Rebecca G. Macugay (M.Ed. 1985)

Rebecca is originally from the Philippines. Before coming to CIE, as a Maryknoll Sister Rebecca worked as a member of the team that set up the Bugando Hospital at Mwanza, Tanzania, and trained lab technicians. In 1975, she went to Kenya, where she served in a variety of ministries, including high-school teacher, youth worker in a non-school setting, and Development Education trainer for adult literacy teachers in various Catholic dioceses in the country.

After getting her degree at CIE, she served several years as vocation minister for the Congregation before returning to Kenya. As part of a pastoral team in Bura-Tana, Kenya, she coordinated the training of village health workers, trained youth and women leaders, and participated in small Christian communities. During her year in Nairobi, she trained refugees in business management skills and helped to set up a day center for people living with HIV/AIDS.

Sister Rebecca transferred to Namibia in 1997 and teamed up with another Maryknoll Sister to establish the Christian development education program of the Rundu vicariate, in the northeastern part of the country. In this role, she trained church personnel from the different parishes, enabling them to work more effectively with their communities.

In Kleinmond, South Africa, Sister Rebecca worked with the Cape Town Grail, part of an international women’s organization, to establish the Training for Transformation Program in 2000 for women development practitioners from Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America.

She joined the Development Department of the Maryknoll Sisters five years later. As Mission Projects Funding director, Sister Rebecca worked with grant-makers and major donors to support the mission projects of Maryknoll Sisters overseas, as well as special projects and needs at the Maryknoll Sisters Center in New York. In October 2008, Sister Rebecca was elected vice-president of the Maryknoll Sisters. [10-20]