|
St. Joseph's School of Mactan is a non-stock, non-profit corporation which came into existence from a desire of the Congregation
of Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Conception of the Holy Mother of God to move in the spirit of the Foundress, Sister
Teresia van Miert. True to her commitment to the church and her mission, Sister Teresia's followers today decided to extend
the Congregation's apostolate to the Visayas and Mindanao.
The Provincial Chapter of 1992 resolved to establish a community in the South which would serve as an anchor and sustaining
house for the Sisters assigned in the Visayas and Mindanao.
Cebu was chosen as the possible site for the anchor house. With the help of generous persons known to the Sisters, the
Congregation soon acquired some property in Barangay Mactan, Lapu-Lapu City, for the purpose. Two Sisters were assigned in
1993 to conduct a survey of the area to determine more or less what the evangelical needs of people were.
Education emerged as a priority among the families residing near the chosen site. In response, St. Joseph's School of
Mactan was incorporated and registered at the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 11, 1995. As an institution
of learning, St. Joseph's School of Mactan aims to help the youth under its care, grow towards integral human formation, with
Jesus Christ at the center, within present-day social, economic, political and cultural context.
Even as construction of a building was underway, the first Sisters lost no time in preparing to launch the education
apostolate for the children around them. A pre-school was started with the first 17 children. The required Government Permit
for the Pre-Elementary Education Course was applied for and granted by the Department of Education, Culture and Sports.
St. Joseph's School gradually grew, and soon a Government Recognition for Pre-Elementary and Elementary programs were
granted on May 27, 1998. Twenty-four pioneering pupils graduated on March 30, 1999.
As of August 23, 2000, St. Joseph's School of Mactan has been officially recognized and accepted by the Archdiocese of
Cebu, and is now a member in good standing of the Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines (CEAP).
In the schoolyear 1999-2000, thirty students applied for admission to the Secondary Education program. As the schoolyear
2002-2003 opened, these students looked forward to their High School graduation. The Department of Education has issued a
permit to operate the Fourth Year of the Secondary School Course on January 31, 2002. Government Recognition of the Program
was issued on July 1, 2003.
|
