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S. MARIA FELISA GAVIOLA QUINTO, RVM
(December 05, 1957 – February 03, 2021)
S. Maria Felisa Gaviola Quinto, who hailed from Lagao, General Santos City, South Cotabato is the 7th of nine children (4 boys and 5 girls) of Donato Quinto, Sr. and Panfila Gaviola. She received the sacrament of baptism from Fr. Marcellus White, C.P. on December 25, 1957 and was confirmed on December 28 of the same year.
The real family name of S. Maria Felisa and her siblings is Causin. When her father was eight years old, he was adopted by a man from Hawaii who raised him there where he earned a college degree in Liberal Arts. Felisa’s father asked permission from her biological parents to change his family name from Causin to Quinto as a sign of gratitude to his adoptive father.
Felisa completed her elementary and high school education at the Notre Dame for Girls, General Santos, South Cotabato. She took up her college degree in Bachelor of Arts major in Psychology at Southwestern University, Cebu City.
As a young girl, she loved to play / act as a religious by putting on a veil like the Sisters. In high school, she spent most of her time with the Dominican Sisters who made a great impact in her vocation. Her stay at the Immaculate Conception Ladies’ Hall, Urgello, Cebu City during her college years and the dedication of the Sisters in their apostolate inspired her to be one of them. Though she was hesitant to leave her parents, she was reminded of this scripture passage “The one who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and the one who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me” (Mt. 10:37). She decided to follow God’s call after college following a thorough discernment between living religious vocation and married life.
She entered postulancy on February 01, 1981 and noviceship on August 15 of the same year. She made her temporary profession on February 01, 1984, pronounced her perpetual vows on March 24, 1990 and celebrated her silver jubilee on February 02, 2009.
Missionary spirit was engraved in the heart of S. Maria Felisa. She was mostly involved in the Overseas Mission, Education, and Dormitory Ministries of the Congregation. Two years after her final vows, she volunteered to be sent to the Overseas Mission. She considered her assignment in the overseas as God’s plan for her, a call to love beyond race which she responded to with childlike openness and enthusiasm. She was a high school teacher in Bema, a forest within a forest in the Diocese of Kerima, Papua New Guinea. Then, she was transferred to Port Moresby where she served as Religious Education coordinator and Year 2 adviser at St. Joseph International Primary School, a school with students from 18 nationalities and nine (9) tribes. She also had a chance to stay in Melbourne, Australia for a crash course in Religious Education sponsored by St. Joseph International Primary School, Port Moresby.
From Papua New Guinea, she was sent to Islamabad Convent School, Pakistan. Faced with mostly Muslim clients, S. Maria Felisa, together with the other Sisters, showed the academic community that they are brothers and sisters that sustained respect for differences in culture, traditions and more so, beliefs. Their mission in Pakistan flourished because of hard work, self-sacrifice, joyful disposition, and passion for mission of the Sisters.
In her missionary endeavors, she learned from those whom she ministered to selflessly care for others, deal with risk courageously, expect the unexpected, and dream endlessly.
After years of overseas mission, S. Maria Felisa had to be called back to the Philippines because of her health condition. She openly shared that while recuperating, there was no moment that she did not think of going back to the overseas mission. Her doctor, on the other hand, was anxious of sending her back to the mission. With God’s grace, another opportunity was opened for her in the Education Ministry in the Philippines when she was assigned at St. Mary’s Academy, Caloocan City. After five (5) grace-filled years, another door was opened for her in the Dormitory Ministry at the Immaculate Conception Ladies Hall, España, Manila where she served for eight (8) years and another year at ICLH, Cebu City. While in the said ministry, she also extended her services as Vice/Chair of the Association of Women Religious in the Archdiocese of Manila. She also played an active role in the Association of Catholic Dormitories (ACD) in the Archdiocese of Manila, where she was instrumental in animating the ministry. For all her assignments, S. Maria Felisa mentioned that she had so much to thank God in her life as an RVM and as a Missionary Sister.
True to her name which means happiness, good fortune and luck, S. Felisa, who loved to be called “Fely” or “Fel” was joyful amidst difficulties. An old story of her childhood is one of the proofs. The little Felisa knew how to fend for herself. In fact, she remembered very well that when she wanted to drink milk she would go look for one of the mother goats and drank its milk straight, just like that one of its kids.
She was also described as thoughtful, generous, helpful, loving, warm and friendly, amiable and gracious in speech and action. She was gifted with artistic qualities which she generously shared with others. She was very creative in initiating activities for growth of relationship in the community. But she had her failings, too, as there were times that she was caught up with her moods.
S. Felisa was nineteen years old when her mother died, causing her much pain. She silently grieved her loss and in her grief and prayer, she understood that life on earth is only temporary. She came to realize that the author of life is the Lord and only by uttering “Yes, Lord, Your will be done” is peace and solace attained. Life on earth is indeed temporary for unexpectedly, S. Maria Felisa left us too soon. With her YES to the Author of Life, she breathed her last on February 03, 2021 at 10:49 in the evening due to acute myocardial infarction.
Thank you so much for the sixty-two years of earthly life and thirty-seven (37) of which as Religious of the Virgin Mary. Thank you, S. Fely for the beautiful gift of your person. Your welcoming and endearing manner of caring for others, especially for priests and seminarians, as your friends recounted will always be remembered. Many of your students and friends in the overseas mission and in the Philippines remember you with much fondness and joy for having you in their journey.
May Jesus, Mary, Joseph, Venerable Ignacia, and all the Saints in heaven welcome you to the heavenly abode. May the joy and good fortune you shared in life be forever yours in the Kingdom that awaits you. And through the mercy of God, may you rest in peace in the Lord’s peaceful and compassionate embrace. Please pray for us that we may face with deep faith, inner strength and hope the various challenges our country and the world are confronted with. Farewell, our dear S. Fely. Rest in peace. We love you!
Eternal rest grant unto S. Maria Felisa, O Lord,
and let perpetual light shine upon her.
May she rest in peace.
Amen.
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