The bell would ring twice every morning when we attended High School at St. Theresa’s College, Quezon City. The “first bell” meant that we were to form 2 lines in the corridors outside our classrooms. The “second bell” meant that we were to march into our classrooms for the start of classes. We were teenagers then, and the first bell would normally go unnoticed. Not until Sister Gloria Ymson started patrolling the corridors. She would stand at the end of the corridor, barely five feet in height, although to us, she could very well have been seven feet tall. Her mere presence there, framed by the wooden doorway, made that first bell superfluous. The whispering would start, “Sr. Gloria’s there!” And we would stop whatever it was we were doing and would dutifully form our lines, without her having to say a word, without waiting for that first bell to ring.
Gloria Roque Ymson was born on March 29, 1932, in Navotas. At the age of 29, she joined the Immaculate Sisters of Mary (ICM). She was originally with the Elementary Department of the then ICM-administered St. Joseph’s School in Pandacan, becoming its Principal in 1968. Eventually, Sr. Gloria joined the High School Department of St. Theresa’s College, Quezon City.
That is where we met her, where she taught us, where we were trained by her. She was our nemesis in High School, always aware of what we had done, and what we were up to. But she would never be able to stay angry with us for long, and after much cajoling and apologizing, we would see the first glimpse of a smile, the first break in her stern face. When we were in our Senior Year, that smile came more quickly and easily.
I saw Sr. Gloria again, after 25 years, during our Silver Homecoming in January 2003. My first reaction was amazement - that such a tiny sweet woman could control so many adolescents, full of young energy, for so many years. I hugged her then, never having had the courage to do so before, and asked if she remembered me. She said yes and spoke my full maiden name. She did this for so many of us who attended that night.
On July 31, 2007, after a series of strokes that left her in a coma for several days, and surrounded by her immediate family, Sr. Gloria Ymson passed on to Our Creator. Her remains lay in state at the Queen of Peace Convent, shrouded by the prayers of generations of grateful students.
She was and is our First Bell, the soft tolling in our minds that tells us what to do, the quiet ringing in our hearts that reminds us of what is right, the gentle tinkling in our souls that whispers “all is well.” She kept us straight and true. Honor her memory.
Gloria Roque Ymson was born on March 29, 1932, in Navotas. At the age of 29, she joined the Immaculate Sisters of Mary (ICM). She was originally with the Elementary Department of the then ICM-administered St. Joseph’s School in Pandacan, becoming its Principal in 1968. Eventually, Sr. Gloria joined the High School Department of St. Theresa’s College, Quezon City.
That is where we met her, where she taught us, where we were trained by her. She was our nemesis in High School, always aware of what we had done, and what we were up to. But she would never be able to stay angry with us for long, and after much cajoling and apologizing, we would see the first glimpse of a smile, the first break in her stern face. When we were in our Senior Year, that smile came more quickly and easily.
I saw Sr. Gloria again, after 25 years, during our Silver Homecoming in January 2003. My first reaction was amazement - that such a tiny sweet woman could control so many adolescents, full of young energy, for so many years. I hugged her then, never having had the courage to do so before, and asked if she remembered me. She said yes and spoke my full maiden name. She did this for so many of us who attended that night.
On July 31, 2007, after a series of strokes that left her in a coma for several days, and surrounded by her immediate family, Sr. Gloria Ymson passed on to Our Creator. Her remains lay in state at the Queen of Peace Convent, shrouded by the prayers of generations of grateful students.
She was and is our First Bell, the soft tolling in our minds that tells us what to do, the quiet ringing in our hearts that reminds us of what is right, the gentle tinkling in our souls that whispers “all is well.” She kept us straight and true. Honor her memory.
