Philippines: Nun who promoted media education dies at 77

A Filipina nun who promoted media education in the country died on July 27. She was 77.

Sister Maria Consolata (Corazon) Manding, a member of the Daughters of St. Paul, died at San Juan de Dios Hospital due to acute respiratory failure and pneumonia, secondary to lung metastasis.

On August 2, 2024, at 7:00 a.m., the funeral mass will occur at the Queen of Apostles Sanctuary, Daughters of St. Paul, located at 2650 F.B. Harrison St., Pasay City. Burial follows at the Lipa Catholic Cemetery, Lipa City, Batangas.

Sister Consolata graduated from her doctoral study in communication at the University of the Philippines Diliman in 2002 with a dissertation on modules for media literacy education. 

In the same year, the Paulines Institute of Communication in Asia (PICA), a training center for communication for teachers and pastoral workers, was established. 

She became its director, a responsibility she held until her death. PICA offers a graduate program in media literacy education, as well as a certificate program in communication and media education.

Sister Consolata frequently received invitations to present talks and seminars on various media-related subjects, including the role of media in interreligious dialogue and peacebuilding both domestically and internationally.

To bring the media literacy program to poor dioceses, she worked for funding from SIGNIS (World Catholic Association for Communication), CEI, and Hilton Funds for Sisters; thus, she was able to conduct seminars and train more seminarians, pastoral workers, and teachers from dioceses and schools.

She also conducted seminar workshops on media literacy for Catholic school teachers and pastoral workers in partnership with Father Norman Pena of the Society of St. Paul.

She was a founding board member of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines' CINEMA (Catholic Initiative for Enlightened Movie Appreciation), which sponsors seminar workshops for aspiring movie reviewers.

Many who knew or worked with her mourned her death.

One of them is Father Christian Buenafe, a Carmelite.

In 1983, Consolata taught campus journalism at St. Francis Xavier College Seminary in Davao, southern Philippines.

“Years later, we frequently meet at media conferences and social communication meetings. We also became partners and colleagues in media education, literacy work, and ministry," the priest said.

She was with the Pauline Institute of Communications in Asia (PICA), and he was with the Titus Brandsma Media Center (TBMC) and the Institute of Spirituality in Asia (ISA), Manila.