For Sr. Ravena Valentino Dominguez, FMA, the mission is not simply about crossing geographical borders. It is about crossing the boundaries of self to encounter God in people, especially young people and families living amid poverty, displacement and conflict.
A Filipino member of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, commonly known as the Salesian Sisters, Sr. Ravena served as a missionary in South Sudan from 2022. She arrived in Gumbo, Juba, in October that year, where she accompanied young people and displaced families through education, pastoral ministry and community service.
South Sudan, the world's youngest country, has experienced prolonged conflict and displacement since gaining independence in 2011. For Sr. Ravena, living among people affected by such realities changed her understanding of what it means to be a missionary.
“The people of South Sudan became my greatest teachers,” she said.
One encounter remains particularly vivid. A young mother who had lost her home because of conflict continued bringing her children to school with a smile.
“God is still good because we have today,” the mother told her.
For Sr. Ravena, those words revealed that she had not gone to South Sudan simply to “bring” God to people. God was already present in their suffering, resilience and hope.
Mission through presence
Born in Pilar, Bataan, in the Philippines, Sr. Ravena initially imagined a different future. She studied agriculture at the University of the Philippines Los Baños and later pursued studies in religious education, catechetics and youth ministry in Rome. A licensed teacher and TESDA-certified trainer, she worked in youth ministry, vocational education and catechesis, including extensive service among indigenous Mangyan communities in Oriental Mindoro.
Her vocation grew through youth ministry with the Salesians. The spirituality of St. John Bosco and St. Mary Domenica Mazzarello, particularly their concern for young people who are vulnerable, drew her toward religious life.
She eventually understood that God was not taking away her dreams of a career and family life but enlarging them.
Her family, she said, became part of a much wider family of young people, sisters and brothers in Christ.
In South Sudan, that vocation was tested by unfamiliar surroundings, poverty and insecurity. At times she heard gunfire and faced uncertainty about what the following day might bring.
Her prayer became simple: “Lord, keep us safe, and give us strength for today.”
The experience taught her that missionary work in a conflict zone does not always mean preaching or offering answers. Often, it means staying.
It means listening to those who grieve, accompanying families, comforting those who are afraid and creating safe spaces where children can learn, play and dream despite violence and displacement.
For her, the Church becomes a sign of hope when it refuses to abandon people in their suffering.
A lesson for Asia
Sr. Ravena said Christians in Asia, including Filipinos, can learn from South Sudanese people who continue to trust in God despite hardship.
The Philippines also faces poverty, natural disasters and other forms of suffering. The experience of South Sudan, she said, can remind people not to take peace, education and stability for granted.
She believes peacebuilding begins not only with governments and political leaders but also in families, workplaces and local communities through forgiveness, dialogue and the rejection of division.
She also sees women religious as potential bridges of healing and peace, offering a compassionate presence in communities marked by conflict and division.
After returning to the Philippines to care for her 89-year-old mother, Sr. Ravena now serves as technical directress of Mary Help of Christians School (Mindoro), Inc., in Calapan, Oriental Mindoro. Her return has not ended her missionary outlook; it has brought the lessons of South Sudan into her continuing service in the Philippines.
Looking back, she said missionary life has taught her to depend less on herself and more deeply on God.
“If I could speak to the young woman I once was, I would say: ‘Do not be afraid of the unknown. God’s grace will always match the measure of the task He gives you.’”
She also encourages young people discerning a vocation not to allow fear to prevent them from taking the first step.
“Perfection is not required to follow Jesus; what is needed is a generous heart,” she said.
To people suffering amid conflict, she offers a simple message: Hold on. God sees their pain and walks beside them.
She asks RVA readers to pray particularly for missionaries and communities in South Sudan and the FMA Province AES, which covers Africa, Ethiopia, Sudan and South Sudan.
“Pray that hearts of stone be turned into hearts of peace,” she said.
After her years of mission, Sr. Ravena said she has come to understand God's presence more deeply. God does not stand at a distance from human suffering and fragility.
“He enters directly into it,” she said.
For her, that is at the heart of missionary witness: recognizing God already present among people, remaining with them and helping His light become visible.
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
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