A Century-Old Saga: Holy Spirit College on Mendiola Street to Close in 2022
/One of the most iconic of these institutions is the Holy Spirit College of Manila, which announced crisply on social media the following: “Be it known that the College of the Holy Spirit of Manila will voluntarily cease operations at the end of Annual Year 2021-2022. The timeline allows the School to graduate its current 11 and 3rd Year College students. Therefore, Grade 12 and 4th Year College will be operational, but Levels K to Grade 11, and 1st to 3rd Year College will not be opened for AY 2021-2022.”
College of the Holy Spirit (Photo by Ricardo Velasquez)
Official Announcement of School Closing
Thus, 2022 will be the abrupt end of the epic story of 109 years of an established institution on historic Mendiola Street in Manila’s San Miguel district.
It is a story that began quixotically.
In 1911, five dollars in a stray letter mistakenly thought to be from Archbishop of Manila Jeremias Harty to five German nuns in Tayum, Abra, lay at the origin of the Holy Spirit College on Mendiola Street in the tony district of San Miguel.
In reply to the nuns’ misdirected thank you letter, the American Archbishop—concerned about the spread of Protestantism in a Philippines that was just recovering from its 1898 Revolution against Spain —invited them to found a school for the street children of Manila. This serendipity resulted in the arrival of Sisters Heronima, Sebastiana, Ludwiga, Laetitia, and Gerena to open a modest school on Legarda Street, which at first served only 23 children. By 1919, this had expanded tenfold to 274 pupils.
Arguably, the Holy Spirit could be said to have inspired the success of this project for in little time, enrollment started to boom, not from the ranks of the street children, but from the Manila elite who resided not only in San Miguel, but also in Sta Cruz, Quiapo, Ermita, and Malate. In short, Holy Ghost College (later changed to Holy Spirit College after Vatican II) was to join the ranks of newly established Catholic schools in the country’s American Period, such as the adjoining San Beda College and, further away in Manila’s South, De La Salle College, St. Scholastica’s, St. Theresa’s, St. Paul’s and the Assumption Convent.
These were in theory missionary schools run by foreign orders from such countries as the United States, Germany, France, Belgium, and Italy, replacing the Spanish orders who had been the cause of the Philippine Revolution of 1896-98. In reality, they were virtually prep schools with a Roman Catholic bent, designed to win back the alienated Filipinos who had been considering as religious alternatives the Philippine Independent (or Aglipayan, after its founder) Church or the Protestant sects that came with the new invaders, the Americans. They rivaled the older schools established in the Spanish era such as the University of Santo Tomas, San Juan de Letran, Santa Isabel College, La Concordia, and the Ateneo de Manila, which with the exception of the last, still had strong Spanish religious presence. Famously, the American Jesuits replaced their Spanish brethren to reorient Rizal’s former Alma Mater.
The Sisters Servants of the Holy Spirit were the female counterpart of the Society of the Divine Word, which had been founded by the German priest (and now saint) Arnold Janssen. Another branch of the order was that of the Pink Sisters, the contemplative order which sought redemption of the world through prayer and isolation.
In 1911, the Holy Spirit sisters had arrived at a time when the Filipinos were in nation-building mode, with a big hunger for modern educational institutions. The Teutonic nuns proved to be one of the answers for this need. Barely seven years after the arrival of the nuns, they were already building on more than a hectare of land on prime property near Malacañang Palace.
Stained Glass of Jesus with Holy Spirit students done by Fernando Amorsolo, 1933
The school’s proximity to the presidential palace was both a bane and a boon. In 1942 during the Japanese Occupation, its buildings were requisitioned to serve as an infirmary, obliging the students to be jammed into cramped free spaces and available neighboring houses. But San Miguel was spared during the massive destruction of the Battle of Manila, and Holy Spirit thus survived in its primary form. The school rebounded quickly and was able to attract a wider circle of students. From 1947 to 1970, it steadily expanded its infrastructure to become one of Manila’s prime schools.
Holy Spirit students were noted for their Germanic neatness and punctiliousness. Their long-sleeved, starched beige uniform with its characteristic long white accent bands came straight out of the 1920’s and was never modified. Discipline was its keynote. The German predilection for science, technology, and math would bear fruit in students that excelled in these fields.
The society crowd may have preferred Assumption and the intellectuals, St. Scholastica’s or St. Theresa’s, but the “Holy Mamaw” (or Holy Ghost in English) held its own with a president’s daughter, Rosie Osmena(Valencia), as well as socialites and beauties like Pacita de los Reyes (Philips) who was a lawyer in addition to being the Carnival Queen Miss Philippines; Elvira Ledesma (Manahan); and Imelda Ongsiako (Cojuangco).
The school also produced a generous share of writers, including Sheila Coronel; Belinda Olivares (Cunanan); Eugenia Duran (Apostol); historian Bernardita Reyes (Churchill); Cynthia Ongpin (Valdes), Deanna Ongpin (Recto) and art critic Alice Guerrero (Guillermo).
