CBCP Monitor Vol. 20 No. 02

8/20/2019 CBCP Monitor Vol. 20 No. 02

1/8

IN THIS ISSUE:

New York blizzard strandsIEC speaker, delegates, A3

Papal legate Cardinal Boto visit Cebu prison, A3

No campaigningin IEC, politicians

told

CEBU City, Jan 24, 2016--Politicians are welcome to attend the 51st InternationalEucharistic Congress here, but only as“pilgrims.

The week-long IEC, which is expectedto draw 12,000 participants, is open to all but is not an occasion for electioneering,said Msgr. Joseph Tan, executive secretaryof the IEC Communications Department.

“Although the IEC is open to every- body, including politicians, we want tomake sure that we will not change theIEC to become some kind of a politicalevent for one party or the other, or onecandidate or the other,” the priest saidin a press brie ng this morning at theIEC Pavilion.

“Of course we expect … some of thepeople running for o ce to be present, but they will be treated like any otherperson, as pilgrims,” explained Tan.

“We are open to their presence but restassured that this will not become a plat-form for their electioneering,” he added.

The IEC, a major religious event thatpromotes the centrality of the Eucharistin Christian life, features daily celebra-tions of the Holy Mass as well as cat-echetical talks. The theme of the 51st IECis “Christ in You, Our Hope of Glory,”taken from Colossians 1:27.

Two celebrations of the Eucharist will serve as the high points of the 51stIEC — the opening Mass at the PlazaIndependencia signalling the start of thequadrennial congress today, Jan. 24, andthe Statio Orbis (“The World Stops”) orMisa ng Mundo at the South Road Prop-erties on Jan. 31.

Both Masses will be led by Yangon Archbishop Char les Maung Card inalBo, the papal legate or Pope Francis’personal representative to the 51st IEC.(CBCP News)

Non-Catholic admiresIEC pilgrims’ faith CEBU City, Jan. 24, 2015 – If only because of the Rosary hanging on hisrear-view window, one would assume

taxi driver Richard Hijapon is a Catholic.He is not. Whi le he has been memb er of the

Seventh-Day Adventist (SDA) Churchsince birth—and an active one at that—hehas enormous respect for Catholics whoare sincere about their faith, especiallythe delegates of the 51st InternationalEucharistic Congress (IEC).

Catholic friends“No. I’m not the kind who passes

judgement on people who happen to be-lieve di erently from me,” he stressed inFilipino, as he drove past the Minor Ba-silica of the Santo Niño, the birthplace ofCatholic Christianity in the Philippines.

In fact, the 26-year old soon-to-be-married counts among his many good

friends no less than a priest, Fr. Ben Al-forque of the Missionaries of the SacredHeart (MSC).

“I’m happy that I’m able to meet Catho-lics who are kind and who practice whatthey preach,” he added.

The church Hijapon had lately beenpicking up passengers from is near P lazaIndependencia, where pilgrims from allover the world ocked Sunday to takepart in the opening Mass of the week-long religious gathering.

More similar than di erent According to him, he would rather fo-

cus on what is common between the twoChristian groups like the Holy Trinity thanon what separates them

“If Catholics believe that God is threePersons, we also do,” he shared.

Hijapon went on to express admirationfor Catholics and those of other religions who take time o their busy routine to worship God.

“It is important that we nd time tospend with the Lord. We always think of

Pilgrims, A6

IEC speaker to celebrateTraditional Latin Mass, A2

The Catholic Church inthe Philippines: A BriefHistorical Overview, A7

Essential movements inthe Eucharist, A6

VOLUME 20, NUMBER 2, JANUARY 25, 2016

‘Happy’ to be in Cebu,says Cardinal BoCEBU City Jan. 24, 2016--Yan-gon Archbishop Charles Car-dinal Maung Bo of Myanmar,the prelate representing PopeFrancis to the 51st Internation-al Eucharistic Congress (IEC) which the city is hosting, hadhis rst taste of Cebuano hos -pitality on Sunday as he was welcomed by local Catholics,members of the local clergy,and pilgrims from all over the world into the Cebu Metropoli-tan Cathedral.

“Pit Senyor! Maayong buntagsa inyong tanan. Pit Senyor!Magandang umaga sa inyonglahat [Pit Senyor! Good morningto all of you],” he said, greeting welcomers back in a combina-tion of Cebuano and Tagalog.

‘Shy and afraid’ Among the high -ranki ng

Church officials who joinedin welcoming the papal leg-ate were Cebu ArchbishopJose Palma; his predecessor,retired Cebu Archbishop Ri-cardo Cardinal Vidal; Cotabato Archbishop Orlando CardinalQuevedo; Manila Archbish-op Luis Antonio G. CardinalTagle; Archbishop GiuseppePinto, apostolic nuncio to thePhilippines; Archbishop PieroMarini, president of the Pon-ti cal Committee for Interna -tional Eucharistic Congresses,and others.

In a short speech, the 67- year old told the faithful thathe came from a country where

Catholics are a minority andthat he feels “shy and afraid” being the Pope’s o cial IECrepresentative.

‘Dako ang kalipay’ As papal legate, Bo has or-

ders to act on behalf of the HolyFather in the duration of the weeklong congress.

On entering the Cathedralgrounds, the Burmese cardinal watched a minutes-long per-formance of Cebuano studentsin what appeared to be angelcostumes dancing to festivemusic along with a young woman carrying an image ofthe Santo Niño (Holy Child).

“Thank you very much forHappy, A6

‘Eucharist calls forWWIII vs poverty,cruelty’ – Papal repBy Felipe Francisco

CEBU City -- The Eucharist calls

for a “third world war” againstpoverty and cruelty, said the HolyFather’s personal representativeto the 51st International Eucha-ristic Congress (IEC), which of-fcially kicked o yesterday.

Delivering a powerful homily at the Open-ing Mass of the 51st IEC, Papal Legate CharlesMaung Cardinal Bo, the Archbishop of Yan-gon, emphasized the social dimension of theEucharist, calling on IEC delegates to reachout to the poor.

Bo described widespread malnutrition andstarvation in the world as “mass genocide,” and

said the Eucharist, if lived out by the faithfulespecially beyond the four walls of the IECpavilion, could help uplift the poor.

“This calls for a commitment to a world of justice. The Eucharist calls for a third world war, a third world war against poverty … a third world war against a world that produces more weapons while more than half a billi on don’thave enough food,” explained the Myanmarprelate.

The Eucharist and poverty are inseparable,he said. “The Eucharist is a beacon of humandignity for the poor. No other religion elevatesthe poor to this level.”

‘Nation of unparalleled beauty’The Myanmar prelate also praised Filipinos,

the Cebuanos in particular, for their warm wel-Poverty, A6

Msgr. Joseph Tan, executive secretary of the IECCommunications Department. IEC

Myanmar Cardinal Charles Maung Bo, Papal Legate to the 51st International Eucharistic Congress, kisses an image of the Sto. Niñoupon his arrival at the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral on Sunday, Jan. 24, 2016. SAMMY NAVAJA


2/8

A2 CBCP Monitor January 25, 2016 Vol. 20, No. 2NEWS

Pope may deliver livemessage to 51st IEC

CEBU City, Jan. 24, 2016--PopeFrancis is expected to give amessage to the participants ofthe 51st International Eucha-ristic Congress (IEC), which isset to open this afternoon inCebu City.

It was not sure, however, whether the papal message will be reco rded or strea med liveover the Internet, IEC organizerstold reporters.

“Let us allow the pope to sur-prise us. He’s known to be likethat,” said Pasig Bishop MyloHubert Vergara, chairman of thecommunications department ofthe 51st IEC, in a press confer-ence at the IEC Pavilion at thecompound of Cebu’s Pope St.John XXIII Major Seminary.

Happening a year after PopeFrancis’ tumultuous apostolic journe y to Manila and Leyte ,the 51st IEC, the quadrennialCatholic gathering aimed at pro-

moting the centrality of the HolyEucharist in Christian life, is a“spillover of grace” from the 2015papal visit, Bishop Vergara said.

Some 12,000 pilgrims areexpected to ock to various IECevents, while 300,000 peopleare expected to attend today’sopening Mass at the Plaza In-dependencia at 4 p.m. Around800 media personnel have beenaccredited to cover the inter-national event, Bishop Vergarasaid. There will also be 5,000

rst communicants.The 51st IEC is a Catholic

gathering but people from otherfaiths will not be excluded.Bishop Vergara said IEC speak-ers would tackle the Church’sdialogue with other religions.

This is only the second timefor the Philippines to host anInternational Eucharistic Con-gress, after the 31st IEC held inManila in 1937, which makes the

Cebu event an “experience of alifetime.”

Bishop Vergara said the IEC was an occasion for Catholic sto rea rm the Second VaticanCouncil’s proclamation of theEucharist as the “source andsummit of Christian life.”

He said people could expect“HOPE” from the IEC: H fora “happy congress,” O for an“overwhelming experience ofGod’s love,” P for a “personalencounter with the Lord,” and Efor a eucharistic renewal.

Msgr. Joseph Tan, media rela-tions head of the IEC Secretariat,said Cebu’s hosting of the 51stIEC is part of the nine-year prep-aration for the fth centenary ofthe Christianization of the Philip-pines, which began in Cebu.

“Cebu is the cradle of Chris-tianity in the Philippines,”the Cebu cleric noted. (CBCPNews)

Pope Francis (center). ROY LAGARDE

IEC pilgrims to be feted with religious, cultural festivalsCEBU City Jan. 24,2016--Pilgrims fromaround the world willexperience the Cebua-no brand of hospitalityas the entire durationof the International Eu-charistic Congress will be lled with religiousand cultural festivals.

