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Popular devotion in the Philippines presents some features which demand bodily suffering that can reach an extreme extent like flagellations, the yearly “transfer” of the Black Nazarene of Quiapo in Manila, and the crucifixions in Pampanga.
The life of the Filipino villages and parishes is built around the “Fiesta”, a yearly celebration of the Patron Saint which includes the preparations, the solemn Mass, the procession with the images of the Saint, the cooking, and the hospitality.
The love of the Filipino people for the Blessed Virgin Mary is well-known and gives origin to devotional practices like “Simbang Gabi” and “Flores de Mayo”. But the most evident feature is the existence of the Marian shrines and their role in the history and the life of the nation.
Christianity has spread education everywhere. The University of Santo Tomas (UST), the first university of its kind in Asia, the Ateneo de Manila, La Salle, San Beda and many others, have been and are part of the life of the Philippines as a nation.
The acceptance of Christianity is evident in the festivals which show the popular response to it as an invitation to joy and celebration. In them, faith becomes culture.
The second wave of pioneers saw the arrival of the Jesuits, the Dominicans, and the Recollects. On the whole, the population accepted Catholicism, settled down, and engaged in agriculture, trade, and education.
The evangelization of the Philippines came together with the Spanish occupation as the proclaimed purpose of the colonizers. The pioneers of the Gospel in the country were five religious orders.
On March 16, 1521, Magellan and his Spanish fleet arrived in the Philippines. The first Mass was celebrated at Limasawa. The newly baptized Queen Juana received the statue of the Santo Niño, like the seed of faith. It was the birth of Christianity in this country.
A few months before the 500th anniversary of Christianity in the country, the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) has determined that Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan and his Spanish contingent held the first mass in Limasawa, Southern Leyte.
When he is not busy in his ministry, Fr. Roneil Canillas travels around Eastern Samar to take photos of birds, which he calls “indicators of our environment’s integrity.”
