The History of PCS

Paco Catholic School is a co-institutional private school. The school is located in

the district of Paco in the City of Manila, Philippines. Paco Catholic school
started in 1912 as an informal class for a handful of young boys inside
the chapel in the Peñafrancia section of the district by Rev. Fr. Raymond
Esquenet, CICM. It is the largest parochial school in the Philippines and now
serving approximately 5,000 students.

The Founding of Paco

As early as 1580, the early Franciscan missionaries founded the town of Dilao
(now known as Paco), located on the left side of the Pasig River, bounded
by Pandacan on the North, Sta. Ana on the East Southeast, Malate on the South
and Ermita on the West. Ten years later, Parroquia de Dilao was established with
Rev. Fray Juan de Garrobillas as its first parish priest.
In 1762 the parish was relocated near the Pasig River and years later, the
Franciscan Superior Governor incorporated the two smaller towns of Santiago
and Peña de Francia (Peñafrancia) with the existing parish. The expanded parish
was then transferred where the present Peñafrancia church now stands. Finally,
the Franciscan Superior Governor ordered that the new town be called San
Fernando De Dilao.
Fr. Fray Fernando de la Concepcion Perdigon who was appointed parish priest in
1809 then started the construction of a concrete church which was completed in
1814.[2]

The CICM Missionaries Era

After the Spanish Franciscans left in 1900 the Archdiocese of Manila entrusted
the parish to the Belgian Scheut Missionaries popularly known as the CICM
(Congregatio Immaculati Cordis Mariae) otherwise known as the Congregation of
the Immaculate Heart of Mary that managed the parish from F70060 to 1984.
Fr. Raymond Esquenet was the first CICM to be appointed parish priest of Paco
by the Belgian Superior of the Order. He took over the management of the parish
in October 1908 with Fr. Maurice Lefebvre as his assistant. Since the last
Spanish-built church in the present site was destroyed and completely burned
during the Spanish–American War in February 1899, the parishioners had to go to
a small chapel in the corner of J. Zamora and Canonigo streets (now Quirino
Avenue Extension) for church services for the next nine years.
Meantime, Fr. Esquenet made use of a small chapel in Peñafrancia which
became an extension of the parish and where he started a small school for about
50 children.
After Fr. Esquenet was assigned to another parish in Lipa, Batangas in
September 1912, Fr. Godfried (Godofredo) Aldenhuijsen, popularly known as
Father Godo, took over the parish. Aside from parish work, Fr. Godofredo
continued what Fr. Esquenet had started – educating the young in his small
chapel.

The Fr. Godofredo Era

During the time of Fr. Godofredo, Paco Catholic School emerged as an institution
to reckon with becoming the largest parochial school in the Far East.
In June 1913, following an increase in enrollment, Fr. Godofredo asked the
Belgian Mothers (CMSA now ICM) from St. Theresa's Collegeto help in running
the school in Peñafrancia. Thereafter, enrolment steadily increased by one grade
level every year until the primary course (Grade 1-4) was completed. Finally in
1916, the Grade School was fully recognized by the government.
When Fr. Godofredo was transferred to Pasig in September 1919, Fr. Josef Billiet
became the Parish Priest of Paco, a position he held for 10 years. Finding it too
inconvenient to administer a growing school which was quite a distance from
the convent of Paco, he had a wooden building of five rooms constructed along
Trece de Agosto Street on the North and along the estero on the South of the
present site of Paco Catholic School. The students of Peñafrancia transferred to
the new building in the early 1920s.
March 1931 marked the return of Fr. Godofredo to Paco after an absence of 12
years. The old church, started by Fr. Esquenet in 1908 and completed by Fr.
Godofredo in 1912, was reconverted into four classrooms in 1932. A second floor
was added to it to serve as the Mother's convent and on May 21, 1933, they
came to live permanently in the church-school compound.
In 1933, the Intermediate level (Grades 5-7) was granted government
recognition. A year after, a three-story concrete edifice was constructed and the
first year course in High School was offered. Paco Catholic School accepted its
first 13 students in the new high school building, named the Sacred Heart
Building (now known as the Fr. Godofredo Aldenhuijsen Heritage Center). From
then on, one year level was added every year.
As the 13 freshmen formed the first batch of high school graduating class for SY
1937-1938, Paco Catholic School received her full recognition for a secondary
course from the government.