For the week-longcelebration of the IEC,numerous events will be held simultaneous-ly in different venuesaround the city, givingpilgrims and simpletourists alike a taste ofCebuano cultural andreligious heritage.

The “IEC 2016 Her-itage Night” NIGHT will be held beginning

on Jan. 25, 7:00 p.m.Delegates can have a walking tour starting atthe old district of Cebu

called Parian up to theMinor Basilica of theSanto Niño. Participat-ing museums along theroute will open theirdoors to delegates forthese. Live cultural en-tertainment such astraditional folk dances,songs, and plays will beheld as well.

‘Faces of Supplica-tion’

For music enthusi-asts, chorale groups will be perfor ming atthe IEC 2016 ChoralFestival at the CebuMetropolitan Cathedralfrom 7:00 till 9:00 p.m.Singing in the festivalare the Coro de San

Jacinto, which will also be singin g during the(Opening Mass); theCebu Normal Univer-

sity Chorale; the Ba-silica del Sto. Niño; andMetropolitan CathedralGrand Choir.

Meanwhile , a lo-cal mall, will host thestaging of a “religious-cultural presentation”titled, “Mga Dagway saPangaliyupo (Faces ofSupplication).

Va ri ou s Ce bu an ostage artists will dem-onstrate via songs,dances, and drama“the di erent forms ofprayers brought about by experiences of con-

icts, trials and tribu -lations”. Ayala CenterCebu will host a seriesof evening presenta-tions for the IEC 2016.

Free admission All interested IEC dele-

gates should always wear

their IEC IDs to avail ofthe free admission to allthe cultural events.

Many cultural eventslike concerts, theaterplays and religious-cultural presentationhave also been heldas pre-congress activi-ties. Other culturalevents have been alsoannounced by the IECCentral Committeethrough their website www.iec2016.ph

Papal Legate, Car-dinal Charles MaungCardinal Bo of Myan-mar presided over theOpening Mass of theIEC at the Plaza Inde-pendencia in the after-noon of Jan. 24. Later in

the evening, delegatesenjoyed cultural events.(Chrixy Paguirigan

/ CBCPNews)

Rome-based seminarians volunteer to translate for IEC

CEBU City, Jan. 24, 2016--“We’relike bridges, we facilitate inter-action.”

This is what Br. Luis Lorenzo,a Filipino seminarian of theLegionaries of Christ based inRome, said to describe the roleof volunteer interpreters for the51st International EucharisticCongress (IEC).

Lorenzo, along with ve otherseminarians from di erent na -tionalities, had been translatingthe English talks of the pre-IECsymposium talks to the del-egates into Portuguese, Spanish,French, and Italian.

While their role as talk transla-tors ended with the symposium,

the interpreters will continueto assist groups of non-Englishspeaking delegates by answeringtheir questions about general in-formation on the IEC schedules, venues, and the like.

“It was a very profound expe-rience, especially of the theo-logical insights that the speakers were giving. I was very struckas well by the interest from somany people here, especiallyfrom the Philippines. I was alsoable to see also even people fromMexico, from my country,” saidBr. Manuel Cervantes, a 31-yearold Mexican seminarian who will continue to serve as a Span-ish interpreter.

Accord ing to Cervantes, theIEC delegates’ interest in theEucharist inspired in him a de-sire to celebrate the Mass “withfervor”.

“It was a kind of spiritualexperience. Because in orderto translate well, I have to godeeper, understand, medi-tate well, on the talks that wetranslate” said Br. StefanoPanizzolo, an Italian seminar-ian who shared he had to studythe pre-IEC symposium talks beforehand to be able to be agood translator.

The IEC is ongoing until Jan.31. (Nirva’ana Ella Dela-cruz / CBCP News)

IEC offers free shuttle for delegates CEBU City, Jan. 24, 2016--Thousandsof people participating in the 51st Eu-charistic Congress can avail of the freeshuttle service when going to variousIEC venues throughout the congress.

Organizers have prepared nu-merous shuttle services for free atdesignated bus pick-up and drop-opoints for those who can present theirIEC IDs.

Safe and convenient IEC tripsFor the convenience and safety of

the IEC delegates, helpers, and otherparticipating parties, volunteer trans-portation teams, and PNO officersaccompany each trip.

“In every bus, there are designatedo cers chosen to assist,” said SPO2Jose Yamasaki Repompo in Filipino.

According to the organizers, the bus es are readi ly ava ila ble whenthere is the need to be transportedfrom one IEC venue to another. Also, if a delega te can presen t hisIEC ID and happens to be within the bus routes, he can hail the shuttleanytime.

New buses, new experiences Acc ordi ng to Rayniel Rubi lla, a

transportation team volunteer fromLeyte, some of the buses are new and were specially bought for the IEC.

“Some of these are new buses, es-pecially for the IEC; some came fromBacolod,” said Rubilla in Filipino.

“Since it’s the rst ride, I was ner - vous at rst, but so far it’s a wonderfulexperience,” he added.

“[It] was a very convenient ride, very organized and fitting , really,”said Sister Dolores Tan from theHandmaids of the Sacred Heart ofJesus, recounting her passenger ex-perience.

“We encountered a very accom-modating volunteer who became our‘instant tourist’ guide within the triptoo,” she added.

The rst trip of the IEC shuttlesnavigated from the IEC Pavilionto Plaza Independencia where theOpening Mass was held and thisfree transportation will be availableduring the weeklong IEC. (Chrixy

Paguirigan / CBCP News)

IEC speaker to celebrateTraditional Latin Mass CEBU City, January 24, 2016 – JosephCardinal Zen Ze-kiun, SDB, DD of HongKong will celebrate the votive Mass ofthe Most Blessed Sacrament, accordingto the Extraordinary Form of the RomanRite, on January 26, at 4:30 p.m. in theafternoon at Asilo de Milagrosa, Gorordo Avenue this city.

The Bishop emeritus of Hong Kong has been known to celebrate the Extraordi-nary Form of the Roman Rite also knownas the Traditional Latin Mass (TLM). InMay 2006, Zen publicly o ered a Ponti -cal High Mass. He has since celebratedthe TLM regularly.

Zen is also scheduled to deliver a“testimony” on the rst day of the Inter -national Eucharistic Congress currently being held here.

Societas Eccelsia Dei Sancti Ioseph(Ecclesia Dei Society of St. Joseph) –Una Voce Philippines organized andsponsored the TLM to be celebrated bythe cardinal.

Papal documentPope Benedict XVI is-sued motu propio Summorum Ponti cumdated July 7, 2007 and implementedsince Sept. 14, 2007, liberated the cel-ebration of the TLM throughout the Latinrite of the Church. It e ectively sup -planted the provision of St. John Paul II’smotu proprio Ecclesia Dei of 1988, whichallowed individual bishops to establishplaces where Mass could be said usingthe 1962 Missal.

“In my experience, the young who at-tend the TLM nd that it challenges themto delve more deeply into the Catholic

faith. The young like to be challengedafter all!”, said Catholic blogger Carlos Antonio Palad.

He said Latin does not deter non-Latinspeakers from attending the TLM sayingthat it (TLM) “has been a part of Filipinolife for 450 years.”

“Even when Mass was still in Latinour ancestors assiduously attended it,”he said. He lamented that to say thatthe TLM is too “Western” for Filipinosto understand or appreciate “greatly un-derestimates the continuing ability of theFilipino to absorb and understand whatthe Church really has to o er from herspiritual treasures.”

Joseph Cardinal Zen Ze-kiun, SDB, DD of Hong Kong.


3/8

A3CBCP Monitor January 25, 2016 Vol. 20, No. 2 NEWS

MANDAUE CITYCOLLEGE

Dr. Paulus Mariae L. CañetePresident

Daughters of Charity-

St. Louise De MarillacEducational System

Papal legate Cardinal Bo to visit Cebu prison CEBU City, Jan. 23, 2016— Papal legateto the International Eucharistic Con-gress (IEC) Charles Maung Cardinal Bo will vis it a local prison and meet withsome inmates during his visit to CebuCity for the 51st IEC.

The cardinal, appointed by Pope Fran-cis as his representative to the IEC, isarriving on Sunday to preside over theopening Mass for the historic event atthe Plaza Independencia.

Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma saidselected prisoners from the Cebu pro- vincial jail, home of the region’s famousdancing inmates, will meet CardinalBo in a private audience on Tuesday,January 26.

“He will visit a detention center. It’s just a small group of prisoners,” Palmasaid.

Aside from Card inal Bo, who is aSalesian and currently the archbishopof Yangon in Myanmar, the Holy Fathernamed two priests from Cebu as members of the “ponti cal mission”.

Accompanying the card inal will beFr. Dominic Bar Bu, special secre-tary for the papal delegation, and Fr.Marvin Mejia, secretary general ofthe Catholic Bishops’ Conference ofthe Philippines.

Archbishop Palm a added that thepapal legate is also scheduled to visit a vocational school in the village of Pasil,

identi ed as one of the city’s most de -pressed areas, on Jan. 28.

According to h im, Card inal Bo willparticularly visit the Don Bosco Train-ing and Youth Center established byhis Filipino confreres to reach outto poor children and out-of-school youth s.

According to Archbishop Palma, hesees the IEC as an event of hope and theinteraction of the papal legate with theprisoners and the poor children is anexpression of this.

“In our world, where there is a short-age of hope, mankind needs to hear themessage of hope in Christ Jesus,” hesaid. (R. Lagarde/CBCPNews)

‘Filipino faith, energy is exciting’ – Bishop BarronCEBU City, Jan. 23, 2015--One of the most awaitedspeakers slated for the 51stInternational EucharisticCongress (IEC), the Auxil-iary Bishop of Los Angeles,has nothing but good thingsto say about the intense faithof Pinoys.

