MODULE 1: MOTHER IGNACIA’S LIFE STORY AND CALL

SESSION 1
Mother Ignacia’s
Family Background
INTRODUCTION
 OPENING
PRAYER
PRAYER OF POPE FRANCIS
TO THE HOLY FAMILY

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Jesus, Mary and Joseph, in you
we contemplate the splendor of
true love, to you we turn with
trust. Holy Family of Nazareth,
grant that our families too may
be places of communion and
prayer, authentic schools of the
Gospel and small domestic
Churches.

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 Holy Family of Nazareth,
may families never again
experience violence,
rejection and division: may
all who have been hurt or
scandalized find ready
comfort and healing.
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Holy Family of Nazareth, may
the Synod of Bishops make us
once more mindful of the
sacredness and inviolability of
the family, and its beauty in
God’s plan.

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Jesus, true God and true man,
graciously hear our prayer.
Mary and Joseph, cooperators
with God’s plan, pray for us.
Amen!

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STORY TELLING
Sharing about our family
background…
• How far do you know about your
family background?
• How do you relate among
yourselves?
• Does your family have any
special or specific beliefs handed
down to you?
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STORY TELLING
1. What have been the
influences of your family in
your development as a
person?
2. How does your family
background influence your
life of faith?

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GOALS &
OBJECTIVES
ENABLING OBJECTIVES

At the end of the session, the personnel will be able to

know the prime community of Mother
Ignacia - her family, identify her family roots and
describe her parent’s traits, values, skills, religion and
practices.

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TERMINAL OBJECTIVES

At the end of the session, the personnel will be able to

appreciate and identify their values similar to the life of
Mother Ignacia as influenced by their own families.

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NEW
KNOWLEDGE
 The Family Roots of
MOTHER
IGNACIA
Records of the family and the early
years of Ignacia del Espiritu Santo
were all found from the single
extant volume of the book of
baptism of the Church of the Holy
Kings of Parian, with the person of
the Dominican missionary, Fray
Alberto Collares figuring
prominently in the records.

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 The Family Roots of
MOTHER
IGNACIA
Ignacia del Espiritu Santo was
baptized in the Church of the
Holy Kings in Parian on March
4, 1663, by the Dominican
missionary Alberto Collares.

There is no entry on the date of

her birth.

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 The Family Roots of
MOTHER
IGNACIA
However, the Spanish missionaries
had introduced the custom among
Filipino families of naming their
children after the Saint celebrated on
the day of their birth. It is therefore;
likely that Ignacia was born of
February 1st, which was then the
feast of St. Ignatius of Antioch.

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 The Family Roots of MOTHER
IGNACIA
• Her father was Jusepe luco. His own baptismal
record in the same volume states that he was
baptized in 1652, by the name Fr. Alberto
Collares;

• his origin is Amui (Amoy), China; his father

named Bun, and his mother, Lisi. His godfather
was another Chinese Christian, Nicolas Chulam,
identified as a "capitan" in the Chinese settlement.

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 The Family Roots of MOTHER
IGNACIA
• From the above can be inferred that at the
time of Jusepe's conversion and baptism he
was an immigrant of pure Chinese parentage
from Amoy, where most of the Chinese in
Manila originated.

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 The Family Roots of MOTHER
IGNACIA
• As Ignacia was the first recorded of Jusepe
and his wife, and since she was baptized some
eleven years before Ignacia was born, he must
not have been among the Chinese who sought
baptism to facilitate a Christian marriage with
an Yndia, but a youthful convert many years
after his marriage.

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 The Family Roots of MOTHER
IGNACIA
• The mother of Ignacia was named Maria
Jeronima. There is no record of her baptism,
but her name indicates her being a native
Yndia.

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 The Family Roots of MOTHER
IGNACIA
• There is no matrimonial record of the Church
of her times that survived to the present,
hence it is not possible to verify the date of
the marriage between Jusepe Iuco and Maria
Jeronima. One, however, may safely infer that
theirs was a Christian marriage.

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 The Family Roots of MOTHER
IGNACIA
• In a baptismal record of November 3, 1664
Maria Jeronima was listed as the godmother
of one Andrea del Rosario, daughter of
Agustin Yim Tien and Ana Lagnio.

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MORE ABOUT THEIR FAMILY…

The same volume contains the records of one son and two other daughters
of Jusepe Iuco and Maria Jeronima: Rafaela who was baptized on August
23, 1665, with Isabel Rodriguez of the town of San Rafael de Arroceros,
as sponsor: Santiago who was baptized on February 27, 1665 with a
sangley (Chinese) as godmother; and finally, Juana dela Concepcion,
baptized on December 22, 1669 whose godmother was from the district
of Passai (Pasay), whose name, however, is quite illegible on the record.

