St. Mary's College, Quezon City

Infobox Private School
background = #f0f6fa
border = #ccd2d9
name = St Mary's College, Quezon City
motto = "Initium Sapientiae Timor Domini"
(The fear of the Lord
is the beginning of wisdom)


established = 1725
type = Private, Catholic School
rel_head_name = Foundress
rel_head = Mother Ignacia del Espiritu Santo
head_name = President
head = S. Ma. Anicia B. Co, RVM
city = Quezon City
country = Philippines
campus = 37 Mo. Ignacia Avenue, Quezon City
patron = Blessed Virgin Mary
colors = White and Blue
nickname = Marians
homepage = http://www.smcqc.edu.ph

St. Mary’s College, Quezon City (St. Mary’s College, St. Mary’s, SMCQC, or Meris) is a Catholic school for both boys and girls. It is administered by the Religious of the Virgin Mary, the first pontifically approved congregation for women in the Philippines. It is located along Mother Ignacia Avenue, formerly Cebu Avenue, in Quezon City. It provides Preparatory, Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary education.

Background

Religious of the Virgin Mary, formerly known as Beaterio de la Compañia de Jesus, was founded in 1684 by Mother Ignacia del Espiritu Santo.

SMCQC is one of the oldest, native institutions offering formal eduction for girls in the Philippines. Since 1684, Mother Ignacia and her beatas start educating young Filipinas as part of their mission as a foundational community. In 1725, they opened a boarding school for girls which became known as Colegio del Beaterio. This marked the first step towards formal education for the school. The Colegio del Beaterio was opened to Yndias and Chinese mestizas. These include Creoles and pure Spanish girls.

St. Mary’s College is the de jure Generalate of all RVM schools in Luzon, and de facto Generalate of all RVM-controlled schools in the Philippines.

History

The history of St. Mary's College, Quezon City may be traced back to the foundation years of the congregation. In 1725, Colegio del Beaterio was founded as one of the first exclusive schools for girls. It was then located in walled city of Intramuros.

Among the first programs offered in the school were cathecism, fancy needlework, and music. They later included the Spanish language and the fundamentals of proper home management. The teaching of social graces then followed.

In 1901, it became more formally organized when it held its first general chapter and became a congregation.

In 1912, Colegio del Beaterio received formal government recognition for its elementary and secondary courses. Domestic Science, known as Home Economics today, was formally offered. This made it among the first private schools to offer such course. In 1935, the government formally recognized it as a Junior Normal College.

In 1939, the school’s name was changed from Colegio del Beaterio to St. Mary’s College. This was done in the school’s and the congregation’s honor to the Blessed Virgin Mary. In this same year, the Bachelor of Science in Education was formally recognized by the government. Since then, other college courses began to be offered.

In 1945, St. Mary’s College was the first private school to re-open after the liberation of Manila. This is as the school’s answer to the needs of students who wanted to resume or finish their studies. After the war, the school began to admit boys in Grade School.

Its building in Intramuros was heavily damaged during the World War II. The school’s administrators rented a building. The school’s operation was then transferred to Immaculate Conception Ladies Hall in España across University of Santo Tomas.

In April 1950, St. Mary’s College transferred to its present site in Quezon City. It is here they intend to operate permanently despite of isolation and difficulty of transportation during that time. College courses offered since then include Bachelor of Science in Education, ETC, Secretarial, Associate in Arts, Bachelor of Music, Associate in Music, BSEED, and other special courses.

In 1976, the administrators temporarily suspend the college. They felt the need to concentrate on basic education. In its desire to upgrade the quality of instruction, St. Mary’s College embarked on a self-evaluation project which led to a formal application for accreditation though Philippine Accrediting Association for Schools, Colleges, and Universities. The high school department was accredited in 1975 and the grade school department in 1978. Subsequently, PAASCU visit confirmed the quality education offered the St. Mary’s College.

In 1997, St. Mary’s College heeded to request of parents to admit boys to high school. However, those who were admitted were only those who graduated from the grade school department. Thus, the first batch of boys graduating from high school took their diploma in 2001.

In 2002, St. Mary’s College re-opened its college department offering Bachelor of Science in Communication Studies.