500 years of Christianity in Philippines a time to celebrate, recommit, evangelize

It may seem unusual to celebrate the anniversary of colonizers landing in the Philippines in 1521, but 500 years later Filipino Catholics are eager to mark the historic occasion.

Deacon Greg Barcelon, head of Filipino Ministry in the Archdiocese of Vancouver, said while the Catholic faith of the Spanish explorers and colonizers was likely first seen as an imposition of foreign culture, the nation has come to truly embrace Catholicism as its own.

“We know what we received through all those 500 years relative to our faith: strong and deep up to today,” he said.

The year 2021 marks 500 years since that first contact. Today, it’s estimated about 80 per cent of Filipinos are Catholic (92 per cent are Christian).

“It is a time to celebrate God’s marvelous works in our humble people,” said Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples and former archbishop of Manila, in a video message. “Like the Blessed Virgin Mary, behold how God in his goodness has done great things for us, not because we are the greatest of nations or peoples, but because God loves us and shows his mercy to us.”

Cardinal Tagle called the Christian faith a “gift” that passed down through generations and shaped a nation.

“This is a time also to recommit ourselves to the gift of faith, to receive Jesus again, to receive His word, his presence, his person ... to bear the cross of others. We need to recommit ourselves to the faith, to act on it, and to be sorry to our failures in living out the faith in a consistent manner,” he said.

“The gift that we received we should not keep to ourselves. We should share the gift, and let it continue being a gift and show the world they don’t have to fear Jesus and the Christian faith. Show the world that the Christian faith can make a person truly human and, in our case, truly Filipino.”

Bishops in the Philippines have chosen the theme “Gifted to Give” for the anniversary. Rosette Correa, a member of Vancouver’s Filipino ministry, considers it a worthy choice.

“As people of faith, the theme reminds us of how we have taken this gift, nurtured it throughout the centuries, and spread it to the world by sharing it with others wherever we go,” she said.

In 2016, Filipinos made up the third largest visible minority in B.C.

“As migrants, the Filipino diaspora in the different corners of the world have been instrumental to sharing this faith.”

The archdiocese’s Filipino Ministry had started planning a huge anniversary event, including renting out a Vancouver stadium and providing hours of music, entertainment, and celebration for the anniversary back in 2019. But the COVID-19 pandemic that began shortly thereafter put their plans into perspective.

“We now realize how [the pandemic] has further marginalized millions of people in the Philippines, who were even before the pandemic no longer able to eat three decent meals a day,” said Deacon Barcelon. He could not reconcile that with their plans to spend tens of thousands of dollars on a single venue in a single day.

Instead, he is launching a series of quarterly events featuring the talents of local Filipino Catholics, with a call for donations to Caritas Philippines.

“Join us in exploring what it really means to be gifted and in the process live lives of wanton generosity. On top of that, be the new creation that Christ died for us to be, hopefully making the years ahead better than how our ancestors lived their giftedness in the last 500 years,” he said.

The April 16 event, called “Salamat” (meaning thank you), will be held online and in English so anyone can participate. The next events are scheduled for July 9, Sept. 17, and Dec. 10.

The community has also already celebrated a Mass in thanksgiving for the anniversary and held a few contests, including a song-writing contest for the theme song for the year’s celebrations.

To mark this historic milestone, The B.C. Catholic is partnering with the Filipino Ministry to tell stories and personal reflections on Filipino Catholic life and service throughout the year. Watch for special features each month.

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