A Bishop for the Poor

          Marcelo Spinola Y Maestre was born on January 14, 1835 in San Fernando, Cadiz, Spain. His father is Don Juan de Spinola Osorno and his mother is Dona Antonia Maestre Y Osorno. The parents of Marcelo had 8 children but only 4 survived: Soledad, Marcelo, Rafael and Rosario.

Santo Tomas College

          Marcelo learned to read and write at home. He attended a simple school run by priests where he took two courses in Latin and finished with excellent grades at the early age of 10. For the next 3 years, he finished a Bachelor's Degree. For the 1st year, he studied in Santo Tomas College in Cadiz with a course in Philosophy. For the 2nd year, he studied in Montril. For the 3rd year, he finished in Granada where he took up Physics, Chemistry and Natural Sciences.
          Marcelo also took up an "extended course" which was a kind of orientation course for further University studies. After these, Marcelo was sent was sent by his father to the University of Valencia where he enrolled in the College of Law.
          Marcelo later on practiced his profession in Huelva. He helped people even without payment in return. He would advise them wholeheartedly without charging any fee. Because of this he was later on called as the "Defender of the Poor and the Needy."
          One day, Monsignor Diego Herrero, Marcelo's good adviser, helped him discern his vocation to the priesthood. On 1863, Marcelo renounced in favour of his brother Rafael, the title "Marques of Spinola" which belonged to him by right as the eldest son of the family. On May 1863, he wore for the first time the clerical cassock as a seminarian and on May 21, 1864, he was ordained as a priest by Cardinal Lastra. Marcelo had his first mass on June 3 and at the time of the mass was also when Rafael was dying in Santo Domingo, Cuba at the Laguna Verde battle. His first Requiem Mass was for his brother.
          As a parish priest, Spinola used to open his church almost at dawn and sit in the confessional box so he could listen to confessions patiently. The confessional box of Marcelo Spinola is described as the healing pool of Seville: "Yesterday I heard 119 confessions; this morning 52." Because of his love for Christ he decided to wear always in his heart the inner cross of suffering. Marcelo Spinola is a very well-known preacher and a good confessor. These were his two apostolic concerns.
          Spinola, throughout his life, lived out the value of humility. This was his companion in life and is the most constant trait of his personality.

Mother Celia Mendez Y Delgado

          On July 26, 1885, Marcelo Spinola together with Mo. Celia Mendez Y Delgado, founded the Esclavas del Divino Corazon or known as the Congregation of the Handmaids of the Divine Heart. They said that the Love for God is expressed in the love for people. Mo. Celia Mendez also experienced this with total truth and gave wholeheartedly her life, time, strength and all her material goods to the Congregation of the Handmaids of the Divine Heart whose apostolate is to announce the personal love of Christ through the apostolate of education. Mendez is also known as the "Providence of the Poor" and lived out through her life her motto: "Will of my God, I love you."
          Let's go back to Marcelo Spinola. Spinola lived throughout his life his motto also which is "I can do all things in the Heart of Christ." On 1905, when Andalucia experienced a severe drought, Spinola really did a very extraordinary thing to be done by an archbishop. Archbishop Spinola begged in the street, knocked from door to door and asked help from other persons. Spinola was sick that time but still, he insisted to do it. He did it for the people, he did it because he know that it was for the good of many. Because of that incident, Archbishop Spinola was given the title "The Beggar Archbishop."
          Marcelo Spinola then died peacefully on January 19, 1906. A century after the foundation of the Congregation, it extended itself throughout the world. It is present in Spain, Italy, Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, Paraguay, Venezuela, Angola, Japan, and Philippines. Through this Congregation, our school, my school, Marcelo Spinola School was created. This school is inspired by the spirituality and educational ideals of our founder and foundress.

      THE CREATION OF MARCELO SPINOLA SCHOOL

          Marcelo Spinola School or MSS was founded at Don Andres, Ipil, Zamboanga Sibugay. With the motto "To serve is to reign", MSS continues to be an educative community. The Spinola Sisters (Handmaids of the Divine Heart), totally commit themselves to work with love and dedication in the precious task of molding the minds and hearts of the young. They raised their consciousness of their dignity as God's children. The school aims to empower the students in the transfomation of a more humane society.
          The school is also promoting the value of justice, peace and solidarity. They offer services that attend "equally to all" and particularly helps the needy ones.