The Company of the Daughters of Charity in the World

INTRODUCTION

EARLY BEGINNING

A.1 THE COMPANY OF THE DAUGHTERS OF CHARITY IN THE WORLD

The Daughters of Charity is a company of consecrated women founded by St. Vincent de Paul and St. Louise de Marillac. It was in a simple house in Paris, on November 29, 1633 that St. Vincent de Paul placed the first six Daughters of Charity under the guidance of a widow of noble lineage, Louise de Marillac to live together their ideal of serving God as Servant of the Poor. This date marks the official "birth" of the Company of the Daughters of Charity.

St. Vincent de Paul has always insisted that the Daughters of Charity, unlike the established religious communities at that time who performed a ministry of contemplative prayer, are not religious but daughters who come and go, free to walk the streets of Paris in response to the needs of the poor, the most abandoned and to live among the people. He recommended that his Daughters care for the poor in their homes, so that they might get to know the poor in their natural setting. This service was not only provided for the people of Paris but went beyond the city walls into the countryside, and eventually into many other countries throughout the world. For all these reasons they must have as much virtue and to conduct themselves in all those places with at least as much reserve, recollection and edification as true religious in their convent. (SVP. 1660)

A.2 THE DAUGHTERS OF CHARITY IN THE PHILIPPINES

The Daughters of Charity arrived on the Philippine soil on July 22, 1862, after four months of sea travel abroad the frigate Concepcion. With the fifteen Sisters headed by Sister Tiburcia Ayans were two Vincentian priests, two Vincentian brothers, seven Jesuits and thirteen Recollect Friars.

The Sisters profound faith and selfless love serve as the foundation for the rapid growth of various institutions of charity. While engaged in the traditional ministries of education, Health Care, Social Services and Pastoral Work, the Sisters started programs that seek to meet the needs of the new poor ; some within the current ministries, and others in totally new places and structures like migrants and their families, persons living with HIV/AIDs, victims of violence and calamities, displaced persons, indigenous peoples and the young with special focus on those with difficulties (abused, abandoned, out of school, displaced.)

The seed of Vincentian Education that was planted by the fifteen Sisters has grown through the years to become the foundation of Colegio de Sta. Isabel, now Universidad de Sta. Isabel, the first and only University among the seventeen schools belonging to the Congregation of the Daughters of Charity in the Philippines.

A.3 THE JOURNEY THROUGH THE YEARS - COLEGIO DE STA. ISABEL

The Universidad de Sta. Isabel in Naga City, Philippines is a Catholic university owned and managed by the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul, Philippine Province. Born and nurtured from the hearts of two great saints, Sts. Vincent de Paul and Louise de Marillac, the UNIVERSIDAD DE STA. ISABEL (USI), formerly Colegio de Sta. Isabel (CSI) has the distinct honor and claim to 145 years of educational service to Bicol.

Colegios humble beginning started with the arrival of six Hijas de Caridad: Crisologa Navarro, Ignacia Ostolazas, Juana Morga, Rita Delome, Antonia Novoa, and Sales Montoyo. The Sisters arrived at midnight of April 4, 1867 at Pasacao Beach. Fr. Vicente Garcia, former provisor of the diocese, together with the jubilant crowd, warmly welcomed the group. On April 5, Palm Sunday, the contingent left for Pamplona then cruised the Bikol River to Camaligan. As the pagoda passed by, all the people lit their fireworks, struck their tambourines and waved their banners. The contingent must have sailed through the canal which led them to Camaligan where they were to disembark and to proceed from there to Nueva Caceres where they were warmly welcomed by Most Rev. Francisco Carraciolo Gainza O.P., Bishop of Caceres. It was Bishop Gainzas magnificent obsession to have in Caceres a diocesan school for girls and a PLANTEL DE MAESTRAS -a training school for teachers for the entire diocese.

This dream came true when on November 5, 1867, Bishop Gainza secured a Royal Decree from Queen Isabela II of Spain, creating the Escuela Colegio Diocesano de Sta. Isabel. On April 12, 1868, the school was formally opened thus marked the beginning of Colegio. The school was opened to both paying and non-paying students as specified in the Royal Order. On January 11, 1872, a Royal Decree signed by Amadeo of Saboya raised the Colegio de Sta. Isabel of Caceres to Escuela Normal de Maestras. This was solemnly inaugurated on September 18, 1875 thus making Colegio the First Normal School for Girls in the Philippines and in the Far East. One hundred pensioned students (one from each of the 100 towns of Caceres) underwent a three-year Normal School Program. In 1877, the Colegio graduated its first eleven (11) students. From then on, it continued to turn out well-trained teachers who, upon returning to their hometowns, established primary schools.

The operations of the Colegio were cut short in 1898 by the Spanish-American War. The seat of government organized by then Corporal Elias Angeles was Colegio de Sta. Isabel. It was here where Gov. Vicente Zaidin, on September 19, 1898 signed the papers of capitulation ending the Spanish rule in the Bicol Region.

The renewed existence of the Colegio under the American regime, with its attendant upheavals and adjustments was only part of the continuing process of its growth as an educational institution. At the end of the 20th century, CSI received government recognition for its Primary Course (1913), its Intermediate Course (1916), its Secondary Course (1924), Secondary Home Economics Course (1932), Music Teachers Course in Piano (1939), and Junior Normal Course (1940). In 1940-1941, at the request of the Bishop, the Colegio admitted boys whose school was closed due to the war. When CSI was used as Japanese headquarters, classes were held in the convent of the Cathedral and the Archdiocesan Seminary. On January 12, 1946, the first post liberation graduation was held with sixty students.

From a basically teacher-training institution, CSI opened courses which responded to the changing educational needs of Bicol and the nation. The CSI College Department for many years concentrated on the education of women towards Bachelor degrees in Secondary Education (1950) and the Elementary Education (1955) Bachelor of Arts (1957) and Junior Secretarial Course (1957) to answer the need for