Santa Catalina College is a
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
, private institution that serves coeducational basic and higher education administered by the
, a religious congregation affiliated with the
Dominican Order
The Order of Preachers ( la, Ordo Praedicatorum) abbreviated OP, also known as the Dominicans, is a Catholic mendicant order of Pontifical Right for men founded in Toulouse, France, by the Spanish priest, saint and mystic Dominic of Cal ...
located in
Sampaloc, Manila
Sampaloc is a district of Manila, Philippines. It is referred to as the University Belt or simply called ''“U-Belt”'' for numerous colleges and universities are found within the district such as the University of Santo Tomas, the oldest exta ...
. It was originally established by the Siena Sisters in 1706.
History
The college traces its history to the establishment of the congregation ''Beaterio de Santa Catalina de Manila'', a convent, on July 26, 1696 in
Intramuros
Intramuros (Latin for "inside the walls") is the historic walled area within the city of Manila, the capital of the Philippines. It is administered by the Intramuros Administration with the help of the city government of Manila.
Present-day I ...
in the
Spanish Philippines
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...
. It was a religious congregation for
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...
religious women, under the leadership of
Mother Francisca del Espiritu Santo, who served as the first prioress of the congregation in the country and Rev. Fr. Juan de Sto. Domingo, who served as the congregation's adviser.
The congregation soon began accepting indigenous girls as well, in contrast to the other religious congregations at the time which only accepted Spanish women. At the same time, it was also beginning to be involved in the ministry of educating young women. Thus in 1706, the congregation established the ''Colegio de Santa Catalina'', transforming the beaterio into a convent and a center of learning for women, both Spanish and Filipina women. Santa Catalina was the first educational institution run by religious women; it taught women the principles of Catholic faith and Christian living, as well as training on creative and domestic arts. The school was eventually placed under a
royal patronage
Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another. In the history of art, arts patronage refers to the support that kings, popes, and the wealthy have provided to artists su ...
on February 17, 1716.
In 1863, the school was authorized to offer teacher training courses. In 1889, it was granted the privilege to confer the academic degree of ''Maestra Normal'' by
royal decree
A decree is a legal proclamation, usually issued by a head of state (such as the president of a republic or a monarch), according to certain procedures (usually established in a constitution). It has the force of law. The particular term used for ...
. Despite damage due to the
earthquakes of 1863 and 1880, the school's buildings were rebuilt in 1883; one of them underwent expansion in 1894. In addition, a 3-storey school building was constructed in 1939 under the supervision of the
architecture firm
In the United States, an architectural firm or architecture firm is a business that employs one or more licensed architects and practices the profession of architecture; while in South Africa, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Denmark and other countri ...
of
Pedro Siochi and Company.
The school campus was destroyed in 1941 by Japanese bombs; the tertiaries were forced to move the school to Legarda St. and the tertiaries’ convent to Sampaloc. Colegio de Santa Catalina was not rebuilt in its old Intramuros site after the war and
Colegio de San Juan de Letran
The Colegio de San Juan de Letran, (transl: College of San Juan de Letran) also referred to by its acronym CSJL, is a private Catholic coeducational basic and higher education institution owned and run by the friars of the Order of Preachers i ...
later acquired the property for the expansion of its campus.
The congregation proceeded to reopen Santa Catalina College in its new home along Legarda St. after the war with the construction of its present school building in 1951. The college started to offer a secretarial course in 1953,
Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education (BSEEd) and
Bachelor of Science in Commerce
A Bachelor of Commerce (abbreviated BComm or BCom; also, ''baccalaureates commercii'') is an undergraduate degree in business, usually awarded in Canada, Australia, India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Ireland, New Zealand, Ghana, South Africa, Myanma ...
(BSC) in 1965. With the rapid increase of colleges and universities in the area, the college enrollment started to decline while the grade school and high school departments continued to prosper. During the school year 1979-1980, the college department was temporarily phased out and was re-opened in 1985 with the new course offerings:
Academic programs
* Elementary (Grade 1-6)
* Pay High School (Grade 7-10)
* College (Bachelor of Elementary Education major in Religious Education)
References
{{coord missing, Philippines
Education in San Miguel, Manila
Catholic universities and colleges in Manila
Catholic elementary schools in Manila
Catholic secondary schools in Manila
1706 establishments in Asia
Educational institutions established in 1706