MOTHER

IGNACIA’S
ROOTS AND
HERITAGE
STUDENT NAME: DEX CHAUNCEY YBAÑEZ
PROFESSOR’S NAME: S. Ma. Christina Corre
Mother Ignacia’s life was something to marvel at. Her dedication to service, her courage to
stand up for inequality and most importantly, her steadfast faith in God was what made her
a very popular figure among modern Christian sects. But to understand why she did this
passionately, we must dwell deep into her origins. Unfortunately, Mother Ignacia’s origins
are still very much debatable to a certain point.. The scarcity of records from that time have
made the task of documenting her early life a very arduous one. But to understand how she
came to be as what we know today, we must have a deep knowledge of her background,
but even those records have been lost to time. We aim to try and pinpoint the clues,
speculations and records surrounding Mother Ignacia’s Early life and heritage. We will try to
understand Mother Ignacia through her early life and deeds.

From what I’ve read in the Feminist Ethos in the Life of Venerable Ignacia Del Espiritu Santo,
her exact birthdate is still unknown to this day and only her baptismal records have survived
the ravages of time. Although we cannot confirm her birthdate, we still have records of her
baptismal. From this article, it is said that families tend to name their children after the saint
whose feast day falls under the time their child was baptized or born. She was renamed
Ignacia del Espiritu Santo as per custom in the Spanish occupation era. As her name would
suggest, we can see her dedication to God at an early age.

Taken from Mother Ignacia del Espiritu Santo, A Lamp to Our Path, Mother Ignacia’s parents
wanted her to marry when she was 21 years old. By this time, she had already felt the call
from inside her, a call to serve God. Fearing that she will disappoint her parents, she
consulted her mentor Fr. Paul Klein, a Jesuit priest from Bohemia. Fr. Klein then
recommended the Spiritual exercises to her. After heading his suggestion, Mother Ignacia felt
her call being as strong as ever. She then decided to leave her family and brought little to
nothing with her. This was a clear sign that she was what her namesake was to be, a servant
of God. She was shocked at the decision of her parents, with no other choice, she sought
advice. After following such advice, she began her life of service. Although as a mestiza,
Mother Ignacia would encounter hardships.

“Mother Ignacia centered her life on the suffering Christ and tried to imitate him through a life
of service and humility. She prayed earnestly to God and performed penances to move God
to have mercy on them” Co, Sister M.A. (1998). She modeled her values after the deeds of
Jesus Christ, mainly service to others and to live life with humility. These morals that Mother
Ignacia has applied in her practices made her into a more humble and forgiving character.
Because of her actions and way of life, she attracted like-minded individuals, yndios who also
felt the calling but were not allowed to join the existing congregations. This injustice paired
with Mother Ignacia’s example, formed an order called the Beatas de la Compania de Jesus.
These new followers would follow the examples of Mother Ignacia.
It’s stated in Mother Ignacia del Espiritu Santo, A Lamp to Our Path that the virtues of the
Beatas de la Compania de Jesus were derived from the practices of Mother Ignacia when
she was living alone behind the Jesuit College in Manila. These beatas live a humble life,
being of service to others and living as minimal as possible. These actions help mold them
into humble people. The feeling of having almost nothing when it comes to material
possessions has the effect of making a person more thankful for what they will receive no
matter how little the donation. Mother Ignacia herself felt this firsthand the first time she left
home to start a life of service to God. Such a life will only strengthen their faith and make
them more virtuous.

Although her origins are quite obscure, we know for a fact that Mother Ignacia’s early life was
filled with realizations, trials and hardships. She has been through a lot in her early years, but
these experiences only molded her into what she is known to us today.  Because of the
guidance of her mentor and the hardships she had endured on her path, it made something
resonate in her, a genuine love for the people and a  pure heart. The humility and gentleness
of Mother Ignacia will always be known throughout the years as a testament to everything
she had gone through. To this day, she is still alive through the order she has created,
following her examples and demonstrating them through their actions. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY
 Candilas, K.S. (2017) Feminist Ethos in the Life of Venerable Ignacia Del Espiritu Santo.
http://apjeas.apjmr.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/APJEAS-2017.4.1.13.pdf

Co, Sister M.A. (1998). Mother Ignacia del Espiritu Santo (1663-1748). A Lamp to our
path, RVM-MICS, Quezon City http://www.rvmonline.org/index.php?q=node/2