500 Years of Christianity (Part 2)

Why are we celebrating?

Evangelization came to a halt in 1521 because the Spaniards left when Magellan was killed. It began again in 1556 when Legaspi returned to Cebu. The 2021 Society of St. Paul’s 365 Days with the Lord book has a very nice article by Fr. Gil Alinsangan about this celebration. He quoted Redemptorist Fr. Amador Picardal, “The Church and Christianity is an integral part of Philippine history and culture. It is not just ecclesial celebration. It also celebrate of what we are as a people and as a nation. Without the arrival of Magellan and the Spanish missionaries, there would not have been the Philippines. So let us give thanks for the blessing”.

The Church in Poland celebrated their 1000 years (966 AD – 1966) of evangelization by preparing a 9 year program starting 1957 and ending on 1966. The CBCP used the Polish format beginning 2013 to 2021. Each year had a different theme. Thus, 2013 Integral Faith formation; 2014 the Laity; 2015 the Poor; 2016 the Eucharist and Family; 2017 the Parish as a Communion of communities; 2018 Clergy & Religious; 2019 the Youth; 2020 Ecumenism, Inter Religious dialogue and Indigenous People; 2021 Mission to the Nations. The logo of the 500th Anniversary celebration contains the theme “Gifted to Give”, based on St. Matthew’s gospel where Jesus Christ commissioned the 12 apostles to proclaim the Good News.

The first mass in the Philippines was made in Limasawa, Samar on Easter Sunday, March 31, 1521. On March 31, 2021, all the churches masses nationwide will recall the 500th year of Christianity and the first mass in Limasawa. The first baptism in the Philippines. in Cebu on April 14, 1521 will be celebrated by the baptism of 500 children at the Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño in Cebu City on April 14, 2021. Cebu being the birthplace of Catholicism of our nation has the four (4) oldest Catholic relics, namely, the Sto. Niño statue which was rediscovered on April 27, 1565; the Ecce Homo image which was found in the cave of Rajah Humabon; the Birhen sa Cota sa Sugbo which was found floating in a well in Ft. San Pedro between 1572-1575; and the Magellan Cross which is said to be from 1565.

There are more than 150 nations. 50% or more of the people of about 20 nations are Catholics. Brazil’s population is 212 million and about 150 million are Catholics. Mexico has 127 million+ people with about 100 million Catholics. The third biggest Catholic nation in the world and the biggest in Asia is the Philippines with about 80 million Catholics out of 110 million people. The 2021 theme Mission to the Nations is meaningful for us. In the early 1980’s, we started sending priests-missionaries to the South Pacific Islands. Digo’s Bishop Afable was among the missionaries. He said their badge of honor was malaria which all missionaries contracted in Papau New Guinea, Rabaul, etc.

In 1981, St. Pope John Paul II came here. In 2017, Pope Francis visited us. I believed then that the Pope would return in 2021 for the 500th anniversary. However, the ways of the Lord are different from our ways. The 2019 COVID pandemic reduced the 500th anniversary celebrations but we are sure that the Lord has very good plans for us in connection with the 500th anniversary.

Hopefully, we can make pilgrimages to Cebu to the Shrines of the Sto. Niño, the Ecce Homo, Birhen sa Cota sa Sugbo and Magellan’s Cross. Maybe we can visit Manila’s Intramuros to visit the Cathedral of the first diocese in our nation and in Southeast Asia. If not for COVID 19, we would have had extensive colorful exhibits and interesting conferences hosted by the first five (5) orders who evangelized our nation: Augustinians (1565), Franciscans (1571), Jesuits (1581), Dominicans (1587) and Recollects (1606). Expectedly, the Most popular song in Cebu from March 16 to April 27, 2021 will be Yoyoy Villame’s “March 16, 1521, the Philippines was discovered by Magellan.”