REV. MOTHER MARY AURORA, SSpSAP - the first Filipina and fourth Superior General of the Holy Spirit Adoration Sisters

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Mother M. Aurora, Josefina Marasigan, was born on 15 March 1923 in Manila.  Josefina had five brothers and sisters; she herself was the third youngest.  Her brother Vincent, 3 years older than herself entered the Jesuits.  From May 1946 Josefina began thinking of entering a contemplative order and she decided for the Cloistered Sisters in Baguio.  Having the approval of her parents on 6 November 1947 she bade farewell to her native place in order to live a life of seclusion and adoration.

She pronounced her first vow on 21 November 1950.  She served as a simple Sister in the convent in Baguio, from July 1959 first councilor in Baguio and from July 1965 superior in Cordoba.  At the General Chapter in 1969 she was elected to the highest office of the Congregation.  

Mother Mary Michael is the first Superior General, Mother Mary Ancilia , the second, and Mother Mary Ignatia, was the third.

Mother Mary Aurora requested the capitulars not to reelect her again due to advance age and health, so they elected Sister Mary Cecilia (Elvira Hocbo), a Filipina, as the fifth Superior General.  Sister M. Cecilia insisted not to address her as Mother but Sister instead.

 

 

 

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Mother Mary Elizabeth was elected Superior General in November 2015 as the 6th Superior General.

In July 2019, Mother Maria Magdalena, a German, was elected as the new Superior General(7th).  She was a former Superior of the Adoration Convents of Slovakia, Poland and Berlin.  She served as Procurator General in 2011.
 

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Mother M. Aurora was one of the national hero Marcelo H. Del Pilar’s granddaughters.  She served as the Mother General of the Pink Sisters for 34 years, leading the religious institute four times until reaching the age of 80. She was also a spiritual adviser to the late president Corazon Aquino during the People Power Revolution of 1986.
 

 

Mother Mary Aurora Passed Away

On November 10, 2016, our dear Mother Mary Aurora, 4th Superior General of our Congregation, went to her eternal reward at the age of 93. She had led our Congregation from 1969 to 2003 with wisdom and broadmindedness, with kindness blended with firmness, with selfless dedication and with a love of a mother who is solicitous for the welfare of her daughters.

A faithful daughter of the Church, she had guided and accompanied the congregation through the difficult and challenging times of the post-Vatican Council. She had expanded the congregation by founding and establishing new adoration convents in Asia, in South and North America, in Europe and in Africa. A true and faithful spiritual daughter of St. Arnold Janssen and Mother Mary Michael, she continued to promote the external and internal growth of our congregation.

Though already sickly and bedridden yet still possessing a clear mind, she put to good use her talent for languages: she worked in the Generalate as one of the translators. Her edifying example of patience and silence in the midst of sufferings and her wise advice and counsels in any situation were valuable to many who had known her and had lived close to her.

Grateful for her service to the Church and the Congregation, we accompanied her to her final resting place on earth. On November 16, 2016, her body was brought from Bad Driburg, Germany to the Motherhouse in Steyl, Netherlands to be interred in the convent cemetery there where our Co-foundress, Mother Mary Michael, and the two other Superior Generals before her were buried. Her family members who still traveled from other parts of the world, her many friends and benefactors far and near, and several SVD Priests and Brothers and SSpS Sisters attended her funeral. Fr. Patrick Casino MSP celebrated the Requiem Mass together with four other concelebrants.

It was remarkable that it was raining the whole morning. It was cloudy and cold. The mood of the day seems to go with the occasion. Until before 2:oo p.m. it was still raining that we were worried for the visitors. Besides, it will be wet and muddy in the cemetery. But after the Requiem Mass, it was a miracle. The rain had stopped, the ground was dry, and the sun was peeping cheerfully out of the clouds. It was a beautiful weather. Surely our Lord had granted this favor to Mother Mary Aurora and for the sake of all the guests.

As we pray for her eternal repose, we also ask her to pray for us. With her passing away, we have certainly gained a new intercessor in heaven.

 

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The convent in India is the first she founded during her term as Superior General.

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After Mother Mary Aurora was elected, she took oath as chairperson of the General Chapter.  It was suggested that in the subsequent election of the general councilors the internationality of the Congregation should be kept in mind.  In this way the general council would reflect the wishes of Vatican II by taking into account the differing conditions in the various countries.

