After 109 years of quality Catholic education, the College of the Holy Spirit Manila is now closing its doors.
In a statement released on November 22, 2020, the CHSM mentioned,
“Be it known that the College of the Holy Spirit Manila will voluntarily cease operations at the end of AY 2021-2022.”
Private schools have been facing a lot of challenges in recent years that worsened at the onset of the pandemic. Sr. Carmelita Victoria, SSpS, provincial leader even lamented, “The recent COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the situation.”
Divine Word Beginnings
The establishment of the College of the Holy Spirit Campuses in the Philippines was a joint effort of the SVD and SSpS congregations. CSHM was one among their six campuses in the country.
Founded in 1913 by the Missionary Servants Sisters Servants of the Holy Spirit (SSpS), CHSM was the response of the SSpS to the invitation of then Manila Archbishop Jeremias Harty. CSHM started as a primary school along Legarda St. and was known as the Holy Ghost College (HGC).
They started offering secondary education in 1920 as they also opened another site along Mendiola St. HGC changed its name to College of Holy Spirit in 1956.
School for Leaders
Known as an exclusive school for girls that educated Manila’s elite, CSHM had produced numerous political leaders, writers and entrepreneurs including Vicky Garchitorena (Ayala Foundation president), Dr. Cynthia Banzon (University of the Philippines’ VP for Academic Affairs), Sheila Coronel (investigative journalist), and Josie Natori (international fashion designer).
In 2005, the school started accepting boys to their educational system.
We bid goodbye to one of Manila’s century-old premier schools but we believe that the legacy of CSHM will live on through the lives of its alumni.
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