The Saint Louis College-Cebu, Inc. (SLCC) is one of the chain of CICM Schools founded by the Congregatio Immaculati Cordis Mariae (CICM), a congregation of missionary priests established in the Philippines by Belgian missionaries to effectively carry out evangelization in different areas of the country. SLCC, therefore, must live up to its missionary identity, support the congregation’s apostolic commitment and adhere to the priorities of the CICM-RP Province in its educational apostolate.
CICM Philippines School Network
GENERAL INFORMATION
CICM - RP Vision Statement
We, the CICM Philippine Province, an international community of religious missionaries dedicated to the Incarnate Word under the patronage of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, with the inspiration of Theophile Verbist and his companions, and sent to the nations particularly to where we are most needed – commit ourselves to proclaim Christ and foster the missionary consciousness of the local Church through our joyful and prophetic witness, and to keep alive a pioneering spirit in our involvements.
The CICM-RP Province Vision and Mission in Education
Inspired by the historical commitment and dedication to provide a Catholic education, the CICM Philippine Province espouses the following vision for its educational institutions:
It envisions an integral human formation of the youth who will become mature Christians and active members of the church. This integral human formation is directed towards a Christian development of knowledge, skills, and attitudes, which are geared towards service in church and society by witnessing the values of God’s kingdom.
In order to realize this vision, the schools should orient and direct their programs and activities toward the promotion of human dignity and happiness, which lead to the development of the total person who is able to take up his/her responsibilities in the church and the world.
Having specific concept of person and the world as revealed in the Judeo-Christian Tradition, the school promotes a special outlook of self, others, material world, and God, which change basically the goal of every human activity and distinguish it from any other educational system.
Having been founded by the CICM, every CICM educational institution lives up to its missionary identity. Each member of the school community is fully aware of his/her responsibility to reach out to the non-Christians and discover with them the impact of the Gospel on social reality, justice, and solidarity. Likewise, he/she is conscious of his/her responsibility to reach out to his separated brothers and sisters and to establish fraternal relations with them because there is only one Gospel, one Lord, and one Father of all.
Inspired and compelled by the attitude of Jesus, it gives special attention to the oppressed, the disadvantaged, and the handicapped.
The CICM-RP General Educational Objectives
- To form an educational community of administrators, faculty, students, personnel, and parents who are conscious that their knowledge, skills, and attitudes should be geared as a sign of the kingdom and that by this they realize their highest human dignity.
- To bring about a new Christian outlook on God, life, culture, world, neighbor, society, and personal human dignity.
- To give the educational community an adequate exposure to the Catholic faith, in catechesis as well as in liturgy and practice, to enable Catholics to grow to maturity in faith, and to be inviting and open to non-Catholics and non-Christians through sound ecumenism and mutual respect.
- To animate the lay people in our institutions through the Church and CICM vision on education, in promoting the teaching profession, in whatever field, as a special charismatic service to God’s people.
- To reflect continually, in the light of Catholic faith, on the growing treasure of human knowledge and to transmit it through teaching, research, and various services to our community.
- To be committed to the service of the people of God and human society in general: to study contemporary problems such as the dignity of human life, promotion of justice and peace, and a just sharing in the world’s resources.
- To look for ways and means to give the same chances to the children of as many disadvantaged families as possible.
- To serve as a dynamic base for the CICM Institute by which it creates awareness for the missionary to task of the universal church and engages in vocation animation.
- To cooperate with the local church, striving for a common vision, while respecting the authority of the local church and the CICM orientation.
- To integrate and promote the life-giving aspect of the cultural and moral values of the people.
- To maintain an academic standard which allows the faculty and students to work on a level needed for their professional competency.
The CICM-RP Specific Educational Objectives
1. Concern for the poor and handicapped
The school is aware of the many factors under the present conditions, which tend to keep the disadvantaged outside the school community; positive steps are taken to counteract these obstacles.
This concern is expressed by such means as :
scholarship programs for the poor
involvement in non-formal education
service programs
support of efforts to uplift the disadvantaged in society
simplicity of lifestyle in schools
2. Concern for the non-Christians and non-Catholics
The presence of the non-Christians in the educational community is brought to the attention of all, so that the non-Christians feel accepted and welcomed. The Christian community spirit and interpersonal relationships experienced by non-Christians are a strong incentive to want to become a committed member of the Christian community to share the Christian vision of education among the non-Christians.
Our Christian ecclesial community is an open community: open for what happens in the world, open for those who belong to other races or Christian religions. The ecumenical spirit should bring about universal brotherly love.
3 . Service to the local church in a subordinate role
The school works in union with the local church striving for common vision, which respects the authority of the local church and the missionary orientation of the CICM. The serving role means taking initiatives and leadership where needed, opening, and using channels of communication, which will make for better consultation, cooperation, mutual understanding and eventual evaluation of CICM work and presence.
The school actively promotes priestly and religious vocations, especially for the diocesan clergy.
Because of its specific importance among the academic disciplines, and the service to be rendered to the local church, every CICM institution of higher learning has a faculty or department of Theology.
4. Integration
It refers to both the integration with the local church and the integration of any life-giving aspect of cultural and moral values. The school develops integration through the presence of members of the local church in its Board of Trustees and of the Corporation and by the involvement of all sectors of the educational community in the activities and progress of the local church.
5. Dynamic base
As a missionary congregation, the CICM is helping build the local church, while at the same time establishing a dynamic base for the congregation so as to create awareness for the missionary task of the universal church and work for vocations.
Our educational institution train apostolic-minded lay people imbued with the CICM missionary spirit, who will assist in implementing the school’s mission and objectives. Our institutions are also based to organize missionary vocation animation on their region.