Sr. Anya Borbon (Province of the Philippines/Japan) began her role as the Director of the Congregational Spirituality Centre in Angers, France, on December 8, 2026. Prior to beginning this role, Sr. Anya had been serving as the President of Saint Bridget’s College in Batangas City, Philippines. The Communications Office recently had the chance to interview Sr. Anya as she settles into her new role.

How has your journey as a Good Shepherd sister prepared you for your new role as Director of the Spirituality Centre?

Being appointed as Director of the Congregation’s Spirituality Center at this stage in my life feels like a profound affirmation of the call I first embraced when I professed my vows in 1993.

Looking back on more than 30 years as a Good Shepherd sister, my life has been marked by zeal for the mission wherever I was sent, often serving in leadership, mentoring, and ministry roles. Through these experiences, I have developed skills in guiding, supporting, and working collaboratively with others. Recent experiences in facilitating sessions and workshops for both within the Congregation and with other groups honed my ability to create safe and inspiring spaces for growth. I have also come to value the importance of a clear vision, teamwork, and team management in aligning efforts toward a shared mission.

I am now invited to share my spiritual journey and serve the Congregation in a deeper, more integrated way. This feels like a renewed commitment to live out the values of compassion, spiritual growth, and service, while continuing to deepen my vocation alongside Good Shepherd mission partners.

My mission life has not been easy. Yet, amid the challenges, there has been deep joy—experiences that have shaped my heart and strengthened my capacity and passion to lead and witness a life rooted in Jesus, the Good Shepherd. In reflecting on this journey, I now see each experience as preparation to equip me with all the skills necessary for the mission I am called to at this time.

How did your first visit to the Motherhouse and Spirituality Centre shape your understanding of your vocation and influence your vision for its future today?

The Spirituality Center is the home of our charism—a heart space for memory, pilgrimage, formation, and renewal. In 2015, when I first visited the Motherhouse, it awakened in me a deep longing to one day be missioned in such a place—where I am now called!

That first experience stirred a strong desire for integration and a deeper understanding of my vocation as a Good Shepherd sister, anchoring my zeal for mission to St. Mary Euphrasia and St. John Eudes. I came to see that our identity is not simply in what we do, but in an all-encompassing, holistic zeal for mission, anchored in our heritage and spirituality. This is my identity; this is our identity!

I envision a Spirituality Center that is dynamic, connected, rooted, anchored, and accessible—boldly responding to today’s global spiritual landscape. It is a space where mission partners can fully experience holistic integration through spiritual renewal and formation, deepening their commitment to live and witness our mission as shepherds for the lost, the last, and the least.

What are your priorities for strengthening global connections and building a collaborative spirituality network within the Good Shepherd Congregation?

As I begin this role, I recognize that strengthening connections among mission partners across regions, ministries, and engagements of the Good Shepherd must be a key priority. Building collaboration and learning how different cultures and regions live out spirituality and formation will enrich both me and all of us in the Spirituality Center, making our work more inclusive.

A further priority is fostering a congregation-wide network of spirituality through an accessible digital platform for sharing resources, stories, and best practices. This can be complemented by promoting cross-cultural exchange through intercultural spiritual retreats, workshops, and exchange programs that highlight diverse expressions of Good Shepherd spirituality, foster personal relations, and build mutual trust.

The center can also support collaborative leadership by offering workshops and training, in partnership with the new Congregational Formation Team, to facilitate mentoring and peer support networks that can transcend geographical boundaries and strengthen new leaders as the Congregation navigates regionalization and new governance structures.

Through these efforts, my team and I hope to create a vibrant, interconnected Good Shepherd spirituality network that remains faithful to our rich heritage while honoring our cultural diversity.

How can the Spirituality Centre help embed contemporary perspectives—such as care for creation and the cosmos—into Good Shepherd identity and formation?

I believe spirituality is a way of life—it is living who we are, what we value, and witnessing our identity. Respect for life and the dignity of every human being, as well as the entire cosmos, is central to who we are. From this, I see a call to deepen our understanding of Good Shepherd spirituality and identity by integrating creation and cosmological perspectives, essential to contemporary spirituality, into our contemporary expression.

The Spirituality Center can support this by offering opportunities for mission partners at all levels to engage more deeply with our heritage and mission, while also integrating contemporary concepts about spirituality and relevant theology. This can be done through workshops, seminars, and retreats focused on our core values and Good Shepherd stories, and through digital platforms to make resources more accessible and strengthen the ongoing formation of mission partners.

How can the Good Shepherd mission ensure that our work of action and advocacy remain rooted in contemplation, prayer, and our unique spirituality?

As mission partners of the Good Shepherd, our work, actions, advocacy, and witness are the fruits of our prayer life, deep spirituality, and the heritage of St. Mary Euphrasia and St. John Eudes. When we truly embrace our Congregational values, strategic thrusts and directions, and priority issues as per our Documentos de Posición del Buen Pastor, our commitment to justice and peace becomes more meaningful and relevant. This must be part and parcel of who we are—it is our identity as Good Shepherd sisters and partners-in-mission.

Regular coordination and collaboration with congregational leadership, regional structures, and Congregational Offices and structures, such as the Mission Development Offices, GSIF, GSIJP, y Safeguarding Committee, is essential to ensure that our lifestyle, ministries, and advocacy remain deeply rooted in the spirituality of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd.