Academia de San Jose

Location:

Sotero B. Cabahug Street, Barangay Centro, Mandaue City, 6014 Cebu, Philippines

Contact Information

Academia de San Jose (formerly: St. Joseph's Academy of Mandaue Inc.) was founded on 29 January 1964 by Msgr. Jose A. Alojipan. This was after the Archbishop of Cebu, His Eminence Julio Cardinal Rosales, requested him to establish a Catholic school. The ICM Religious Sisters (Immaculati Cordis Mariae) was tapped to help prepare for the opening of the School Year 1964-1965.

In July of 1966, the Congregation of the Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary was designated by the Archbishop of Cebu as the steward of ASJ. The first secondary graduation took place in 1968. Two years after, the first elementary graduation came to pass.

Through the years, ASJ strove to grow in social consciousness towards the evangelization of the poor and the promotion of a lifestyle of simplicity. January 2001 witnessed the groundbreaking and blessing ceremony of the Marie Louise de Meester building. This reinforced the hopes and dreams of all those who wished ASJ to soar to greater heights of academic excellence and spiritual fervor.

ASJ's faith, hope and love were challenged when a terrible fire, which started at the nearby public market, destroyed the administration building. But this only galvanized the administration's resolve to relentlessly pursue integral human and Christian despite limitations imposed by institutional resources. During this time also, administrative discussions about the possibility of turning over the school to the Archdiocese of Cebu became very animated.

His Eminence Ricardo J. Cardinal Vidal, the Archbishop of Cebu, right away commissioned the Superintendent of the Archdiocesan Catholic Schools of Cebu, Fr. Eduardo O. Ventic, Ph.D. to take over as ASJ's School Director effective School Year 2003-2004 which was also the last year of the ICM management. With courage and determination, the School Director envisioned a development plan with the able assistance of the new Basic Education Principal, Perlita S. Quiñones, Ed.D.

The construction of the five-story building to replace the burned edifice started on February 2006. It was inaugurated and blessed on 10 September 2007 in the presence of a jubilant and grateful community.

The year 2014 marked the Golden Foundation Anniversary and the beginning of another chapter in the grace-filled ongoing story of Academia de San Jose. Fr. Jesper John R. Petralba, Ed.D., D.M., Ph.D., D.P.A., Fr. Mariano Dioscoro E. Cuarto, M.A.S.L. and Maria Alma T. Flores, Dev.Ed.D. were appointed as the new Director, Treasurer and Principal respectively. Building on all the sincere efforts of their predecessors, they successfully toiled to render ASJ worthy of PAASCU (Philippine Accrediting Association of Schools, Colleges and Universities) Level I status on 25 November 2014.

School Year 2015-2016 saw the complete integration of ASJ into the Archdiocesan Catholic Schools of Cebu System as well as the laying down of the foundations of its Senior High School Program and its future Jubilee Building in old Mandaue's lot #5 owned by the Archdiocese of Cebu. From 2017-2018 the following major projects were accomplished: the construction of the Oratory of St. Joseph the Protector of the Universal Church and the Giuseppean Covered Court, the procurement of a new air conditioned school bus, the renovation of the Quinquagenary Auditorium, the air conditioning of all classrooms, the construction of the Jubilee Hall and the repainting of the entire campus.

Fr. Sherwin Leo O. Ferrater, JCL became part of the administrative team in 2017. PAASCU-FAAP granted Level II Re-Accredited Status to ASJ on 15 December 2017 valid until 22 November 2022. In 2019 Fr. Conrado C. Sedillo, Jr, DM and Fr. Andrei Mikhail S. Tabotabo, MAPM were appointed Basic Education Principal and School Treasurer respectively. And the continuing revelation of God's immeasurable goodness unceasingly unfolds with each passing day of ASJ's educational ministry.