Government leaders included Tessie Aquino (Oreta); Charito Planas; Victoria Garchitorena; Teresita Herbosa; Isabelita Sy Palanca; Carmen Dayrit (Padilla); and ambassadors Isabel Caro (Wilson) and Consuelo Puyat (Reyes). Its latest achiever within the U.S. Biden administration is Gloria Dino Steele, who has been appointed Acting Head of the US Agency for International Development (USAID).
“In reply to the nuns’ misdirected thank you letter, the American Archbishop—concerned about the spread of Protestantism in a Philippines—invited them to found a school for the street children of Manila.”
Among academicians produced were: Dr. Edna Zapanta Manlapaz; Dr. Cynthia Bautista; Dr. Marijo P. Ruiz, while there were also entrepreneurs and trendsetters, such as Josie Cruz (Natori) and Narda Camacho.
Last but not least, Holy Spirit has also made its mark in the arts with Imelda Cajipe (Endaya); Dolly Quimbo (Perez); Edith Oliveros; Lenore Raquel-Santos (Lim); and Athena Magcase (Lopez).
With characteristic vision and foresightedness, the Holy Spirit sisters planned for the future. In 1924, HGC became the Provincial Motherhouse of the Sisters Servants of the Holy Spirit congregation in the Philippines until it was finally moved to Poinsettia Street, New Manila in 1945.
In the 1980s, the Holy Spirit elementary and high schools would eventually be relocated to BF Homes, a site near the Batasang Pambansa (or Congress) in Quezon City. This would ensure that the Holy Spirit tradition and educational system would not perish, but would live on in a mission now carried on by Filipino nuns and teachers.
In Manila during the last three decades, Holy Spirit College expanded its degree offerings and even became coeducational in courses on the collegiate level. It became a member of the Philippine Accrediting Association of Schools, Colleges and Universities(PAASCU), and was judged the most outstanding college for women in 2003. In 2013, it celebrated its centennial in what seemed to be a confident move towards the future.
Alumnae both at home and abroad have raised funds in order to help the neediest in the Philippines, especially during the pandemic. In the meantime, they have also rallied to save the Holy Spirit complex, which represents both a century-old history and representative architectural style.
Spearheaded by alumna Nanette Bercq, the petition which appears in the Website SUMofUS states in part: “The architecture of the buildings is consistent with Neo-classical style, similar to the surrounding buildings of the San Miguel District, including the presidential palace, Malacañang. The buildings are simplified examples of Spanish Colonial Revival Architecture, which was a United States architectural style movement popular between 1915 and 1931.
The school's proximity to the center of power of the Philippines, Malacañang, has made it witness to the watershed moments of Philippine history. The buildings were quiet observers to the turbulent years of Martial Law including the Mendiola Massacre. In summary, the buildings are historical, architectural, and cultural witnesses of the history of Manila and the Philippines. “
Around 800 people have signed this petition to the National Historical Commission, which is a shot in the dark in the many initiatives that have been undertaken in Manila to preserve its monuments.
After the war, Manila was one of the most devastated cities in the world and certainly the worst destroyed capital in Asia. Its citizens struggled hard to rebuild it to its former title of “Pearl of the Orient Seas.” They succeeded in part in bringing back to life historical treasures such as the Manila Cathedral and San Agustin Church.
Intramuros in 1945 (top) and at present
Newer versions of the Ateneo de Manila on Padre Faura Street, the Assumption Convent on Herran and St. Theresa’s College on San Marcelino Street were rebuilt on their original sites. However, these schools would also disappear due to the exodus of families and students to the new suburbs and the redefined missions by religious orders. Unlike in Singapore, nearly all of these schools’ historical and architecturally significant buildings were torn down and replaced by generic high rise buildings.
The Holy Spirit College of Manila belongs to the distinguished Mendiola Consortium of schools which adjoin Malacañang, including San Beda University, La Consolacion College, Centro Escolar University and St. Jude’s School. They are located on one of Manila’s broadest and most impressive streets leading up to Malacañang Palace, with each school representing a distinct architectural style ranging from neo-Gothic to brutalist modern. These deserve a rethink in terms of their heritage and contribution to Philippine history in a place where “may lakan iyan”— the illustrious people reigned.
An ambitious plan for the entity which would take over the HSCM complex could include a library-cum-museum that would serve as a repository of the history of the primary district of San Miguel, described by National Artist Nick Joaquin as “the Mayfair of Manila” corresponding to London’s toniest quarter.
At the same time, a community center with medical and feeding facilities could also be located here in its ample grounds, recalling the primary mission for which the Sisters Servants of the Holy Spirit were called to Manila in 1911.
It is hoped that the Paraclete—the Holy Spirit itself-- will guide the inheritors of this sacred ground to preserve its historical memory after 2022.
Virgilio Reyes, Jr.
A career diplomat of 35 years, Ambassador Virgilio A. Reyes, Jr. served as Philippine Ambassador to South Africa (2003-2009) and Italy (2011-2014), his last posting before he retired. He is now engaged in writing, traveling and is dedicated to cultural heritage projects.
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