By CESAR JOLITO III

In 1988, Pastor Joe Rosmarino, alongside with his wife, Billie, first came to the Philippines as Christian missionaries.

Despite living a good life they had in the United States, they decided to take a bold risk and move to the Philippines, believing that by trying the unknown, there comes a certain happiness.

Seeing firsthand the plight of street children and the increasing number of abandoned youth in Negros Occidental, the couple made a life-changing decision — to build a permanent home where children could not only find food and shelter, but also love, education and faith.

The Rosmarinos established Calvary Home in Bacolod City in 1992, providing holistic care, including formal schooling, spiritual mentorship, trauma counseling, life skills training, and support for reintegration or adoption.

They bought a 1.4-hectare sugarcane farm in Barangay Handumanan through their family inheritance.

What started with just a few children under their care — many of them were survivors of abuse, trafficking or extreme poverty — has now evolved into a full-fledged residential facility.

The couple also run elementary and secondary schools for the children, continuing to educate them about God’s truth in all subjects.

Through the structured yet loving environment of Calvary Home, they have found their way back into faith and society.

For more than 30 years, Calvary Home has housed, nurtured and educated more than a hundred children — many of whom have gone on to lead productive, empowered lives.

The Rosmarinos

Pastor Joe Rosmarino is an ordained minister with a deep background in pastoral care and community outreach.

His wife, Billie, led much of the caregiving, educational support and family-style guidance within the home.

The Rosmarinos, now in their 80s, are not only respected for their decades-long commitment to social justice and child welfare, but also for their humble, hands-on approach to service.

They have raised their own biological and adopted children within the same space as the children they’ve taken under their wing — blurring the lines between family and ministry.

“We take in everyone as our own children,” the couple said.

Their model of care emphasizes not just rescue, but restoration.

Joe and Billie also worry most days about paying the bills and feeding and clothing 173 children.

To address their food needs, the Rosmarinos and the children raise cows, chickens, ducks, and goats, and grow vegetables organically, as well as bake their own bread.

Calvary Home continues to operate with the help of generous donors, volunteers and faith-based partners. It has also become a model for community-based child care in Bacolod and beyond.

“We walk with faith. We pray and the Lord provides,” Billie said, despite them having no fixed sources of income.

“We trust the Lord and cling to his promises, knowing God is in control. Nothing is a surprise or impossible to him,” she added.

Legacy of love and purpose

Calvary Home, a beacon of hope in one of Bacolod’s most underserved communities, has received one of the city government’s highest honors.

During the Bacolod City Charter Day celebration on June 18, 2025, the Rosmarinos were honored among a select group of citizens who serve as beacons of hope and positive change.

Calvary Home was one of the 2025 Be The Change awardees, recognizing its life-changing social work for neglected, abandoned and orphaned children.

The Be The Change Award, established under Bacolod City Ordinance No. 1042 in 2023, recognizes residents and organizations whose exemplary citizenship and selfless deeds serve as inspiration to others.

The Rosmarinos’ mission aligns deeply with this — providing refuge to abandoned, abused and special-needs children, and nurturing them like family.

In honoring Calvary Home, the city also highlights the importance of long-term dedication over short-term charity, and celebrates the ripple effect of kindness across generations.

Calvary Home is a living testament to kindness, offering consistent, compassionate service that uplifts the most vulnerable, and doing so with profound local impact.

For its decades-long commitment to transformative grassroots social work, the Rosmarinos’ Calvary Home shows how individual hearts and actions can truly reshape a community for the better./CJ, WDJ