Filipinos continue devotions to celebrate 500 years of faith
Filipinos throughout the Archdiocese of Newark continue to celebrate the gift of their Catholic faith by participating in a year-long jubilee pilgrimage marking the 500th Anniversary of the arrival of the Gospel in the Philippines.
At the heart of their pilgrimage is a replica of Ferdinand Magellan’s cross, which he erected during the first Mass in the Philippines on March 31, 1521.
As the cross and statues of Santo Nino de Cebu and Our Lady of Manaoag travel throughout the archdiocese from parish to parish each month, so do hundreds of Filipinos. The cross and statues are currently at St. John the Evangelist Church in Bergenfield until the end of the month.
“It’s generating a certain enthusiasm and interest. I think that’s a good thing,” said Msgr. Richard J. Arnhols, pastor of St. John the Evangelist R.C. Church.
Nearly 300 Filipinos united to attend a special Mass celebrated in their native language on Dec. 5. That’s about twice the number of Catholics who worship at the parish’s monthly Mass in Tagalog.
As part of the archdiocesan jubilee celebration, those who participate in the devotion have their special Pilgrim Passports stamped at different parishes each month. Then, when the pilgrimage concludes in March 2022, passports with at least 10 stamps will be entered into a raffle for the chance to win one of several major prizes.
These prizes are far from the typical church raffle rewards, with two winners receiving a trip to the Holy Land, one winner awarded a visit to the Philippines, and two winners earning free shipping on numerous balikbayan boxes (care packages) they can send to loved ones.
Father JM Manolo A. Punzalan, who organized the jubilee devotions, insists these remarkable gifts are not the true prize of the pilgrimage. The real reward for Filipinos is getting the chance to give thanks for their religion, he said.
“The Philippines is the only Christian country in Asia, so we were really gifted to receive our faith,” said Father Manolo, who is pastor of the Immaculate Conception Church in Mahwah. “I hope people realize how gifted they are to be Catholic and that it strengthens their faith. Where would we be if we weren’t Catholic?”
Father Manolo was recently appointed the coordinator of the Filipino Apostolate of the Archdiocese of Newark and said he is also drawing on this celebration to energize the apostolate beyond March.
“In their new homes, Filipinos faithfully live their Christian faith, often in unassuming and unheralded ways,” wrote Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R., in a letter announcing the year-long jubilee celebration. “They preach the Gospel by their actions. They enrich their parishes with a rich array of beautiful cultural and religious traditions.”
One of those traditions, the Simbang Gabi novena, begins this week. The devotion takes place just before Christmas in the Archdiocese with several parishes hosting a Simbang Gabi novena each day. Another option for the Filipino faithful is to participate in a cross-parish novena in which they pray at a different parish each of the nine days.
St. John the Evangelist Church is one of the churches hosting a Simbang Gabi novena for nine days beginning at 5 a.m. and followed by a light breakfast. The popularity of the devotion typically draws hundreds, Msgr. Richard said.
Filipinos account for one-third of the parish families at St. John the Evangelist Church. Their number is even higher among active parishioners.
In general, the Filipino community has grown rapidly in New Jersey, with about half of the population residing within the four counties of the Archdiocese of Newark, according to census data.
“The rapid growth of the Filipino community is truly extraordinary,” said Msgr. Robert J. Wister, Hist.Eccl.D., a retired professor of church history at Seton Hall University.
Catholicism is a significant aspect of Filipino culture. According to the latest statistics reported by the Pew Research Center in 2015, approximately 76 million Filipinos — about 81 percent of the population — identify as Catholic, making the Philippines the nation with the third-largest Catholic population in the world. Sixty-five percent of Filipino Americans identify as Catholic.
“Our Archdiocese is blessed with thousands of Filipino lay faithful who actively participate
in the life of the Church,” Cardinal Tobin said in his jubilee letter. “Another blessing is the service of 46 Filipino priests who labor in parishes and other ministries.”
Filipinos stand out for their devotional fervor, said Father Manolo. Filipino Catholic practice is unusually material and physical, even among Catholic cultures, built especially on devotions to Mary, the suffering Christ, and the Santo Niño (Holy Child), and on powerful celebratory and penitential rituals practiced and experienced in a wide variety of Filipino vernacular forms.
Feasts like the Black Nazarene, which draws millions to the streets of Manila in January, the Simbang Gabi novena that precedes Christmas, and the month-long Flores de Mayo offering to Mary illustrate distinctively Filipino forms of devotion.
Father Manolo is planning a grand culmination Mass in May for the jubilee at the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark.
“It’s a Mass of thanksgiving for the gift of faith and a challenge to continue living and sharing the faith,” he said.
Father Manolo hopes to further promote the Catholic traditions of the Philippines in his new role as coordinator of the Filipino Apostolate. Among his goals are to help people navigate complex immigration issues. He said that evangelization and faith formation among Filipino families would also be a significant area of focus.
To request a Pilgrim Passport, inquire at one of the participating churches or contact Father Manolo at 973-570-6088 or fr.manolo@iccmahwah.org. Click here to access the full program for the year-long 500th-anniversary celebration, which includes the schedule for when each church will host the Jubilee Cross.
Additional writing and reporting by Sean Quinn.
A woman prays during Ash Wednesday Mass at the National Shrine of Our Mother of Perpetual Help in Manila, Philippines, Feb. 26, 2020, amid the coronavirus pandemic. As the pandemic roars on, church organizers continue with commemorations marking the 500th year of Christianity in the Philippines. (CNS photo/Eloisa Lopez, Reuters)
