Martin Legarra (1910-1985), Augustinian Recollect.

The Augustinian Recollect Martín Legarra Tellechea (1910-1985) was a direct witness of several great events of the 20th century. He developed his ministerial service with optimism, sympathy and communication skills. His life as a missionary, educator and bishop could have served as a movie script.

On April 28, 1947, Martín set sail back to the Philippines, his last great trip in ship (Port-Said, Aden, Colombo, Singapore), which he narrates in various chronicles entitled “A missionary on the route”.

In Cebu City, then with 160,000 inhabitants —compared to the current million—, created an enthusiastic climate to welcome the new school, with the support of the Archbishop, Gabriel Maria Reyes. After being closed during the war, many schools were still not reopening.

Martín, appointed rector, obtains the ministerial permits in Manila, buys the furniture and the didactic material. On July 7, 1947, in record time because it started from scratch, the classrooms began in the old convent house. During eleven years (1947-1958) he dedicated himself body and soul to this Colegio San José.

Located in the historic center, a commercial area with few residents and hardly any public transport, surprises its first enrollment: 940 students. in four years reaches 3,410 and then stabilizes at 2,500 after eliminating the three shifts (tomorrow, evening and night) because the law will establish a maximum of two.

Martín marks quality as an inalienable objective; and, as means, he uses the careful choice of teachers, healthy competitiveness, a fluid relationship with the local society (media, parishes), the publication of the internal magazine “Forward” and the offers of complementary teachings, such as the oratory or Spanish, non-existent in the other centers of the city.

The fees were not onerous, to the point that the saying spread that “the money from San José smells like fish” for having many students from Pasil, the fishing neighborhood. It was not uncommon to see them barefoot in the classrooms.

Martín also highlights the Catholic and Augustinian Recollect aspect, with two hours weekly religious education and an advanced sacramental ministry (opening and closing, first Fridays, festivities of the Order, first communions). The Associations (Holy Scapular, Catholic Action, Legion of Maria, clubs of saints) were widespread, as well as solidarity initiatives, that continue to this day.

Great struggle for Martín was the infrastructure. The old convent became too small already in the first year. Not without tensions with contractors and superiors he inaugurates the second year a new building; in 1949 he built the new residence of religious; and in 1955 he inaugurated Saint Augustine Hall, a building with 27 classrooms, offices, laboratories, library, medical center, staff room…

Martín was a pioneer in advanced pedagogies and in the coeducation of girls and boys. This, together with the situation of the boarding school and the doubts of the superiors before their expansion plans and economic performance, posed many challenges.

San José maintains its name and hymn in Spanish to this day and offered classrooms free of this language. He collaborated with the Association of Hispanists of Cebu and with the Embassy of Spain in the promotion of Hispanic-Filipino culture. friar martin signed between 1949 and 1952 the column “Sal y Pimienta” (Salt and Pepper) in La Prensa and the section “Good morning, reader” from the Southern Star, to promote Spanish in social life.

Moved by his memory of the Henan mission, he supported the Catholic community Chinese from Cebu (18,000 people). In 1954 he ceded the classrooms and the legal personality of San José for the Jesuits to give classes to Chinese students until they they opened their own school the following year, the Sacred Heart School.

All this effort, the fatigue, the extremely heavy climate, the pressures of the superiors, tensions with the authorities, teacher management, balancing the accounts, the envy of other educational centers, the nationalist attacks, harmonize the life of the religious community with that of the College… Many challenges to the times for which the march must stop.

He spends nine months of 1952 in Spain and a few weeks of 1953 in Negros seeking rest; he suffers from kidney stones and pneumonia in 1957; and one strong anemia will accompany him for decades. Swimming will become a comforting physical and mental therapy that he will practice for the rest of his life.

But all of this was more than offset by the enthusiasm and collaboration of the members of the community, the dedication and affection of most of the teachers, the great social prestige, the academic and sporting successes, the social work in the city and the support of the archbishop, grateful for the evangelizing work of the center.

Martín’s educational work left its mark, required by the Diocese, educational centers or congresses throughout the country. Because of his character and his way of managing he was also called to mediate in labor disputes. silver tongue and heart gold, defined a trade unionist. He summed up those times thus:

“They were days of illusion, struggle, fraternity and love for what is ours. we were inexperienced in the field of teaching and our greatest wisdom consisted in knowing how to hide discreetly our own ignorance. I think those eleven years were true test, they helped me form myself in hard work and, at the same time, loved”.

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