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Artistic View of St. Agnes Main Building Façade
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Façade of St. Agnes Main Building World War II Ruin
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Façade of St. Agnes Main Building in Graphic Rendition
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Front View of St. Agnes Main Building
Designer: St. Agnes Academy Centennial Committee
Layout Artist: Victorino Z. Serevo
Design Coordinator: Ma. Theresa S. Ras
First Day Covers: Manila & Legazpi City
ST. AGNES ACADEMY OF LEGAZPI CITY
CENTENNIAL
St. Agnes Academy was founded in 1912, formerly known as Academia de
Sta. Ines. It is the oldest Catholic School in the province of Albay,
Bicol, Philippines.
In 1912, Rev. Fr. Juan J. Calleja, then parish priest saw the great
need of a Catholic School in Albay. He presented an appeal with the
help of Msgr. J.B. Macginley, D.D. Bishop of Diocese of Nueva
Caceres before the Apostolic Delegate Msgr. Etheus. On May 30, 1912,
Srs. Ferdinanda, Alexia and Edilburgis came to Legazpi City, in
response to the call. Thus St. Agnes Academy was born on July 1,
1912 with 47 enrollees in the parish’s old parochial convent.
The Academy struggled with a lot of forces that threatened her
existence. There are strong typhoons that destroyed the physical
structure of the school. In 1928 the Mayon Volcano erupted and World
War II claimed the lives of the three pioneering Benedictine Sisters
– Mother Clodesindis, Sister Edilburgis and Sr. Gertrude, an oblate.
The sister’s determination to educate the young Bicolanos succeeded
and survived the turbulent years. St. Agnes Academy grew with a
stronger spirit and indomitable courage, despite the trials and
difficulties that occurred. A free school was opened for the poor.
In the early 1940’s, Vocational courses where incorporated with the
academics. On January 1974, accreditation was granted to Grade
School Department by Philippine Accrediting Association of Schools
Colleges and Universities (PAASCU), the first in the Bicol region
and the fifth in the country to be accredited. In March 1983, the
High School was accredited, the second school to be accredited in
Legazpi City. Bursting with new life, on that same year, the High
School became co-educational, primarily, to provide a more
integrated education to the young. Since then, there was a
gradual increased of enrollment. This necessitated rearrangement and
improvement of existing facilities.
Adapting with the changes of modern society, St. Agnes Academy found
it necessary to become involved in a wider program of activities.
The school tried to reach out to the poor through its socio-pastoral
apostolate to give maximum service to its students and to the larger
community as a whole. The Agnesian family involved themselves in
many different activities. Ecological drives, medical and dental
missions, catechetical instructions and community workshops formed
part of the school’s effort to keep in touch with present day
realities.
In 2006, the school encountered another difficulty. While preparing
for the PAASCU re-accreditation, Mayon Volcano erupted and typhoon
Milenyo and Reming hit the country that damaged the schools
infrastructure and all its preparation that bought it to its knees.
The morale of the school community remained strong and the spirit of
volunteerism and cooperation helped them to bounce back with a new
start.
Since then, the school continued its facilities improvement. They
intensified and restructured its Social Involvement Program. Parish
and diocesan linkages were strengthened and program thrusts and
services were refined.
The centennial celebration was launched in school year 2011-2012 to
honor a century of Catholic Benedictine in Albay.
Today, after the debris of typhoons, ashes of eruption and
devastation of war, St. Agnes Academy continues to soar high and
stands proud of her achievements. As another century unfolds, she
continues to commit herself to the struggle for justice, peace,
preservation of the environment, children and women’s rights, moral
regeneration and social transformation. All these for God’s honor
and glory. Dios Mabalos, Dios Mapadagos.