Influence of Apostolic Work of the Religious Congregations On the Spiritual Growth of Students in The Diocesan Schools in Alaminos City, Pangasinan: Basis for A Training Program

This study examined the influence of the apostolic work of religious congregations on the spiritual growth of students in the diocesan schools of Alaminos City, Pangasinan, as a basis for proposing a training program for religious sisters. Employing a descriptive-correlational research design, the study involved 25 religious sisters and 75 students as respondents. Data were gathered using a researcher-made questionnaire that measured the level of influence of apostolic work in terms of teaching and academic formation, service and outreach programs, catechesis and religious education, vocation promotion, and counseling and guidance. The validated questionnaire was administered using Google Forms, an online survey platform that allows efficient distribution, data collection, and management. The used of an online questionnaire ensured accessibility, convenience, and anonymity for respondents, which may enhance response accuracy and honesty. Online data collection tools such as Google Forms have been found to be reliable and effective in educational research, especially in terms of reaching respondents efficiently and minimizing data entry errors (Evans & Mathur, 2018; Regmi et al., 2017). Descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and the Mann–Whitney U test was used to analyze the data. The most significant problems encountered by religious sisters in implementing apostolic work relate to time and workload management which ranked as the top concern. difficulties in balancing teaching responsibilities with apostolic duties, limited time and spiritual renewal, and work-related fatigue were frequently reported. Other challenges include limited training and professional development, particularly in spiritual and counseling and faith integration, as engagement in some apostolic activities. Issues related to institutional support and collaboration, such as limited involvement of school leadership and insufficient coordination with lay teachers, were also noted, though the rank lower. These challenges suggest that while apostolic work is highly valued, its effective implementation is constrained by structural, organizational, and capacity related factors that needs to be address for sustainability. Result further showed that there was no significant relationship between the level of apostolic influence and most profile variables of the religious sisters, except for language or dialect spoken. A significant difference was found between the perception of religious sisters and students, with religious rating the influence of apostolic work higher. Based on these findings, a structured and responsive training program is necessary to sustain and enhance apostolic work by addressing identified challenges, strengthening pastoral, pedagogical, and relational competencies, and aligning apostolic initiatives more closely with students’ needs to ensure continued spiritual growth in diocesan schools.