The Founder

Sr. Jacqueline Blondin, MIC
(1917-1984)

Sr. Jackie, as the Founder is fondly called by everyone, was born in Quebec, Canada on April 11, 1917. At a young age of 18, she joined the religious congregation, Missionaries of the Immaculate Conception (MIC). Despite illnesses that continued to hound her through the end of her life, she made her religious vows and shortly after, she was assigned to the Philippines as a religious missionary. Ever the trailblazer and innovator, she faced challenges in the areas she was assigned to, particularly in Mindanao.

Even early in life and later, as a religious missionary, Sr. Jackie had shown prominent leadership qualities – powerful intuition, intelligence and initiative, self-confidence, energy, stunning activity, goal-oriented will, ability to master problems and courage to face life’s greatest odds. These qualities sustained her in the difficult days of seeing SAIDI grow from a tiny seed to the tree that it is now.

Her spirit and the Vision/Mission she left as her legacy, had guided SAIDI even after her death on September 28, 1984 of cancer, through committed and zealous partners who have taken over the task of growing SAIDI even after Sr. Jackie had gone.