“There’s something aboutthe Philippines. It’s one ofthe most vibrant Catholiccountries in the world,” saidBishop Robert Barron in apodcast interview with Wordon Fire where he expoundedon why he looks forward tohis rst ever trip to the Phil -ippines.

Today’s IrelandReferring to his own Irish

Catholic lineage, the prel-

Auxiliary Bishop of Los Angeles RobertBarron. CNA

ate went on to say: “I wouldsay this as a proud Irish American, I’d compare [thePhilippines] to the church inIreland maybe 70 years ago.Now, the Church in Ireland isreally struggling. But go back

maybe 70 years you havethis almost 100% vibrantlyCatholic place…The Philip-pines is like that today, soit’ll be exciting.”

Accordi ng to Barron, heexpects hundreds of thou-sands “if not millions ofpeople” at the IEC.

Even Word on Fire con-tent director Brandon Vogtshared in the same podcasthow he was “ abbergasted”to learn that “of the roughly720,000 people who follow[Bishop Barron] on Face- book , 250 ,00 0 live in thePhilippines” with 117,000of them or 15-16% of the fol-lowers living in Quezon City.

‘Exciting stu ’The prelate, the popu-

lar Word on Fire host, ex-pressed amazement overthe gures as well, saying he“[didn’t quite know what tomake of it.”

“It’s a testament to thesurprisingly, overwhelm-ingly vibrant quality ofCatholic life in this greatcountry (Phi l ippines)….It’s the number 3 Catholiccountry in the world. AfterBrazil and Mexico, herecomes the Philippines…and that’s exciting stuff,”he added.

Barron is recognized asthe founder of Word onFire, a global media min-istry dedicated to the newevangelization since 2000. (Nirva’ana Ella Dela-cruz / CBCP News)

CEBU City, Jan. 23, 2016--Apparently,age or a day job is not a hindrance to volunteering for the 51st InternationalEucharistic Congress (IEC) in Cebu City.

With a smile, Nimfa Tero is one of thesenior citizens at the Catholic gathering whoattaches plastic, waterproof bands aroundthe wrists of accredited media practitioners.

“[We do this] because we want toserve, to help IEC,” she said.

At God’s service At 73, the former physician has the

choice of just staying at home and en- joying everything she had worked allher life for.

But this is not the case. Not even oldage can stop the mother of five and

grandmother of more from doing whatshe loves best: serving God.

Jesus in the marketplace“I’m already retired, so I’m o ering

my services to the Lord,” she said.Tero may have bid her medical career

goodbye, but not her desire to be of as-sistance to others.

As a member of the Brotherhood ofChristian Businessmen and Profession-als (BCBP) for 18 years now, her missionincludes bringing Jesus and His GoodNews to people, especially those in themarketplace.

“Giving my life, my service to the Lord.I’m ful lled. I’m happy with what I amnow,” she added.

Joy of self-givingLike Tero, Edward Ocampo nds joy

in self-giving.Despite his busy schedule as a real

estate broker and a family man, he man-ages to set aside a portion of his time forhis apostolate.

Wh i l e vol un te e r ing i s s econdnature to him, Ocampo considersit an honor to be part of the 51stIEC, specifically serving in mediaaccreditation.

“Anyway, this is a once in lifetimeevent, and my hometown of Cebu getsto host it. This is an opportunity forme to deepen my faith,” he explained.(Raymond A. Sebastián / CBCP

News)

‘Never too old nor busy for IEC’

Dr. Nimfa Tero (center), Edward Ocampo (far right) and fellow members ofthe Brotherhood of Christian Businessmen and Professionals (BCBP) at theInternational Eucharistic Center (IEC) Pavilion.MARIA TAN

New York blizzard strandsIEC speaker, delegatesCEBU City, Jan. 24, 2016--Amassive snow storm that hitthe US East Coast on Satur-day has left stranded Inter-national Eucharistic Con-gress (IEC) speaker CardinalTimothy Michael Dolan as well as the New York diocesedelegation to the IEC.

“Thousands of ights have been cancelled at this point.God willing the cardinal canget out Monday or Tuesday,”said Bishop James Massa, Auxiliary Bishop of Brooklyn,New York, in an interview with CBCP News.

Dolan, who is set to give

the talk “The Eucharist andMary” on Jan. 30, is stuckin New York City along withsome 30 to 35 delegates fromBrooklyn, Manhattan, andseveral of the counties of thelower New York state, saidthe prelate.

The Archbishop of New York was scheduled to arrivein the Philippines today.

Massa, who said he will bein touch with Dolan’s secre-tary soon on updates abouthis rescheduled ight, saidif weather conditions fail toimprove, IEC organizers mayconsider doing a video con-

ference for Dolan’s IEC talk.“That’s up to the confer-

ence organizers what to do[about nding a replacementspeaker]. But who knowsa video conference woulddo…That’s maybe an option.Thanks God, it’s the age oftechnology. We can makepeople present who are thou-sands of miles away through video,” he added.

The 51st IEC is set to for-mally start today, Jan. 24 wit h an Openi ng Mas s at4:00 p.m. at the Plaza In-dependencia. (Nirva’ana

Delacruz / CBCP News)Bishop James Massa, Auxiliary Bishop ofBrooklyn, New York.NIRVA DELACRUZ

IEC delegates as well as Cebuanos ock to the Plaza Independencia for the Opening Mass of the 51st IEC, Jan. 24, 2016. MARIA TAN


4/8

A4 CBCP Monitor January 25, 2016 Vol. 20, No. 2

NOW that we are holdingin Cebu the 51st Interna-tional mEucharistic Con-gress (IEC), it is imperativethat we once again give thismost important and sublimesacrament a long, hard lookif only to savor more deeplyits many implications, spiri-tual and moral, theologicaland practical, and so we can be more in conformity withthem and most generous inliving them out.

Wha t we can say as themost crucial part in ourunderstanding of this sac-rament is that it requirestremendous faith, since ev-erything about it depends

on whether we believe thatthe bread and wine used inmaking it are truly the Bodyand Blood of Christ, or ChristHimself in all his Christologi-cal and soteriological nature.

Obviously, since faith isinvolved here, what needs to be done is, rst of all and al - ways, to use the spiritual andsupernatural means of prayerand sacri ce, with their ac -companying complement ofstudying the doctrine, havingrecourse to the sacramentitself, waging continuingascetical struggle, etc. Itrequires nothing less than aliving piety. Absent these, we would be s tarting o on the

wrong foot.These we ought to do be-

fore we dare to embark onany e ort to explain it theo -logically, and much moreso before we try to deciphertheir implications personally,socially, culturally, histori-cally, etc.

To be sure, faith is notmerely an intellectual a air,though it certainly presumesthe full use of our intelli-gence. It should involve our wh ol e be in g, th ou gh ourintelligence and will, ourspiritual powers, occupypride of place.

Faith demands that wegive ourselves completely,

and not just our intellectualassent, to what is told to us by Chr ist . It goe s bey ondrationality and comprehen-sibility, because our beliefin it is not based on whether we understand it, but ratheron the fact that it is told to us by someone who deserves to be believed because he doesnot deceive us nor is deceived by us.

The Catechism describesfaith with these words: “Whatmoves us to believe is not thefact that revealed truths ap-pear as true and intelligiblein the light of our naturalreason. We believe ‘because

The Congress in Cebu andthe people of Asia

Dialogue in the Church’smission in Asia

Eucharist requirestremendous faithFr. Roy Cimagala

Candidly SpeakingMonitorPROTAGONIST OF TRUTH, PROMOTER OF PEACE

CBCP

Pedro C. QuitorioEditor-in-Chief

Nirva’ana E. DelacruzAssociate Editor

Roy Q. LagardeNews Editor

Kris BayosFeatures Editor

I L L U S T R A T I O N B Y B L A D I M E R U S I

Becoming Eucharist!

Teresa R. Tunay, OCDS

And That’s The TruthThe Breakfastbefore breakfast

The CBCP Monitor is published fortnightly by the AreopagusCommunications, Inc. with editorial and business offices atGround Flr., Holy Face of Jesus Center & Convent, 1111F. R. Hidalgo Street, Quiapo, Manila. Editorial: (632) 404-2182. Business: (632) 404-1612.; ISSN 1908-2940

Ronalyn R. ReginoDesign Artist

Gloria FernandoMarketing Supervisor

Mercedita JuaniteCirculation Manager

Marcelita DominguezComptroller

Candidly Speaking, A4

Fr. James H. Kroeger, MM Living Mission

Eucharistic Congress Reection

AS we joyfully participate inthe International EucharisticCongress in Cebu, we canrecall that Saint Pope JohnPaul II endeared himself toFilipinos during his two papal visits (1981 and 1995); he vis-ited Cebu on February 19-20,1981. Another interesting factis that his message for WorldMission Sunday 2005 was

the last public document heissued—and it is lled withnumerous insights to enrichour view of the Eucharist andChristian mission.

John Paul II’s “Mission:Bread Broken for the Life ofthe World” focuses on therelationship between Eucha-rist and Mission. Recall thefour key actions involved inthe Eucharist; the bread and wine which become Christ’s body and blood are Taken ,Blessed, Broken, and Given.“During the meal Jesus took bread, blessed it, broke it, andgave it to his disciples” (Mt26:26). These same four ac-

tions are re ected in our callto be Christ’s missionaries. We—all Chri st ians —are

taken, chosen for service in

the Church. We are selected,not because of our great im-portance or special abilities.God’s choice ows from hisgracious love. Ask yourself:How has the Lord called me?

Next, we are blessed, en-riched with many gifts (fam-ily, friends, community, bap-tism and faith). Again, all

ows from the Lord’s gener -

osity. Each of us has receivedso much; stop for a momentand count your blessings. Will we giv e as freely andgenerously as God has givento us (cf. Mt 10:8)?

