The foundation of the College of the Holy Spirit Manila was through a mistaken response to an anonymous letter with a five-dollar bill. The SSpS sisters in Tayum of the province of
Abra, Philippines thought it was from then Manila Archbishop Jeremias Harty, and thus sent a letter of gratitude to the Archbishop. The prelate responded that it was not from him but, pleased with the sisters, he invited them to start a free school for the poor street children of Manila. During the period, Archbishop Harty was calling religious orders to establish Catholic schools in Manila to preempt the spread of Protestantism in his archdiocese. Finally, after a year of stay in Tayum, Abra, the pioneer Sisters moved to No. 663 Legarda Street in Manila to establish the Holy Ghost School on June 17, 1913, as a response to the invitation of the Archbishop. Dubbed by their benefactor Archbishop Harty as "the poorest children of Manila," he donated several furniture for the use of the school. In 1924, HGC became the Provincial Motherhouse of the SSpS congregation in the Philippines The first batch of high school students graduated in March 1924. On April 2, 1925, the college department started when it was given government recognition to operate In 1932, it added BS Home Economics and BA Fine Arts and, in 1936, BS Commerce and the Secretarial Course. Two years later, the Master of Arts in Education was introduced in 1938. During the Japanese occupation of the Philippines in 1941, the school operation was interrupted when the Japanese Army requisitioned some of the school's buildings. When schooling resumed in 1943, the classes were crammed in the remaining buildings and some neighbor houses. In 1944, Bachelor of Music was offered with various majors through the years: piano, organ, violin, marimba, voice, and others. After the war, new buildings were constructed as student population grew more: Elementary Building (1947), Paraclete Auditorium (1948), Canteen (1949), College Building (1956), College Building-Annex (1961–62), the College Library Annex (1964), New Elementary Building (1966), and the College Cafeteria (1970). Thus, in 1957, HGC underwent its first survey visit for accreditation and became a charter and founding member of the Philippine Accrediting Association of Schools, Colleges and Universities (PAASCU). The Science Department opened three more courses in 1963: BS in Medical Technology, Pre-Nursing, and Pre-Medicine. During the celebration of its
Golden Jubilee in 1963, the college made major curricular changes. Some degree programs were phased out while new major fields in the basic programs were introduced.
Closure In a statement dated November 22, 2020, the school has announced that it will cease operations at the end of the academic year 2021–2022, with non-graduating students (Levels K to Grade 11, and 1st to 3rd Year College) no longer admitted on that academic year. In a letter to the community dated October 28, 2020, Sr. Carmelita Victoria of the SSpS congregation cited K-12 curriculum policies by the government, free tuition in local and state-run institutions, and increased salaries of public school teachers as the challenges being faced with private education, which are further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. A portion of the campus, including the gymnasium, has been leased out to
National University, which relocated its college of business administration to the CHS site. In June 2024, the SSpS congregation signed a five-year lease agreement with the
National Teachers College for the usage of St. Arnold Janssen building and a portion of the former Social Hall at the ground floor. ==Academic programs==