Jessa Mae P.

Quiambao
BSBA FM III

MISSIONARY SISTER SERVANT OF THE HOLY

SPIRIT: We are grateful

MANILA, PhilippinesWe remember. We are grateful. All

is Gift.
That was the theme of the centennial celebration of the Missionary
Sisters Servants of the Holy Spirit, as reiterated by its provincial
leader, Sr. Eden Panganiban, SSpS, on Jan. 15 at the School of the
Holy Spirit in Quezon City.
The culmination of the celebration was a concelebrated
Thanksgiving Mass, with Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Tagle, DD,
as the main celebrant and Fr. Antonio Pernia, SVD, the superior
general of the Society of the Divine Word, as the homilist. They were
assisted by more than 100 priests.

As part of the event, four persons, two groups and an institution

were recognized for their significant contributions to the SSpS
mission: Teresita E. Nitorreda; Sabino Padilla Jr.; Julia Billaco;
Benjamin Abadiano; The Holy Ghost School of Tayum, Abra; The
College of the Holy Spirit Alumnae Foundation Inc.; The Holy Spirit
Associates in the Philippines.

On Jan. 10, a week before the grand celebration, the Heritage Room
was opened at the College of the Holy Spirit Manila.
It tells the story of a century of SSpS Misyon through pictures,
words and artifacts and gives the visitor a glimpse of the sisters
apostolic history and their life of prayer and community.

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COLLEGE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT OF MANILA

The College of the Holy Spirit Manila, or simply CHSM, is

a Catholic educational institution founded and being run by
the Missionary Sisters Servants of the Holy Spirit in Manila,
Philippines.[1] Founded in 1913, College of the Holy Spirit Manila was
established originally as Holy Ghost College through the invitation of
then Manila Archbishop Jeremias Harty. [2] Located originally at
Legarda Street, the present campus is now located in the
historic Mendiola Street, inside the Malacaan Palace Complex. It is
one of the schools which comprises the Mendiola Consortium (MC)
for academic cooperation along with Centro Escolar
University Manila, La Consolacion College Manila, San Beda
College Manila, and St. Jude Catholic School

Initially the school admitted only girls but in 2005 started admitting
male students for the high school department and the following year

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for the college department when the Nursing program decided to
accept male students. The college offers academic programs for
high school, undergraduate courses, post-graduate degrees and
short-term certificate programs. The undergraduate programs
include course in Arts and Education, Business, Fine Arts and Health
Sciences. Post-graduate courses include master's degree in Business
Administration, Business Administration for Health
Professionals, Tourism and Hospitality Management, Guidance
and Counseling, and Special Education. The school also offers
professional courses in Special Education, Caregiver Program and
Women Leadership.] Starting in the 2013 school year, it also opened
two new short courses in Digital Arts and Gerontology
In 1957, College of the Holy Spirit Manila became one of the
founding charter member of the Philippine Accrediting Association of
Schools, Colleges and Universities (PAASCU) to ensure the quality of
education. Since then, the college undergoes voluntary
accreditation. And the last March 67, 2013 the college was re-
accredited. CHSM was granted Level III re-accreditation status for
arts, sciences and business programs by PAASCU with five years
validity until 2018, which deviates to the normal three-year validity.

As a SSpS school, for 98 years it was administered by SSpS religious

sisters. On 11 June 2011, the SSpS Philippines North Provincial
Leadership entrusted the administration of the school to its alumna
Dr. Felina Co-Young, making her the first lay woman president of the
college. The SSpS sisters remain in the school as heads of different
administrative departments and as instructors.

HISTORY:
The foundation of the College of the Holy Spirit Manila was
through a mistaken response to an anonymous letter with a five-
dollar bill. The SSpS sisters in Tayum of the province of Abra,
Philippines thought it was from then Manila Archbishop Jeremias
Harty, and thus sent a letter of gratitude to the Archbishop. The
prelate responded that it was not from him but, pleased with the
sisters, he invited them to start a free school for the poor street

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children of Manila. During the period, Archbishop Harty was
calling religious orders to establish Catholic schools in Manila to
preempt the spread of Protestantism in his archdiocese. Finally,
after a year of stay in Tayum, Abra, the pioneer Sisters moved to
No. 663 Legarda Street in Manila to establish the Holy Ghost
School on 17 June 1913 as a response to the invitation of the
Archbishop.[