Taken and blessed, we mustnow consent to be broken(the third Eucharistic action).Only when bread is brokencan it be o ered for the wholeof humanity; we must be broken to be in compassion-ate solidarity with poor andsu ering humanity. This isprecisely the point made bySaint John Paul II: for its lifethe world needs broken bread(Christ and Christians).

Mother Teresa has said that when we truly recognize Christ broken for us in the Eucharist we will more easily recognize

Christ in the broken bodiesand lives of our su ering andpoor neighbors. The pope as-serts that “the Eucharist is notmerely an expression of com-munion in the Church’s life;it is also a project of solidarityfor all of humanity.”

The fourth element of becoming Euc ha ri st is to be given . In the Euchari st

Christ truly gives himself tous (Catholics a rm the “truepresence” of Christ in theEucharist). He becomes ourfood, satisfying our deepesthungers and needs. Now it isour turn to be broken and giv-en, becoming food and life forothers, becoming the “breadof Christ” for the world.

Have you ever seen your lifeas a continuous process of “Be-coming Eucharist”? Whetherone is a parent, worker, stu-dent or government employee,Christ takes, blesses, breaksand gives us—for the life of the world. Each day we are askedto surrender to this four-fold

action. Are we comfortable with being chosen and blessed by Christ , but do we recoil when asked to be broken and

given to others?The mission message of

Saint John Paul II notes that we, both individually and ascommunities, must respond with “fraternal solicitude tosome of the many forms ofpoverty present in our world,” because “by our mutual loveand, in particular, by ourconcern for those in need we

will be recognized as true fol-lowers of Christ…. This will be the criterion by which theauthenticity of our Eucharis-tic celebrations is judged.”

Catholics receive commu-nion, the true body of Christ. Yes, we become the body ofChrist, the Church. When weleave after Sunday Mass, are we a “true presence” of Christin the world? Each baptizedChristian is called to be a mis-sionary, to be “bread brokenand shared” for the life of the world. Receive the Eucharist.Become the Eucharist!

James H. Kroeger, MM has

recently published Walking inthe Light of Faith and A Vati-can II Journey: Fifty Mile-stones (ST PAULS - Manila).

EDITORIAL

IN the rush to get to work on time, somany people skip breakfast, not real-izing that it is the most important mealof the day. Doctors have been presentingevidence proving that a good and hearty breakfast is what the body needs for oneto be alert and productive the whole day,

and yet there are those who would rather just gulp down a cup of instant cereal oran instant chocolate drink as breakfast, believing the vitamins claimed to be inthose products give enough energy tostart the day. Worse, there are those whoswear that a cup of co ee is all they needto jumpstart their working day—“Justsomething hot for the tummy and to wake up my sleepy nerves.” And thereare also those who give up breakfastaltogether in the misguided notion thatdoing so would save their time or keeptheir weight down.

If they only knew (or believed) thatrecent medical research reveals thatskipping breakfast could actually leadto obesity, diabetes or even heart attack,

they’d surely rise earlier to enjoy a hugeslice of papaya followed by home-madetapsilog (dried beef, fried rice, and egg),or the healthier plate of boiled rice,sinapaw na talbos ng kamote (steamedsweet potato tops) and daing at kama-tis (dried salted fish and tomatoes).

The only problem is: are we motivatedenough to want to have a healthy bodythrough a healthy breakfast?

If motivation is lacking, perhaps what we need is The Breakfast before breakfast—believe me, it works. Whatis it? The Holy Eucharist, rst thingin the morning. Years ago, I wasn’t what is called “a daily Mass-goer”. It was Blessed Mo. Teresa of Calcutta ’sexample that spurred me on to “try”going to Mass daily. I met and observedher during her third visit to the Philip-pines (in the early 80s), as she spoketo a modest crowd at the “home for thedying destitute” in Tayuman, Manila, Inoted how calm and con dent she was,talking about Jesus. One of the things

she said was how in her community theday would begin always with the HolyEucharist. “It is the Eucharist that givesme strength for the rest of the day”— when she and a couple of nuns wouldgo around the city in their rickety pickup to gather sick and dying old people

in the streets.Imitating this tiny nun who to meappeared to have the energy of a ste- vedore, I tried to hear daily Mass, rstthing in the morning. Then I became what is called a “daily communicant,”and saw for myself the truth in MotherTeresa’s words. The Eucharist did giveme strength and a lightness of beingthat was unknown to me before. It evengave a new meaning to the Lord’s words“Come, have breakfast.” (John 21:12)How tender is this Master who wouldmake breakfast for His disciples who were tired from shing all night! “Come,have breakfast.” How could I reject sucha sweet invitation? Thus, The Breakfast before breakfast. And that’s the truth.

OPINION

AT the press conference on the rst day of the 51st Interna -tional Eucharistic Congress, a question was posed on how theCongress would regard other religions. One of the panelistsanswered that one of the discussions in the said congress isabout inter-religious dialogue--which has been one of the breakthroughs of the Second Vatican Council, especially withNostra aetate that clari ed the attitude of the Church towardsnon-Christian religions.

The concrete situation of the Church in Asia necessitatesdialogue principally because demographics are multireligious,multiracial, multilinguistic, and multicultural and, therefore,call for constant conversation in order to ensure peaceful co-existence. Given the continuing threat of religious persecution, which has escalated into various forms of terrorism, buildingpaths of dialogue and trust has become an exigency. In thePhilippines, prejudices against peoples of di erent culturesor faiths have derailed even legislations that attempted topursue peaceful coexistence, though, admittedly, other factorscame into play.

While, ironically, people gathering for the Mass in Catholicchurches have been the cause of serious con icts in some Asiancountries, the Eucharist is viewed by Catholic theologians

as “both the source and goal of this dialogue”. The pastoraland theological re ection issued in preparation for the 51stInternational Eucharistic Congress, for instance, says that“by our participation in the Eucharistic celebration we enterinto a communion of life with the Triune God because we areinserted into the dialogue of life and salvation that began inhistory and now perpetuated in liturgical mystery in the powerof the Holy Spirit... Emerging from the Eucharistic gathering, we are sent to continue and extend this Trinitarian dialogueof life and salvation in the form of loving service, especiallytoward the least, the last and the lost.”

Interreligious dialogue is foremost in the Church’s missionin Asia. And the Holy Eucharist at the very center of it.

The 51st IEC should, in a specially radiant and e ective way,proclaim the mystery of Christ considering the place of theFaith and of the Church in Philippine history. The Churchin the Philippines has a providential vocation for missionparticularly in Asia, a vocation so constantly a rmed by theRoman Ponti s. The presence and active involvement of theCatholic laity in the various sectors of society, ecclesiastical andpastoral a airs included, bears a great potential to in uencethe socio-political and economic landscape in the manner ofleaven in the dough.

Poverty and lack of employment opportunities push manyFilipinos to migrate to other countries both within and outside Asia, but when they do they bring their Christian faith along with them and share it with the people with and for whomthey work, more perhaps by their examples and values than by their words. The Philippine Church, then, is a source ofhope in a special way precisely as “Christ in you, the hope ofglory” among the Peoples of Asia, as Pope Paul VI a rmed inhis 1970 visit to the Philippines.

In 1937, Manila hosted the 33rd IEC, the rst ever in Asia.

That Congress, so movingly successful, was surely the mostimportant international religious event ever held in the coun-try at that time. The 51st IEC which will take place in 2016promises to be of such great importance as well. It forms partof the “nine-year novena” which the faithful in the Philippinesare celebrating in preparation for the joyous and historic ob-servance of the 500th anniversary in 2021 of the coming ofthe Christian Faith and of the Christian Church to the country.

In the year 1521, the King and Queen of Cebu were baptized by the Spanish missionaries. The natives embraced the Chris-tian faith with considerable ease and enthusiasm on accountof their deep and natural religiosity. Their initial faith wasnurtured by the sacraments, most especially the Holy Mass,notwithstanding that until the early 20th century it was cel-ebrated in a language not understood by the great majority.The Christianization of this land, realized in a remarkably shortspan of time, has made the Philippines the biggest Catholiccountry—with more than 80% of our people baptized in theFaith—in this part of the world. Filipino Catholics through

the centuries developed a high regard for the Eucharisticcelebration.The life and activities of the typical parish, whether of spiritu-

al, social, or service orientation, are centered on the Eucharisticliturgy. Patronal feasts of towns and villages (barangays) arecelebrated with a multitude of Masses and abundant feasting with food and merry-making. Marriages, deaths, and the an-niversaries thereof, are usually celebrated with the Holy Mass.Indeed, Filipino family and community events are not completeif not graced by the Eucharistic celebration. Catholic groupsusually begin and conclude their gatherings, be they of socialor apostolic nature, with the Holy Mass. The Mass has becomeperhaps the most familiar religious activity in Filipino society.

-- Excerpts from the theological and pastoral re ection in preparation for the 51st International Eucharistic Congress.


5/8

A5CBCP Monitor January 25, 2016 Vol. 20, No. 2

Atty. Aurora A. Santiago

Duc In Altum

Fr. Carmelo O. Diola

Spaces of Hope Buongon andKamunggay

Fr. Amado L. Picardal, CSsR, SThD

Along the Way

The Significance of theEucharistic Congress

I GAVE people buongon (pomelo) lastChristmas. They were generously givento me by a dear friend from Kidapawan.I gave them out in clusters of threes or

ves inside green-colored eco-bags.I was pleasantly surprised at the unan-

imously positive responses of the recipi-ents. They really liked the fruit and weree usive in their thanks. One man, whohas everything money can buy, peeredinside the bag and exclaimed, “This ismy favorite,” as he clutched his regalo.

This got me thinking. What is in thefruit that makes it a run-away favoritefor many people? Is it perhaps its re-freshing citrusy aroma, a waft of which isguaranteed to perk up the senses? Or isit its sweet-sour taste that lingers on thepalate? Or perhaps its combination withsalt that triggers the salivary glands? Or was my friend keenly aware of the healthand healing bene ts of pomelo?

