Holy Spirit Manila celebrates 100 years

MANILA, Philippines -The celebration of the Centennial of the College of the Holy Spirit Manila (CHSM) has struck a jubilant chord among the thousands of alumnae here and abroad who are eager to reminisce and re-experience their days at their alma mater as colegialas.

Massive exchanges of messages on the Internet and other social media channels have been raging, reunions have been set, rehearsals ongoing and other activities are well on their way to make Spirit Ablaze! 2013 a monumental milestone.

On Feb. 2, the college campus will open its doors for the Traditional Homecoming, albeit with a Centennial flavor that will make it truly memorable. This year, the highlight will be the Testimonial lunch and awarding of the Top 100 Outstanding Alumnae of CHSM. To further raise the excitement for the day, there will be a bazaar, a fun karaoke session and a “meet your scholar” event for alumnae who have sponsored a high school or college scholar.

Feb. 3 is marked as the formal celebration to be held at  the SMX Convention Center in Mall of Asia. The Centennial Gala will be a dress-up affair titled “Journey of 100 Years.”

As celebrants arrive, they will see a Gallery of Historical Photos from the school’s archives beginning from the journey of four nuns from Europe who accepted the call of their congregation, the Missionary Sisters Servants of the Holy Spirit (SSpS) to establish a Catholic education program in the Philippines. Photos of alumnae will also be exhibited per decade.

The jubilarians will regale the audience with a musical production depicting the historical evolution of CHS against the backdrop of the country’s history. Directed by Michael Williams, the production will be participated in by many jubilarians who have given their precious time for rehearsals since the last quarter of 2012.

Alumnae are also contributing their respective talents and expertise to ensure a power-packed program. Louie Reyes is flying in from Los Angeles to perform with the New Minstrels; alumna Lyn Sunico, who has gained renown as one of Manila’s sought after caterers, is providing the dinner service; Monette Iturralde Hamlin, who runs a successful events agency, is overall event manager; Toni Gregory-Palenzuela heads the PR for the celebration; Deanna Go Bio, an ex-Citibanker who is based in New York, and Ilo Echevarria-Wallenstein are working with Ellen Young-Gomez, president of the CHS North America Foundation, is in charge of drumming up attendance from the US. 

The Spirit of ‘67 has been tapped to tickle the dancing feet of about 2,000 alumnae until midnight, when the doors close on the event.

To spice up the gala celebration, a raffle will also be conducted offering gift certificates from resorts around the country, complementary dinners at leading restaurants, and family packages for museum tours, among others.

By then, the ladies will have received their Swatch watches especially designed for the Centennial.

The overall chair of the Centennial Celebration is Vicky Pineda-Garchitorena-Arpon ably assisted by the Centennial Celebration Committee composed of CHSM president Dr. Felina Co-Young, Sr. Victricia Pascasio SSpS, Sabsy Sy Palanca, president of the CHSAF (College of the Holy Spirit Alumni Foundation), HS Golden Jubilarians Lenore RS Lim and Lucia Bacani-Quimson, College Golden Jubilarian Eden Orosa-Kelemen and Yolanda Manding-Albano, in charge of the project “100 Scholars for 100 Years.”