Missionary Cathechists of Saint Therese

“I Seek Your Face, O Lord.” These words of the psalmist (Ps. 27:8) reflect the unfathomable desire of a simple priest to seek the face of Jesus. He found it in the face of the poor, not the materially destitute, but those hungry and thirsty for an intimacy with a loving God.

This simple, gifted and prophetic priest, who later became the First Bishop of the Diocese of Lucena, was Bishop Alfredo Maria Aranda Obviar. He saw the need for catechists to teach christian doctrine in the public schools within his diocese. But the problem of tepidity and tenacity arose among those who volunteered to help him in the work of evangelization. Many left the ministry for various reasons: marriage, further studies and better-paying jobs, among others.

To address the problem of losing permanent catechists, Bishop Obviar, inspired by the Holy Spirit and his pastoral obsession with the teaching of catechism, thought of founding a religious congregation. This was the auspicious birth of a new religious institute, the Missionary Catechists of Saint Therese of the Infant Jesus (MCST), named after Saint Therese, the patroness of the missions.

It was on August 12, 1958 in the town of San Narciso, Quezon that the prayerful aspiration of Bishop Obviar began to be realized. The five generous ladies who responded to the call of God, thus pioneering the first community of the Missionary Catechists of Saint Therese of the Infant Jesus, were Mercy Medenilla, Taciana Gandia, Crisanta Realo, Maria dela Peña and Aquilina Manzano. Only Mother Mercy and Sr. Taciana persevered.

On January 15, 1959, this young group of pious women was transferred to Tayabas, Quezon, where it could be accessible to Bishop Obviar, priests, parents and candidates.

On March 16, 1963, His Holiness Pope John XXIII through the Sacred Congregation for Religious granted “Nihil Obstat” to this young institute. On April 20 of that same year, the Decree of Canonical Erection was celebrated and the group then was approved as a Diocesan Congregation. Following the instruction of the Sacred Congregation, Mother Mercy A. Medenilla professed her perpetual vows before Bishop Obviar.

Then, eight sisters made their perpetual profession of vows and nine sisters made their temporary profession before Mother Mercy as the first appointed Superior General by Bishop Obviar, the Founder of the MCST. The new founded institute keeps on increasing in number.

May 4, 1974 was a milestone in the life of the institute with Pope Paul VI granting the “Decretum Laudis” or “Decree of Praise” which raised it to an Institute of Pontifical Right. This canonical approbation was officially announced on June 1, 1974 and the celebration was held on June 17, 1974.

The MCST institute received the Final Approval of its Constitution from the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and for Societies of Apostolic Life on November 1, 1987, a gracious blessing from God after twenty nine (29) years from its foundation.

Download MCST Apostolate Milestone

The Institute's Zeal

The Light: The ever burning love of St. Therese. It symbolizes her ardent purifying love earned through sacrifices sustained and kept alive by her “little doings”. Through that ever caring love she was able to reach everybody through her prayerful and mortified ways. This is the love, that inspires the Missionary Catechists of St. Therese.

The Staff: The pastoral care that the Founder has invested in founding the Congregation. His love to share and preach the love of God has been his soul-searching vision that inspired him to bring the Congregation its birth. His special devotion to St. Therese prompted him to let the Saint guide and intercede whoever wishes to follow freely and St. Therese prompted him to let the Saint guide and intercede whoever wishes to follow freely and wholeheartedly the footsteps of St.

Therese, the samepastoral care the Founder desires ardently to impart to the Missionary Catechists of St. Therese.

Coconut: The multi-dynamic fruit that gives itself up to everything that may serve man. The MCST Congregation envisions that pathway to the Lord in serving and loving all men to the fullness of her riches endowed by the Lord.

The same symbol marks the birthplace of the MCST Congregation in San Narciso, Quezon. The chief income and source of livelihood and hope of the people is the coconut plantation. It was then in 1958 that the Congregation was born, and now permanently housed in Tayabas, Quezon.

The Bible: The source of The WAY, The TRUTH, and The LIFE - through and by which Jesus identified Himself in preaching and revealing Himself to the people. Through the charism of the Congregation, from which its mission flows, the MCST Congregation is grounded in the same words that Christ pronounced. Catechesis is the mainstream of the life-apostolate of the Congregation.

The Lily and the Carmel Cross: Devotions of the MCST Congregation. There are two great devotions of the MCST Congregation, namely, to St. Joseph, the Patron Saint of San Narciso where the Congregation took its root. Likewise, it is to be reckoned that Co-Foundress, Mother Mercy’s family has a special devotion to the Saint; to Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, since the Founder is a devotee of Our Lady.

AD EVANGELIZANDUM: The motto (EN No. 18) evangelizing its own very community, the MCST Congregation envisions to be discerning, praying, witnessing and evangelizing community as the Greatest Founder commissioned it through His Church.

Hence, a community of Witnessing religious women founded in Christ, imbued with faith, the simplicity of St. Therese and the charism of the Founder, committed to the service of the Church through Catechesis. (MCST Vision)

The Institute continues to grow in number and expands in its mission. As to this writing, it has 280 sisters with 52 mission houses throughout the Philippines serving different parishes in twenty two (22) arch/dioceses and one (1) prelature and twelve (12) mission houses abroad such as in Italy, Sweden, Switzerland, Papua New Guinea, Africa and United States and Sint Maarten, Netherlands Antilles.