It takes some skill to peel the buongoncorrectly. One begins by slicing the endsof both sides of the fruit to allow the

ngers to peel from side to side. Onehas to be extra careful here since cuttingtoo close into the esh might injure it,resulting, I’ve been told, in bitter taste.The fruit then combines toughness witha delicate nature. Opposite poles attract.

Perhaps it is all these and somethingmore basic. The juicy esh of the pomelois pulled out of the cross section of thefruit and shared with others. There isa communitarian dimension to it. It ismore fun eating from the same buongon with others.

***The IEC seeks to “promote an aware-

ness of the central place of the Eucharistin the life and mission of the CatholicChurch.” What better way to highlight

this centrality than by the opening andclosing Masses, the daily liturgies, andthe rst communion of 5,000 childrenand some teenagers? Of course, a Eucha-ristic congress is not complete without aEucharistic procession.

On Friday Jan. 29, a grand processionat 5:30 p.m. will course through thestreets of Cebu City. This is after a 4:00p.m. Mass at the Cebu Capitol building with Plaza Independencia as end points. Who says Church and State need to keepeach other at arms length while beingseparate?

A four-foot, 45 kg. monstrance, cus-tom-made in Manila, is the sole objectof worship of the procession. This is “toshow” (Lat. monstrare) to the world thatthe Eucharistic Lord is worthy of latriaor the worship shown to God alone.This will also be used by the CBCP in itsplenary vigil, Jan 22 to 24 and the Youth vigil Jan. 28.

The base and the cross of the mon-strance are made of silver chrome. Thereare ve studs of pearls inlaid in sampa -guita form in the receptacle symbolizing

ve centuries of Christianity in the Pearlof the Orient. The rays and the roundreceptacle for the consecrated host aregold plated. In the beams of the cross, aspart of the rays and not very distinguish-able from the latter, are four needles ofthe compass that are shaped like dag-gers. They remind us of our missionarymandate to the four corners of the world.

The use of silver kamunggay (malung-gay) as accent adjacent to the rays speaksof the Eucharistic-like traits of this poorman’s vegetable. Very highly nutritious,it is also highly available if only peoplemake use of it. It also grows where otherplants fear to tread.

***The Solidarity and Communion Com-

mittee (SCC) set up a monitoring boardfor the 500 street and other very poorkids who are making their first com-munion on Saturday, Jan. 30. Cardinal Vidal, a rst communicant himself dur -ing the 1937 IEC in Manila, is main pre-sider for the rst communion of 5,000individuals.

On the monitoring board are namesof 19 Cebu-based groups involved inreaching out to and preparing the ma-terially-disadvantaged children, mostof whom are outside the radar screen ofschool-based catechesis. There are eightparishes, four religious houses, fournon-pro t organizations, a public school,and two government o ces involved.There are also ve other local churches:Tacloban, Tagbilaran, Calbayog, Digos,and Dumaguete.

The youngest rst communicants areseven-years old while the oldest is 36. As of this writing, 375 have pro les. Ofthese, 222 have baptismal certi cates.140 are baptized but do not have bap-tismal certi cates while 13 do not have birth certi cates. They do not t into theusual pro le of children in schools. They will receive not only the Eucharist butalso a rst communicant attire, a pair ofshoes, a t-shirt with an IEC patch, plusa bag of food, and other gifts. They will

nd companions on the journey.The IEC prayer includes the lines:

“Send us your Holy Spirit, that He maylead us to walk humbly with the poorand the marginalized, in the companyof Mary...” The IEC is an event as well asa journey. We have to start somewhere.

Buongon and kamunggay for the road,anyone?

ALMOST all the Churc h hi-erarchy and the Catholic laityfrom the Philippines and fromall over the world are on their

jou rney to the Phi lip pin es.They have a very important andsigni cant goal--to attend the51st International EucharisticCongress (“IEC”) from Jan. 24to 31, 2016 in Cebu City. PopeBenedict XVI announced in2012 in Dublin, Ireland duringthe 50 th IEC that the 51 st IEC

would be held in Cebu City withthe theme: “Christ in you, ourhope of glory.”

His Eminence, Luis AntonioCardinal Tagle, Archbishop ofManila stated that this IEC is“bigger than the World Cup, big-ger than the Olympics.” CardinalTagle said “It is Jesus who willmake the gathering life-chang-ing because He is the true reasonfor hope.” Aside from CardinalTagle, all the top heads of theCatholic Church in the Philip-pines gave their all-out support

for the success of the IEC: Ricar-do Cardinal Vidal, ArchbishopEmeritus of Cebu; OrlandoCardinal Quevedo, Archbishopof Cotabato; Gaudencio CardinalRosales, Archbishop Emeritusof Manila; Catholic Bishops’Conference of the Philippines(CBCP) president Socrates Vil-legas, Archbishop of Lingayen-

Dagupan; Cebu ArchbishopJose Palma, who is the one incharge of the Congress, together

with the Apostolic Nuncio tothe Philippines, ArchbishopGiuseppe Pinto.

***The Philippines rst hosted

the 33 rd IEC 79 years ago on Feb.3 to 7, 1937 in Manila. during theponti cate of Pope Pius XI. It

was also the rst IEC in Asia and was attended by approximatelyone and a half million peoplefrom all over the world, andincluded a religious processionof 600,000 people. Ponti calmasses were held in Rizal Park,

with hundreds of thousands ofpeople attending.

***The Eucharistic Congress is

a gathering of clergy , religious,and laity to bear witness tothe Real Presence of Jesus inthe Eucharist. His presenceis not merely symbolic. He isreally present, in body and

blood, soul ,and divinity, in thesacramental bread whose real-ity has been changed into thatof His body. The Eucharist isthe highest form of worship ofGod. Congresses brings togetherpeople from a wide area, andtypically involve large open-air Masses, adoration of theEucharist (Blessed Sacrament),

and other devotional ceremo-nies held over several days.

All the activities during theIEC are directed by the Per-manent Committee of the IEC .

After each IEC the PermanentCommittee prepare and pub-lish a volume giving a reportof all the papers read and thediscussions on them in the

various sections of the meet-ing, the homilies preached, theaddresses made at the publicmeetings, and the details of allthat transpired.

***It is interesting to note all

the “ rsts” in the history of theIEC. The 1 st IEC was held inLille , France on June 21, 1881,inspired by Bishop Gaston deSégur. The idea at first wasmerely local and met with fewadherents, but it grew from yearto year with an ever-increasingimportance. The 8 th IEC washeld in Jerusalem in 1893, the

rst time that it was held outside

Europe. The 18 th IEC was heldin Metz , Lorraine in 1907 andthe German Government sus -pended the law of 1870 (whichforbade processions), in orderthat the usual solemn proces-sion of the Blessed Sacramentmight be held. The 19 th IEC washeld in London in 1908, the rstamong English-speaking mem-

bers of the Church.The 21st IEC was in Mon-

treal , Canada in 1910, the rstcongress in North America andthe Western Hemisphere. The25 th IEC was held in Lourdes,France in 1914, the rst congress

whil e Worl d War I affectedEurope, with the theme «TheEucharist and the Social Reignof Jesus Christ». The 26 th IEC

was held in Rome in 1922, PopePius XI himself o ciated theMass at the St. Peter›s Square.It was the rst congress sincethe end of the Great War, withthe theme «The Peaceful Reignof Our Lord Jesus Christ in theEucharist». The 28 th IEC was inChicago in 1926, the rst IECheld in the United States. The29 th IEC was in Sydney in 1928,the rst IEC in Oceania.

The 30 th IEC was in Car-thage, Tunisia in 1930, thefirst IEC in Africa with thetheme «The Eucharist is

Africa›s Testimony». The 35 th

IEC was in Barcelona, Spainin 1952, the rst IEC since theend of World War II, with thetheme “Peace.” The 36 th IEC

was in Rio de Janeiro, Brazilin 1955, with the theme “Christthe Redeemer and His Eucha-ristic Kingdom.” It was the rstcongress in South (and Latin)

Brian Caulfeld

Half-a-world Away

The Miracle inOur Midst WHEN I was a religious educat ion teache r, prepar ingsecond graders for first Holy Communion, I was sureto get their attention with a simple question: “Have you ever seen a miracle?”

The children’s eyes would light up, their mouths would open wide in wonder, and their minds wouldstart racing. I could see their delight at the verythought--a miracle?

Some would tell about things they had seen on TVor the exploits of a movie superhero. Others wouldrecall stories their parents or grandparents had toldabout strange happenings in their lives. After lettingthem run through their stories, I would say that they were telling me about fictional charact ers or thingsthey had heard from other people. Then I would repeat

my question, with emphasis. “But have you ever seena miracle?” By this time, their attention was rivetedon me.

“Well,” I’d continue, “have you ever been to Mass?”They would all nod their heads. They were preparing

for first Communion and going to Mass each weekend was a requirement of the cl ass.

“Do you know the part when the priest says, ‘This ismy Body … This is the chalice of my Blood’?”

Again they would nod, not sure what I would saynext.

“Right at that moment, you see a miracle!” I wouldproclaim.

Blank stares would face me all around.“At the moment the priest says those words and

holds up the host, the bread becomes the true Bodyof Christ,” I’d explain. “And at the moment the priestsays the words over the cup, the wine becomes thetrue Blood of Christ.”

Hints of understanding would spark in their eyes.“Boys and girls, this is not just another class youare taking, this is the most important thing you willever learn in your life,” I’d continue. “Jesus loves you,each one of us, so much, that at the Last Supper heleft us His very self under the appearance of bread and wine. So now, when the priest acts in the Person ofJesus at Mass, we can receive the very being of Jesusin Holy Communion. This is what you are preparingfor, to receive Jesus, God Himself, at your first HolyCommunion!”

