BACKGROUND ON THE MOTHER IGNACIA HEALING MINISTRY
The ministry had small beginnings. When Sister Raquel Reodica, a member of the RVM congregation, was bestowed her healing powers in 1991, she began healing those who approached her. A great portion of these people she has healed through the years were terminal cases, especially from cancer. This is why she has been tagged as ‘cancer healer for the Lord.’. Refer to SISTER RAQUEL, CANCER HEALER FOR THE LORD, no. 4 below. Sister Gloria, the other RVM healing nun, started healing as far back as the early 50s long before Sister Raquel. There are other RVM sisters who heal or assist in healing such Mother Remy, the mother superior at the healing center as of this writing, December 2006, and Sister Rosales. Later, because of television and newspaper coverages, the number of visitors ballooned into huge proportions. It was not until many months when the ministry was formalized, not so much in terms of registered name but in terms of volunteers, mostly from those who were healed, helping in the ministry in many different ways. The number of visitors, some from distant lands, gradually tapered into manageable size today. The primary goal of the ministry is to render healing - spiritual, mental, physical, or financial. The secondary goal is to give material support for the poor in terms of food, scholarships and other means.
FROM SEEDLINGS TO RAINFOREST
A
History of Mother Ignacia, founder of the Religious of the Virgin Mary (RVM}
the Christ of love and mercy is the Christ of fear and punishment He is the gentle storm and the violent breeze
He jolts us in our indifference soothes us in our despair He is the lull and the storm He greens our pastures that He will burn
He makes us see in our blindness yet He blinds us to make us see He gives wisdom and healing through anguish and pain
eastwind
The mulberry seed that Jesus talks about in the Bible is so small, you can hardly see it. Mother Ignacia del Espiritu Santo planted that seed in 1732, more than two centuries ago, and today, that tiny seed has grown into a gigantic tree spreading its branches across the entire Philippine archipelago. That tree is the Religious of the Virgin Mary or RVM. And it is but a small part of the spiritual rainforest of the Lord Jesus that nourishes theearth. The few primary sources and historical documents available yield enough information to reconstruct the story of Mother Ignacia and the community she founded.
When Ignacia was 21 years old, her parents wanted her to marry. Heeding a call deep within her but not wanting to disappoint her parents, Ignacia sought counsel from Fr. Paul Klein, S.J., a Jesuit priest from Bohemia, who arrived in Manila in 1682. She underwent the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, a Jesuit retreat of prayer and meditation, under Fr. Klein. After this period of solitude and prayer, Ignacia decided to 'remain in the service of the Divine Majesty' and to 'live by the sweat of her face'. She left home and brought with her nothing but a needle and a pair of scissors. She started to live alone in the house located at the back of the Jesuit College of Manila. Her life of prayer and labor attracted other Filipino women who also felt called to the religious life but could not be admitted into other existing congregations. Mother Ignacia accepted these women into her company and the first community was born. They became known as the Beatas de la Compania de Jesus (religious novices of the company of Jesus), since they frequently received the sacraments at the Church of St. Ignatius, performed many acts of devotion there, and had the Jesuit fathers for their spiritual directors and confessors. Mother Ignacia centered her life on the sufferings of Christ and tried to imitate Him through a life of service and humility. She conducted a life of prayer and penance as a way to the Lord. Her spirituality of humble service was expressed in her capacity to forgive, to bear wrongs patiently and to correct others with gentleness and meekness. This type of spirituality fostered peace and harmony in the community, love and care for each other, and the commonness of heart, which became a witness to the love of Christ and the maternal care of the Blessed Mother. This spirituality sustained the beatas in their moments of difficulties, especially during times of extreme poverty, when they had to beg for rice and salt, and scour the streets for firewood. The beatas continued to support themselves by the labor of their hands, and sometimes received some financial help from pious people. In all these, they did not cease to thank God and to trust in divine providence. The growing number of beatas called for a more stable lifestyle and a set of rules. A daily schedule was drawn up and community practices were defined. Following the spirit of St. Ignatius, Mother Ignacia exhorted her beatas to live always in the presence of God and to develop great purity of heart. She emphasized charity in the community, which was dedicated to the Blessed Mother. The spirit of Mary ran through the rules which were written for the guidance of the beatas. Her type of leadership drew inspiration from the Blessed Virgin Mary. She strove to be the living image of Mary to her