400 Filipino priests converge on Newark Cathedral for celebration of faithful, vibrant culture (Photos/video)

Hundreds of Filipino priests from across the U.S. came together in the Archdiocese of Newark last week for discussion and prayer as part of the National Association of Filipino Priests’ (NAFP-USA) Fourth Assembly. The assembly culminated with a procession combining many fiestas of the Philippines and a Mass with Archbishop Gabriele Caccia, D.D., Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, on Thursday, Oct. 26.

The Filipino assembly – which coincided with Filipino American History Month — was on a “synodal journey” and discussed how “journeying together” should be done through the theme “Communion, Participation, and Mission,” the same topic the bishops assembled in Rome discussed over the past month.

According to the Association, more than 800 Filipino priests are serving the U.S. Church in various dioceses and Catholic institutions. Those gathered for the assembly and Mass were excited to celebrate their faith in unity, said Father JM Manolo A. Punzalan, program director for the NAFP-USA’s Fourth Assembly and director of the Archdiocese of Newark’s Filipino Apostolate.

“Our faith is our oxygen,” said Father Punzalan, who said this assembly was the first gathering of its kind in the New York City area. “Our lives revolve around our religious practice, and our religion is a refuge for us when life gets hard. So, it will be nice to celebrate our devotion. And since many of us are immigrants, this is a chance to catch up with priests we knew back in the Philippines.”

The Oct. 26 Mass began with the nearly 400 priests processing into the Cathedral Basilica dressed in white chasubles designed specifically for the event. The front of the chasuble featured the letters “JHS”, which stands for “Jesus Hominum Salvator,” or “Jesus, Savior of Mankind.” The back of the garment featured the assembly logo, which symbolized the unity among Filipino clergy.

A roughly two-hour cultural procession then took place, starting with the narrator giving a history lesson on Catholicism in the Philippines.

According to tradition, Ferdinand Magellan was the first European to come to the Philippines on March 16, 1521. Just 15 days later on Easter Sunday, the first Mass was celebrated on the small island of Limasawa. That year the first Filipino Catholics received their gift of faith. Magellan planted a cross there to signify this important event about the propagation of the Roman Catholic faith.

“The conquest of the Philippines was due fundamentally not to the sword of the conquistador, but to the cross of the missionary. It was the missionary’s zeal and charity that brought the Filipinos into the fold of the Church,” the narrator said.

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As the procession continued, the Cathedral Basilica came alive in color as Filipinos began marching in dressed in cultural attire and carrying representations of the many festivals and the saints of the Philippines, especially their love of Mary “Pueblo Amante de Maria.”

“While fiesta season spans throughout the year, it is safe to say that there is at least one major festival happening throughout the country at any given week,” the narrator said.

During the Marian procession part of the larger parade, devotees followed behind statues of Our Mother of Perpetual Help, Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary, and Our Lady of Piat. A Semana Santa procession was then held with a man dressed as Jesus carrying a cross on his back down the center aisle. In the Philippines, the narrator explained, Filipinos also publicly whip themselves and have their feet and hands nailed to a wooden cross during Semana Santa.

*Prayer dance honoring Señor Santo Niño, or the Child Jesus*.

The procession included a Salubong ritual, which reenacted the meeting between Jesus Christ and His mother, Mary, after His resurrection. It also contained a reenactment of two May traditions, Flores De Mayo and Santacruzan. Flores de Mayo is celebrated with daily flower offerings to Mary, and Santacruzan is a religious-historical beauty pageant held to commemorate the discovery of the Holy Cross that, as believed, was made by Saint Helena and her son Constantine. Constantine became the first Christian Roman Emperor.

Additionally, the procession featured a parol – a star-shaped lantern considered the most iconic symbol of the Filipino Christmas spirit—and a parade highlighting 14 faithful Filipino Catholics declared saints, blessed, venerable, or servants of God.

Finally, the procession acknowledged Sinulog, the Philippines’ largest festival held in January that features a ritual prayer dance honoring Señor Santo Niño, or the Child Jesus. The tradition is a symbol of the birth of Catholicism in the Philippines more than 500 years ago, when Ferdinand Magellan gifted an image of the Baby Jesus to a Filipino ruler’s wife after the couple converted to Christianity. Filipinos bring their statues of the Baby Jesus to church for a blessing each year.

“We, Filipinos, stand out for our religious devotion,” the narrator said. “Our broad range of Catholic devotional practices are characteristically sacramental. They are usually connected with especially venerated images of Jesus, Mary, and the saints. Our towns’ and cities’ patron saints are powerfully celebratory.”

The celebrations and traditions have also sustained Filipinos’ faith and community as they faced the many challenges of living and working abroad.

“We draw courage and consolation from participating in the year-round religious activities sponsored by Filipino chaplaincies and apostolates,” the narrator said.

During his homily, Archbishop Caccia reflected on his tenure as Pope Francis’ Apostolic Nuncio in the Philippines from 2017 to 2019, recalling that the Filipino Catholics he met were just as warm to him than the always-humid Filipino climate. He also expressed gratitude for getting the chance to speak before so many Filipino priests.

“It is a joy being with you all today,” Archbishop Caccia said. “I remember I celebrated a Mass in the Philippines where young people went out into the sea after and put floating candles in the water to symbolize the light of faith. You priests are all the light because you go and tell the good news to everyone in all parts of the world. It is important to understand that to be a disciple is to be a missionary.”

In 2021, the most recent year for which data are available from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, 2 million Filipino immigrants resided in the United States, representing more than 4% of all 45.3 million U.S. immigrants. The Newark area is home to 152,000 Filipinos, who make up 1% of the population. About 65% of Filipinos are Catholics, according to Pew Research Center.

To engage this population, the archdiocesan Filipino Apostolate offers spiritual programs, enjoyable gatherings, and social justice initiatives. In 2022, the apostolate celebrated the 500th anniversary of Christianity in the Philippines by hosting a yearlong pilgrimage in which participants followed a replica of the nation’s famed Jubilee Cross to parishes with high Filipino populations. It all culminated in a celebratory Mass at the Cathedral Basilica that was attended by hundreds of Filipino Catholics.

“Our way of holiness, Landas ng Kabanalan, is unabashedly physical, emotional, fully human,” the narrator said. “We brought our religious devotions to the countries where we have migrated. Our religious practices and feasts have been instrumental in gathering us into dynamic ecclesial communities.”

The Cathedral Basilica’s event is one of several that occurred during the NAFP-USA’s Fourth Assembly, which ran from Oct. 24-27. Other happenings included a Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City and a presentation delivered by Auxiliary Bishop Michael A. Saporito on the topic “Priesthood in a Synodal Church.”