Holy Child Academy

Holy Child Academy or "HCA", colloquially pronounced as /eʧ-ka/, is a secondary school run by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Pagadian in Pagadian City, Philippines. HCA is the oldest among the Diocesan Schools of Pagadian and the second oldest school in Zamboanga del Sur.Brief historyFounded as Pagadian Academy, a parochial school started by Fr. Jose Ma. Reyes of the Society of Jesus in 1940. The Academy was the second school to open in the Province of Zamboanga del Sur after the Southern Mindanao Colleges. As the first sectarian school, the Academy pioneered Catholic education in the province.With the departure of the Jesuits from Pagadian, the Missionary Society of St. Columban took control of the Academy until the 1970's when the Roman Catholic Diocese of Pagadian took over. The academy shared the same fate with other Columban-controlled schools; namely, the Star of the Sea High School, Immaculate Heart Academy, and Saint Columban College. The four schools started the now collectively known as the Diocesan Schools of Pagadian with fourteen other schools.