THE ST. WILLIAM’S INSTITUTE
In 1945, Sta. Teresita’s Institution in Narvacan, Ilocos Sur, then managed by the Sister’s of St. Paul of Chartres, was accidentally burned by the American forces. Left homeless, the Sisters sought refuge in Rosary College (now St. Paul College of Ilocos Sur) in Vigan, Ilocos Sur.
The Sisters did not wait very long for a new field of apostolate, for then Bishop Santiago C. Sancho of Nueva Segovia invited to go to Magsingal to start a new educational institution. On August 14, 1945, the Magsingal pioneers: Sr. Modesta of the Sacred Heart Valledor, SPC,; Superior Sr. Laura Maria Manaligod, SPC; Sr. Gertrudes Cristeta Quinto, SPC; Sr. Claudine Pito, SPC; Sr. Beatrice Michael Filler, SPC; Sr. Maria Pura Ramos, SPC; and Sr. Edouard de la Croix Riguera, SPC; opened St. William’s Institute on May 19, 1945 with a kindergarten. The Sisters started to give religious instruction in the public schools of Magsingal. Sr. Edouard left two days later for St. Joseph Institute in Candon.
Under the able guidance of Sr. Modesta Valledor, St. William’s Institute showed rapid growth and development. The following school year, the Sisters opened a complete primary school on July 5, 1946. The school year that followed saw the completion of the Elementary Department with the opening grades V and Vi on July 24, 1947. On July 01, 1948, the Elementary Department was granted government recognition.
In 1948, Sr. Teresita del Nino Jesus Reyes, SPC became Superior. Sisters Marie of St. Paul Antonio, Marie Virginie, sr. Adeltrude du Sacre Coeur abarquez, Sr. Maria Jovita Bajo, Sr. Rustica Dolores Alincomut and Sr. Lucie de Jesus Vallesil brought the Sisters’ community to an even dozen and kept the grade school going.
Meanwhile the parish priest of Magsingal, at the time Fr. Cosme Fang, and his assistant, Fr. Jose Lazo, who felt the need of a catholic high school in Magsingal pooled their resources and founded the St. William’s High school for girls and boys of the parish. This high school was under the direct management of the Parish Priest, the founders, Fr. Cosme Fang and Fr. Jose Lazo were subsequently to the other parishes. Fr. Fernando Guerzon took over the parish of St. William the Hermit and assumed the directorship of St. William’s High School. Inspite of financial odds, fr. Guerzon managed to keep the school going. However, when the odds got beyond his control, he decided to turn over the management of the high school to the Sisters of St. Paul of Chartres in May 1953. In the ensuing school year, the management of St. William’s high school passed from the parish priest to the Sister Superior of St. william’s Institute, Sr. Teresita del Nino Jesus Reyes, SPC. A merger was took effect and assumed the name st. William’s Institute, which offered Kindergarten, Elementary and High School for boys and girls.
In 1954, Sr. Inocencia Jaramillo, SPC became Superior-Directress, followed by Sr. Marie Anselme Aspuria, SPC in 1958, by Sr. Mamerta of the Cross Rocero, SPC in 1965, Sr. Sabina Yadan in 1967, and Sr. Mary Gregory Mendoza, SPC in 1972.
St. William’s Institute continued to grow, especially in high school department. The Elementary Department did not perform as well as the High School did. Enrollment in the elementary hardly moved. The enrollment got so slow that the Sisters began to think of phasing out the grade school. In March 1975 the phase-out was finally consummated.
The succeeding years after the phase out of the elementary Department saw the unprecedented rise of enrollment of high school students. Since the school year 1975-1976 when Sr. Mary Loyola Marcelo, SPC became Superior, st. William’s institute has been offering the secondary course to both boys and girls. Enrollment continued to increase. In 1978, Sr. Mary Edmund Antonio, SPC took over as Superior-Principal followed by Sr. Mary Elena Tuazon in 1984. The school year 1981-1982 enrollment rose to 813 students. The trend of enrollment continued upward. In the school year 1990-1991 the total enrollment was 870 students. The following school year enrollment increased to 893 students. In the school year 1992-1993, jumped to 911 students, the biggest so far in the fifty-four year existence of St. William’s Institute. In the following school year 1993-1994 enrollment went down to 897, and further down to 829 in the school year 1994-1995 only to increase again to 849 students the following school year when Sr. Estela Eugenia Sebastian, SPC became Superior-Directress.
St. William’s Institute celebrated its Golden Jubilee on May 19, 1995 with the theme “Give thanks to the Lord for He is Good, for His Love endures forever.” (Psalm 106:1) the celebration was highlighted by a concelebrated Thanksgiving Mass offered at the St. William the Hermit Parish church with the Most Reverend Orlando Quevedo, DD, Archbishop of Nueva Segovia, as the main celebrant. The concelebrants were Msgr. Thaddeus Mercado, Rev. Abbot Santos Rabang, OSB, Rev. Fr. Marcelo Cantorna and Rev. Fr. Peregrino Pira. Before the final blessing, st. William’s Institute awarded plaques of appreciation to those who had rendered outstanding service to the school. The first and foremost awardee was Msgr. Cosme Fang, the founder of St. William’s Institute. Sr. Teresita Bayona SPC, then Provincial Assistant for education of the Sisters of St. Paul of Chartres, presented the plaque to Fr. Peregrino Pira whoreceived it for Msgr. Fang, who could not make the trip to Magsingal from Tubao, La Union, his hometown, where he was then residing in his retirement years.
The year 2005, was the celebration of the sixty years of life and mission of SWI under the SISTERS OF ST. PAUL OF CHARTRES. It was led under the leadership of sr. Teresita Punay, SPC. The Diamond Jubilee was highlighted by a Thanksgiving Mass which was presided by the newly appointed Archbishop of Nueva Segovia, the Most Reverend Ernesto Salgado, DD as the main celebrant. With him are the other priests, Fr. Victorino Rabaca, the parish priest, Fr. Alen Villareal, the assistant parish priest, and the priest visitors: Msgr. Gary Noel Formoso, Fr. Felix Costales, Fr. Arthur Amian, Rector of the ICM Seminary and Fr. Erwin Rebollido. An AGAPE or Thanksgiving meal was offered by the SPC Sisters and the SWI Faculty to all who joined the celebration on October 21, 2005. The other events that highlighted the jubilee celebration were the parade and the SPORTSFEST, where the invited SWI Alumni and alumnae joined in the basketball and volleyball exhibition games in the last day of the intramurals.
SWI SUPERIOR AND DIRECTRESS
1945-1948 Sr. Modesta of the S.H. Valledor, SPC
1948-1954 Sr. Teresita del Nino Jesus Reyes, SPC
1954-1958 Sr. Inocencia Jaramillo, SPC
1958-1965 Sr. Marie Anselme Aspuria, SPC
1965-1967 Sr. Mamerta of the Cross Rocero, SPC
1967-1972 Sr. Sabina Yadan, SPC
1972-1975 Sr. Mary Gregory Mendoza, SPC
1975-1978 Sr. Mary Loyola Marcelo, SPC
1978-1984 Sr. Mary Edmund Antonio, SPC
1984-1990 Sr. Mary Elena Tuazon, SPC
1990-1996 Sr. Mary Andrew Bartolome, SPC
1996-1999 Sr. Estela Eugenia Sebastian, SPC
1999-2002 Sr. Mary Loyola Marcelo, SPC
2002-2005 Sr. Mary Angelina Rojas, SPC
2005-2011 Sr. Teresita Z. Punay, SPC
2011- Sr. Maria Remedios R. Cayetano, SPC
Agrimat Magsingal 