Inevitably, questions would come: “How can Jesus be in that littl e piece of bread?” “If Jesus i s in heaven ,how can we receive Him here on earth?”

The questions were earnest and urgent, showingthat this topic was important to them, and they really wanted to know the answers .

My answers would be short and simple, so not tocomplicate the matter. “Did God create the world, theearth and the planets, the sun and stars?” They wouldagree, yes, He did. “So if God could create all thesethings by His own power,” I’d continue, “How mucheasier is it for Him to take something like bread and wine and turn them into h is own flesh and blood?”

That seemed to make sense to them.“Boys and girls,” I would c onclude, “remember this

and you will carry in yourself the greatest treasureof the world, and you’ll be richer than any king, orpresident, or movie star.”

How they would be listening now.“You can only find the true Body and Blood of Jesus

in the Catholic Church, or a church descended from the Apostle s. You can look al l around the world, but you will not find anyone e lse who even c laims to give youthe true Body and Blood of the Lord. So stay Catholic,live Catholic, love Catholic, and you will be happy hereon earth, and prepared to enter heaven.”

As the International 51st Eucharistic Congress opensin Cebu, this is a message for everyone here to take toheart, and to bring back home.

of the authority of God himself who reveals them, who canneither deceive nor be deceived.’” (156)

We beli eve that what Chri st said in the Last Supp er,“This is my body,” and “This is the cup of my blood,” haveto be understood in the literal, if sacramental sense. This, because Christ , as the Son of God, said so. A nd so, even i f we continue to see, t aste, and feel the b read and wine, weare actually seeing, tasting and feeling the very Body andBlood of Christ.

That may sound hard to accept, especially if we still let oursenses and intelligence, without yet being animated by faith,to lead us. But if we go beyond them to accept the words ofChrist, then we should have no problem. We live out what

Christ Himself said and earn the reward He promised:“There is no man who has left house or wife or brothersor parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who will not receive more in this time, and in the age to comeeternal life.” (Lk 18,29-30)

In other words, there is some kind of holy exchange involved if we want to live our faith and follow Christ and gaineternal life, which is what piety is all about. We need to giveup not only certain things, but in fact our whole selves, if we want to enter the world of faith. Without that, we would just be left in our own

world.Faith is like God asking everything from us, our very own

selves, because He is also giving Himself to us. With faith, we start to live a shared life with God.

If we have faith in the Holy Eucharist, then we are fullyconvinced that we have Christ with us, He who is the Son ofGod who became man to save us, and continues to be Godand man for all eternity.

Here, we can see how important it is to understand whatfaith is all about, and to live it as fully as possible. We alsohave to understand that faith is rst of all a gift from God, before it is something that we have to keep and develop.

Let’s hope and pray that we do not waste what we have beengiven by God. Let’s do all to make our faith vibrant and to be in touch with indescribable reality of Christ truly presentamong us in the Blessed Sacrament.

Candidly Speaking, A4

AS the International Eucharistic Con-gress gets underway, it is time to re ecton the meaning and signi cance of theHoly Eucharist in our life as Christians.There are many who regard going toMass as merely an obligation that theyhave to ful ll every Sunday and othergreat feasts. Others look at it as part oftheir personal weekly or even daily ritualthat gives them energy. Such view ofthe Mass which is highly individualisticand pietistic does not fully explain andappreciate the deeper meaning of theEucharist.

The Mass must be understood as thecelebration of our union, that is ourcommunion with Christ and the Church--which is the body of Christ. The Masspresupposes a personal relationship with Christ. Through baptism we have been united to Christ. Throughout ourlife as Christians we are expected to growday by day in knowledge of and lovingunion with Christ and live as his genuinedisciples. Through our baptism we havereceived the Holy Spirit and have beenempowered to carry out the three-fold

mission of Christ: the prophetic missionof announcing His message (of love, salvation, justice and peace) and denounc-ing sin and evil in all its manifestation(culture of death, violence, injustice,corruption, etc.); the priestly mission ex-pressed in a life of prayer, self-sacri ce,and active participation in the liturgicalcelebration; and the kingly/servant mis-sion expressed in loving service to Godand neighbor especially the poor and theneedy, in our e orts to make God’s king -dom a reality on earth--by working for justice, peace, freedom, and the defenseof the environment.

The Eucharist is therefore meant to be the celebration of our life of lovingunion--of communion--and friendship with Christ and of living as His mission-ary disciples. According to St. John PaulII: “Incorporation into Christ, which is brought about by baptism, is constantlyrenewed and consolidated by sharingin the Eucharistic Sacri ce, especially by that full sharing which takes place insacramental communion… Eucharisticcommunion brings about in a sublime

way the mutual abiding of Christ andeach of his followers: Abide in me, and Iin you (Jn 15:4)” Ecclesia de Eucharistia,(EE) 22

When we celebrate the Eucharist, we believe that Christ is truly present in thecommunity that gathers in his name. We believe that it is His Word that we listento. We believe that He is truly present inthe consecrated bread and wine whichis His body and blood and which is ourspiritual nourishment, giving us energyand strength to continue our journey andful ll our mission.

The Eucharist is also meant not justto celebrate our communion with Christ but also to deepen it. Without a priorpersonal relationship and loving union with Christ the Eucharist is just an emptyritual. For it to be meaningful we mustexperience a personal encounter withChrist - an encounter that leads to per-sonal conversion and decision to live asmissionary disciple in community. Thisalso means developing personal intimacyand friendship with Christ.

Along the Way, A6

Eucharist: Celebrationof Communion

OPINION

Duc in Altum, A6


6/8


Besides being the cel-ebration of our union withChrist, the Eucharist isalso the celebration of ourcommunion with our fellow believers--our loving unionas Church, the Christiancommunity.

“The Eucharist createscommunion and fosterscommunion …The Eucha-rist’s particular effective-ness in promoting commu-nion is one of the reasons forthe importance of Sunday

Mass… Precisely throughsharing in the Eucharist,the Lord’s Day also becomesthe Day of the Church, whenshe can e ectively exerciseher role as the sacrament ofunity.” EE 41 & 42

The communitarian andecclesial character of theEucharist is essential. As St, Augustine reminds us, in theEucharist we celebrate who we are--the body of Christ. Alife of loving communion--ofunity, solidarity, friendship

and sharing--in communitymakes the celebration of theEucharist more meaningful. Without this the Mass is anempty ritual, full of pompand pageantry, signifyingnothing. St. John Paul IIasserts that the Eucharistpresupposes an existingcommunion in the Churchand the local Christian com-munity: “The celebration ofthe Eucharist cannot be thestarting point of commu-nion; it presupposes that

communion already exists,a communion which it seeksto consolidate and bring toperfection.” EE 35

The quality of our rela-tionship with Christ andour community life will bere ected in our Eucharis -tic celebration. Whenever we go to Mass and receiveHoly Communion we mustask ourselves: are we reallyin communion with Christand the Church--the Chris-tian community, the body

of Christ? If we are not,then we have an obligationand mission of promotingthis vertical and horizontalcommunion in our life. Oneof the means towards ameaning celebration of theEucharist is the formationof Basic Ecclesial Communi-ties within the parish whichSt. John Paul II regards as“an expression of commu-nion and a means towardsdeeper communion.” (Re-demptoris Missio 51).

Along the Way, A5

Essential movements in the EucharistBy Fr. Jose Ernil Almayo, OAR

LIKE OTHER HUGE CELEBRA -TIONS OF THE CHURCH , theInternational Eucharistic Congress

(IEC), which is described as “theCatholic Olympics of the soul”, o ersanother rich opportunity for spiritualgrowth. For Catholics, it is akin to anew springtime to take a fresher viewand appreciation of the fundamentalsof IECs central features: its nature,history, program, relevance, updates,among others. For non-Catholics, andeven non-Christians, it’s an open invi-tation to “come and see” (Jn. 1:39) “sothat you may have fellowship with us”(1 Jn. 1:3).

Wh il e th e con gr es s it se lf as agathering of brethren from variouscultures and walks of life re-enactsin a more dramatic and massive way wha t sha rin g of a mea l mea ns, wecannot but see a big family of God’s

children reunited—like ingredientscoming from different sources, thenprocessed, to form one loaf. The mul-tiplicity of movements converges atone center. Truly, all roads lead toCebu for the IEC 2016! But s oon afterthis assembly will have been closed ina week’s time, people will leave thisso-called “cradle of Christianity in theFar East”, each bringing his or herluggage of faith-laden experiences,realizations, and resolutions to his/her point of destination.

While this diversity of movements isexpected of an international event ofthis magnitude, here, particularly, itgives us a clue to outline, at least, someessential movements intrinsic in thesacrament of the Eucharist.

First, the downward movement. Im-plicitly conveyed by Pope Benedict’sapostolic exhortation, Sacramentumcaritatis, this primary movementrevealed in the Eucharist is traced

back to the ini tiative of the triune God who is “a perfect communion of love between Father, Son and Holy Sp irit”(SC 8). In the Eucharist, “God’s wholelife encounters us and is sacramentallyshared with us” (ibid.).

Here is the image of a loving and mer-ciful God unconditionally reaching outto us—in and through the Eucharist—to win us back, to make us whole again,to strengthen us. This is a movementof God’s “absolutely free gift” to us,sinners we may be.

Second, the upward movement. Aligned with the teachings of Vat icanII, Pope John Paul II’s encyclical let-ter, Ecclesia de Eucharistia, marksthis upward movement: “Taking partin the Eucharistic Sacri ce, which is

the source and summit of the wholeChristian life, they [the faithful] of-fer the divine victim to God, and o erthemselves along with it” (cf. LumenGentium 11; EE 13b).

