“Go out and make disciples…” When Spanish colonizers arrived in Cebu from Mexico in 1565, five priest – missionaries accompanied them. The colonizers had returned to claim the land for Spain. The five Augustinians had come to make disciples for Christ. The Christian faith so touched the lives of the people that their descendants entered the 21 st century as “ Asia’s Christian nation” making an enormous missionary impact on the world. “The Cross and The Sword” When Europe, led by Spain and Portugal, reached out to the world, Colonization and Evangelization went hand in hand. The first missionaries who arrived in Cebu were guided by new civil and church laws which defended the rights of indigenous people and abolished slavery. And they were inspired by the council of Trent which had laid the groundwork for a radical renewal of the Catholic Church. The Augustinians were followed by the Franciscans, Jesuits, Dominicans, and Recollects. Many of them changed the right to conquer, collect taxes, and demand obedience from another people. These turbulent times produced missionary giants, even if a later era was marked by complicity and silence.

450 Years…

The missionaries moved from Cebu to Manila and then to Asia and martyrdom for both themselves and their Filipino companions. Eventually local clergy claimed equality with the Spaniards and inspired their fellow Filipinos to do the same. Three were executed but they had lit a fire which led to revolution and the Spanish withdrawal. Most of the Spanish Friars were expelled: only one third of all priests remained and nationalism led to the birth of Philippine Independent Church.

America replaced Spain as the new colonial power. Filipinos revolted again and were slaughtered – almost 200,000 of them. The people’s dream of independence was shattered.

Global Support

The Catholic faith tradition was then under siege from hostile Masons and Protestants who were mostly intolerant. Nations were torn apart by two World Wars. But the embrace of Global Church restored the pride of the Filipino Catholic Church. Vatican II accelerated that process when it asked all Christians to listen to the pain of the world and become aware of God’s presence in other religious traditions.

Martial Law, while processing social transformation, only increased corruption and oppression. More and more Church people joined the struggle to end the dictatorship, culminating in EDSA. The church in the Philippines ended the century with the PCP II vision of church as a “community of disciples” and a “Church of the poor.”

“Ang hindi marunong lumingon…”

God did not arrive in the Philippines in 1565. God was already here. The story of mission goes back to the Good News as revealed in Jesus, but even earlier since He is “the Word in whom all things were made. The story of creation reveals how God created all things, calling us to care for Life and that God has made, including earth, air, fire and water.

This Exhibition reveals God’s mission – Creation and Redemption – as seen from one window, in the Philippines, in Malate at the beginning of the 21 st century. The story is told visually and simply, in English and Tagalog. It is aimed at adult Filipino Catholics and all who seek God, at a time when we risk not knowing who we are, or where we are going, because we do not know where we have come from.

Features

The Exhibit features popular symbols and their meaning: The Mother, the Child and the Suffering Christ. The struggle for freedom has a special section, as does War and Peace.

The final section is about mission, and mission from, the Philippines; about migration, overseas workers, and missionaries; about the WHO and the WHY and the HOW of a mission in a globalized world. The Audio Visual Room challenges missionary groups to present their stories in a contemporary multi media way. Space is available for their exhibits. Explanatory booklets, texts and souvenirs are also available.