The following were elected as councilors: Sr. M. Theresilde, Pauline Skerry, USA, 40 years old; Sr. M. Seraphica, Maria Fiekens, Germany, 56; Sr. M. Corelia, Maria Braoer, Holland, 49; Sr. M. Bonifacia, Veronika Kern, Germany, 46.  In another ballot, Sr. M. Paola, Cornelia Beuken, Holland, 55, was elected treasurer general.  From among the councilors, Sr. Theresilde was elected Assistant General.

 

 

 

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On July 2019, Mother Maria Magdalena, a German, was elected as the new Superior General(7th).  She was a former Superior of the Adoration Convents of Slovakia, Poland and Berlin.  She served as Procurator General in 2011.  The following sisters were elected by the capitulars complete the General Council:

Sr. M. Catherine is elected as Assistant General - an American

Sr. M. Renee - Second Councilor - a Filipina

Sr. M. Raquel - Third Councilor and Secretary General - an Argentinian

Sr. Lusia Ma. - Fourth Councilor - an Indonesian (She is the First Indonesian Pink Sister)

 

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Bells rang out again and this time for our Congregation. In July the capitulars gathered at our Generalate in Bad Driburg, Germany for the 10th General Chapter resulting in the election of our new Superior General. After generously and selflessly serving our Congregation for 34 years Mother Mary Aurora was ready to hand her commander’s staff over to Sister Mary Cecilia, our new and 5th Superior General. Sister ended her poignant acceptance speech with this request: “For most of us, Mother Mary Aurora is the only Mother we have known and there will always be only one Mother in our hearts, and so I request you to continue to address me as Sister Mary Cecilia.” Sister Mary Gemma and Sister Mary Leticia felt privileged to represent the Mount Grace Community at this grace-filled General Chapter. Mother Mary Aurora pictured this meeting to be “a praying Chapter” and so it was.

The Holy Spirit was frequently invoked for enlightenment and for the grace needed to discern the Father’s will in this election. We were overjoyed with the good results. The canonization of our Founder, Arnold Janssen, is considered a confirmation of our service in the Church as contemplative-missionary Sisters. Father Peter McHugh, SVD, was the perfect Chapter Moderator. He is an expert on the life and spirituality of Saint Arnold and he gladly shared a wealth of information with us. Father McHugh was guide for the capitulars on a pilgrimage to Goch, Saint Arnold’s birth place. On that day time was spent recalling the blessings of our heritage and our awareness was heightened of the great legacy of Saint Arnold’s profound Trinitarian spirituality. Sister Mary Gemma related to us a marvelous World War II story about Father Arnold’s neighbors in Goch. The town was being bombed and the house next door to the Janssen house was hit hard and the family was buried in rubble and they were trapped and suffocating. They prayed and asked Father Arnold to intercede for them in their dilemma. A short time later another bomb hit the Janssen quarters. The force of the explosion blew the debris off of them. The family was so very grateful that their lives were spared. They voluntarily took on the responsibility of opening and closing the Janssen house for the pilgrims who journey to Goch and pay their respects to Saint Arnold which gives honor and glory to God. The house is now owned by the Divine Word Missionaries.

https://www.mountgraceconvent.org/Pictures/newsletters/mountgracenewsletterpdfs/2003Dec.pdf

 

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On 1/24/2025 at 8:39 AM, graciandelamadrededios said:

Mother Mary Elizabeth was elected Superior General in November 2015 as the 6th Superior General.

In July 2019, Mother Maria Magdalena, a German, was elected as the new Superior General(7th).  She was a former Superior of the Adoration Convents of Slovakia, Poland and Berlin.  She served as Procurator General in 2011.
 

Per https://www.mountgraceconvent.org/Pictures/newsletters/mountgracenewsletterpdfs/2012Dec.pdf

Mother Mary Elizabeth was elected in June 2011

8 minutes ago, graciandelamadrededios said:

Per https://www.mountgraceconvent.org/Pictures/newsletters/mountgracenewsletterpdfs/2012Dec.pdf

Mother Mary Elizabeth was elected in June 2011

In the midst of Easter joy on the Thursday after Easter, we welcomed Mother Maria Elizabeth and her councilor, Sister Mary Renee, for the Visitation of our community. These Visitations take place every four years, or when a Superior General is newly elected, as Mother was in June of 2011. It was a time for each Sister to meet privately with Mother to enable her to assess the needs of each one and of the community as a whole. We enjoyed hearing about our Sisters in the convents throughout the world and had many pleasant sessions of sharing stories. The two weeks sped by and we bade farewell with hearts full of encouragement and renewed fervor in living out our daily round as Holy Spirit Adoration Sisters.