Filipina Maryknoll sister honored for years of service

Sister Margarita Jamias speaking at the centennial celebration of Miriam College. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

MARYKNOLL, New York – Maryknoll Sister Margarita Jamias was recently honored for her years of “exemplary service” on the Board of Trustees for Miriam College, Quezon City, Philippines.

Sister Margarita, who served on the Board from 2010-2013, was honored for her singular efforts in pioneering the college’s Nuvali campus.

She was also cited for other unique contributions, including building links between the school and the Maryknoll Ecological Sanctuary, a resource center for organizations, schools, institutions and the general public, seeking to study and appreciate the ecosystems of the Philippines.

Since entering Maryknoll Sisters in 1960, Sister Margarita, a Filipina, has served as an educator and administrator on the primary, secondary and college levels in Guatemala and her native Philippines. She has also worked in community development, pastoral ministry, and empowerment of women in Nicaragua.

Following several years as Missions Project funding coordinator for her congregation, Sister Margarita moved to Baguio, where she served as advocate for “justice, peace and integrity of creation” and a resource person for the Maryknoll Ecological Sanctuary and chair of the Association of Women Religious of Baguio-Benguet.

She currently conducts “The Journey of the Universe,” a seminar exploring the origins of the cosmos and the challenges facing people today.

Founded by Maryknoll Sisters in 1926 as a teacher-training program, Miriam College began as Malabon Normal School, later evolving into Maryknoll College, and finally into its present form.

The school, which offers classes to preschoolers through Ph.D candidates, has grown to be one of the leading model schools for Catholic education in the Philippines. Its graduates have gone on to become leaders in government, business, education, and socioeconomics in their homeland and beyond.