Current Ministry Location-Central Pacific

Sister Rosalinda, tackles the struggles that migrants are facing, especially with the immigration law changes and increasing fees.  In Hawaii, she worked with Catholic Charities, helping clients petition for reunification with their families and stabilization of their immigration status.  In 2003, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops honored Sister Rosalinda for her more than twenty years of service in immigration and refugee work in the Diocese of Honolulu.

Sister Rosalinda was born in Mangatarem, Pangasinan, Philippines.  She entered Maryknoll in 1965 in Quezon City, Philippines.  As an agriculturist, she served as an agricultural social worker and as a pastoral assistant in the Philippines in her first years of mission service.

In 1973, Sister Rosalinda was assigned to the Central Pacific and worked in Oahu, Hawaii.  There she was project director of a program that served seniors in Waimanalo.  In this capacity she supervised the backyard gardening of retired plantation workers and coordinated other senior activities.

Later, Sister Rosalinda was asked to supervise a group of Filipino lay missioners on Hawaii Island.  She said of this experience that those were “marvelous years of outreach to the Filipino people in twelve parishes staffed by the Maryknoll Fathers.”

Back in Oahu, Sister Rosalinda was director of the diocesan Office for Filipino Ministry, and then she became a pastoral associate for three years at St. Anthony, Kalihi, where she taught religious education and offered lay leadership training and pastoral counseling.  She also was an advocate for the marriage tribunal.

From 1990 – 1993, Sister Rosalinda’s service took a different turn when she became a photographer and videographer in the Maryknoll Sisters Center Communication’s Office. Her work captured Maryknoll Sisters in action in South America, Micronesia, American Samoa and Hawaii.

From 1994 until her retirement from Catholic Charities Hawaii in 2014, Sister Rosalinda continued to serve in the Diocese of Honolulu in a wide variety of services especially in immigration.

Presently Sr. Rosalinda enjoys gardening, house chores and saving the environment with her eco-art projects using recycled materials.  She is active with the Diocesan Congress of Filipino Catholic Clubs, with her Quilting Class Group, and her Homeless Breakfast Ministry at St. Pius X Parish in Honolulu.  She also serves as Lector and Eucharistic Minister at St. Anthony Parish in Kailua.