Oasis of Hope: The AAAA Vancouver retreat offered rest for the weary and grace for the journey ahead
In the gentle quiet of a summer morning in Vancouver, Assumption women came together — not just to stay still, but to pray. Surrounded by the comforting embrace of old friends and new faces, the “Pilgrims of Hope in Today’s World” retreat unfolded like a sacred conversation: honest, reflective, soul-filled, and joyfully grounded in the spirit of St. Marie Eugénie and our Blessed Mother.
Facilitated by the ever-wise and warm Sr. Gertrude “Sister G” Borres, RA, and the deeply inspiring Joey Albert Pacis (High School 1977, College 1981), this Jubilee Year of Hope retreat became a time of realignment — a spiritual oasis for hearts that needed rest, renewal, and reconnection. Each moment was an invitation to ask, “Where am I today?” and to listen for the answer in prayer, in laughter, in the tearful stories shared over warm meals and quiet reflection.
As one participant beautifully said, “Going to an Assumption retreat is like experiencing an oasis in the desert.” That’s exactly what it became: a day with the Lord, a day among sisters, a day to remember how hope is not just something we wait for — it is something we carry.
Sr. Gertrude herself shared:
“It was inspiring and awesome to have 52 Assumption alumnae cross states and borders to take time in Vancouver — to spend a Day with the Lord and our North American Assumption community — to listen, pray, share, and reflect on the blessings and challenges of life with the loving gaze of God, St. Marie Eugénie, and Our Blessed Mother. As in the past ten years, the annual Assumption Day of Prayer is always an ‘oasis in the desert’ and a ‘coming home’ experience that consoles and strengthens us in our journey of Life and Love. It is also touching to always meet inter-generational Assumption friends who share a kindred spirit and mission because of the Assumption education received in our different Assumption schools! Assumpta est! Given the Jubilee Year of Hope, as the theme stated — ‘Pilgrims of Hope in Today’s World: Conversation with Our Blessed Mother and St. Marie Eugénie’ — we hope our written ‘Bags of Hope,’ filled with the particular graces received during the day, will remind us to be pilgrims of hope. As St. Paul says: ‘Hope does not disappoint’ in the world we live in.”
The resonance of the retreat could be felt in the voices of the women who attended, each carrying home a personal grace and a renewed sense of hope. Their experiences, unique yet intertwined, reflected the living spirit of sisterhood that continues to bind the Assumption community together.
Echoes from the Oasis
The retreat’s impact was deeply personal for many, including Racky Torres Manalastas of High School 1992, who shared:
“I learned to listen to myself and heal the hurt or pain I have encountered.
I also learned to love myself — not just my family and others — and to listen to others and accept everyone as they are, flawed and all. No one is perfect.
Understanding that each person has a story of their own and in sharing their stories, we are stronger and united as one sisterhood.”
For Racky, who moved to Canada with her family in search of a brighter future, the retreat became a turning point of faith and hope:
“This retreat was a perfect time for me to get back to my faith and reignite my hope for a better future. Uprooting our comfortable life back home was not easy, and rebuilding here has been full of challenges — from starting my career again, to my husband becoming a student, to my kids adjusting without the help of a yaya or driver. But all these hardships have made our faith stronger. Talking to God and trusting Him through it all made us believe that if we are united as a family, and rooted in God, anything is possible.” ❤️
For Linette Ignacio Rebosura of High School 1982, the retreat provided a new depth of insight into the meaning of hope itself:
“What is hope? Sr. Gertrude asked us at the beginning of the retreat. A simple question that challenged me all day. I’ve always thought of hope as the confidence that everything will be OK. Coupled with prayer, I knew what should be, will be — good or bad — and that I would be OK no matter what.
But Sr. Gertrude, with her gift of connecting our faith and family values to the changing realities of our lives, especially in a foreign land, brought me back to St. Marie Eugénie’s wisdom: ‘I speak of that HOPE which, based on the knowledge we have of God and of ourselves, makes us count much on God and not at all on ourselves; of that HOPE which arises from a deep awareness of the goodness of God, of His power and of His love for us.’”
Linette reflected that her own journey, marked by loss and tragedy at an early age, has always been strengthened by prayer and faith:
“Faith and Hope seemed to be one. It is the acknowledgment that I am not alone and that if I trust in Him — His power, goodness, and love — I will really be OK. This renewed insight is the message I gained from a most inspiring and enriching retreat with Sr. Gertrude and Joey Albert Pacis. Joining these retreats has empowered me, most especially this year as I transition to a new phase of my journey. And sharing these experiences with my classmates and other Old Girls is a bonus. There’s a unique sisterhood that is celebrated no matter your age or which campus you graduated from. It’s always fun and welcoming, like coming home.”
Together, these voices remind us that hope is not just an idea but a lived reality — one that grows stronger when shared. In this Jubilee Year of Hope, each story becomes a light that guides us forward, reminding us that as pilgrims, we walk not alone but together, with faith as our anchor and hope as our compass.
With every word, song, silence, and smile, the retreat reminded all present that we are not alone in this journey. We walk as pilgrims, yes — but we walk together. And where two or three are gathered in His name, we find not only community, but communion.
This Jubilee Year of Hope was not only a celebration of faith but a gentle reminder: hope is not distant, it lives within us, carried forward into the world we live in.
