Newark diocese to cap celebration of 500 years of PH Christianity

Hundreds of Filipino Catholics followed a replica of the Jubilee Cross, along with statues of Santo Nino de Cebu and Our Lady of Manaoag, as they traveled to parishes throughout the Archdiocese of Newark for the Archdiocese’s year-long celebration of 500 years of Christianity in the Philippines. (Photo: Archdiocese of Newark)

NEWARK, New Jersey – The Archdiocese of Newark’s year-long celebration of the 500th anniversary of Christianity in the Philippines will conclude with a cultural procession and celebratory Mass at Newark’s Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart on Sunday, May 1, at 2 p.m. Traditional Filipino attire is welcomed.

The festivities will begin with a massive procession meant to embody the pageantry that is a hallmark of Filipino Catholic worship. This procession will include parishioners from each of the Archdiocese’s four counties — Bergen, Essex, Hudson, and Union.

They will carry items representing some of the Philippines’ many Catholic traditions like Simbang Gabi and the Sinulog-Santo Niño Festival. Additionally, 500 children will offer flowers to the Blessed Virgin Mary in honor of the Flores de Mayo devotion held each May.

Following the procession, Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R., archbishop of Newark, will preside over a liturgy commemorating the first Mass celebrated in the Philippines on March 31, 1521.

This liturgy will feature performances from the 130-member Filipino Apostolate choir, which will sing significant songs from Filipino Catholic history. Bags containing Filipino food will be distributed afterward.

“It is very important to celebrate the 500th anniversary because our faith is a central part of our lives,” said Father JM Manolo A. Punzalan, director of the archdiocesan Filipino Apostolate, referring to the fact that the most recent Pew Research Center statistics showed 81 percent of Filipinos identify as Catholic.

“You can go to a church anywhere in the world and find Filipinos there,” Punzalan added. “We’re very active in the Church because we were gifted with our faith, and now we want to share it with everyone. We were a mission area, and now we’re the missionaries. That’s a reason to celebrate.”

The Archdiocese’s year-long celebration launched on the actual 500th anniversary of the Gospel’s arrival in the Philippines — March 31, 2021 — with a commemorative Mass at St. Joseph Church in Lodi, followed by a Jubilee Mass at St. Aloysius Church in Jersey City that April.

Hundreds of Filipino Catholics then followed a replica of the Jubilee Cross, which Ferdinand Magellan erected at the Philippines’ first Mass, as it traveled to parishes throughout the Archdiocese every month for the past year. Along the way, those who participated in the pilgrimage experienced a different Filipino faith tradition at each host church.

The once-dormant Filipino Apostolate has been revived under Punzalan’s leadership. Up next, the Apostolate will raffle off a trip to the Holy Land and several other prizes to people who participated in the Jubilee Cross pilgrimage. A picnic at Liberty State Park, guest speaker presentations, and other faith-based events are also planned.

“Filipinos have our own brand of Catholicism,” Punzalan said. “We have a lot of religious traditions and popular piety that are not in many American churches. We’re not making a separate Church from the Archdiocese; we’re actually looking to enhance how Filipinos live their parish life by encouraging them to become more active.”

There are an estimated 67,740 Filipinos living within the Archdiocese of Newark, according to 2017 U.S. Census Bureau data. The Filipino Apostolate aims to connect those who are Catholic through spiritual programs, fun gatherings, and social justice initiatives. To learn more about the Apostolate, visit its Facebook page.