THANK YOU…RITA “TINA” NAKPIL…AAA PRESIDENT AND PRAYER LEADER
by Ana de Villa Singson
If AAA tenure could be characterized according to era, then Tina’s stint as AAA President from 2021-2022 can be dubbed as the “AAA’s Renaissance of Faith Development.” A woman of strong and indubitable faith, Tina brought prayer front and center in AAA’s agenda. Rosaries, SME Kuwentuhan, A Talk with Mother General, Masses and Retreats enjoyed centerstage.
And faith, needed always, was needed even more during that time. A pandemic President, Tina helmed the AAA when people were fearful of getting sick, unsure of emerging from the bubble, wary of greeting anyone face to face. We needed a woman of faith to keep us steady, calm, hopeful.
Tina was with the AAA from 2020 – 2022. She is extremely organized. She would list all her deliverables in longhand, and would religiously and diligently cross each one out until her long list of action points was completely done. After Website Committee meetings, she would list her many deliverables, then cross them out one at a time! She was one of the prolific contributors to the Assumpta online magazine! She laughingly said that she would never author a piece ( she actually did write 2 articles) but said that she would find others to contribute in her stead. And she always delivered…many articles sourced across sectors of Assumption.
She is one of those people you have a hard time saying no to. Once, she asked me to share a “Mama Mary story” for an online mass. I’m not one to share, all my friends know this. I will laugh, talk a mile for many, many minutes, but sharing and baring my heart and soul online is not something I do. But when Tina asked, it seemed selfish to say no, especially since she was invoking Mama Mary. There’s no saying no to that!
She also gives some of the most uplifting advise. Very vocal, I would text her my honest thoughts if I disagreed or was bothered about something. And to this day, I have kept all her text messages. One message resonates deeply with me: “ ….the moments of darkness are also the moments of clarity…all with God there.” Tina was a large part of my spiritual development in AAA…and I am sure that others attest to their prayer growth under her watch as well.
Tina’s AAA tenure may have ended, but she Is very much a part of the Assumption family , an advocate of Assumption Together and now a member of the Mother Marie Institute. We have not completely lost her in the AAA either. Happily and fortunately, we have her for one more year as our ex-officio adviser and counsel.
Thank you, Tina! Wishing you all the very best always! And as you said in our last zoom meeting “ I’d like to give all of you the hug that I’ve been wanting to give you all ( but couldn’t through Zoom)”. Back to you, Tina! Sending you big hugs…from all of us in return!
