Catholicism came to the Philippines with the European discovery of the archipelago. The explorer Ferdinand Magellan set foot on the islands in 1521 and planted the cross on the island of Cebu, cradle of Christianity in the Philippines.

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“The conquest of the Philippines,” the Dominican historian Fr. Lucio Gutierrez explains, “was due fundamentally not to the sword of the conquistador but to the cross of the missionary … it was the missionaries’ zeal and charity that brought the Filipinos into the fold of the Church.”

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By the close of the 17th century the faith had blossomed in full as Filipinos yearned for a deeper religious life. Historian Schumacher considers this the “golden age” in the life of the Philippine Church, as it saw the emergence of the beaterios (mystical communities of the lay folk as described by writer Nick Joaquin), and the Filipino clergy.

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The friars were not without defects. By the 18th century, the parishes had become too dependent on the missionary orders, stunting the development of native priests. The bishops at first attempted to break the hold of the friars by asserting their visitation rights over the parishes. The friars, of course, resisted another layer of authority and wanted to be answerable solely to their religious superiors.

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The friars were not without defects. By the 18th century, the parishes had become too dependent on the missionary orders, stunting the development of native priests. The bishops at first attempted to break the hold of the friars by asserting their visitation rights over the parishes. The friars, of course, resisted another layer of authority and wanted to be answerable solely to their religious superiors.

READ MORE