The Monastery of the Holy Spirit in Barangay Ubujan, Tagbilaran City, celebrated its 35th anniversary on Pentecost Sunday, May 24, 2026. This monastery is the first contemplative monastery established in Bohol.
In a text message sent to SunStar Cebu, the first Mother Abbess, Mother Mary Monica, stated that the monastery belongs to the Canonesses Regular of the Lateran of St. Augustine, also known as Canoness Nuns. This is a pontifical contemplative order with papal enclosure, whose mother house, Monastero dello Spirito Santo, was founded and dedicated by Pope Julius II on November 3, 1504.
According to Mother Monica, the roots of the Bohol monastery trace back to 1986 when 15 Italian nuns from the monastery in Rome met an American religious brother who encouraged the development of vocations for the order in the Philippines.
From May 1987 to December 1990, Filipino aspirants began arriving in Rome to join the congregation. Due to the increasing number of vocations, Church authorities recommended opening a formation house in the Philippines.
The congregation noted that the late Ricardo Cardinal Vidal recommended the community to the late Bishop Felix S. Zafra, who protected and welcomed the establishment of the monastery in Tagbilaran.
The site for the monastery in Ubujan was reportedly found on March 3, 1990, with the help of a public utility driver while the nuns were searching for land to build on.
The groundbreaking and blessing of the monastery were led by Bishop Zafra on May 8, 1990, in the presence of various religious congregations, faithful, and supporters from different communities.
Construction of the monastery began on June 21, 1990, and was entrusted to Cebu-based engineer Joseph Yu of JY Construction. Financial support for the project came from the Generalate of the Society of the Divine Word (SVD) in Rome, as well as benefactors from Italy and the Philippines.
The monastery was formally blessed and consecrated to the Holy Spirit on Pentecost Sunday, May 19, 1991, becoming the first house of the Canoness Nuns in the Philippines. Its chapel, dedicated to St. Joseph, was blessed on August 15, 1991.
Additionally, the Monastery of the Holy Spirit was officially canonically erected on November 18, 2018, with Mother Monica installed as its first Mother Abbess.
The contemplative community describes its mission as a life dedicated to prayer, silence, contemplation, and sacrifice for the Church and the salvation of souls.
The nuns follow the monastic tradition of Ora et Labora (Prayer and Work). Their daily life centers on chanting the Divine Office, communal work, study, reflection, and recreation.
According to the congregation, their cloistered vocation aims to serve as a living liturgy and a witness to the joy of the Gospel in Bohol and throughout the Philippines.
