Notre Dame Educational Association

Notre Dame Educational Association
Notre Dame Educational Association
Established	1963
Religious affiliation	Roman Catholic, Marist (FMS), Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI), Augustinian Recollect Sisters (AR), Dominican Sisters of St. Catherine of Siena (OP), Oblates of Notre Dame (OND), Religious of the Virgin Mary (RVM), Sisters of Paul of Chartres (SPC), Sisters of the Presentation of Mary (PM), Archdiocese of Cotabato, Diocese of Kidapawan, Diocese of Marbel, Vicariate of Jolo
President	Fr. Eduardo Tanudtanud, OMI
Location	Cotabato City, Philippines
Campus	194 Notre Dame Schools all over the Philippines
Hymn	Notre Dame Hymn / Notre Dame March
Nickname	NDEA / Notre Dame Philippines
Website	http://ndea.org.ph/

Notre Dame Educational Association, Inc. (NDEA) is a network of Notre Dame Schools in the Philippines, under the patronage of the Blessed Virgin Mary, owned and administered by:^[1]

History

It had its beginnings in 1941 when the Oblates Fathers, who had been asked by the Church to take over the ministry for the people of the then empire province of Cotabato, as well as the Sulu archipelago, founded a school in Midsayap, which they prophetically named NOTRE DAME. Since the Philippines and the Oblate congregation are both dedicated to Our Lady, it was natural that the school should be placed under her protection. It was Fr. Joseph Boyd, OMI, who suggested the name NOTRE DAME. Hence, in July 1941, the Notre Dame Academy in Midsayap opened its doors. It was the first link in the long chain of Notre Dame schools which today number 194 and form the Notre Dame Educational Association.^[2]

After the war, communities of migrants from elsewhere in the Philippines, mainly the Ilocos and the Visayan islands, sprouted in various parts of the empire province. The national government then was only able to provide elementary education opportunities for such communities but the migrants saw the need for more schooling for their young ones beyond the elementary level. The Oblate Fathers and the other religious congregations, who came to the empire province to minister mainly to the spiritual needs of the migrants who were mostly Catholic, responded by opening secondary schools and where feasible colleges in these communities. This was also done in the Sulu Archipelago as the native populace began to realize the value of formal education. In all instances, the name given to the schools so founded was also NOTRE DAME. Further emphasizing this early spirit of oneness was the use of a common school uniform for the students and the same school hymn.

Thus begun the commitment to serve the educational needs of the region and its younger educational needs of the region and its younger generations under the banner and inspiration of Notre Dame.

The schools did not have just a common name and common uniform. Very early (1950s), they bonded and worked together to hold annual athletic competitions, the Notre Dame meets, which was at that time one of the biggest event in the region. This set the stage for the later bonding and working together in the quest for excellence in various aspects if the educational endeavor in the areas served by these schools.

In 1962, at the instance of the then Superintendent of Catholic schools in the diocese (which then included both the empire province of Cotabato and the Sulu archipelago) the heads of the various Notre Dame schools had a series of meetings to discuss common needs and problems and ways in which they can cooperatively meet these.^[3]

NDEA Vision Mission

Notre Dame Educational Association, as a leading service-oriented organization of Catholic schools in Mindanao, under the patronage of the Blessed Virgin Mary, guided by and in cooperation with the local Church, is committed to coordinate and assist member schools in pursuit of their respective Mission.

Hymns

References