Jubilee 2022

Sister Noylí Margot Ríos Manzo, CSC

Celebrating Her Silver Jubilee

Sister Noylí was born in Lacabamba, Pallasca, Ancash, Peru. Her father and mother passed away in 2001 and 2004, respectively. She has three siblings, all brothers. Though the family is not very extensive—her nieces and nephews total seven—every time they can get together they celebrate it. She credits her maternal grandfather for instilling faith in the family through his life testimony and the importance he placed on friendship and fair, friendly relationships with people, especially family. “This is an aspect that called me to Holy Cross,” Sister Noylí says, “the collaboration between priests and sisters working in and with the ecclesial community and the strong sense of justice in the ministries.” Before entering the Congregation, she worked in youth delinquency prevention.

About Her Ministry

Sister Noylí made her initial profession of vows as a Sister of the Holy Cross on February 11, 1997, and her perpetual profession on February 19, 2005.

Sister Noylí has served in parish ministry and in various social service programs during her time with the Congregation. As a psychologist, she assisted the Mercedarian sisters in Lima; ministered with at-risk women and children at the Fuerza Barrio Center, Ancash, Lima; and was coordinator for the department of Psychology at Colegio Nuestra Señora de Cocharcas, Lima, where she also served as a student mentor. From 2009 to 2012, Sister Noylí served with the Diocese of Chosica, Peru, ministering in Caritas Chosica. There, she supported rural families through non-violence programming and workshops. She later ministered with women in rural Huarochiri, Lima, through a local support center.

From 2014 to 2019, she provided support to the Congregation as a councilor for the Area of South America and served as coordinator for the sisters in Peru. Beginning in 2015, Sister Noylí worked as a psychologist and at the same time served as the family catechesis advisor at Señor de la Esperanza Parish, San Juan de Lurigancho, Lima, Peru. She also was an advisor for the Holy Cross Associates committees of Lima and Chimbote, Peru. She has been serving as a psychologist for the Peruvian Episcopal Conference, Lima, since 2019.

Getting to Know Her

Education

Bachelor’s degree in clinical and social psychology, UNIFE (Universidad Femenina del Sagrado Corazón), Lima, Peru
Master’s degree in social management, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú, Lima
Master’s degree in pastoral care, Universidad Pontificia De Mexico, Mexico City

My Favorite Activities

My favorite activities are sewing, knitting and painting; ways that I find to relax and channel my brain energy to the physical and spiritual. But what I love and fascinates me the most is gardening. In fact, we have a garden and many houseplants that I take care of with great affection. And I love animals—we have a cat and a puppy, both adopted.

My favorite time of ministry

My favorite time of ministry is when I am in contact with people, especially children, listening to them from a place where I can allow my human sensitivity to be questioned. I feel that it is through the reality of people that I find the face of God.

During my ministry of family catechesis, I learned a lot from families and children and adolescents, the reality of poverty, but more about the reality of violence and abuse.

My current ministry is with laity and bishops, and I have the opportunity to listen to children and adolescents who have experienced harassment or sexual abuse in the Catholic Church and to work on prevention. I can also influence decisions on training for prevention through my involvement with the Episcopal Protection Commission of the Peruvian Episcopal Conference.

My most memorable time of ministry

The most memorable time for me was my five years in family catechism. I feel that I learned a lot, and I was interested in meeting and working with families and trying to get closer to their reality. This work with children teaches me to get down to their level of simplicity and learn to see life as a gift but also as a challenge. The greatest learning is not to lose sensitivity, humor, simplicity and joy despite having great problems or deficiencies—that for me is the face of God that I take with me in my daily walk.

A favorite story from my time with the Sisters of the Holy Cross

I have two. I am still taken by the audacity of sisters and the risk they took in supporting the mission in Peru—especially in a collaborative work—and their perseverance in meeting every year with the Holy Cross men and the Marianite and Holy Cross sisters as part of the legacy of Father Moreau and his intention for the union of hearts.

I also recall how the community in South America supported and accompanied me when I asked for an extension of my temporary vows. I was able to live in each mission in Brazil and share with the sisters in the area. That helped me to say on the day of my perpetual vows, “Yes, I want to live and die with you in Holy Cross as part of my life commitment and consecration to God.”

My favorite types of music:

My favorites are Latin American music, salsa, folk music from my country and romantic music.