On December 1872, the ministry of education of the Sisters Oblates of the Holy Spirit was started under the material guidance of Mother Foundress, Blessed Elena Guerra in the small city of Lucca, Italy. The first school was named St. Zita Institute for the education of young girls imbued with Gospel values and helped them become closer to God. Remarkably St. Gemma Galgani was a pupil of Mother Elena’s School until she was sixteen years old. Her prayer “May the teachers as well as the pupils be saints” became a reality in the person of Gemma Galgani.
The small school in Lucca has spread throughout the four (4) countries namely: Canada, Africa, Italy and the Philippines.
On October 11, 1950, four (4) Italian Sisters arrived in the Apostolic Nunciature in Manila. Twelve (12) years later, in 1962 they opened a preschool under the name St. Zita Institute at 146 Villaruel Street Pasay City. The different levels of the Elementary Course was introduced gradually in the following years. In 1969, the school started the Secondary Course under a new name Elena Guerra Institute in honor of the Foundress of the Religions Congregation. Later, to keep more vividly the holiness of life and the beatification of the Foundress Mother Elena Guerra by Pope John XXIII in 1959, the name was amended in 1976 to Blessed Elena Academy.