As one friend recoun ted: The re wasa time when he celebrated his birth-day without a party. But by going toMass, his thanksgiving celebration forthe gift of life was complete. True, theEucharist as the highest form of prayeris man’s noblest medium of thanksgiv-ing to God for everything favorable, orunfavorable, that happens to him.

Third, the movement ad intra. Thiscorresponds to our interior journeyas the Eucharist makes a profoundlypersonal and communitarian impact inour lives. “The Eucharist draws us into

Jesus’ act of self-oblation. More than just statically receiving the incarnateLogos, we enter into the very dynamicof His self-giving” (SC 11).

A sort of unexpla inable re -structur-

ing occurs within when, for instance, we are tou che d by the hom ily andmoved to change our ways. And moreoutward signs disclose this inner eventlike when we decide afterwards to initi-ate reconciliation, or carry out chari-table acts, or join pro-environmentadvocacies. God’s grace is at work. Toloan the re ection of one blogger: “Inthe Mass we encounter Christ both inHis Word, and in the Holy Eucharist –and in those two encounters, two litur-gies, we nd three distinct but relatedmovements. In those three movementsin the Mass, we, the Christian people,are called rst to Conversion, then toConsecration, and then to Commu-nion. Each of the three is an encounter with Chris t! All three are preparing

us for the nal Sending at the close ofthe Mass.” [R. Tomas Richard, “TheMass in movements—conversion,consecration, communion.” Availableat: https://renewthechurch.word-press.com/2012/04/09/the-mass-in-movements-conversion-consecration-communion/ (accessed on January22, 2016).]

These series of processes within thead intra movement are the domino ef-fects of that transformative encounter with Christ in the Eucharist: “ It is notthe Eucharistic food that is changedinto us, but rather we who are myste-riously transformed by it” (EE 70). Itenables us “to emerge from ourselvesand drawing us towards our true voca-tion, which is love” (SC 35).

Fourth, the movement ad extra. Thisrefers to the missionary character of theEucharist: “The love that we celebratein the sacrament is not something wecan keep to ourselves. By its very nature

it demands to be shared with all. Whatthe word needs is God’s love” (SC 84).Moreover, our active participation in

the holy Mass requires “an accompany-ing e ort to participate actively in thelife of the Church as a whole, includ-ing a missionary commitment to bringChrist’s love into the life of the society”(SC 55).

In affirmation, Pope Francis, inhis Evangelii gaudium, concludesthat communion and mission areprofoundly interconnected (EG 23).Earlier, as Cardinal Bergoglio in hispre-conclave speech in 2013, he calledfor the Church “to come out of herselfand to go to the peripheries, not onlygeographically, but also the existen-tial peripheries: the mystery of sin,

of pain, of injustice, of ignorance andindifference to religion, of intellectualcurrents, and of all forms of misery.”The Eucharist, therefore, sends us torenew not just the spiritual, but theentire, face of the earth.

As we become more aware of theseessential movements in the Eucharist,may we be motivated to become ef-fective witnesses of God’s love to the world. And let S t. Augustine’ s sermon272 serve as our vademecum: “If you,therefore, are Christ’s body and members , it is your own mystery that isplaced on the Lord’s table! It is yourown mystery that you are receiving! You are saying ‘Amen’ to what you are: your response is a personal signature,a rming your faith.”

As one friend

recounted:There was atime when hecelebratedhis birthdaywithout aparty. Butby going toMass, histhanksgivingcelebration forthe gift of lifewas complete.

“

FEATJRES

America. The 37 th IEC was inMunich, West Germany in 1960.The IEC laid a foundation stonefor a “church of atonement”near the Dachau concentrationcamp of World War II. The 38 thIEC was in Bombay, India in1964, the first time IEC tookplace in a country that didnot have a signi cant Catholicpopulation. Its objective wasdisseminating the continuingCatholic belief that the «real

prersence of Christ was in theEucharist.» Pope Paul VI at-tended the IEC. The 39 th IEC was in Bogo tá , Colombia in 1968, with the theme “The Eu-charist and the Bond of Love.”Pope Paul VI attended the IEC.

The 41 st IEC was held in Phil-adelphia in 1976, that yearis the 200th anniversary ofindependence of the UnitedStates, with the theme «Jesus,the bread of life.» The Mass was attended by U.S. PresidentGerald R. Ford . The 42 nd IEC wasat Lourdes , France in 1981, withthe theme “Hungers of the Hu-man Family.” This is the 3 rd timethe IEC was held at Lourdes. The

43rd

IEC was at Nairobi , Kenya, in 1985, attended by Pope JohnPaul II with the theme «TheEucharist and the ChristianFamily.» The 44 th IEC was inSeoul , South Korea, in 1989,also attended by Pope JohnPaul II with the theme “Christis our Peace.” The 45 th IEC was

in Sevilla, Spain in 1993, the rstIEC after the Cold War ended.Pope John Paul II addressedthe IEC. The 47 th IEC was inRome in 2000, the 3 rd to becelebrated in Rome, and the 1 st in a Jubilee Year . The 48 th IEC was in Guadalajara , Mexico in2004. The celebration of theMass in Guadalajara, with a livelink up between that Mass, anda simultaneous Mass celebratedin St. Peter›s Basilica in Rome in

the presence of Pope John PaulII. These simultaneous Mass-es marked the beginning ofthe Year of the Eucharist whichran from the InternationalEuchar is t ic Congress tothe General Assembly of theSynod of Bishops in October2005. The 49 th IEC was at Que- bec City in 2008, commemorat-ing the 400th anniversary ofthe city’s founding. The themeof the Congress was “The Eu-charist, Gift of God for the Lifeof the World”. The closing cel-ebration with Pope BenedictXVI ’s me ssage broadcastedlive from the Apostolic Pal-ace in the Vatican, via giant

screens. The 50th

IEC was inDublin, Ireland in June 2012 with the theme drawn from Lu-men Gentium, “The Eucharist:Communion with Christ and with one another.” It coincided with the 50th annivers ary ofthe inauguration of the Second Vatican Council .

Duc in Altum, A5

Happy, A1

how to earn money, or wasteour energy on trivial matters, but many of us unfortunatelyforget about the most impor-tant, which is the state of oursouls,” he said.

“We should always lookafter our spiritual health sothat we will attain salvation,”he added.

Holy day For those belonging to his

denomination, the youngman from Bantayan Islandexplained Sabbath meanseverything.

“The Sabbath is to us SDAs what Sunday is to Catholics.It’s our day of obligation,”

he said. While they do not exactly

have what Catholics call theEucharist, SDA membershold a symbolic meal-sharing.

Cebu’s pride Asked what he thinks about

the worldwide religious gather-ing, he said he welcomes it sinceit is a privilege for all Cebuanosregardless of creed to be hostingan event of such magnitude.

“I support IEC. We, SDAs,also conduct similar gather-ings, but we never hear anynegative remarks from theCatholic hierarchy,” he added.(Raymond A. Sebastián /CBCP News)

Pilgrims, A1

come, saying he was happyto be in the Philippines torepresent Pope Francis. Bo attimes switched from Englishto Filipino and Cebuano, elic-iting cheers from the crowd.

“God gave you a nationof unparalleled beauty,” hesaid, even as he lamentedthat Filipinos have to con-tend with natural disasters.“But time and again, youhave proved your resilience,”he said.

This is no doubt due tothe Filipinos’ ardent faith,a “light” that has spreadthroughout the world as aresult of migration. “Sa HongKong, sa Cairo, sa Roma, saDubai, ang Filipino ay nasalupa. Ang Filipino ay nasahangin. Ang Filipino ay nasatubig. Nasa lahat ng dako ngmundo ang dugong Filipino(In Hong Kong, in Cairo,in Dubai, the Filipino is inthe land. The Filipino is inthe wind. The Filipino is inthe water. The blood of theFilipino is in every cornerof the world),” he said. “Insome parts of the world,Catholicism means Filipinopresence.”

He lauded Filipinos fortheir religious devotion, buturged them live out theirfaith outside the four wallsof their churches. “Adora-tion alone may make us gooddevotees, but being a devoteeis one of the easiest things.Devotion to the Sto. Niño, devotion to Jesus the Nazarene-- it is good but not enough,”he said in Taglish, a mix ofEnglish and Filipino. “Christis calling us to be disciples, tocarry His cross. The Mass ofthe devotee ends in an hour, but the Mass of a disciple isunending.”

Bo called on Christians toproclaim the “Gospel of life”in the streets as Christ did, warning of the dangers posed by abortion , death penalty,and euthanasia on the cul-ture of life. He called theseanti-life practices “enemiesof the Eucharist.”

Papal appointment readThe 51st IEC kicked o on

a festive note, with perform-ers dancing to “Welcometo Cebu” prior to the Mass. A sop ran o san g a sti rri ngrendition of the Panis Ange-

licus, the Eucharistic anthem whose words are attributedto St. Thomas Aquinas.

Performers also re-enactedthe arrival of Christianityin the Philippines that cul-minated in a mini-Sinulogfestival. It was followed by aprocession of the images ofthe Santo Niño, the BlessedMother, and San PedroCalungsod, the proto-martyrof the Visayas.

Cebu Archbishop Jose Pal-ma, the IEC national chair-man, read the letter fromPope Francis appointing Boas legate, and delivered asalutation to the papal rep-resentative. In the letter, theHoly Father said his blessingto Bo extended to all IECpilgrims.

Palma welcomed IEC del-egates as he noted that theopening rites were beingheld at historic Plaza Inde-pendencia, symbolizing “trueindependence by recognizingindependence in Christ.”

