Short Background of the Congregation
The CONGREGATION OF THE HANDMAIDS OF THE DIVINE HEART, the SPINOLA SISTERS, was founded on July 26, 1885 by Marcelo Spinola, Archbishop of Seville, and Celia Mendez, Marquis de la Puebla y Obando in Extremadura, Spain at the turn of the 19th century in the small town of Coria. Their purpose in founding the Congregation was to create in the Church a community of persons consecrated to the Heart of Christ, who will respond to His personal love for them, and will make Him known to people through the apostolic service of education. The name of the Institute emphasizes the Marian dimension of slavery, reflected in the history of the Congregation through her love of the Immaculate Virgin.
Marcelo Spinola was in love with Jesus Christ. experience of Christ’s personal love and the desire for God’s glory led him to found the Congregation. “Would those who love Jesus Christ” – he used to say – “be indifferent whether He is known or ignored?” Among the many needs and urgent calls of his time, he was very much aware of the ignorance of a great part of society. He even said, “In this century, the plague of ignorance is even worse than hunger.” On the other hand, he had an insight into the decisive role, women would play in the future, not only at home and in the family but also in society. At the same time, he realized the importance of Christian culture for the progress of peoples.
Celia Mendez understood this fact early on. Love for God is expressed in love for people. She experienced this with total truth, and gave her life, time, strength and all her material goods to the Congregation of the Handmaids of the Divine Heart whose charism is to announce the personal love of Christ through the apostolate of education.
One century after her foundation, the Congregation has extended itself throughout the world. It is present in Spain, Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, Paraguay, Venezuela, Angola, Japan and Philippines.
History of Marcelo Spinola School (MSS)
Like any other Spinola Schools, MSS is inspired by the spirituality and educational ideals of Blessed Marcelo Spinola, as put into practice by Mo. Celia Mendez. The fundamental focus of education at MSS is to form the heart of the young, to illumine their minds, to make them know Jesus Christ, the Supreme Good, Truth and Life, and to make the Blessed Mary the principal means and way in the knowledge of Christ’s personal love for us and our identification with Him.
MSS was founded at Don Andres, Ipil, Zamboanga Sibugay in 1995 with a simple beginning and marked with fears and threats because of the Abu Sayaff’s attack in the town in April, 1995. The L-shaped school building was blessed on July 26, 1995, the 110th year anniversary of the Congregation. Another wing was built in 1998 and was blessed on January 19, 1999, the Feast of Blessed Marcelo Spinola.
With her motto “To Serve is to Reign“, MSS continues to be a school community in the service of society and in response to the desire of many families for a Christian Education. The Spinola Sisters, together with their lay partners, commit themselves to work with love and dedication in the precious task of molding the hearts and the minds of the young whom God and their parents will entrust to them.