country. In the year 1521, the King and Queen of Cebu were baptized
by the Spanish missionaries.
“The natives embraced the Christian faith with considerable ease and
enthusiasm on account of their deep and natural religiosity. Their
initial faith was nurtured by the sacraments, most especially the Holy
Mass, notwithstanding that until the early twentieth century it was
celebrated in a language not understood by the great majority. The
Christianization of this land, realized in a remarkably short span of
time, has made the Philippines the biggest Catholic country — with
more than 80% of our people baptized in the faith — in this part of
the world. Filipino Catholics through the centuries developed a high
regard for the eucharistic celebration.
Humankind needs to hear the message of our hope in Christ Jesus.
“The life and activities of the typical parish, whether of spiritual,
social, or service orientation, are centered on the eucharistic liturgy.
Patronal feasts of towns and villages (barangays) are celebrated with
a multitude of Masses and abundant feasting with food and merrymaking. Marriages, deaths, and the anniversaries thereof are usually
celebrated with the Holy Mass. Indeed, Filipino family and community
events are not complete if not graced by the eucharistic celebration.
. . . The Mass has become perhaps the most familiar religious activity
in Filipino society.
“The liturgical reform of Vatican II has brought about a number of
steps forward in the way Filipinos ce X