Hospicio de San José is a Roman Catholic

welfare Welfare, or commonly social welfare, is a type of government support intended to ensure that members of a society can meet basic human needs such as food and shelter. Social security may either be synonymous with welfare, or refer specifical ...

institution in the

City of Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital city, capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is Cities of the Philippines#Independent cities, highly urbanize ...

, the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. It is the first social welfare agency in the country, and as a

foster care Foster care is a system in which a minor has been placed into a ward, group home (residential child care community, treatment center, etc.), or private home of a state- certified caregiver, referred to as a "foster parent" or with a family me ...

institution has been a home for orphans, the abandoned,

special needs In clinical diagnostic and functional development, special needs (or additional needs) refers to individuals who require assistance for disabilities that may be medical, mental, or psychological. Guidelines for clinical diagnosis are given in b ...

, and the elderly.Hospicio de San Jose
, Archdiocese of Manila, www.rcam.org, 2003

Location

''Hospicio de San José'' is located on

Isla de Convalecencia Isla de la Convalecencia (), commonly known as simply Isla de Convalecencia (also spelled ''Isla de Convalescencia'' and sometimes erroneously called ''Isla de Convalencia''), is a small narrow river island in the Pasig River in Manila, the Phil ...

(

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

, "Island of convalescence"), an

eyot An ait (, like ''eight'') or eyot () is a small island. It is especially used to refer to river islands found on the River Thames and its tributaries in England. Aits are typically formed by the deposit of sediment in the water, which accum ...

in the middle of the

Pasig River The Pasig River ( fil, Ilog Pasig) is a water body in the Philippines that connects Laguna de Bay to Manila Bay. Stretching for , it bisects the Philippine capital of Manila and its surrounding urban area into northern and southern halves. Its ...

, and can only be accessed via Ayala Bridge. It was formerly located in the

Pandacan Pandacan is a district in Manila, Philippines which is known in recent history for its former Pandacan oil depot which supplies the majority of oil exports in the country. Profile In 2000, Pandacan had a total population of close to 82,194. T ...

district. From there, it was transferred to

Intramuros Intramuros (Latin for "inside the walls") is the historic walled area within the city of Manila, the capital of the Philippines. It is administered by the Intramuros Administration with the help of the city government of Manila. Present-day I ...

Binondo Binondo () is a district in Manila and is referred to as the city's Chinatown. Its influence extends beyond to the places of Quiapo, Santa Cruz, San Nicolas and Tondo. It is the oldest Chinatown in the world, established in 1594 by the S ...

, Nagtahan, and

Echague Echague, officially the Municipality of Echague, is a 1st class municipality in the province of Isabela, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 88,410 people. The town is known for the indigenous and endangered Yoga ...

. In 1810, the ''Hospicio'' was permanently relocated to Isla de Convalecencia.

History

Philippine Island - Manila - NARA - 68156579

Initially named the ''Hospicio General'' (General Hospice), ''Hospicio de San José'' was established during the

Spanish Era The Spanish era ( la, Æra Hispanica), sometimes called the era of Caesar, was a calendar era (year numbering system) commonly used in the states of the Iberian Peninsula from the 5th century until the 15th, when it was phased out in favour of the ...

in October 1778 by Don Francisco Gómez Enríquez and his wife Doña Barbara Verzosa. After being cured of a fever, Don Gómez Enríquez donated the sum of ₱ 4,000 to found the hospice that would take care of

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populated ...

’s “poor and unwanted children”, the physically and mentally disabled, and aging people. The initiative and example of Don Gómez Enríquez was followed by other charitable people of Manila.

Administrators

From December 27, 1810, and by Royal Decree, the hospice was governed by a

Board of Directors A board of directors (commonly referred simply as the board) is an executive committee that jointly supervises the activities of an organization, which can be either a for-profit or a nonprofit organization such as a business, nonprofit organiz ...

chaired by the

Archbishop of Manila The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Manila ( lat, Archidioecesis Manilensis; fil, Arkidiyosesis ng Maynilà; es, Arquidiócesis de Manila) is the archdiocese of the Latin Church of the Catholic Church in Metro Manila, Philippines, encompassing ...

. On June 1, 1866, through the suggestion to the

Governor-General of the Philippines The Governor-General of the Philippines ( Spanish: ''Gobernador y Capitán General de Filipinas''; Filipino: ''Gobernador-Heneral ng Pilipinas/Kapitan Heneral ng Pilipinas''; Japanese: ) was the title of the government executive during the colo ...

by a benefactor named Doña Margarita Róxas, the operation of the hospice became the responsibility of the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul.

Curriculum and programmes

The hospice provides an outreach programme and a Christian, social and work-oriented formation programme. It is committed to assisting abandoned people to experience quality life with the aim of making them “agents of social transformation”.

Present Condition

The Hospicio de San José has two historical markers. The first, in English, was from the Historical Research and Markers Committee and was unveiled on October 17, 1939. In 1977, a second historical marker in Tagalog was given by the

National Historical Institute The National Historical Commission of the Philippines ( fil, Pambansang Komisyong Pangkasaysayan ng Pilipinas, abbreviated NHCP) is a government agency of the Philippines. Its mission is "the promotion of Philippine history and cultural heritag ...

1939 Marker

The first historical marker of Hospicio de San José was installed in October 17, 1939, at Ayala Boulevard, San Miguel, Manila. It was installed by Historical Research and Markers Committee.

1977 Marker

The second historical marker was installed in 1977 at Hospicio de San José, San Miguel, Manila. It was installed by National Historical Institute.

References

External links

Hospicio de San Jose (Australian Fundraising Site)
{{coord, 14.591, 120.988, type:landmark_region:PH, display=title Orphanages in the Philippines 1778 establishments in Asia Health in Metro Manila Buildings and structures in San Miguel, Manila Cultural Properties of the Philippines in Metro Manila Spanish colonial infrastructure in the Philippines