Sister Mary Martires lives a missionary life, faithful to the Dominican charism

Sister Mary Jesus Martires, OP celebrated her Golden Jubilee of Religious Profession with a Thanksgiving Mass and reception at St. Paul the Apostle Church on Jan. 3. Archbishop Adolfo Tito Yllana, Apostolic Nuncio to the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Africa, was the main celebrant.

A host of family, friends, priests and other religious in the Congregation of the Religious Missionaries of St. Dominic celebrated with Sister Mary.

"A golden jubilee…is an inexplicable joy that 'arises from grateful remembrance' as Pope Francis put it in his Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, which like the Apostles would never forget that moment when Jesus touched their hearts on the way to Emmaus. So each day has become a gradual discovery of the beauty of one's communion with the very person of Christ," Archbishop Yllana said in his homily.

Sister Mary was born and raised in the Philippines in the Bicol Region. She made her profession with the Congregation of the Religious Missionaries of St. Dominic in 1965. She received her bachelor's degree in elementary education from the University of Santa Tomas in Manila and later a master of arts at Michigan State University.

Her order sent her to evangelize in the Philippines, Taiwan and Chile. Later she was sent to Rome and then set out to found a new mission in Thailand and from Thailand she opened another mission in Cambodia.

"Mission is often fraught with challenges, difficulties, dangers and risks even to one's life. But, in all these, God is ever present in the one he calls and sends," Archbishop Yllana said.

Sister Mary's missionary work brought her to the United States where she taught elementary level classes in California and later at St. Anthony School in Robstown and at Our Lady Rosary of the Catholic School in Corpus Christi. She is now delegate to the prioress general for the United States Chapter and lives at Our Lady of the Rosary Convent in Corpus Christi.

Archbishop Yllana described Sister Mary as "a courageous woman, who would willingly face up to challenges that come her way as a determined religious, faithful to her commitment in consecrated life."

He spoke of religious life as being a daily challenge, one in which a religious faces and overcomes with the grace of God. "Each day is an occasion to be deeply rooted in Christ, to renew oneself in one's commitment to vocation and realize with gratitude the marvels of God in oneself. This is the true meaning of a jubilee celebration," Archbishop Yllana said.

For 50 years, Sister Mary has lived a missionary life and has been faithful to the Dominican charism of sharing the Gospel to people wherever she was sent.