Gifted to Give: A Journey of Faith Conference Celebrating 500 Years of Christianity in the Philippines

On the historic milestone of the 500 years anniversary of Christianization in the Philippines, the Filipino Ministry of the Archdiocese of San Francisco is inviting you in a special way to join us in “A Journey of Faith Conference” to be held Saturday, July 31st, at 9:00 AM.  The conference will be followed by a Thanksgiving Mass at the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption at 11:30 AM.  REGISTER NOW to participate.  The conference will be open to both virtual and in-person attendees.  Please register early if you wish to attend in person. 

Four dynamic Catholic leaders have been invited to participate in a Journey of Faith conference.  The conference speakers include Bishop Pablo Virgilio David,  president-elect of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) and the bishop of the Diocese of Kalookan in the Philippines, who will speak on the “Historical Perspective of the 500 Years of Christianity.”  Father Ricky Manalo, a prominent composer and author, will speak on “A Treasured Presence: Filipino Catholics in America.”  Chris Mariano, who heads the Youth and Young Adults Ministry in the Archdiocese of San Francisco, will discuss the “Challenges faced by Filipino-American youths and young adults in practicing their faith in today’s secular environment.”

Immediately following the conference is a prelude choir music leading to the Mass of Thanksgiving to be celebrated in the Cathedral at 11:30 AM.  Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone will be the celebrant and to concelebrate with him is Bishop Oscar Solis, the first Filipino-American bishop in the United States and the bishop of the Diocese of Salt Lake City. Bishop Solis will also be the homilist and he will reflect on the “Missionary Role of Filipino Catholics in the New Era of Evangelization.”

In a recent homily delivered by Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone, he extolled the top things important to Filipinos:  faith, family, friends, and food.  Five centuries after the arrival of Christianity in the Philippines, faith and family remain top priorities to Filipinos in the Philippines and Filipino-Americans.  Prior to the Spanish colonization of the Philippines, everything centered in and around the family.   Early attempts by the Spanish missionaries to spread Catholicism in the Philippines were not fully successful until local chieftains embraced the faith and encouraged families to be baptized as they believed baptism could cure disease and physical ailments.  Five hundred years later, the Catholic faith remain the heart and institutional foundation of Filipino society, both in the Philippines and in diaspora.

The deep love for family motivates Filipinos to make tremendous sacrifices for the greater good of the family.  Many Filipinos leave their homeland in search of better opportunities abroad, enduring long-term separation from their loved ones.  And it is their Catholic faith that sustains them and keeps their hopes alive for reunification with their family at some point in their life. Filipinos are the largest diaspora population in the world, and the United States is their top destination.  Filipino-Americans in the Archdiocese of San Francisco and in dioceses across the country have the highest rate of church attendance.  In many ways, Filipinos are the vital force in their parishes, volunteering or doing whatever their parish needs or asks of them.  They have epitomized the “Gifted to Give” theme adopted by the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) to highlight the missionary role of the Filipinos — to bring and share their faith they were given wherever they go.  

Please click here to read about the historical milestones that led to the Christianization of the Philippines.