The school known as Nuestra Senora de los Milagros is located in El Rinconcillo, a suburb of Algeciras in the province of Cadiz that was originally a slum, populated mainly by fishermen and other impoverished families.
Although the school was founded as the principal objective of the Foundation’s charter on 13th July 1946, it was not until 1950 that the Daughters of Charity accepted the task of providing the teaching resources required for the children of the Rinconcillo neighborhood.
At first, it was only girls and the elderly who were accommodated in a building similar to a barracks where they were instructed in religious values and all kinds of social activities, such as sewing, embroidery and later typing and crafts, thus giving birth to the Nuestra Senora de los Milagros girls' school. The sons of the fishermen were not involved at that time since their fathers required their support to beach the fishing boats every morning, launch them again at sunset and assist during the day with the repair of the nets that were used at night time for their subsistence fishing activities.
Twenty years would pass before Concepción de la Chica (known as Conchita), wife of José Mª Cervera Abreu, proposed to Father Andrés Rodríguez (a member of the Trinitarian Community who was preaching the Novena of Perpetual Help at that time), to provide religious instruction and educational facilities to all the children in the neighborhood.
Father Andres conveyed the proposal to his superiors and it was approved on January 21, 1969 by the Provincial Abbot of the Trinitarians. Two weeks later, the Abbot at the headquarters of the Trinitarian Order in Rome ratified the venture since it was considered the ideal opportunity to carry out the pastoral and educational mission of the Trinitarians.
The Provincial Abbot of the Trinitarians and the Board of Trustees of the Foundation then signed an agreement whereby the Trinitarians assumed the responsibility for running the Parish, the School and the Shrine known as la Ermita while the Foundation would provide the buildings required by the school, the parish church as well as the accommodation to house its teachers and clergy.
The laying of the corner stone of what was then called the Javier Cervera Naval College next to the girls' school and the Parish Church was a great social event.
The celebrations were attended by many distinguished dignitaries including HRH Princess Sofia of Greece (queen of Spain from 1975 to 2014) as well as the Provincial Abbot of the Trinitarians, Father Fructuoso Villareal and the local Archpriest, Father Francisco Crueceira. The priests who had served the parish until the arrival of the Trinitarians, Fathers Tomas Tocina, José María Alcedo and Vicente Peña also attended.
The Javier Cervera Naval College began operating in 1970 with 8 units and 270 students.
Due to the social changes and pastoral necessities, the girl’s school was closed in 1987. Ten years later, the girl’s school that had been run by the Daughters of Charity merged with the Javier Cervera Naval College and was renamed “El Colegio de Nuestra Senora de los Milagros”.
On the initiative of the Canonical Provinces of southern Spain in 2011, the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul became the Marillac Foundation.
In January 2013, the Trinitarians entered into an agreement with the Marillac Foundation which was subsequently ratified by public deed to continue its expanding educational facilities.
By then, the educational centre of “Nuestra Senora de los Milagros” comprised:
Nursery Service: 6 units with capacity for 150 places.
Primary Education: 12 units with capacity for 300 places.
Secondary Education: 8 units with capacity for 240 places.
As a result of another agreement signed with the Ministry of Education of the Junta de Andalucía, two further units were added:
Special Needs: 2 units (integrated with the main school)
PCPI Facilities: 2 units
The secondary education only covers the compulsory requirement to the age of 16 while the PCPI (Programas de Cualificacion Profesional Inicial) is similar to a technical college for students from the age of 16 to 21.
The school was so successful that thousands of students from Algeciras and nearby towns attended and were educated in both centers. Many fondly remember the teachers who instructed them and the religious community that cared for their spiritual needs.
Currently the school is recognized for its magnificent educational achievements and has accumulated many awards for its excellence, specifically in the sciences.
Nowadays, “El Colegio de Nuestra Senora de los Milagros” is so popular that it has become necessary to establish a waiting list because it cannot handle the number of applicants for its much appreciated services.