From the Beginning...
Expelled from China by the Communist takeover, the Jesuits came to Iloilo in 1953 and started their apostolic work among the local ethnic Chinese community as continuation of their missionary work in Mainland China. With the support of the Iloilo Chinese and Filipino communities, Santa Maria Parish, under the tutelage of Our Lady Queen of China, was established by Fr. Guerrino Marsecano, an Italian Jesuit Missionary.
The Jesuits believe that quality education is essential in molding good Catholic Christians. So in 1958, with only nine (9) students as enrolees, French Jesuit Fr. Andrew Joliet and Spanish Jesuit Fr. Santiago Leon, acting as Founder/ Director and Principal, respectively, opened a parochial school in Gen. Blanco Street, City Proper, Iloilo City that came to be known as Santa Maria Catholic School (SMCS). With the Holy Mother as Patroness, the Jesuits have embarked on a crucial mission of forming the youth of Iloilo. A year after the founding of the school, a two-story wooden building was constructed to provide the students with eight (8) classrooms. In 1962, through the beneficence of Eduardo and Cesar Lopez, part of the school was erected on the Lopez brothers’ lot situated across the street.
The school year 1965-1966 was a year that SMCS saw its first batch of graduates from the Grade School Department. The school accepted its first batch of high school freshmen a year after. From its founding until 1967, Fr. Joliet had been both Director of the school and the Pastor of the Parish. In 1968, the Philippine government recognized SMCS as a Filipino school program with a comprehensive Chinese language. Within the same year, Fr. Felix Maiza, another Spanish Jesuit, became the Principal of the school.
And Tender Years...
SMCS held its first high school graduation in March 1970. A total of 18 students received their diplomas. Fr. Maiza, whose short term as Principal ended in the same year, was replaced by Fr. Alberto Ricard, a French-Canadian Jesuit, who also acted as School Director. From nine pupils, SMCS had an unprecedented rise in the number of students when it accepted a total of 615 enrolees for high school alone. However, due to the decision of the Chinese Provincial Superior to maintain only an elementary school, no freshmen were accepted for the school year 1971-1972. As a result, high school enrolment plummeted to 513 and to 481 the following year. When parents of the students protested the phasing-out of the High School Department, the Chinese Provincial Superior reconsidered his decision. A year after, enrolment started picking up as freshmen were again allowed to enrol for the school year 1972-1973. In 1971, Fr. Peter Ignatius Li, S.J. came in as Parish Priest and School Director while Fr. Ricard maintained his position as Principal for seven more years. In 1978, Fr. John Chi, S.J. was appointed Director-Principal of the School.
A donation of 3,600 square meters of land by the Lopez family in June 1972 paved the way for the construction of the four-storey concrete building in 1974 to replace the wooden one. The French-German missionary Fr. Arthur Baur, S.J., Superior and Parish Priest of the Santa Maria community, added a new wing to the school in 1977.
Despite the limitations of space, SMCS’ physical complex continued to grow under the tenure of Fr. Chi. When SMCS celebrated its 25th Founding Anniversary in 1983, various building developments were undertaken in the next two years which includes a two-story structure for kindergarten pupils, administrative office, and conference rooms.
The integration of the Jesuits of the China Province delegation in the Philippines into the Jesuit Philippine Province in September 27, 1988 resulted in all the former delegation works being placed under the care and control of the Philippine Jesuit Provincial Superior. This facilitated the assignment of Filipino Jesuits to the three Chinese-Filipino schools ran by the Jesuits, namely: Santa Maria Catholic School now Ateneo de Iloilo-SMCS, Sacred Heart School for Boys now Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu, and Xavier School in San Juan, Metro Manila.
To a Renewed Vision
In June 1991, Fr. Renato Puentavella, S.J. succeeded Fr. Chi as Director- Principal. During his five-year term, SMCS went through the Philippine Accrediting Association of Schools, Colleges, and Universities (PAASCU) Preliminary and Formal Survey. The Grade School Department was granted a three-year PAASCU Accreditation in 1995; the High School Department followed suit the year after. Fr. Enrique Ma. Lalana, S.J., was appointed Director- Principal in June 1996. In November 1999, SMCS applied for PAASCU I Accreditation and was granted five years.
In 2000, Fr. Manuel Uy, Jr, S.J., assumed the post of Director-Principal. A year after, the school has completed its three-section-per-grade-level format up until Fourth Year High School with 1,150 students strong. In 2002, Fr. Emerito Salustiano dela Rama, S.J. assumed the position of Principal of the Grade School Department. For the School Year 2004-2005, Mrs. Aurora dela Cruz was appointed as the first lay Principal of the High School Department.
In April 30, 2004, a Memorandum of Agreement was signed by Jesuit Father Provincial Romeo Intengan, SMCS Director Fr. Uy, Jr., S.J., and Mr. Victor Pison of the Kauturan Pison Development Corporation (Kapideco) formalizing the establishment of Ateneo de Iloilo-Santa Maria Catholic School in its new 7.5-hectare prime location in Pison Avenue, San Rafael, Mandurriao, Iloilo City. It was witnessed by Archbishop Angel Lagdameo of the Archdiocese of Jaro, and Ateneo de Manila University alumni Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas and Board of Trustee Mr. Francis Treñas. A year after, the school earned its five-year PAASCU Level II Accreditation.
For ten (10) years, School President Fr. Uy has charged the school to achieve its dream to become a bigger, better, and greater Ateneo de Iloilo- SMCS. He led the celebration of the school’s Golden Anniversary in 2008. In May 2010, Fr. Dela Rama, S.J., took over as President. On the same year, the High School Department transferred to the San Rafael, Mandurriao site immediately after the building was completed and inaugurated for its purpose. The school earned its five-year PAASCU Level II Re-Accreditation as Integrated Basic Education on September 12, 2011. A month after, October 25, the school’s Chusuey Gymnasium was inaugurated.
On May 31, 2012, Fr. Joseph Haw, S.J., took over and became the President. He then led the ground breaking rites of the Grade School (GS) and Administration buildings in June 1, 2013. During his seven-year leadership, the school has witnessed the construction of the Grade School and the Administration buildings, the operation of Senior High School in 2016, the full transfer of the Grade School to the Mandurriao campus in 2017, and the celebration of the 60th Diamond Jubilee Year of the school in 2018. He also invested much on the strengthening of the Chinese program, technology integration, formation, and internal processes in school.
Ateneo de Iloilo-SMCS has earned its five-year PAASCU Level II Re- accreditation in April, 2017 and received a Certificate of Good Standing from the Catholic Education Association of the Philippines (CEAP) in the same year.
In 2018, the school appointed Dr. Herman Lagon as its first lay Integrated Basic Education Principal. On August 9, 2018, the school was granted the Philippine Council for NGO Certification for three years. Fr. Joseph Raymund Patrick Sanchez, S.J. took over as the new President on June, 2019. As of June 2019, the school population has reached 2,140 students with 200 administrators, faculty, and staff.
As Ateneo de Iloilo-SMCS—a Jesuit, Catholic, and Chinese-Filipino school—moves forward, it hopes to become the leading Basic Education Institution in Western Visayas that pioneers in the innovative and integral formation of young leaders who are ready to engage in nation-building. It envisions to be a community committed to forming leaders who pursue excellence that is ignited by love and service.