Manila ,” said Sr . Kathleen Coyle at the homily before her burial . She added that “ The Gospel of Matthew which was read yesterday during her removal service is an apt summary of her commitment : When I was in prison you visited me .”
I do remember that in the crucial days leading to the ouster of the Marcoses , TFDP staff , including Sr . Mary , took shifts sleeping in the building that housed the TFDP
Sr . MaryRadcliffe and Lara Maestro in Longon 2012 .
office in readiness for any political eventuality . Sr . Mary worked with the TFDP staff in making sure the tens of thousands of the political prisoners in the detention centres nationwide were all accounted for in the event that a new government was going to grant amnesty and release all political prisoners . And it did happen . When Corazon Aquino came into power , Sr . Mary saw the release of many political prisoners and she was part of this very historic moment in our people ’ s history . Human rights workers always said that they would be the first people to not mind losing their jobs if it meant that human rights violations were over and that peace and justice now reigned . But it was not to be . TFDP continued on its crucial work even after Marcos fled because post- Marcos governments continued the war against the people ; arrests and detention continued , displacement of people from their homes and villages never stopped , massacres like the Plaza Miranda massacre of farmers did not stop – all these exposed the true nature of the government and continued to expose that the other social ills that plagued the Philippines such as poverty , unemployment , lack of and absence of medical care and basic social services , etc . only continued to worsen .
While Mary was soft-spoken and gave the impression of fragility , this was not true . She possessed the inner strength to carry on
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