Name: Darlene B. Coloma

BS HTM-HRM 2

7:30-9:15 am

WHAT IS CICM?

The acronym CICM in Latin means Congregation Immaculati Cordis Mariae( Congregation of 

Heart of Mary).

In some places, CICM missionaries are known as Scheut missionaries. The name Scheut,

meaning shoot or sprout, refers to a suburb of Brussels, Belgium. It is here where Father

Theophile Verbist, a Belgian diocesan priest, founded the Missionary Institute in 1862 with

China as the mission field uppermost in his mind.

THE FOUNDER

Father Theophile Verbist was born in Antwerp, Belgium in 1823; Father Theophile Verbist had

ambitions to be a priest since he was young.

Inspired by the work of the Holy Childhood which took care of abandoned children in the Far

East and other parts of the world, in 1862 he founded the Congregation of the Immaculate

Heart of Mary (CICM).

In 1865, Father Verbist and four other zealous companions

companions went to China.

Father Verbist died of typhoid fever in 1868, just three years after arriving in Mongolia at the

age of 45.

THE CICM PHILIPPINE ADVENTURE

The CICM arrived in the Philippines in 1907. Immediately they began the evangelization of the

people of the Mountain Province in earnest. They also accepted challenges outside the

Mountain Province in many lowland parishes.

After 100 years of its presence in the Philippines, the CICM proud to say that they have

accomplished a unique task evangelization in the Philippines.

 

They have contributed much to Catholic Education, to the growth of the local culture, to local

priestly vocation and most of all to the growth of the missionary awareness
awareness among the people.

At present, there are a good number of native Filipino CICM missionaries working all over the

world.

CICM IN NUEVA VIZCAYA

The first CICM missionaries who came to Nueva Vizcaya in 1908 were Fr. Oktaaf Vandewalle, Fr.

Joseph Tahon and Bro. Eduard Cools. They started the revitalization of the church which had

been overshadowed by the Aglipayan Church’s domination.  

In 1982, the Diocese of Bayombon

Bayombong
g was born with Msgr. Alberto Van Overbeke, CICM as its first

Bishop.

SAINT MARY’S UNIVERSITY AND CICM 

Saint Mary’s University started as the Saint Mary’s Elementary School in 1928 by Rev. Achilles

de Gryse, CICM who was the parish priest of Bayombong. The school was run by five Fran
Franciscan
ciscan

sisters from the Netherlands.

In 1934, Saint Mary’s High School was inaugurated with Fr. Godfrey Lambretch, CICM as the

first Director and Sr. Margaretha Hermus, SFIC as the Principal.

Year 1947 saw the start of the college department with Associa
Associate
te Arts, BSE and AB programs.

Through the years, Saint Mary’s College slowly transformed into one of the pillars of education

in Cagayan Valley and was granted University status in 1994 with Fr. John Van Bauwel, CICM as

the first University President.