World War II Era

When World War II broke out in the Pacific on December 8, 1941, the school
closed. But in 1942, on the occasion of a pastoral visitation, the Archbishop of
Manila insisted that at least the high school level be re-opened.
In July 1944, Fr. Josef De Bal temporarily became the School Director because
Fr. Godofredo, being a Dutch, was detained with other foreign nationals in
Laguna. Later Fr. Godofredo was deposed as Parish Priest by order of the
Japanese authorities but he was reinstated on the same day through the
intervention of the Archbishop. Thus, the school was placed under the
supervision of the Archdiocese of Manila. The battles of liberation forced the
school to close again in September 1944.
At the end of the war in 1945, Fr. Godofredo returned to Paco.
The devastation of the church and the school buildings was so enormous that
a canvass roof was placed on top of the old church. The place served as
temporary church on Sundays and as a school on weekdays. With the help of
the American engineers, more repairs were made and Paco Catholic School was
able to start classes in July 1945 with 1,600 students. To accommodate all the
students, the double session system was introduced – girls in the morning and
boys in the afternoon. Repairs of damaged buildings were made between 1946
and 1955, including the conversion of the Mother's convent into a girl's high
school building.
The CICM Fathers and the Belgian Mothers (now CICM Sisters) continued their
administration of the school whose population reached 7,000 in 1964. Six years
later, a new rectory of the Sisters and the five-story St. Joseph Building, which is
still being used at present were constructed. However, the Belgian ICM Sisters
decided to withdraw their involvement in PCS, leaving their Filipino counterparts
as principal of the Grade School Department. From 1970 to 1984, the CICM
Fathers remained as directors of the school but the principalship of both Grade
School and High School Departments was given to the lay administrators.
Fr. Carlos Van Ooteghem, the last CICM Priest to serve PCS, managed the school
from 1980-1984. He stayed on as coadjutor in the parish until his health
prevented him from continuing his ministry. It was during his term when the
Karel Hall, covered court, Fr. Godofredo and the Practical Arts Buildings were
constructed. After 72 years of dedicated service to the ministry and education,
the CICM turned over the management of the school to the Archdiocese of
Manila in 1984.

The Archdiocese of Manila Era

Auxiliary Bishop of Manila, Teodoro C. Bacani Jr. became the first American
Director who managed the school from 1984-1993. Fr. Danilo A. Canceran
succeeded Bishop Teodoro Bacani Jr. as School Director in June 1993. In 1995,
the five-story San Lorenzo Ruiz Building, which replaced the Sisters' Convent
that housed the Department of Religious Education or DRE, was built during the
term of office of Bishop Teodoro C. Bacani, Jr., Parish Priest and Fr. Danilo
Canceran School Director.
The population in PCS continued to increase especially when Kindergarten I was
introduced in 1995. The start of Nursery Level was introduced a year later.
In 1996, Monsignor Domingo A. Cirilos Jr. was appointed Parish Priest and
director of the institution. In less than a year of his incumbency, he had the altar
of the church renovated. Thus began a series of speedy major edifice
constructions.
In 1997 the two old buildings along Trece de Agosto up to the estero were
demolished to make way for a new five-story Pope John Paul II building,
replacing the Holy Cross and Our Lady's Buildings. This was completed in 1998.
It was also in the same year when the Preschool Level (Nursery, Kindergarten,
and Preparatory) was completed.
In May 1999, the construction of Jaime Cardinal Sin Building housing 33 rooms
for the high school department and a 1,000-seat auditorium started. Upon
completion after 1 year and 2 months, the modern structure was blessed and
inaugurated in a fitting ceremony on July 14, 2000 by the person for whom it was
named.

Jaime Cardinal Sin Bldg.

During the 89th PCS Foundation Day celebration, the Parish Priest and School
Director Msgr. Domingo A. Cirilos Jr. led the ground-breaking ceremony for the
construction of a 10-storey school edifice. The magnificent structure, named
after Blessed Pedro Calungsod, was blessed and inaugurated on November 8,
2002 in a grand ceremony coinciding with the 90th PCS Foundation Day.
On November 9, 2006, the Sacred Heart Building, the first concrete edifice in the
campus, was renamed Rev. Fr. Godofredo Aldenhuijsen Heritage Center following
a motion and resolution passed and unanimously approved by the Parents
Coordinating Board of the high school department and subsequently concurred
with by Msgr. Cirilos.
After a series of constructions, the school now stands with pride giving Paco
district skyline a new profile. Keeping abreast with the changes and the new
trends in education, the school has continuously improved its physical plant and
facilities and maintained its high standard of education through the years.