The Mission Society Of The Philippines: The Living Memorial Of The Filipino Gratitude To God For The Gift Of Christianity

One of the most treasured Filipino values is “Utang na Loob” or debt of gratitude. A favor that we received after every possible means had been exhausted, when we are at the end of the road and at the point of no return, absolutely makes us indebted to the giver for the rest of our life. In other words, we will be grateful forever.

On the occasion of the fourth centennial celebration of Christianization in the Philippines in 1965 which was held in Cebu, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) established the Mission Society of the Philippines as an act of gratitude to God for the gift of faith. As the official missionary arm of the Catholic Church, the MSP envisions that Christian faith be shared by all especially the peoples of Asia. Following the missionary mandate of Christ to “go out to all the world and make disciples to all nations” (Mt 28: 19-20), the MSP fulfills it by sending missionaries to different parts of the world. To date, the MSP is working in Asia particularly in Thailand which is the oldest mission of the MSP, Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea. In Oceania, the MSP missionaries are working in Papua New Guinea, Cook Islands, New Zealand, Australia, and Tuvalu which is the Mission Sui Iuris territory. In North America, the MSP works at the United States of America and Canada. And the Middle East, we are working in the United Arab Emirates and Oman. Many other mission countries are requesting for mission personnel in their dioceses and territories but due to the scarcity of priests we simply could not possibly accept the invitation. This is one of the reasons why MSP welcomes the Diocesan Priests who wanted to join the Associate Program. It also offers every diocesan priest an opportunity to renew his commitment to the priesthood by serving in the mission. Consequently, the great demands for more missionaries will be accorded to and the existing MSP mission areas are filled up and strengthened. The foundation of MSP therefore, transforms the Catholic Church in the Philippines from being a receiving Church to a Mission sending Church.

The recently concluded celebration of the Five Hundred Years of Christianity in the Philippines had his thrust, “Gifted to Give”. This most valued gift of faith which the Philippines as a nation has abundantly received and embraced, impelled us to go out through all the earth to joyfully and gratefully share it with our Brothers and Sisters regardless of racial, cultural, religious and socio-economic differences. Aware of the necessity to take care of the pastoral needs of the Filipino Migrants, the MSP made a bold step to amend its constitution to include the provision for Migrants Apostolate in the countries where MSP is working. This is to acknowledge the contribution of the Filipino Migrants in the missionary work of the church through their faithful Christian living and witnessing. Thus, they become our mission partners in sharing the gift of faith as “OFW—Overseas Faith Workers.”

No less than St. Pope John Paul II recognized this pride of the Filipino nation during his visit on 17 of February 1981, he said that “the Philippine nation is deserving of particular honor since, from the beginning of its Christianization, from the moment that Magellan planted the Cross in Cebu four hundred and sixty years ago, on April 15, 1521, all through the centuries, its people have remained true to their Christian faith. In an achievement that remains unparalleled in history, the message of Christ took root in the hearts of the people within a very brief span of time, and the church was thus strongly implanted in this nation of seven thousand islands and numerous tribal and ethnic communities.” It is however, no longer just our pride and honor to have been given such recognition and to be the only predominantly Christian nation in Asia but becomes our responsibility to be in the forefront missionary undertaking and evangelization in Asia and the different parts of the world.

To continually sustain the MSP’s work of evangelization, the CBCP institutionalized the Annual celebration of Filipino Mission Sunday every last Sunday of July. Through this activity, the Filipino Catholic faithful are made aware of their Christian duty and responsibility to take an active role in the missionary activity of the church through Prayers and Sacrifices, by responding to the missionary challenge as missionary themselves, and by their material offerings. All Catholic churches in the Philippines are required to take the second collection aside from the distribution of mission envelopes whose proceeds are to be remitted to the MSP Central Office. Indeed, by virtue of our baptism and as members of the Catholic Church whose very nature is missionary, we all are missionaries of the Lord Jesus.

Come join us and be our grateful and joyful mission partners forever in the vineyard of the Lord! Happy Filipino Mission Sunday! (Fr. Alfredo G. Africa Jr., MSP | Bursar General | MSP- Mindanao Promotion Director)