Sister Margarita Gallardo, SJS

Sister Margarita was born in San Juan de los Lagos Jalisco, Mexico in 1948 into a loving family with 12 brothers and sisters.

Sister Margarita entered the convent at the age of 16, and she remembers the exact moment she felt that call to become a Sister. She remembers jokingly sneaking into the convent as a student with her friends because they were curious to see what it looked like from the inside. Once inside she felt that the convent was where she wanted to be. She promptly told her parents and 10 months later joined the Sister Servants of the Blessed Sacrament.

She came to the United States at age 21 and arrived in Sacramento. She has lived in various convents in Southern California, including Bonita, Calexico, and Bakersfield. Throughout the years she has served as principal, teacher, and worked in parish offices, but her favorite was always teaching. Her favorite subjects are math and religion. A favorite memory was surprising the school community during a get-together and Sister Margarita, who was principal at the time, rode in on her skates!

She is a lover of music and enjoys singing and dancing to Neil Diamond and Tom Jones. Her hobbies are knitting, crochet, needlepoint, and reading.

She has been living at Blessed Sacrament retirement home for the past 3 years since it opened. She is still active and helps prepare students to take their citizenship exam at the Silviano Carrillo Centers for Adult Education. 

The biggest challenge of living at Blessed Sacrament house was the driveway. The driveway was way too steep to attempt to walk, and even steep enough for the car. There was not a single time when the car didn’t bottom out when driving away. This caused Sister fear when driving and much more when trying to walk. At one point she says she felt it was like driving alongside a steep cliff!

Through the generosity of SOAR! and its donors, the Sisters were able to repair the driveway. It now has a more moderate incline, as well as the addition of a ramp, that allows for easy transport to and from their ADA vans and vehicles.