Sister Azucena (Ceny) San Pedro

Current ministry location – Brazil

Azucena San Pedro, was born September 27, 1941 in Baguio, Philippines to Rizalina (Perez) San Pedro and Jose San Pedro. She had one brother: Benito. Azucena, known to all as “Ceny,” graduated from Maryknoll College High School in Manila, RP in 1957. Ceny earned her undergraduate degree in chemistry at the University of the Philippines in 1964 and received a Certificate for teaching high school physics from the Ateneo de Manila University, Philippines in 1966.

Azucena (Ceny) entered the Maryknoll Sisters June 23, 1968 at the novitiate in the Philippines. She was assigned to her first mission in Tanzania in 1970. She professed First Vows April 9, 1972 in Tanzania and Final Vows January 27, 1979 also in Tanzania.

In 1975, Ceny received a Certificate in Human Relations Training from the Institute of Social Order, Manila, Philippines.

Sister Ceny taught physics and chemistry in Bukoba, then at Nangwa Girls’ School. She went from there to Chanjale Parish in Lambini and Mwanza, where she was engaged in pastoral work. In 1989, she was assigned to administer the Maryknoll Sisters regional house in Nairobi, Kenya. The following year, she returned to Tanzania to serve at the Matumaini Center for teenage mothers in Iringa. During her Tanzania ministry, Sister Ceny helped develop a secondary education alternative for young women. Later, after seeing so many single teen-age mothers, she worked with others to start a center for teenage mothers, called Center of Hope.

In 2004, Sister Ceny was assigned to Nanakuli, Hawaii, where she was first engaged in social service work with immigrants.  Later she was invited to join the staff of Hoa ‘Aina O’Makaha Farm, where the neighboring Makaha Elementary School had become a partner with the farm in exposing their students not only to planting, weeding, watering and harvesting but also the benefits of communal participation and inter-generational cooperation. The farm also welcomed busloads of young students on almost every day of the school year to give the young children the opportunity and experience to plant, to water, and to see how food grows.

In 2011, Sister Ceny was assigned to Brazil. She carried with her a wealth of experience working with children and teens.