Manila was through a mistaken response to an anonymous letter with a five-dollar bill. The SSpS sisters in Tayum of the province of Abra, Philippines thought it was from then Manila Archbishop Jeremias Harty, and thus sent a letter of gratitude to the Archbishop. The prelate responded that it was not from him but, pleased with the sisters, he invited them to start a free school for the poor street children of Manila. During the period, Archbishop Harty was calling religious orders to establish Catholic schools in Manila to preempt the spread of Protestantism in his archdiocese. Finally, after a year of stay in Tayum, Abra, the pioneer Sisters moved to No. 663 Legarda Street in Manila to establish the Holy Ghost School on June 17, 1913, as a response to the invitation of the Archbishop. Holy Ghost College Five SSpS sisters were sent to a small house in Manila to start the second school of the congregation in the Philippines. Sisters Heronima, Sebastiana, Ludwiga, Laetitia and Gerena gave the nickname Holy Ghost College for their foundation, the Holy Ghost College (HGC). Dubbed by their benefactor Archbishop Harty as "the poorest children of Manila," he donated several furniture for the use of the school. At the start of the school, it had 23 primary school pupils enrolled in the first semester and during the second semester it grew to 93 students. American Governor-General of the Philippines Francis Burton Harrison through the Division Superintendent of Schools granted Government Recognition and Permit to Operate in 1915. As years went on, enrollment increased such that the Sisters need to rent the neighboring house for them to hold classes. In 1919, there were a total of 274 grade-school pupils. Mendiola property As the school opened the secondary (high school) department, there was a need for expansion. Thus, the 12,000-square-meter present campus located on the intersections of E. Mendiola Street, J.P Laurel Street, and C. Aguila Street was bought on July 7, 1920. With the buildings already constructed, the school was moved to the Mendiola property on March 25, 1922. In 1924, HGC became the Provincial Motherhouse of the SSpS congregation in the Philippines until it was finally moved in Poinsettia Street, New Manila, Quezon City in 1945. The first batch of high school students graduated in March 1924. On April 2, 1925, the college department started when it was given government recognition to operate