Pauline Sister who helped set up SOCCOM Commission Called to Eternal Life

PASAY CITY, Philippines – Daughter of St Paul Sr Maria Consolata Manding who helped set up the fledgling Kota Kinabalu Archdiocesan Social Communication Commission (SOCCOM) in 2002 was called to eternal life on 27 July 2024 here.  She was 77.

Born in Bohol Philippines, she entered the Daughters of St Paul in 1963. She made her first profession in 1968 and took her final vows in 1974. After a few years in typography, she dedicated herself to studying the phenomenon of television.  She then worked in the communication centers in the archdioceses of Manila and Davao.  Later, in Cebu, she wrote and produced daily radio programs.  She served as provincial superior from 1988-1991.  After her mandate, she continued to dedicate herself to television production in Cebu.  In 1994, she obtained a master’s degree in development management, which she applied to her assignment as the province’s general production coordinator and provincial councillor for the apostolate.  In 2002, she obtained a doctorate in communication from the University of the Philippines, Diliman.  In that same year, she was tasked to begin the Paulines Institute of Communication for Asia (PICA), a communication and media education for evangelization pastoral training center that offers a master’s degree program and certificate in Media Literacy Education to teachers, pastoral workers, and seminarians.  She was often invited – in the Philippines as well as in Malaysia – to give lectures and seminars on various topics, including the role of the media in interreligious dialogue and peacemaking. 

In November 2002, she came over to help set up the newly formed Archdiocesan Social Communication Commission in Kota Kinabalu.  She guided the members under Sr Bibianah Dunsia fsp in the Organisational Planning Strategies (OPS) based on the SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) format.  She also helped the members to understand clearly the roles and functions of media for evangelisation based on Inter Mirifica (Vatican Council II decree on communication).  She came also to Petaling Jaya in December 2003 to conduct OPS to the Association of Pauline Cooperators.

In 2019, at the height of her activities, she was diagnosed with breast cancer, which soon spread to the lungs.  In spite of this, she still carried on with her online classes (propelled by the Covid-19 Pandemic).  In 2024, she facilitated the online course on managing diocesan newspapers which was attended by Sr Bibianah and Linda Edward of Catholic Sabah (CS).  On June 28, she helped CS staff (Peter Zeter, Linda Edward and Alice) to review the proposed vision and mission statement of CS.

On July 24, Sr Consolata was hospitalized due to pneumonia and difficulty in breathing and on July 27, she passed away quietly, surrounded by her fellow-sisters.  Her funeral and burial took place on Aug 2.  Now, with the Father, may she continue to pray for all communicators so that they will speak of the beauty and love of God through the communication media. – Sr. Ay,fsp