The Cebu prelate thenraised a Book of the Gospels,Pope Francis’ gift to the 51stIEC that was presented by Archbis hop Pie ro Mar in i,

this, for your kind, warm welcome. Iam very happy to be here in Cebu. Dakoang akong kalipay nga makaabot dinhisa Cebu [I am extremely delighted to behere in Cebu],” he said.

On closing, he went on to give ev-eryone present his blessing, saying inTagalog, “Nawa’y pagpalain tayo ngDiyos.”

IEC opening MassMeanwhile, Bo is scheduled to preside

over the opening Mass of the IEC at thePlaza Independencia later Also at 4:00p.m.

The 67-year old Salesian prelate wasone of 20 new cardinals appointed byPope Francis in Feb. 2015.

Born in Myanmar’s Saiging Region,he served as parish priest at Loihkamfrom 1976 to 1981, and in Lashio from1981 to 1983.

Moreover, from 1983 until 1985, Bo was assigned at Anisakan as Formator.

Bo also became apostolic administra-tor in Lashio from 1985 to 1986, and as Apostolic Prefect from 1986 to 1990, and was president of the Catholic Bishops’Conference of Myanmar from 2000 to2006.

In March 1996, Pope St. John Paul IIappointed him bishop of Pathein.

The same ponti raised him to thearchbishopric of Yangon, Myanmar’spremier city, in June 2003. (Raymond

A. Sebastián / CBCP News)

Poverty A1

president of the PontificalCommittee for InternationalEucharistic Congresses.

“Purihin ang Diyos! Daigonang Diyos! (Praise God!)In-deed, this is the day the Lordhas made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it. A year ago as anation, we were blessed bythe visit of our Holy Father.Together with the clergy, I welc ome you to Cebu , thecradle of Christianity in Asiaand the land of San PedroCalungsod,” said Palma.


7/8

A7CBCP Monitor January 25, 2016 Vol. 20, No. 2

Manufactured byFOOD INTERNATIONAL, INC.

FEATURES

The Catholic Church In The Philippines:A Brief Historical Overview

THE ROMAN CATHOLICCHURCH In the Philippines

is a major actor in this South-east Asian island nation as well as within the wider Asianand Universal Church. Thepastoral visit of Pope Fran-cis in 2015 can serve as anopportunity to review thehistory and current situationof the largest local Church in Asia. Statistics in 2015 showthat the Philippine popula-tion has exceeded 100 mil-lion. The ve major religious bodies and their percentageof the local population are:Roman Catholicism (82.9%),Protestantism (5.2%), Islam(4.6%), Iglesia Filipina Inde-pendiente (2.6%), and Iglesiani Cristo (2.3%). The Phil-ippines is the world’s thirdlargest local Church (afterBrazil and Mexico). Of Asia’s120+ million Catholics over60% are Filipinos. These bri ef, yet signif icant, fac tsinvite deeper exploration ofthe multi-faceted PhilippineChurch.

BACKGROUND. ThePhilippine archipelago iscomposed of 7,107 islandsand islets, of which the larg-est are Luzon in the northand Mindanao in the south.In central Philippines thereare several medium-sizedislands known as the Vi-sayan Islands. Stretchingfrom the southwestern tip ofMindanao toward Borneo isa chain of small islands col-lectively known as the Sulu Archipelago. The populationof southwestern Mindanaoand Sulu is predominantlyMuslim.

There is evidence of humansettlements in the islands asearly as 20,000 BC. Thesmall black people, calledNegritos by the Spaniards, were the first to arrive. Laterthey were driven into themountainous interior whenimmigrants belonging to the brown-skinn ed Malay race

a native chieftain of Cebu,resisted Magellan’s claimof Spanish sovereignty, andhe was mortally wounded byLapulapu’s spear thrust. In1565 Miguel Lopez de Legaz-pi established the first per-manent Spanish settlementin Cebu. In 1571 Legazpimoved his headquarters toManila, making it the capitalof the colony. By the end ofthe century, most of the low-lands were under Spanishrule, except for some south-ern islands which remainedMuslim.

Islam had been introducedin the late fourteenth or early

fteenth century. It gradu -ally exercised a strong in u -ence and helped develop atype of sophisticated politicalorganization, semifeudal andpredatory, in Mindanao andSulu and initially in Manila. When the Spaniards encoun-tered Muslims in the Philip-pines their hostile attitudes based on Muslim-Christi anencounters in Europe (thestruggle for independencefrom Moorish rule in theIberian Peninsula) coloredtheir outlook and relations;these very negative attitudes were also transmitted to non-Muslim Filipinos.

SYSTEMATIC CHRIS -TIANIZATION. An orga-nized program of evangeliza-tion of the Philippines was begun in 1565 by the Augus-tinians who accompaniedLegazpi’s expedition. They wer e fol lowe d by Franci s-cans (1578), Jesuits (1581),Dominicans (1587), and Au-gustinian Recollects (1606)from both Spain and Mexico.Manila became a bishopric in1579 and an archbishopricin 1595.

The Spanish system ofthe Patronato Real, or royalpatronage of the Churchin the Indies, facilitatedthe implementation of anevangelization program.Under this arrangement,the Spanish crown gavefinancial support and pro-tection to the Church in thePhilippines while exercisinga large measure of controlover its activities. Mission-aries traveled to the Philip-pines in the king’s ships. Whi le eng aged in mis sio n wo rk , th ey we re en ti tl edto a stipend drawn fromeither the colonial govern-ment directly or from theright to tribute in certainterritories (encomiendas)

into which the country wasinitially divided. The enco-mienda system was gradu-ally abandoned during theseventeenth century after wi des pr ea d cr it ic is m ofextortion and other abuses.

On the other hand, the ap-pointment of missionaries toa parish or mission station was subje ct t o the approvalof the governor as vice-patron. In fact, it was PhilipII himself who determinedthat each missionary groupshould have its own sectionof the country for evange-lization purposes. Underthis system the Church inturn exerted great influenceon government policy. Theearly missionaries oftensought to protect the nativesfrom the abuses of the con-quistadors and encomen-deros; they had a vigorousleader in Fray Domingo deSalazar, OP, the first bishopof the Philippin es. Thesynod that he summonedin 1582 clarified many dif-ficult problems regardingthe conquest, settlement,and administration of thecountry in accordance withChristian ideals and prin-ciples of justice.

The Philippine Church of

the sixteenth century cer-tainly took sides, and it wasnot with the rich and pow-erful nor with their fellowSpaniards, but with those wh o we re op pr es se d an d victims of injustice. Churchhistorian Schumacher notes:“Skeptics have often ques-tioned the reality of therapid conversion of six-teenth-century Filipinos. Ifone wishes the answer, it isto be found right here, thatthe Church as a whole tookthe side of the poor and theoppressed, whether the op-pressors were Spaniards orFilipino principales.”

MISSION METHODS.The Spanish missionariesin the Philippines employeda variety of approaches toevangelization. The scat-tered clan villages weregathered together into largercommunities (pueblos, ca- beceras ); often thi s impli edradical lifestyle changes andhence could only be accom-plished with difficulty and very gradua lly. Instruction was given in native languag-es, as few Filipinos outsidethe Intramuros area of Ma-nila were ever able to read, write, or speak Spanish wi th

There isevidenceof humansettlementsin the islandsas early as20,000 BC. Thesmall blackpeople, calledNegritos bythe Spaniards,were the rst toarrive.

“

any proficiency. In mostmissions primary schoolssupplied the new Christiancommunities with catechistsand local officials. Religion was made to permeate soci -ety by substituting splendidliturgical and paraliturgicalobservances (fiestas, proces-sions, novenas) for the tra-ditional rites and festivals;many pious associationsof prayer and charity wereformed and promoted.

EDUCATION AND SO -

CIAL SERVICES. Thesetasks were almost exclusive-ly the concern of the Churchduring the entire period ofSpanish rule. Before the endof the sixteenth century, Ma-nila had three hospitals, onefor Spaniards, another fornatives, and a third for theChinese. The first two were

The Spanishmissionaries inthe Philippines

employeda variety of

approaches toevangelization.

“

conducted by Franciscans,the third by the Dominicans.Later (1611) the Hospitallersof Saint John of God cameto make hospital work theirspecial field of activity. In1595 the Jesuits opened agrammar school for Spanish boy s tha t lat er deve lop edinto the University of SanIgnacio and had attachedto it the residential collegeof San José, founded in1601 and today the San JoséSeminary.

The year 1611 saw the be-ginnings of the DominicanUniversity of Santo Tomás, which continues today as a vibrant educat ional center .In 1640 the Dominicansalso took charge of the Col-lege of San Juan de Letrán,started about a decade ear-lier by a zealous layman forthe education of orphans. Various religious communi-ties of women establishedthemselves in Manila in theseventeenth and eighteenthcenturies; frequently, theyundertook the education ofgirls. Among these sister-hoods, that begun by Ignaciadel Espírito Santo, a Chinesemestiza, in 1684 and todayknown as the Religious of the Virgin Mary (RVM), deservesspecial mention as the rstlocally founded religiousinstitute, speci cally for in -digenous women.

reached the islands. Todayone finds various hill tribes

such as the Aetas and Ifugaoof Luzon and the Mansakas,Mandayas, and Bukidnon ofMindanao; many of thesepeoples still practice theirtraditional religions. MalayFilipinos occupy the low-lands, constitute the majorityof the population, and have become Christian. They formseveral distinct groups; the Vis ayan, Tagalog, Ilokan o,and Bikolano are among themost numerous.

AR RI VA L OF SP AN -IARDS. In March 1521 Fer-dinand Magellan arrived insearch of spices and con- verts for Charles I (EmperorCharles V); it was his sonPrince Philip, later KingPhilip II, whose name was bestowed on the islands by Villalobos in 1542. Lapulapu,

M A R I A T A N

M A R I A T A N


8/8


Documents

CBCP Monitor Vol. 20 No. 02