HISTORY

St. Dominic de Guzman was born in Caleruega , Spain about 1170. His apostolic zeal of preaching and of saving souls brought him to Toulouse, France where the Albigensian heresy was rampant. In 1216, he founded the Order of Preachers, also known as the Dominican Order, to combat heresy through preaching and teaching. He died at Bologna, Italy on August 6, 1221, only five years after he founded the Order.

Many Religious Congregation of Women affiliated themselves to the Order after they have been found to be living its spirit and charism. One of those was the Congregation of the Dominican Sisters of the Most Holy Rosary of the Philippines. Its original name was the Beaterio del Santisimo Rosario, a carry over Spanish name because the Philippines was a colony of Spain for four hundred years. Later it was changed to the Congregation of the Most Holy Rosary. To distinguish it from other congregation with the same name, of the Philippines was added.

On July 15, 1925, Most Rev. James Mc Closkey, the last American bishop of Jaro, Iloilo City, Philippines, went to Rome, Italy to personally submit to the Sacred Congregation for the Religious a petition for the foundation of a Dominican congregation in Iloilo City. The following day, he received a verbal communication to go ahead with his plans. On July 24, 1925, he was given the official approval for the establishment of the new Dominican congregation. It was affiliated to the Order of Preachers on January 16, 1959. It was elevated to the status of Pontifical Right on October 7, 1985.

Mother Rosario Arroyo, OP, born in Molo Iloilo, City Philippines was already a perpetual professed member of the Beaterio de Santa Catalina in Intramuros, Manila. Because of the desire of Bishop McCloskey to have a Dominican congregation in Iloilo City, she, along with two other perpetually professed members from the Beaterio de Santa Catalina, formed the nucleus of the new Dominican congregation in Iloilo City. The parents of Mother Rosario, Don Ignacio Arroyo and Dona Maria Pidal – Arroyo, gave a part of their wealth for the foundation of the new Congregation. The parents of Mother Rosario were pious people. They had two other children: the eldest, Senator Jose Pidal Arroyo and the youngest, Mariano Pidal Arroyo, M.D.. They both finished at the Colegio de San Juan de Letran in Intramuros, Manila, just as Mother Rosario finished her education course at the Colegio de Santa Catalina also in Intramuros, Manila. She was a teacher before she entered the religious life at the age of 27 years old. The present site of the Motherhouse of this Congregation was the residence of the Arroyo – Pidal Family. Before World War II, it was already a convent - the Dominican Sisters Motherhouse. During World War II, the Japanese forced out the sisters from their place and converted it into their headquarters. The Sisters had to take shelter at different places: with the relatives of Mother Rosario in the towns of Tigbauan and Cabatuan. During the liberation of Panay Island, to paralyze the Japanese forces, the Americans bombed and reduced to ashes the Motherhouse and the free school within its compound. The Sisters were cramped with other people inside the church of Molo, Iloilo City, the same church where Mother Rosario was baptized. This Congregation is an indigenous congregation in the City of Iloilo.

Formed from the nucleus of three Sisters on February 18, 1927, the Congregation has now two-hundred sixty four professed members. Education is the main apostolate. The Congregation owns/administers schools in Western Visayas, Davao Del Norte and Davao Oriental in the Philippines, in the Marianas Islands, Hawaii and California in the United States of America. In Kenya, East Africa, the Sisters administer a Vocational / Technical School, help in a House for Disabled Children, and run a clinic. In the Philippines there are three retreat houses, two dormitories, an outreach clinic and an orphanage.

After their first profession, some Sisters are made to go to college to take up Education both in elementary and high school levels as there are many schools to administer. Some are made to take up Nursing, Accountancy, or other courses which are needed to answer the demands of the apostolate.

The Congregation invites young women to join the band in proclaiming TRUTH and saving souls by a life of prayer, community living, and joyful service in the apostolate.