At the end of the lesson, the student will be able to:

1. identify the relationship between leadership and service

2. explain the real meaning of leadership and service as practiced by Mo. Ignacia

3. recommend concrete steps on how to serve applying the principles of Mother Ignacia’s leadership

To serve is to render assistance or help by performing certain duties. Service is any work or task done by lesser persons for those who controlled their existence. Jesus transformed the meaning of service from slave service to loving service by giving an example of service which is not servile work. “If I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you. Very truly, I tell you, servants are not greater than their master, nor are messengers greater than the one who sent them” (Jn 13:14-16).

Catholic social teaching can be inspirational for people who are endowed with the talent to lead the others. The process of seeking God's will in their lives and chose to participate and encourage others to do the same. Through discernment they know that God has entrusted them and at the same time expecting them to be more responsible. In Luke 12:48 from everyone who has been given much, much more will be asked. Leadership and leader are ambiguous terms with almost as many definitions as people who discuss the subject. Leadership will be understood as an inspiration for other people which enables them to perceive their hidden potential.

Service: Stewardship

When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. 13 “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. John 13:12-14

Mother Ignacia Del Espiritu Santo lived at a time it was difficult for native people to occupy positions of leadership in society. Leadership was seen more as privilege granted by ruling class to the natives rather than the inherent right of the natives to govern themselves. Mother Ignacia and her community of beatas proved the innate capacity for leadership of native women. She takes leadership as responsibility and not privilege. She welcomed others as partners. In her ways of leadership she opened the possibility for the community to continue to exist even after her death.

Called to a vocation outside of married life, Mother Ignacia in the process of discernment to follow Christ by serving God our Lord was empowered by the Holy Spirit to respond to the needs of the times. Mother Ignacia followed the indicators of an empowered woman for leadership. These are the confidence to face life, the ability to make decisions, the ability to change the process in society and the ability to effect change.

Mother Ignacia’s leadership was characterized by mutuality. It is a form of relation that involves “give and take according to each one’s strengths and weaknesses” and trust, affection and respect of differences. She occupied the top position of leadership in the community, yet she knew the limits of her role. She did not take advantage of her position or play favorites. Fr. Murillo Velarde, SJ tells us that the greatest sign of humility was her abdication from superiorship of the house. Her humility is closely bound up with love. This kind of humility is not to be understood in terms of lowliness but selflessness. She exercised this virtue as a Christian, not for promoting self-esteem or pride. She governed after the example of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Faults and customs against the rules and customs of the community should be corrected without exception of persons so that the younger members may not take liberties seeing that the faults of the older ones are left unpunished (1726 Rule, II.19).

Fr. Murillo Velarde, SJ tells us that the greatest sign of humility was her abdication from superiorship of the house. Her humility is closely bound up with love. This kind of humility is not to be understood in terms of lowliness but selflessness. She exercised this virtue as a Christian, not for promoting self-esteem or pride.

She led by example. Her community was formed because other women saw her example of prayer and virtue. She did not ask her beatas to do anything that she herself had not done. She became the “role model” of her companions in the life of prayer, penance and work. Her spiritual and transformative leadership, that leadership is service and service is leadership, she made a difference in the Church and society. Discriminated women had a place in society not only in the home. Her house accommodated those interested to become Beatas, those who wanted to stay in the Beaterio as recogidas and children coming from the underprivileged were offered education and trained in household chores in the dormitory. Through her leadership by example, her Beatas were seen as blossoming flowers of virtues and virginity, their work being supported by people around them and women of all walks of life were being led to the Lord through the retreat following the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola of the Jesuits.

She allowed the recogimiento to be under the guiding wisdom of the Jesuit fathers, the jurisdiction of the Ordinary of the place and the administration of the parish priest of the natives in the city, and to be visited by ecclesiastical authorities. But the government of her house remained independent.

Ignacia allowed herself to pale “in the light emerging leadership.” It was her choice to relinquish power and not cling to it; to exercise power both in terms of “power to do” and “power to be.” She did not dominate, control, and deny the existence of others. She had the capacity “to draw forth a person’s potential.” By abdicating she manifested a leader’s gift of recognizing the giftedness of others. Ignacia was a woman-leader who was able to unite women-force, which blazed a path for the marginalized yndias, mestizas and Espanolas to follow.

There are as many types of leadership as there are many leaders. But Ignacia as a leader and the beaterio she started as a reflection of her leadership can be looked at as a strong proof of women-power.

Her bold initiative was seen as laudable to the City and her response to the needs of the Church as relevant, responsive and effective to men and women and children alike. Her call and response addressed the needs of the family effecting change; namely, for women to collaborate with men in the growth and development of society and children especially the poor be given opportunities to study and be educated in reading, writing and arithmetic and be taught household chores.

Her empowered leadership was also unique because of the bold initiatives she took as a woman blazing new trails not only in the country, not only as one coming from an indigenous race but for the Church and the world that sees her as a servant of the Church and of God. (IFP Module 7-Mo. Ignacia & Leadership -Session 1)