Mother Ignacia Del

Espiritu Santo
Biography
• Venerable Ignacia del Espiritu Santo, 1663-1748, Foundress, in 1684,
of the Beaterio de la Compañia de Jesus, now known as the
Congregation of the Religious of the Virgin Mary (RVM), the first
Filipino religious congregation for women granted with papal
recognition.
• Ignacia del Espiritu Santo was born of a Chinese father, Jusepe Iuco,
who was from Amoy China, and a Filipino Mother Jeronima of
Binondo, Manila. She was born when the Philippines was almost a
century old as Spanish colony.
Biography
• It was an age when Christianity had hardly begun to take root in the
hearts and lives of the people and when the social climate was
characterized by racial prejudice and discrimination.
• On March 4, 1663 Ignacia received the gift of Catholic faith. She was
baptized at the Church of the Holy Kings of Parian by the Dominican
missionary, Fr. Alberto Collares, OP.
• As it was the custom of pious parents at that time to give their children
devotional name at baptism, they chose Espiritu Santo for her last
name. She was named Ignacia in honor of St. Ignatius of Antioch.
Ignacia comes from the Latin word "ignis" which means "fire."
Biography
• As her name suggests, she would be living under the guidance of the
Holy Spirit.
• True to her name, she lit the fire of the Holy Spirit. The small
community of beatas that she started in 1684 at the age of 21
became the first Filipino religious congregation for women in the
Philippines.
• Mother Ignacia died on September 10, 1748 at the age of eighty-five.
At the time of her death she received the honor and recognition
which was denied her during her lifetime.
Establishment of the Congregation
• When Ignacia was 21, her parents wanted her to marry. Heeding a call
deep within but not wanting to disappoint her parents, Ignacia sought
counsel from Fr. Paul Klein, a Jesuit priest from Bohemia who arrived
in Manila in 1682.
• The priest gave her the spiritual exercises of Saint Ignatius. After this
period of solitude and prayer, “Ignacia was inspired by God to remain
in the service of the Divine Majesty, and she resolved to live by the
sweat of her face.”
Establishment of the Congregation
• She left home and brought with her only a needle and a pair of scissors. She
started to live alone in the house located at the back of the Jesuit College of
Manila. Her life of prayer and labor attracted Indians who also felt called to the
religious life but could not be admitted into the existing congregation at that
time.
• Mother Ignacia accepted these women into her company. And the first
community was born.
• They became known as the Beatas de la Compania de Jesus, because they
frequently received the sacraments at the Church of Saint Ignatius, performed
many acts of devotion there and had the Jesuit fathers for their spiritual
directors and confessors. Mother Ignacia centered her life on the suffering Christ
and tried to imitate Him through a life of service and humility.
Establishment of the Congregation
• She prayed earnestly to God and performed penances to move God to
have mercy on them. Her spirituality of humble service was expressed
in her capacity to forgive, to bear wrongs patiently and to correct with
gentleness and meekness.
• This spirituality was manifested in peace and harmony in the
community, mutual love and union of wills, witnessing to the love of
Christ and the maternal care of the Blessed Mother. This spirituality
sustained the beatas in their moments of difficulties, especially during
times of extreme poverty, when they even had to beg for rice and salt
and scour the streets for firewood.
Establishment of the Congregation
• The beatas continued to support themselves by the labor of their hands,
and sometimes received some financial help from pious people. In all
these, they did not cease to thank God and to trust in divine providence
• The growing number of beatas called for a more stable lifestyle and a
set of rules. A daily schedule was drawn up and community practices
were defined. Following the spirit of Saint Ignatius, Mother Ignacia
exhorted her beatas to live always in the presence of God and to
develop great purity of heart.
• She also emphasized charity in the community, which was dedicated to
the Blessed Mother.
Establishment of the Congregation
• The spirit of Mary runs through the rules which were written for the
guidance of the beatas. In defining her style of leadership, Mother
Ignacia drew inspiration from the Blessed Virgin Mary. She strove to
be the living image of Mary to her companions and exhorted them to
take Mary as their model in following Jesus.
• She gradually realized that the beaterio was called by God not only to
a life of prayer and penance but also to apostolic service. The beaterio
admitted young girls as boarders who were taught Christian doctrine,
as well as works proper to them.
Establishment of the Congregation
• Mother Ignacia did not make any distinction of color or race but
accepted Indians, mestizas and Spaniards as recogidas (recruits).
• The beatas were also involved in retreat work and helped the Jesuit
fathers by preparing the retreatants to be disposed to the spiritual
exercises.
• Mother Ignacia submitted the 1726 Constitutions to the Archdiocesan
office for approval. After the approval was given in 1732 by the fiscal
provisor of Manila, she decided to give up her responsibility as
superior of the house. She lived as an ordinary member, until her
death on September 10, 1748.
Establishment of the Congregation
• Murillo Velarde saw this as a great sign of her humility. She had no
desire to command and control. In his estimation, she was a “true
valiant woman,” who overcame the great difficulties, which she met in
the foundation from the beginning to the end. She was “mortified,
patient, devout, spiritual, zealous for the good of souls.”
• A few months before her death, the archbishop initiated a process of
securing royal protection for the beaterio. Mother Ignacia died without
knowing the response of the Spanish king but her long life in the
beaterio must have taught her to trust in the providence of God. Little
did she expect that the beaterio would become a congregation and
continue to exist until today, more than 300 years after her death.
Congregation
• This congregation, now known as the Religious of the Virgin Mary, is a living
testimony to her life as God’s handmaid who opened the door of religious life to
native women in the Philippines. She proved that God is the God of all peoples,
of whatever color or race. The royal protection granted in 1755 guaranteed the
safety of the beatas, but it did not recognize the beaterio as a community of
religious women. It was ordained to remain as a pious association.
• The beatas, faithful to the spirit of their foundress, Mother Ignacia, continued
to live the religious life, even without being officially recognized as such.
• The expulsion of the Jesuits in 1768 was another blow to the beatas. They lost
their spiritual guides, but they continued to enjoy the solicitude of the
archbishop of Manila and other churchmen.
Congregation
• In the spirit of Mother Ignacia, the beatas lived by the sweat of their faces and
persevered in their service of God through education and retreat work. Despite
attempts by the governor general to change the nature of the beaterio, the
beatas remained true to the vision and charism of Mother Ignacia and survived
the dark years.
• The growth of the beaterio into a congregation and its response to the apostolic
challenges of the times show the vitality of the spirit of Mother Ignacia. Indeed,
her lamp continues to shine as her daughters courageously strive to respond
with zeal to the call of mission in different contexts.
• The story of the congregation that has grown from the small beaterio of Mother
Ignacia continues to unfold. It bears witness to the enduring vitality and strength
of the foundation, the spirituality of Mother Ignacia.
Congregation
• The lamp she lit to guide the path of native women aspiring to the
religious life and the maturity of faith continues to shine. It remains
undimmed. The life of this lowly Indian and the fruits of her
spirituality proclaim the immense goodness of God whose generosity
is unbounded. Mother Ignacia trusted in the loving providence of God
and she was never disappointed.
Thank