IN celebration of its 10th anniversary and the Christmas season, KKMP radio donated over $10,000 to the Maturana sisters on Wednesday.
The sisters of Maturana House of Prayer received a generous donation on Wednesday.
Photo by K-Andrea Evarose S. Limol
The proceeds came from a golf tournament that KKMP hosted earlier this month at LaoLao Bay Golf & Resort in conjunction with the Refaluwasch Golf Association, the Marianas Golf Association, Mount Carmel School, and LaoLao Bay Golf & Resort.
Gary and Rosemond Sword of KKMP Radio and Dr. Galvin Deleon Guerrero, president of Mount Carmel School, presented the donation. Joining them was Rev. Fr. Jesse T. Reyes.
“That’s just a token of appreciation from our community to you for your service, for your work, for your continued prayers over us throughout the years,” Gary Sword told the nuns.
“As we go through the Covid-19… we end it with a bang…. We’re thankful that we are very safe where we are,” he said.
“These ladies left their homes. This is now their home. They have never gone back to where they came from. They stayed here so that they could educate the community and keep our community going. Now that they can’t work, they are here, just praying, and I think that needs to be recognized,” he said.
Reyes thanked the sisters for their prayers, and thanked the donors for their generous contributions.
“They could have diverted the funds for their own needs, but instead, they gave it to the sisters,” he said.
He noted that community donors have always prioritized the sisters, hosting events to raise funds for the nuns.
Deleon Guerrero also expressed his gratitude to the sisters for their service, noting that he was once their student, like Rosemond Sword and others before them.
“We all know that Mount Carmel School would not exist if it weren’t for the MMD sisters,” he said, referring to the Mercedarian Missionaries of Berriz, Spain. It was a Mercedarian nun, Margarita Lopez de Maturana, who sent the first Mercedarian missionaries to Saipan in 1928.
“Throughout [Mount Carmel School’s] history, you have continued to help us as teachers, as leaders and, in the past decade, with prayers,” Deleon Guerrero told the nuns. “The school itself has survived major typhoons, economic disasters, and even this current pandemic, and we attribute that to the legacy that you have left behind.”
He added, “It was an honor and a privilege for Mount Carmel School to participate in that way, given all of these restrictions. Our students were there to assist with the golf tournament, and they were just so happy to give back to the people that have given so much of their support.”
Rosemond Sword also extended her gratitude to the sisters.
“You guys have a very special place in my heart. All of you were teachers at one point in our lives, even our parents’ lives. This is not the first or the last [donation]. We will continue to support and give to the House of Prayer because I believe that the ministry is important and necessary.”
The sisters thanked the donors for their generosity, noting that although they cannot contribute much, they continue to pray for the people of the CNMI every day.
Located on Navy Hill, the Maturana House of Prayer relies solely on contributions to pay for the nuns’ basic necessities such as food and utilities.
The Maturana Benefit Golf Tournament was sponsored by Gov. Ralph DLG Torres, Lt. Gov. Arnold I. Palacios, Speaker Blas Jonathan Attao, Vice Speaker Lorenzo Deleon Guerrero, Floor Leader John Paul Sablan, Rep. Ivan Blanco, Rick Kautz, the Saipan Mayor’s Office, the CNMI Public School System, Mount Carmel School, Northern Marianas College, Sound-Hires, Pacific Rim Construction, Joeten Enterprises, TSL Foundation, IT&E, Triple J Hole-in-One Car, Borja Funeral Home, Priority Care, CHCC Emergency Preparedness, Department of Commerce-Census 2020, DPS Boating Safety, DCCA-DYS, Hyatt Regency, Marpac, McDonald’s Saipan, DLNR Fish & Wildlife, Friends of the Paseo de Marianas, Kinpachi & Awaodori Dancers, RNV Construction, Marianas Ukulele, Team PDI, Friends of San Isidro, Marianas Golf Association, Refaluwasch Golf Association, Refaluwasch Music Society, and Kiki Marciano & Her Elves.
