“My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.”
Born in Tuguegarao City, Cagayan, Philippines, Sr. Suzette’s path was shaped by her family and loving upbringing. With ten siblings, her early years provided a foundation of faith inspired by Catholic tradition which was nurtured and modeled by caring parents.
In June 2006, Sr. Suzette began the process of transferring her vows to the Sisters of Providence and moved to Yakima, Washington.
“I felt something was missing in my ministry and I saw how deeply the Sisters of Providence cared for the poor,” she recalls. “They lived a strong, unwavering commitment to a shared mission with a dedication to fostering contemplative listening and discernment.”
Her ministries have spanned education, vocation promotion and formation and pastoral services, initially in the Philippines and later in the United States.
While she had never envisioned working in healthcare, her discernment led her to hospital chaplaincy in 2007. Over 15 years, Sr. Suzette served as a chaplain in Providence hospitals across Oregon, Washington and California, experiencing the profound impact of compassion, sacrifice and hope—especially poignant during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Her work in Stevens County, in the northeast corner of Washington, marked a memorable chapter where she witnessed impoverishment in new forms which she had never seen before.
“It was an eye-opener for me coming from the Philippines, a country with many people who live below the poverty line, to witness different forms of impoverishment,” explains Sr. Suzette.
“A very interesting part of my ministry there was my volunteer work in the food banks that were organized by the hospitals. After work hours, our group of volunteers would go to orchards or farms to harvest donations for the food bank. It was fun picking apples, cherries or corn and bending over to harvest onions. Then, we would turn over the produce to the food banks who would take care of distributing them to the people.”
Sr. Suzette’s holds a BA in psychology from St. Paul University, Manila, an MS in guidance and counseling, and a doctorate in educational management from De La Salle University, Manila. She also earned an MA in religious sciences from the Pontifical Institute Regina Mundi in Rome and underwent a yearlong sabbatical at Milltown Institute in Dublin, Ireland, deepening her theological and spiritual insights.
Today, the journey of Sr. Suzette Bautista brings her all the way north to the Congregational Leadership Team in Montreal, Canada, and to the farthest end of South America where she is serving as the Congregational Councilor for the Mother Bernarda administrative area in Chile. Her journey is a testament to a life lived with purpose and devotion, caring for both the physical and spiritual needs of everyone to who she ministers.