Submitted the sealed package on the Diocesan Inquiry to the Congregation of the Causes of Saints by Sister Ma. Jesusa G. Enginco, OP with Fr. Francesco Ricci, OP, the Secretary of General Postulation of the Order of Preachers.

The formal Closing of the Diocesan Process for the Causes for Beatification and Canonization of Mother  Francisca del Espíritu Santo de Fuentes, Siena College Chapel,  Quezon City, Philippines.

Appointment of Commission Members and Tribunal for the Diocesan Process for the Causes for Beatification and Canonization of Mother Francisca del Espíritu Santo de Fuentes.

The celebration of the 9th General Chapter. The reorganization of the Mother Francisca Commission.

The Prayer for Mother Francisca in English with Ecclesiastical Approval was launched and other dialects and languages followed with the approval of the Ordinaries of the Place.

The incorporation of 5 Sri Lankan Sisters from the Congregation of Dominican Sisters of St. Catherine of  Siena, Malta (Europe) to the Congregation of Dominican Sisters of St.Catherine of Siena, Philippines.

The celebration of a Special General Chapter.The new Constitutions and Directory of the Congregation in English were drawn and approved and took effect on Feb. 2, 1969.

The Sacred Congregation for Religious made this comprehensive judgment on the Congregation of Dominican Sisters of St. Catherine of Siena for the temporal approval of the Constitutions.

A letter of petition to the Sacred Congregation imploring the grace of recognition for the Congregation as a Congregation of Pontifical Right.

The first official move to work for the Cause of Beatification of Mother Francisca del Espiritu Santo with the encouragement of the Bishops and the Apostolic Nuncio.[1]

[1] Copia Publica VII, 2070.

The solemn inauguration of the Chapel and Convent of Sta. Catalina, the Motherhouse of the Congregation.

The Motherhouse and the Generalate were transferred to Quezon City from Legarda, Manila.

The Novitiate was moved to Baguio with the permission of the Sacred Congregation of Propaganda Fide, an expansion of the Congregation. Other houses were founded.

This date, the zealous and virtuous Terciaries of the Old and glorious “Beaterio” was recognized and officially organized by the Archbishop of Manila, H.E. Msgr. Michael J. O’Doherty in the presence of V.R. Fr. Rufino Santos (who later became the first Filipino Cardinal) and Fr. Bernabe Alonso, OP, the Fiscal of the Archdiocese of Manila, as Congregation of Diocesan Right and lived under the Constitutions of 1832 as approved by the Ordinaries of the Place. The Sacred Congregation for Religious gave its “Nulla Osta” to the Congregation after having heard the opinions of the Ordinaries.

Since there was difficulty in the means of transportation, it was not possible to celebrate the Chapter for the Election of the First Officials of the Congregation.  Because of this, the Archbishop named the following Religious to hold office for 6 years and then proceed to the election of their successors: M. Trinidad Arraiza as Prioress General;  M. Filomena Medalle – 1st Councilor;  M. Mercedes Oliver, Ma. Ana Maria Reyes, Councilors and M. Natividad Pilapil as Councilor and Secretary General

The Community left the Education Bldg. because the internados Americans have to occupy the building. They transferred to Nazareth, a religious house owned by the Hijas de Jesús who offered the Sisters shelter for some months.  With the permission of the Archbishop, a novitiate was constituted in the House of Nazareth. During this wartime, houses were founded in Bulacan and Laguna. 

In Nazareth, the Community lived religiously, separately from the Community of the Hijas de Jesús although with a common chapel keeping the three vows, pray the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the entire Rosary daily, observe relative closure since the College of Sta. Catalina was not yet open, the Sisters have to beg from their relatives and friends to help the Community.

Break-out of World War II.  The Beaterio-Colegio in Intramuros was bombed leaving the Beaterio and Colegio in total ruins. The Community dispersed. Some went to University of Santo Tomas, some asked       to stay in their houses, and some at the College of Jesus and Mary in San Juan del Monte.

To be faithful to the spirit of the Pontifical Decree, the Archbishop of Manila, Msgr. James O’Doherty as the Executor of the Decree immediately instituted an official visit to the Beaterio proceeded to the exploration of the opinion of the same Tertiaries before the Notary Declaring their will to remain and to pertain to the said Beaterio for always and made investigation over the means of subsistence of the same Religious. 

Having judged that no one opposed to the execution of the said Decree believing that they already arrived at the moment to proceed as is.  After listening to the opinion of the Fr. Provincial of the Holy Rosary Province of the Order of Preachers of which the Beaterio was still subject to him up this date, the decree was read by the Chancellor, Simeon Gutierrez to the whole community of the Beaterio de SantaCatalina in the presence of His Excellency Most Rev. Archbishop of Manila and of the Rev. Fr. Vicar Provincial of the Province of the Holy Rosary of the Philippines and signed in Manila.  At the separation from the jurisdiction of the Holy Rosary Province and from the just formed Congregation, some Spanish Sisters opted to join the Beaterio although actually all the religious of the Beaterio were of Filipino nationality.  Mother Catalina Osmeña (the aunt of the late President Sergio Osmeña, Sr.) was named Prioress of the Beaterio.

The initiative of forming and uniting a true and one Congregation as planned in 1917 was strongly favored by the Provincial Chapter of the Philippines.

Dominican Order and the Province of the Holy Rosary wanted to concretize the idea of forming and uniting a true and one Congregation of all the existing houses under the jurisdiction of a General Moderator and independent in religious discipline like the other Congregations of the Church and according to Sacred Canons.

Santa Catalina Normal School was granted the permit to confer the academic degree of “Maestra Normal.

Three Filipino Sisters from the Beaterio left for Foochow, Province of Fukien to take charge of the orphanage founded by the Dominican Fathers of the Holy Rosary Province.

On this date, His Catholic Majesty issued a Royal Cédula approving the conduct of the Fr. Provincial who had opposed the wishes of the Archbishop to visit religious parishes and ministries as if it was just another parish.  From this time on the Beaterio no longer felt the need to fight for its survival.

A public deed was signed in the presence of Francisco Maldonado, Public Scribe proving that the Church owned by the Royal College of San Juan de Letran was sold  to the Beaterio for the sum of 5,000 pesos.

Death of Fr. Juan de Santo Domingo, the Spiritual Adviser and Confessor of Mother Francisca and the Beatas.

Death of Fr. Juan de Sta. María who first placed Mother Francisca and Mother Antonia to live in community  in the house of Maria García.

Saintly death of Mother Francisca