LEARNING MODULE

CHRISTIAN LIVING

VISION AND MISSION

ST. DOMINIC DE GUZMAN
MOTHER ROSARIO OF THE VISITATION

0
Name: _________________________________________Grade and Section: ______________

MODULE 1
INTRODUCTION

This module traces the actions of Jesus leading to the establishment of the Church.
It begins with Jesus’ action of calling men who will assist Him in His mission of spreading
the Kingdom of God and His commissioning them to perform the ministry of announcing
the Good News of salvation. It also highlights the role of Peter as head of the Church and
explains how the Spirit empowered the apostles to accomplish their mission despite the
difficulties they had to endure.

Parts of this module are the integration of Mother Rosario’s charism and spirituality
as well as her virtues, St. Dominic’s spirituality, Vision/Mission of our school’s apostolate
and Dominican Core Values of truth, compassionate service, spirituality, and devotion
to Blessed Virgin Mary, joy and excellence.

The topics on the charism of Venerable Mother Rosario of the Visitation and the
Call of Jesus for Us to Service and Renewal comply with the requirements of an effective
religious education curriculum. Each lesson in the series contains elements essential for
an effective pedagogy of faith. These elements are Human experience, Biblical
narrative, Church teaching, Blessed, Saints and Martyr, Life integration and Faith
formation in and with the family.

The learners will become aware of the responsibility to be of service to all at all
times as their way of responding to God’s call to serve in the community where they
belong.

In the Christian Living subjects, the Spirituality of the Catholic school is anchored
on the charism of its Foundress, the Venerable Mother Rosario of the Visitation, St.
Dominic’s Spirituality and the Vision/Mission of the school’s apostolate. The learners have
the opportunity to understand and embrace the Education Ministry of OP Molo schools
as well as to follow and imitate the life and charism of the Foundress.

OBJECTIVES: At the end of the module, the learners

1. Become familiar with the vision/mission of the school

2. Get acquainted with the life and charism of the Foundress, Venerable Mother Rosario
of the Visitation

3. Live the teachings of the Lord Jesus and the ideals of the Foundress.

1
And He sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to perform healing. (Luke
9:2)

VISION AND MISSION

VISION

We, the Cmmunities of Dominican Schools, are channels of faith and bearers of
Truth, whose lives are characterized by filial devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, by
assiduous study, and by compassionate and joyful service to the Church and the Society.

The Sole Purpose is to the sanctification the Learners and their significant Others;
through the witnessing of their life centered on the Eucharist and devoted to the Holy
Rosary, in the spirit of Truth, Prayer, Simplicity, Joy, Service, Compassion, and Fidelity to
the charism of St. Dominic and of Venerable Mother Rosario.

MISSION STATEMENT

Inspired by the charism of St. Dominic and Mother Rosario, we the Dominican
community of Christian believers participate in the evangelizing mission of the Church
through the quality and value- laden education. We believe in the Christ- centered
education which adheres to Truth, commitment to service, compassion for others, and
the authentic witnessing of the Gospel-values, as exemplified by the Blessed Virgin Mary.

PHILOSOPHY (Creed)
We believe in the Christ-centered education which adheres to Truth, commitment
to service, compassion for others, and the authentic witnessing of the Gospel-values, as
exemplified by the Blessed Virgin Mary.
o We means
❖ The Dominican administrators, faculty, staff, students, parents,
alumni and benefactors
❖ The religious and lay Dominican collaborators
o Believe means
❖ Uphold
❖ Nurture
❖ Stand for

2
 o In the Christ-centered Education means
❖ The offering of a developmental formation program anchored on
Christian principles, norms and ideals
o Which adheres to Truth means
❖ Giving importance in faithfully living out the teachings of the Church
and the examples of Christ.
o Commitment to service means
❖ Rendering genuine service
o Compassion for others means
❖ With great sympathy and love, being sensitive to the needs of others
o And authentic witnessing of the Gospel Values means
❖ And consistently putting into practice the Christian doctrines, norms
and ideals
o Exemplified by the Blessed Virgin Mary means
❖ As emulated and modeled by the Mother of Christ

CORE VALUES: We Value

➢ Truth
➢ Demonstrate transparency
➢ Choose to do good all the time
➢ Practice and live what is right and just
➢ Say what you mean & mean what you say
➢ Exercise tactfulness and speak well of others
➢ Fulfill promises and obligations
➢ Give appreciation sincerely
➢ Compassionate Service
➢ Share without expecting anything in return
➢ Render service beyond the call of duty
➢ Selflessly respond to the needs of others
➢ Concern and love for the needy

3
➢ Spirituality
➢ Voluntarily commit oneself to charity works.
➢ Actively participate in all religious activities.
➢ Observe proper decorum at all times.
➢ Take adversity as a challenge.
➢ Sacrifice for the sake of others.
➢ Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary
➢ Emulate the virtues of Blessed Virgin Mary.
➢ Religiously or fervently pray the rosary and novena prayers.
➢ Commemorate the Marian Solemnities and Feasts.
➢ Joy
➢ Radiate happiness to others at all times.
➢ Exhibit a feeling of excitement and unwavering interest in the
workplace. (Enthusiasm)
➢ Look at the brighter side of life. (Optimism)
➢ Excellence
➢ Perform an outstanding work and output at all times.
➢ Promptly report to class prepared and equipped with appropriate
learning materials. (Effective)
➢ Do the work as expected and settle only for what is
best.(Competence)
➢ Deliver the instruction in accordance with the articulated curriculum
map. (Efficiency)

4
One day, through the Rosary and the Scapular, Our Lady will save the world. (Saint
Dominic)

LIFE OF ST. DOMINIC DE GUZMAN

St. Dominic de Guzman, the holy founder of the

Order of Preachers, known as Dominicans, was born
to a noble family at Calaruega, Spain around the year
1170. After finishing his studies at the University of
Palencia, he became a Canon regular in the Church
of Osma. Zealous for truth, he knew by heart the Bible
especially the Gospel according to St. Matthew and
the Epistle of St. Paul. He usually meditated at the foot
of the cross during midnight. Filled with compassion for
sinners he rose at midnight to intercede for them to
God. St. Dominic was a humble man of study and of
prayer. But essentially, he was a man of God.

