Seal & Its Meaning
The official seal of St. Michael’s College is characteristically Marian. The central motif is AVE MARIA “AM” or HAIL MARY, in praise to Mary, our Blessed Mother and the Patroness of the RVM Congregation.
In 1915, as indicated in the seal, is the year which the school founded being a formal academic institution and named Escuela de San Miguel.
The RAYS represent the far reaching zeal and charity with which the congregation of the Religious of the Virgin Mary functions in its apostolate. The rays also represent the graces that come from Jesus through Mary and very aptly bring forward the motto of the congregation: “To Jesus with Mary”.
The TWELVE STARS represent the stars in the vision of St. John, in which a great sign appeared in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head crown of twelve stars. These stars represent also the twelve virtues or extraordinary graces of privileges which God bestowed on Mary.
Below the monogram is an OPEN BOOK upon which is inscribed the revealed word of God, “INITIUM SAPIENTIAE TIMOR DOMINI”. The English translation of which is: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom”. This is the real essence of the congregation on imparting filial love of the Lord, the knowledge of the Lord. The Lord who is the truth, is the beginning of wisdom, for wisdom here means the knowledge, the grasping, the understanding of truth. And if, because of human frailty one fails to grasp the full meaning of such tremendous truth, at least, the study of the Theology aside from all other sciences, is the beginning of wisdom.
Below the book is the WHITE SAMPAGUITA FLOWER, the national flower of the Philippines. It stands for the congregation founded by a Filipina, Venerable Ignacia del Espiritu Santo.