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Chin-Chin Gutierrez resurfaces more than a decade after quitting showbiz

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Push Team

<div>Former actress Chin-Chin Gutierrez has made a rare public appearance more than a decade after quietly stepping away from show business in 2015.</div>Chin-chin, who now lives as a consecrated layperson, is one of the alumnae featured in a commemorative coffee table book for the centennial of Miriam College, where she shares the story of her faith, according to a report by PEP.ph.Titled The Legacy We Carry: 100 Years From Maryknoll to Miriam, the book traces the century-long history of the Quezon City school, which was founded by Maryknoll Sisters in 1926 and later renamed Miriam College.It will be launched on September 12, 2026 at the Fairmont Makati during the school&#39;s Centennial Night. The book is priced at P5,000 and may be ordered through the website of the Maryknoll-Miriam College Alumni Association (MMCAA).Aside from Chin-Chin, other prominent alumnae featured in the book include music icon Celeste Legaspi, National Artist for Dance and Ballet Philippines founder Alice Reyes, and PEP founding editor Jo-Ann Q. Maglipon.Director Olivia Lamasan is also among those included.&quot;We wanted to capture not only professional achievements, but also quiet acts of service, courageous choices, and the values that remained long after graduation,&quot; said Atty. Sam Celiz, the centennial book project head, as quoted by PEP.Chin-Chin&rsquo;s inclusion in the book is notable because she has largely kept out of the public eye since retiring from acting. Her withdrawal from showbiz sparked years of speculation, including widely shared reports in 2019 claiming she had become a Carmelite nun. She is, in fact, a consecrated layperson or someone who takes private vows and lives a religious life without joining a formal order or convent.The actress first spoke publicly about her faith in a 2019 interview with the video series Portraits in Faith.There, she shared that her own mother was once a sister with the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary. A month before taking her final vows, however, her mother fell and broke her back, and had to undergo an operation. She eventually left the order, but according to Chin-Chin, her mother carried her missionary spirit with her for the rest of her life.<div><iframe width="873" height="491" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/RMLhcgySLnM" title="Portraits In Faith: Chin Chin Gutierrez Preview" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>In the same interview, Chin-Chin recalled that her own search began in the classroom during her college years at Miriam, in a philosophy class that asked students to question whether God exists.&quot;By the time I reached my college years, I had to confront the question of the existence of God in a philosophy class. Believe it or not, it actually touched a core in my being &mdash; the fact that we could question the existence of God in a very Catholic school,&quot; she said.The question troubled her enough that she approached her professor afterward.&quot;Maybe nobody noticed it, but I approached my professor and asked, &#39;I know this is for the grade, but is anyone going to take care of my soul while I&#39;m at it? While my mind is trying to convince myself and find proof that God does not exist, does not God hear me, and is anyone going to be responsible for my soul?&#39;&quot; she said.&quot;He smiled and said, &#39;Continue, continue. You are entering something very interesting and beautiful. So pursue that even as you try to make the grade,&#39;&quot; she added.That exchange, she said, became a turning point.&quot;For some reason, I understood what he meant, and that was, I think, the awakening of consciousness for me. The quest had begun. And I spoke to HaShem, to Our Heavenly Father, to the Source of All Life that made me become and exist, and said, &#39;I would like to be true to You. There is more beyond that we can all comprehend,&#39;&quot; she said.&quot;What we are conditioned to believe is probably a beginning. But truth is the journey that You want us all to take. Just like a father to a daughter, He would love that His daughter knows Him personally and truly &mdash; not just know about Him, about His science, about His works.&#39; And so I said, &#39;Yes, I will take that journey. I will not turn my back on anything. I will just expand myself and let You form and mold me,&#39;&quot; she added.Born Carminia Lourdes Cynthia Arnaldo Gutierrez, the actress spent more than three decades in movies and television before her retirement.She got her break playing Maria Clara in the television adaptation of Noli Me Tangere, and later became a familiar face on ABS-CBN in shows such as Krystala, Maging Sino Ka Man, and Dahil May Isang Ikaw. She also appeared in several episodes of Maalaala Mo Kaya.On the big screen, she earned praise for her work in&nbsp;Jose Rizal, where she played Josephine Bracken, and in Sa Pusod ng Dagat. She also starred in Star Cinema films including Sa Aking mga Kamay, A Love Story, and I&#39;ve Fallen for You.&mdash;By Paolo Lim

Chin-Chin Gutierrez resurfaced 11 years after leaving showbiz, sharing her spiritual journey in Miriam College's centennial book.

Chin-Chin Gutierrez resurfaced 11 years after leaving showbiz, sharing her spiritual journey in Miriam College's centennial book.