Archdiocese to celebrate 500 years of Christianity in the Philippines
Cardinal Tobin to preside over anniversary Mass following cultural procession
The Archdiocese of Newark’s year-long celebration of the 500th anniversary of Christianity in the Philippines will conclude with a cultural procession and joyous Mass at Newark’s Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart on Sunday, May 1, at 2 p.m. Traditional Filipino attire is welcomed.
The festivities will begin with a massive procession meant to embody the pageantry that is a hallmark of Filipino Catholic worship. This procession will include parishioners from each of the Archdiocese’s four counties — Bergen, Essex, Hudson, and Union — who will walk in carrying items representing some of the Philippines’ many Catholic traditions like Simbang Gabi and the Sinulog-Santo Niño Festival. Additionally, 500 children will offer flowers to the Blessed Virgin Mary in honor of the Flores de Mayo devotion held each May.
Following the procession, Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R., archbishop of Newark, will preside over a liturgy commemorating the first Mass celebrated in the Philippines on March 31, 1521. This liturgy will feature performances from the 130-member Filipino Apostolate choir, which will sing significant songs from Filipino Catholic history. Bags containing Filipino food will be distributed afterward.
“It is very important to celebrate the 500th anniversary because our faith is a central part of our lives,” said Father JM Manolo A. Punzalan, director of the archdiocesan Filipino Apostolate, in reference to the fact that the most recent Pew Research Center statistics showed 81 percent of Filipinos identify as Catholic. “You can go to a church anywhere in the world and find Filipinos there. We’re very active in the Church because we were gifted with our faith, and now we want to share it with everyone. We were a mission area, and now we’re the missionaries. That’s a reason to celebrate.”
The Archdiocese’s year-long celebration launched on the actual 500th anniversary of the Gospel’s arrival in the Philippines — March 31, 2021 — with a commemorative Mass at St. Joseph Church in Lodi, followed by a Jubilee Mass at St. Aloysius Church in Jersey City that April. Hundreds of Filipino Catholics then followed a replica of the Jubilee Cross, which Ferdinand Magellan erected at the Philippines’ first Mass, as it traveled to parishes throughout the Archdiocese every month for the past year. Along the way, those who participated in the pilgrimage experienced a different Filipino faith tradition at each host church.
And now that the once-dormant Filipino Apostolate has been revived under Father Punzalan’s leadership, there will be many more opportunities to unite the Filipino Catholic community. Up next, the Apostolate will raffle off a trip to the Holy Land and several other prizes to people who participated in the Jubilee Cross pilgrimage. A picnic at Liberty State Park, guest speaker presentations, and other faith-based events are also planned.
“Filipinos have our own brand of Catholicism,” Father Punzalan said. “We have a lot of religious traditions and popular piety that are not in many American churches. So, we needed to bring back the Apostolate because we needed an organization that will make sure the Filipinos’ faith and spirituality are being acknowledged. We’re not making a separate Church from the Archdiocese; we’re actually looking to enhance how Filipinos live their parish life by encouraging them to become more active.”
There are an estimated 67,740 Filipinos living within the Archdiocese of Newark, according to 2017 U.S. Census Bureau data. The Filipino Apostolate aims to connect those who are Catholic through spiritual programs, fun gatherings, and social justice initiatives. To learn more about the Apostolate, visit its Facebook page.
Featured image: Worshippers light candles during a traditional procession on Easter outside the St. Peter Parish Shrine of Leaders in Quezon City, Philippines, April 17, 2022. (CNS photo/Lisa Marie David, Reuters)
