WELCOME!

Let me tell you something about our beloved founder:

BLESSED MARCELO SPINOLA

  

MARCELO'S FAMILY BACKGROUND:

• Marcelo Spinola Y Maestre was born on January 14 1835 in San Fernando(Cadiz),Spain.He was baptized by Fr. Jose Carillo.
• Don Juan  de Spinola Osorno & Dona Antonia Maestre Y Osorno were the marquises of Spinola, the parents of Macelo. 
• The parents of Marcelo has 8 children but only 4 survived: Soledad, Marcelo, Rafael, Rosario.

• Spinola in Italian means "thorn," it was after the thorn in the crown of the Lord which was venerated & owned by the family. 

MARCELO AS A STUDENT: 
  Marcelo Spinola learned to read and write at home. At the early age of 10, he entered a simple school run by priests where he took two courses in Latin and finished with excellent grades.

Santo Tomas College in Cadiz

     1st year- studied in Santo Tomas College in Cadiz with a course in Philosophy.
     2nd year- studied in Montril.
     3rd year- finished in Granada where he took Physics, Chemistry, and Natural              Sciences.                                    
After 5 years, he took his final examination which won him the title of "Bachelor of Philosophy" at the age of 13.

University of Valencia

Marcelo was sent by his father to the University of Valencia where he enrolled in the college of law.
His academic records where brilliant; he got the highest ratings in all his subjects.

Univrsity of Seville

His professor in the University of Seville, Don Francisco Arboleya, signed his last records :
"Absences: NONE
  Character: GOOD
  Interest: SUPERIOR
  Grades: SUPERIOR
 Sanctions: NONE"     

          

 

    MARCELO AS A LAWYER 

            He practiced law in Huelva, seeing his clients not mere judicial cases to be solved or profitable incomes to earn;he saw his clients as persons in need of help. He advise them wholeheartedly without charging any fee.
               In order to repay Marcelo's goodness, the people whom he had help would hide behind Marcelo's door and would surprise him with gifts such as fruits, vegetables and etc. Marcelo's perpetual profession in life: "Defender of the Poor and the Needy".

MARCELO AS A PRIEST        

 

Monsignor Diego Herrero, Marcelo's good adviser, help him discern his vocation to the priesthood. In year 1863, Marcelo renounce,in favor of his brother Rafael, the title "Marques of Spinola" which was belonged to him by right for he was the eldest son of the family. On May 1863, he wore his first cassock as a seminarian. With HUMILITY as his companion and most constant trait of personality, Marcelo was later on ordained as a priest on  May,21,1864 by Cardinal Lastra.

   On June 3, it was Marcelo's first mass wherein Fr. Cayetano was the preacher. At exactly 8:30 AM, the time of the mass, was also when his brother,Rafael, was dying in the war in Cuba.His 1st requiem mass for his brother.
   As the parish priest, Spinola used to open his church almost at dawn and sit in the  confessional box so he could listen to confessions patiently and at length for many hours. Marcelo  wrote abundant letters where we can find inspiring examples of his spiritual wisdom in the way he led souls to God."El Correo de Andalucia" was the name of Marcelo's newspaper. He also introduced in his parish the practice of St. Ignatius' spiritual exercises. Because of his love for Christ he decided to "wear" always his inner cross of suffering.

MARCELO AS A BISHOP

    Marcelo became a Bishop and began to be in greater service to God and to others. A drought came in their town which led Marcelo's people hungry. Marcelo being old and already sick went door to door to beg alms to help his community. He was battling against the intense heat of the sun but still he was determined to help his community.
On the 19th of January 1906, He was together with God atlast. Marcelo took his rest in God's loving arms.
 
To know his name was a priviledge but to know him deeper was more than that. He change my view of life, from what I call a "materialistic world" that I lived in today , I normally would think that with "borloloys" , make-ups, branded jeans and shirts you can fit in to the society. That was my view BEFORE, but today , my views and perspective of life change.....
I began appreciating little things and I have already seen the beauty of simplicity and equality because of Fr. Marcelo . Even after death , he never fails to spread the love of Christ to us through the Congregation of the Handmaids of the Divine Heart.
I know opened my eyes to a beauty that a beholder holds even without much fashion and I began to see life and to live life to the fullest.
As he said " Be like a public fountain where everyone can drink"