School Motto, Greeting and Hymn

School Motto

“Initium Sapientiae Timor Domini” (Prov. 9:10)

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom”

School Greeting

Praised be Jesus and Mary!

Now and forever!

School Hymn

SMAD HYMN

The school we love, Saint Mary’s is her name

She stands as statue great and strong

She holds our hands and guides us through the world

By keeping us all sound and strong

She molds our souls by teaching us the faith

She molds our minds and bodies too

She’s all what our mother is

She’s our beloved SMA.

Let’s hold her high and lift her to the heights

Let’s fight for her and love her all the time

Now open your hearts to her

Dear SMA

Saint Mary’s Academy She’s a true alma mater dear

Saint Mary’s Academy She’s a school and a home all in one

Saint Mary’s Academy let her blue and her white banner fly

Let her live in all our hearts and lips

Let Saint Mary’s Academy ever live.

The central motif of the school seal is the AM, which stands for Ave Maria or Hail Mary, in praise of Mary the Mother of God and the Patroness of the RVM Congregation. The Ave Maria is further accented by the crescent moon, which is also a symbol of Mary. The sun represents Jesus as the son of justice, while the moon represents Mary.

The rays represent the far-reaching seal and charity with which the Congregation of the Religious of the Virgin Mary functions in its apostolate. The rays also represent the grace that come from Jesus through the hands of Mary and very aptly brings out the Motto of the Congregation: To Jesus with Mary. The twelve stars represent 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 a crown of twelve stars.” The stars also represent the twelve extraordinary graces or 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 education that the Congregation is intent on imparting; filial love of the Lord, knowledge of the Lord who is Truth; the beginning of Wisdom. Wisdom here means knowledge, grasping of the understanding of truth.

Because of human frailty, one fails to grasp the full meaning of such tremendous truth; at least, the study of science of God, the study of Religion aside from all sciences is the beginning of wisdom. Immediately below the book is the white sampaguita flower, the national flower of the Philippines. It stands for the Congregation of the Religious of the Virgin Mary, the first all-Filipino congregation founded by a Filipina, Venerable Ignacia del Espiritu Santo, and its members working for Filipino brothers in their own lands as well as other countries.