MISSIONARY BENEDICTINE SISTERS OF TUTZING

A CENTURY OF MISSIONARY BENEDICTINE PRESENCE
IN THE PHILIPPINES 1906 - 2006

Learn more about the foremothers of this Priory here

The Manila Priory website

St. Scholastica’s College


Manila Priory: Election Chapter, January 2009

St. Scholastica Priory in Manila, Philippines, with 172 sisters and 19 communities, is the second largest priory in our Congregation. In the predominantly Catholic islands our sisters mainly established schools from kindergarten to college and a music conservatory in Manila. Today, about 27,000 students are taught in 25 facilities. The sisters also run a hospital and large nursing school in which students are educated.
(more: http://www.ssc.edu.ph/)

Care for the poor and better education for the rural people and fishermen are special concerns for the sisters. Therefore they give courses for improved agricultural production and offer alternative education for rural women, health programs, and promote projects to guarantee income for poor families such as making school uniforms and sales of crafts. They reach about 200o farmers and 2060 women through these activities. They also seek to educate their higher classed students in social justice towards the poor in their country.

The sisters take care of 5050 families in ecclesial base communities and in other apostolates. The engage in other activities such as “Disaster Response”, “Advocacy and Networking”, and “JPIC” (Justice, Peace, Integrity Creation). Many Filipina sisters are engaged as missionaries in other priories.

Pictures from the Manila Priory

INTRODUCTION to the following biographies

by Sr. Mary John Mananzan, OSB (Prioress) 2005

This is the first month of our Centennial Year and we have decided to focus on the foremothers of our Priory throughout this year hoping to learn from them and to be inspired how to live our Missionary Benedictine calling in the context of our world today, just as they lived it n their time.
It is but fitting that we begin with the leader of the Founding Team that gave birth to our Priory who became our first Prioress—Sr. Ferdinanda Hoelzer, OSB
I can just imagine Sr. Ferdinanda leaning over the rails of the SS. Gneisenau bound for Hongkong, where she and her 4 other companions would take another ship that would bring them to their destination—Manila, Philippines. As she looked at the sea glistening in the moonlight, she must have felt both excitement and trepidation, confidence as well as a sense of inadequacy at being chosen to lead the band of pioneers that would start the mission in the Philippines. She must have looked back at her childhood when she had no inkling that she would be making a journey to the ends of the earth!