Colegio de la Inmaculada Concepcion
Casa de Caridad
In the middle of the 19 th century, the necessity of founding a charitable institution was felt in the Diocese of Cebu. To this end, a hospital for leprous patients was founded by the Ilmo, Obispo de Cebu, Romualdo Jimeno. It was situated some distance from the city jail.
In the year 1864, Bishop Jimeno purchased a small house from Señor Gabino Veloso, which served as a hospital for both men and women. It was called Casa de Caridad and had two rooms with six beds in each. However, due to lack of occupants, the Casa was forced to close and thus remained closed for several years. But, Providence and fate had other plans.
At nine o'clock in the evening of July 1, 1877, a half-dead old man appeared at the doorway of the Seminario de Cebu. Having been informed of this. The Rector, Fr. Farre, together with some priests of the Seminary, went down to the main door and, seeing the extreme state of misery of the poor man and his evident need of shelter, they took him into one of the classrooms where he was cleaned up, dressed, and given the supper he was badly in need of.
The following day, the case was referred to their Bishop, Benito Romero de Madridejos, who beseeched the Rector to look for someone to attend to his needs. The Rector thereupon called on one of his pious parishioners, a woman named Baldomera, who accepted his request for someone to care for the sick old man. Together with her daughter and a maidservant, she transferred residence to the Casa de Caridad but, after a few weeks, was unable to endure the sacrifice, and the three returned to their house.
At this point, there came upon the scene the Rev. Fernando de la Canal, C.M. who was to be the source and soul of the charitable works of the hospital. Fr. de la Canal arrived in Cebu on November 13, 1869, having previously been a priest in his home province Burgos , Spain . Such was his zeal as priest and confessor that he spent the greater part of the day at the confessional, listening to and directing his parishioners. A great number of people kept fond memories of this good priest whom they revered as a saint.
With the Casa de Caridad abandoned by Sra. Baldomera, the Seminary Rector sought the help of Fr. de la Canal to find others who could be well disposed to replace her. Three women volunteered for this service: Apolonia Lasala, Julia Avellana and Rafaela Echevarria. On October 24, 1877, the three entered the Casa to take charge of the old man who was already gravely ill, and expired in a few days. As was the case with Sra. Baldomera, her three successors also found themselves unequal to the task of caring for the sick, and would have abandoned the work were it not for their director, Fr. de la Canal, who exhorted them to keep on, encouraged them to dispel their fears, and even instructed them in the manner of serving the sick. So well did his disciples learn from him that, in time, their number increased through the attraction of their exemplary service. After a year's time, Fr. de la Canal was convinced that these three young women had the necessary vocation to continue indefinitely in the Casa de Caridad. To foster this vocation, he thought of giving them a religious habit to wear in place of their lay clothes, and to name them “Hermanitas de la Madre de Dios” (Little Sisters of the Mother of God). With the establishment of this religious community on September 8, 1878, came the appointment of a new Superior . This fell, by common consent, upon Apolonia Lasala. Thereupon, the new community renewed its desire to consecrate its members to God through the service of the sick poor. The Casa de Caridad was situated on Calle Solidaridad but, in time, this was destroyed and a new wing of the Colegio was constructed in its place.Inauguration of
Colegio de la Inmaculada Concepcion, May 30, 1880
A few days after the Hermanitas' habit-taking, the Ilmo, Bishop Benito de Madridejos of Cebu visited the new community and, seeing the opportunities that presented themselves for the benefit of the entire diocese, proposed to the Rector of the Seminary, Fr. Farre, and to Fr. de la Canal and companions, the opening of a Colegio for girls, with the Hermanitas in charge. However, there were many obstacles to overcome, such as the lack of land, house and personnel. To generate funds, the Hermanitas resorted to the making of scapulars, from which source they were to purchase a little house fronting the Seminary, and with this the work of construction began. Meanwhile, efforts were made to look for the right persons to direct the work. Two came from Manila : Cirila Miranda from Concordia College and Hilaria Salinas from Hospicio de San Jose . Both had obtained their Teacher's Certificates from the Normal School. Arriving in Cebu in February, 1880, they were attracted to the company of the Hermanitas and, on the 15 th of May of the same year, they dressed the holy habit and became part of the small community.The schoolyear 1880 – 1881 was fast approaching but the work of the Colegio was progressing much too slowly. The Hermanitas, therefore, rented a house belonging to Don Antonio Roa, which was in front of the Seminary. Two classrooms were prepared on the second floor, a third room served for the free school and thus, simply and without ostentation, classes opened on May 30, 1880, thus inaugurating Colegio de la Inmaculada Concepcion.
