History of Maryknoll Ecological Sanctuary
The Maryknoll Sisters arrived in Baguio in 1928 and in 1934 started the Maryknoll Convent School. In 1977 the name of the school was changed to Marishan, a name that incorporates the word “shontoug” or “shan” for short, an Ibaloi word that means “mountain” to reflect the indigenous nature of the location and help the school develop its own self identity.
In 1990 a powerful earthquake destroyed the Sisters’ convent in Baguio. In light of a growing awareness of earth’s fragility, an integrated program in the context of earth-based values became imperative, compelling the Maryknoll Sisters to make a radical decision to dedicate their resources in Baguio to alternative environmental education. The grade school was phased out by 1999. In its place the Maryknoll Sisters’ Center for Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation, popularly know as Maryknoll Ecological Sanctuary, began.
