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Philippines Roman Catholicism
The Catholic Church made a remarkable comeback in the
Philippines in the twentieth century, primarily because the
Vatican agreed to divest itself of massive church estates and to
encourage Filipinos to join in the clergy. This resurgence was so
successful that Protestant mission efforts, led by large numbers
of American missionaries during the period of American colonial
rule, made little headway. In the early 1990s, the clergy were
predominantly Filipino, all of the diocesan hierarchy were
Filipino, and the church was supported by an extensive network of
parochial schools.
Catholicism, as practiced in the Philippines in the 1990s,
blended official doctrine with folk observance. In an intensely
personal way, God the Father was worshiped as a father figure and
Jesus as the loving son who died for the sins of each individual,
and the Virgin was venerated as a compassionate mother. In the
words of scholar David J. Steinberg, "This framework established
a cosmic compadrazgo, and an utang na loob to
Christ, for his sacrifice transcended any possible repayment . .
. . To the devout Filipino, Christ died to save him; there could
be no limit to an individual's thanksgiving." As in other
Catholic countries, Filipinos attended official church services
(men usually not as regularly as women) such as Masses, novenas,
baptisms, weddings, and funerals. They supplemented these
official services with a number of folk-religious ceremonies
basic to the community's social and religious calendar and
involving just about everyone in the community.
Perhaps the single event most conducive to community
solidarity each year is the fiesta. Celebrated on the special day
of the patron saint of a town or barangay, the fiesta is a
time for general feasting. Houses are opened to guests, and food
is served in abundance. The fiesta always includes a Mass, but
its purpose is unabashedly social. The biggest events include a
parade, dance, basketball tournament, cockfights, and other
contests, and perhaps a carnival, in addition to much visiting
and feasting.
Christmas is celebrated in a manner that blends Catholic,
Chinese, Philippine, and American customs. For nine days, people
attend misas de gallo (early morning Christmas Mass). They
hang elaborate lanterns (originally patterned after the Chinese
lanterns) and other decorations in their homes and join with
friends in caroling. On Christmas Eve, everyone attends midnight
Mass, the climax of the misas de gallo and the year's high
point of church attendance. After the service, it is traditional
to return home for a grand family meal. The remaining days of the
Christmas season are spent visiting kin, especially on New Year's
Day and Epiphany, January 6. The Christmas season is a time of
visiting and receiving guests. It is also a time for reunion with
all types of kin--blood, affinal, and ceremonial. Children
especially are urged to visit godparents.
During the Lenten season, most communities do a reading of
the Passion narrative and a performance of a popular Passion
play. The custom of reading or chanting of the Passion could be
an adaptation of a pre-Spanish practice of chanting lengthy
epics, but its continuing importance in Philippine life probably
reflects the popular conception of personal indebtedness to
Christ for His supreme sacrifice. At least one observer has
suggested that Filipinos have, through the Passion, experienced a
feeling of redemption that has been the basis for both millennial
dreams and historical revolutionary movements for independence.
Data as of June 1991
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