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 FAMILY TREE OF THE SERVANT OF GOD,
MOTHER IGNACIA DEL ESPIRITU SANTO (1663-1748)

BUN MARRIED LISI

Amui, China

Jusepe Iuco married Maria Jeronima

Ignacia del Espiritu Santo + Rafaela Rodrigues + Santiago + Juana de la Concepcion

Baptized: March 4, 1663 August 23, 1665 February 27, 1668 December 22, 1669
Madrina/o: Catalina Malinang Isabel Rodrigues Nicolas Siancong (illegible) de Passis
Ministro: Fr. Alberto Collares Fr. Alberto Collares Fr. Christoval Pedroche Fr. Alberto Collares
MORE ABOUT THEIR FAMILY…

The records of the three younger children each bear a cross mark along the
margin, probably indicating death. It is nowhere indicated how long after
baptism was their demise, but the inference is that they did not survive to
adulthood. This would then leave the Servant of God, Ignacia del Espiritu
Santo the sole surviving child of Jusepe Iuco and Maria Jeronima.

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MORE ABOUT THEIR FAMILY…

Ignacia lived at a time when society clearly delineated the roles of women
and men in society. For women, social acceptability implied developing
characteristics such as shyness, discretion, restraint and timidity. Although
educational institutions (Sta. Potenciana in 1595 and Sta. Isabel in 1632),
were established for women, these were reserved for the Spanish girls and
women. The native and mestizo women received education in the parish
which was mainly doctrinal.

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MORE ABOUT THEIR FAMILY…

From her mother, Ignacia learned the rudiments of

faith, prayer and Christian piety. Ignacia must have
grown in her knowledge of the faith through the
Doctrina Cristiana, the catechism book which as
printed in Tagalog in 1593 and was intended for
native pupils. There was also the Doctrina
Cristiana in Chinese printed in the same year.
Ignacia’s father must have learned about the
Christian faith from this Chinese catechism.

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MORE ABOUT THEIR FAMILY…

The young Ignacia followed the practices of piety common during her time:
praying the rosary and other devotions, joining processions, assisting at Mass,
receiving Holy Communion, going to confession. (A Lamp to Our Path, p. 12)

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GOING DEEPER…
• What values of Mother
Ignacia as a child or
daughter do you desire to
imbibe? Why?
• What are the traits and
values of Mother Ignacia’s
parent that were passed on
to her?
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GOING DEEPER…
• Are these values evident in
the families today?
• How will the family
orientations of Mother
Ignacia influence the
Filipino parents today in
forming their children to be
God-fearing?
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ACTIVITIES
THE SEEDBED OF WHO WE ARE IS IN THE FAMILY…

• Identify the inherited values, common practices, family

strengths and brokenness of Mother Ignacia.

• Try to recall your own family tree and include the values,
religion and practices which greatly influence you until today.

• Group sharing.

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CHARITY
INSPIRED
CHARACTER-
BUILDLING
VALUES
VALUES INTEGRATION:

Excellence/ Respect and obedience

• What values could have been developed to sustain the unity and
integrity of a family?

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SOCIAL INTEGRATION:

Cultural Differences

• Mother Ignacia grew up in a mixed-race family and it was not

always easy. Her parents surely faced challenges raising her in
two different cultures.

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SOCIAL INTEGRATION:

Cultural Differences

• Like Mother Ignacia’s origin, there are many families today

living in different cultures and races, in reality, there are
inevitably daily frictions and sometimes major conflicts,
differences of opinions and opposing ideas. How can these be
overcome by families of today?

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INVITATION TO
SILENCE…GOD
TIME
Faith Reflection/Faith Sharing

• How can Mother Ignacia’s family

background inspire you to navigate your life
amidst life’s troubles and triumphs?

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APHORISM
SUMMARY/SYNTHESIS)
• Mother Ignacia came from two cultures - the
Filipino and the Chinese. She inherited
innocence, simplicity, obedience, respect and
modesty, sense of religiosity and resiliency
from her yndia (Filipina) mother.

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• The enduring legacies of independence, the
spirit of industry, frugality and business
acumen, were inherited from her father
Jusepe Iuco, a Chinese national.

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• Aside from inheriting the physical features of
our parents, we are consciously or
unconsciously shaped by the values of our
parents and everyone around us. Mother
Ignacia is no exception. She too was formed
and nurtured by her parent’s values,
attributes, practices and religion.

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NOTEWORTHY
APPLICATION
OF INSIGHTS
GAINED
If there is something you want
to improve in your relationship
in the family, what would it
be? Why?

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Venerable Ignacia del Espiritu Santo… pray for us!
REFERENCES:

• IFP Module 2 for Lay Partners, pp. 37-38

• Co, S. Ma. Anicia, RVM, A Lamp to Our Path, p. 12
• https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/prayers/documents/papafrancesco_preg
hiere_20131229_santa-famiglia.html

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