Sr. Antonia Egar,OP | Religious Missionari

SR. ANTONIA B. EGAR, OP

Sr. Antonia of Jesus Crucified

January 27, 1952 – October 17, 2026

"Well done, good and faithful servant…
Come and share your master's joy." (Matthew 25:21)

A Life of Faithful Service and Loving Dedication

With hearts filled with gratitude and sorrow, we remember Sr. Antonia B. Egar, OP, lovingly known to many as Sister Ann, who peacefully returned to the Lord on October 17, 2026, at 6:20 p.m., at St. Dominic Senior Care Home in Barrigada, Guam.

Born Necerita B. Egar on January 27, 1952, in Tudela, Misamis Occidental, Philippines, she was the beloved daughter of Engracio Bienes Egar, Sr., and Antonia Balagtas Egar. From her humble beginnings, God was preparing her heart for a life of faith, service, and consecration. In 1974, she entered the postulancy of the Religious Missionaries of St. Dominic in San Juan, began her novitiate in 1975, made her first profession in 1977, and professed her perpetual vows in 1982. With her profession, she gave herself wholeheartedly to God and to the mission of the Dominican Sisters.

For nearly fifty years, Sr. Ann generously offered her gifts and talents wherever the needs of the Congregation called her. Whether as a teacher, bookkeeper, treasurer, or local prioress, she embraced each responsibility as an opportunity to serve. Her missionary journey brought her to different communities and countries, yet wherever she went, she remained united by one enduring commitment: to serve God through her Sisters and the people entrusted to her care.

Her years of mission included:

Philippines (1977–1988): She served as a kindergarten teacher and school bookkeeper in Manila, Cebu, and Dagupan, helping nurture young minds while supporting the daily life of the schools.
Guam (1988–1992): She worked in Fiscal Services at St. Dominic's Senior Care Home, contributing to the care and well-being of the elderly.
Corpus Christi, Texas (1992–2004): She served as local prioress and community econome, caring for the needs of her Sisters and the responsibilities entrusted to her.
Rome (2004–2010): She was local prioress of the Sisters working at the Pontificio Collegio Filipino, serving the Filipino priest who are studying in Rome.
Taiwan (2011–2020): She served in bookkeeping and treasury at Dominican International School Kaohsiung from 2011 to 2014, followed by six years as local prioress at the Convento de San Vicente Ferrer in Taipei.
Guam (2020–2026): She returned to serve as local prioress at Dominican Catholic School in Yigo, remaining faithful to her mission until her final years.

Behind these many responsibilities was a woman who understood that religious life is lived not only through important assignments but also through the quiet, ordinary acts of love that often go unnoticed. In teaching children, managing community resources, attending to practical needs, and caring for her Sisters, Sr. Ann offered herself day after day. Her life reminds us that fidelity is often expressed in simple deeds, carried out with love and a willing heart.

In the final months of her earthly journey, Sr. Ann faced the difficult reality of liver cancer. She received treatment in Manila for five months before choosing to return to Guam, where she could be close to her community. At St. Dominic Senior Care Home, she received hospice care and was accompanied by the Sisters with whom she had shared so many years of prayer, mission, and community life. As her strength gradually diminished, she was surrounded by the loving presence of those who had become her family in religious life.

Her return to Guam was more than a homecoming; it was a return to the embrace of her community, where she could spend her remaining days accompanied by familiar faces and the bonds of sisterhood. In this final chapter, we entrust her to the compassionate heart of God, trusting that the Lord she served so faithfully would welcome her into His eternal home.

Sr. Antonia was a beloved daughter, sister, and aunt to her family, and a cherished Sister to the Dominican community. She belonged to two families joined by love: the family into which she was born and the Dominican family with whom she shared her life, faith, and vocation. Today, both families mourn her passing, give thanks for the gift of her life, and unite in prayer as they commend her to the Lord.

Her earthly mission has ended, but the fruits of her years of service remain in the lives she touched, the communities she served, and the memories treasured by those who knew and loved her. We may no longer see her among us, but the love she gave and the faithfulness she lived will continue to speak quietly in our hearts.

On October 24, 2026, the Funeral Mass was celebrated in thanksgiving for her life and vocation. She was then laid to rest at Our Lady of Peace Memorial Cemetery in Yona, Guam, as her family and Dominican Sisters entrusted her to the loving mercy of God.

Dear Sr. Ann, thank you for the years you gave, the responsibilities you faithfully carried, and the love you shared with your family and the Dominican Sisters. You have completed your earthly pilgrimage and returned to the God who called you by name. May He now grant you the fullness of the joy promised to every faithful servant.

Eternal rest grant unto her, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon her.

May she rest in peace. Amen.