Woman from Philippines Enters Novitiate

December 8, 2002. Meriden, Connecticut

Guida Magbanua, a native of Iloilo, Philippines, entered the novitiate of the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist and was given the name Sister Maria David on Sunday, December 8th in a ceremony held at the Franciscan Sisters' chapel. Miss Magbanua is the first woman from the Philippines to enter the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist. She worked as a midwife in her country before moving to the Holy Land where she met the Sisters.

Upon entering the novitiate phase of formation in religious life, the woman receives the habit and veil of the Community and is generally given a new name. Guida's new name, Sister Maria David, expresses her familial heritage since Maria is part of her baptismal name, and her love of the Holy Land -- both Bethlehem and Jerusalem being known as "City of David."