Dominic’s manner of preaching was modeled

on the apostles by traveling on foot, begging food
from door to door, traveling without money while
depending on the charity of those he encountered for the necessities of life.

Dominic’s mother had a vision, while bearing him in her womb, of a black and
white dog with a burning torch in its mouth, setting the whole world earth on fire. His
godmother saw a star on his forehead at baptism. These visions were fulfilled for the Order
of Preachers he founded illumined the minds of those in darkness and shed light in the
understanding of divine truth.

At Montreal a formal debate was arranged. The heretics put forward of their most
prominent spokesmen. Each side submitted its case in writing and the debate lasted the
whole night. In the course of the debate, the two sides exchanged papers containing
the essential texts on which their respective positions relied. One such paper was drawn

5
up by Dominic. He later heard that the heretics had thrown the paper on the fire three
times. Each time however, it jumped out of the fire unharmed. The judges refused to give
a verdict. But it was widely acknowledged that the Catholic team won the arguments
and that some 150 heretics were converted. Burning with zeal of preaching, Dominic
never wavered in his desire for evangelization in spite of the fact that Bishop Diego had
died and he was left to continue the mission. Since the Cistercian monks, who were
assigned to preach and convert the heretics, failed in their mission, St. Dominic and his
followers were authorized by the Pope to preach to the people.

St. Dominic’s charism in preaching was characterized by:

a. Compassion

b. Joy

c. Ardent zeal

d. Humble penance

e. Prayer

6
 MOTHER ROSARIO’S LIFE AND CHARISM

The year 1884 was a period of great

unrest. The Philippines was struggling to free
herself from the fetters of Spanish oppression. Of
proud Malayan race, the Filipinos could no
longer tolerate the foreign dominion. The quest
for freedom continued fearlessly amidst the
turmoil. A new hope was born. On February 17,
1884, Mother Rosario was born in Molo, Iloilo City,
Philippines. She was baptized at Sta. Ana Church
in Molo on February 20, 1884 by Fr. Agapito
Buenaflor and was named Ma. Beatriz del
Rosario Arroyo. She was the only daughter of a
wealthy couple, Don Ignacio Arroyo and Dońa
Maria Pidal. She had four brothers. Two died in
infancy. Jose, the older brother was a lawyer and became a senator in 1917. Mariano,
the younger sibling, was a physician and became the governor of Iloilo in 1928. Her first
teachers in morality were her parents who developed her innocent vice and childhood
pranks into Christian values.

A noteworthy tradition of her was almsgiving. Mother Rosario participated in this

corporal work of mercy. This made her be aware of the misery and plight of the poor and
be more compassionate with them. The greatest obstacle to her piety could have been
her family’s affluent standard of living. With this wealth, she could have lived the life of a
vain princess but she lived without superfluity. Unspoiled by the abundance surrounding
her, she preferred a simple life. When she became an heiress, she donated her
inheritance to the Congregation.

Mother Rosario bloomed into a beautiful lady. She had admirers and suitors but
Mother Rosario felt that marriage was not for her. At the age of 27, she entered the
Congregation of the Dominican Sisters of Sta. Catalina de Siena. After six months

7
postulancy, she was clothed with the Dominican Habit and was given the name Sr. Ma.
Rosario Arroyo de la Visitacion, OP. She made her profession on January 3, 1914.

As she advanced in years, she also advanced in the love of poverty. Her love for
simple things and her detachment from material and worldly things enabled her to share
what she had with the poor, sometimes even giving to the sick neighbors the food
prepared for her. Vanity did not have a place in her heart.

MOTHER ROSARIO, A WOMAN OF FAITH

Faith is the theological virtue by which we believe in God and believe all that He
has said and revealed to us, as well as all those proposed by the Holy Mother Church for
our belief, because He is truth Himself. By faith, we freely commit our entire life to God.
We adhere to Him. For this reason, we seek to know and do God’s will.

Mother Rosario’s faith was unfazed by the rigors of the Second World War that
lasted from 1941 to 1946. She was advised by relatives to send home the Sisters and girls
but with profound faith, she said, “We live together and we die together.” She took the
responsibility of having all the Sisters with her because she believed that they were
gathered together by the Lord. They evacuated to different places, stayed in a
warehouse packed like sardines at night and stayed under the trees at daytime. They
proceeded to another place where they were able to resume community life and
attended the Holy Mass. After three months, they went back to the Motherhouse. Not
long after their return, the Japanese forced them out of the convent. The Dominican
compound was converted into a Japanese garrison. They took refuge at the parish
church of Molo and entrusted themselves once again to the Divine Providence as they
experienced harder times. Every day they searched for food and shared whatever they
had with more or less two hundred starving family refugees. Because of her closeness to
God, she lived out that strong faith and intimate communion with Him.

How Mother Rosario showed her faith:

a. She was always in the chapel, praying.

b. She had a great devotion to the Blessed Sacrament.

c. She commended everything to the Lord, especially during sickness and pain.