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WASHINGTON (January 16, 2003) -- Sister Marie de la Trinitè Siopongco, SSVM, Mission Education Animator, Archdiocese of Washington, has been named Assistant Secretary for World Missions in the Department of Education of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).
In this part-time post, Sister Siopongco will assist the Bishops' Committee on World Missions in the implementation of the Church's commitment to the worldwide missionary efforts of the Church as expressed in documents of the Magisterium from the Second Vatican Council to the present.
"The appointment of Sister Siopongco is wonderful news for all who care about the Church's missionary apostolate," said Sister Glenn Anne McPhee, OP, USCCB Secretary for Education. "She is well versed in the study of evangelization and extremely gifted in reaching out to the diverse audiences whose need for evangelization is such a priority for the Church. She will make a major contribution."
Sister Siopongco is a native of the Philippines where she earned a degree in accounting. Prior to entering religious life in 2000, she worked for 26 years as Comptroller with the firm of Healy and Baillie in New York City.
On June 4, 2000, she entered the religious community of the Servants of the Lord and the Virgin of Matara, a religious community founded in Argentina in 1988. She did novitiate studies at the House of Postulancy in Takoma Park, Md.
In the succeeding year, Sister Siopongco worked in several different avenues of the apostolate. She engaged in house to house ministry among Spanish-speaking persons in Langley Park, Md., assessing the spiritual needs of residents or inviting individuals to return to the Church. She taught catechism at St. Martin of Tours, Gaithersburg, MD., and has spoken at parishes and schools, and assisted in retreats for women. She also worked part time at Birthing and Care, an agency which provides assistance to pregnant women who are undocumented or who do not have health care, and at Project Rachel, which helps post-abortive women and men find spiritual care to assist in recovery from abortion.
Appointed Mission Education Animator, Archdiocese of Washington, in July, 2001, her responsibilities have included fostering the programs of the Holy Childhood Association to archdiocesan principals, students and clergy, and the planning of mission activities such as coordinating a mission plan for Mission Coordinators and DREs, making presentations to Catholic schools and CCD programs, motivating students, and fostering the work of vocations.