companions and exhorted them to take Mary as their model in following Jesus. Mother Ignacia gradually realized that the community in the beaterio (convent for movices or aspiring nuns) was called by God to a life not only of prayer and penance, but also of apostolic service. The beaterio admitted young girls as boarders, who were taught Christian doctrine, as well as works proper to them. Mother Ignacia did not make any distinction of color or race but accepted natives, mestizas (half-Spanish half-native) and Spaniards as recogidas (recruits). The beatas were also involved in retreat work, and helped the Jesuit Fathers by preparing retreatants to be disposed to take the Spiritual Exercises. Mother Ignacia submitted the 1726 Constitutions of the beaterio to the archdiocesan office for approval. After the approval was given in 1732 by the Fiscal Provisor of Manila, Mother Ignacia decided to give up her responsibility as superior of the house. She lived as an ordinary member until her death on September 10, 1748. Murillo Velarde saw this as a great sign of her utter humility. She had no desire to command and control. In his estimation, she was a 'true valiant woman' who overcame the great difficulties which she met in the foundation from the beginning to the end. She was 'mortified, patient, devout, spiritual, zealous for the good of souls'. A few months before her death, the Archbishop initiated a process of securing royal protection for the beaterio. Mother Ignacia died without knowing the response of the Spanish King, but her long life in the beaterio must have taught her to trust in the providence of God. Little did she expect that the mulberry seed, the beaterio, would become a giant tree, the nationwide congregation of today, more than 200 years after her death. Thus, the Religious of the Virgin Mary, is a living testimony to her life as God's handmaid who opened the doors of religious life to native women in the Philippines. She proved that God is the God of all people, of whatever color or race. The royal protection granted in 1755 guaranteed the safety of the beatas but it did not recognize the beaterio as a community of religious women. It was ordained to remain as a pious association. In spite of this seeming setback, the beatas, faithful to the spirit of their foundress Mother Ignacia, continued to live the religious life even without being officially recognized as such. The expulsion of the Jesuits in 1768 was another blow to the beatas. They lost their spiritual guide. But they continued to enjoy the support of the Archbishop of Manila and other Church officials. In the spirit of Mother Ignacia, the beatas lived by the sweat of their faces and persevered in their service to God through education and retreat work. Despite attempts by the Governor-General to change the nature of the beaterio, the beatas remained true to the vision and charism of Mother Ignacia and survived the dark years. The growth of the beaterio into a congregation and its response to the apostolic challenges of the times show the vitality of the spirit of Mother Ignacia. Indeed, her lamp continues to shine today as her daughters courageously strive to respond with zeal to the call of different mission works. The story of the congregation that has grown from the small beaterio of Mother Ignacia continues to unfold. It bears witness to the enduring vitality and strength of the foundation, the spirituality of Mother Ignacia. The lamp she lit to guide the path of native women aspiring for religious life and the maturity of faith continues to shine. It remains undimmed. The life of this lowly native and the fruits of her spirituality proclaim the immense goodness of God, whose generosity is unbounded. Mother Ignacia trusted in the loving providence of God and she was never disappointed.
late have i loved You o Beauty ever ancient ever new late have i loved You You were within me but I was away
there within of late i searched for You in my un-loveliness and You touched me
st augustine
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jonathan livingston seagull was always learning and practising his flight trying so hard to achieve perfection but because he was different from the rest of the other seagulls he was sent away to live as an outcast he later attained perfection only after he knew about love for there are no more limits to flight when one has achieved love
bernadette lopez
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© Mother Ignacia Healing Ministry ● b lopez / w ileto |
The
ministry is an undertaking of the Religious of the Virgin Mary (RVM), a
Vatican-approved Catholic religious congregation of sisters. The RVM was founded
by Mother Ignacia, after whom the ministry is named. 
Mother Ignacia
was born during the Spanish colonial era in the Philippines. The precise date of
her birth is not known. Her baptismal record mentions only the date of her
baptism, March 4, 1663. This confirms the statement of Pedro Murillo Velarde,
who later wrote about Mother Ignacia, that she was 21 years old in 1684.
Ignacia was the sole surviving child of Maria Jeronima, a Filipina, and Jusepe
Iuco, a Chinese immigrant from Amoy, China, who was converted to the Catholic
faith in 1652 and resided in Binondo, Manila.