The Christian faith lives

When the Jesuit Pope Francis arrives in Tacloban City, he will be met by thousands of Catholic faithful from different parishes in the six dioceses in Leyte and Samar. How meaningful is this visit! For the seeds of the Christian faith were first planted by Jesuit missionaries in the two islands exactly 420 years ago.

In 1595, four Jesuits led by Fr. Pedro Chirino, the famed historian, opened their first mission in Carigara, Leyte. The following year, Jesuit missionaries sailed for Samar with no predetermined place to go. The winds brought them to Tinago (now Dapdap in Tarangnan) in Samar. The first to evangelize on the island was a namesake of the present Pope, Fr. Francisco de Otazo, who came with Brothers Bartolome Martes and Domingo Alonso. In 1597, the missionaries founded the mission in Ormoc with Fr. Alonzo Rodriguez and Fr. Leonardo Scelsi.

The Jesuit missionaries established mission centers and residencias in Dulag, Carigara, in Leyte, and Tinago and Catubig in Samar, and from there, they spread the Catholic faith sailing on small balotos on the rough seas, but traveling mostly on foot, crossing mountains, rivers and swamps in crudely made rafts—to preach, baptize, and catechize about the Christian religion and minister to the sick. In no time, thousands were baptized and accepted the faith.

The instruction to the missionaries of Fr. Raymundo del Prado, the vice provincial of the Jesuits, remains relevant today: “Let them not put their care in that as many as possible are baptized, but rather that those who are baptized are ready for it and lead Christian lives, and even though few give good example to the people. Make sure of two things: that those whom you baptize are well instructed in the truths of our holy faith, firmly believe them, and are convinced of the error of idolatry; and that they have formed real attachment to the Christian way of life.”

The Jesuits began their missionary work with an earnest study of the local language. They wrote books on the Bisayan language (now known as Waray). Fr. Domingo Esguerra wrote the “Arte de la Lengua de Bisaya de la Provincia de Leyte,” which was published in 1663. Fr. Mateo Sanchez wrote the “Vocabulario de la Lengua Bisaya,” which was published in 1711. Its only copy is in the British Museum.

Fr. Francisco Ignacio Alcina wrote a manual in the Bisayan language, “Devocion Exercios Christianos en Lengua Bisaya Para Instruccion de los Hermanos Bisayas Congregantes de los Congregaciones de la Virgen Maria,” printed in his lifetime and reprinted in 1703.

When the Jesuits started their evangelization work in Samar and Leyte, they had three special targets: the datus, the women, and the youth. Many followed the example of the converted datus, while the women were observed to have “taken an interest in sacred things and were more seldom absent from the village.” To the young, the Jesuits gave their special attention. They established schools for children, teaching them catechism as well as reading and writing. They believed that nurturing the children would secure the future of the Christian faith. Indeed!

The Jesuits took notice of the abilities of the Bisayan youth. In Samar, Otazo said: “I am amazed at their ability to absorb what they are taught. I have often considered how they would measure up to Spanish boys, and it seems to me that European children are by no means their superiors in understanding and judgment…”

And so, they established the first seminaries in Leyte and Samar for a more thorough training of boys. The first seminario de Indios was established in Dulag, Leyte. It was a boarding school for the native youth who were taught the Christian doctrine in the Bisayan language, as well as reading, writing, vocal and instrumental music, and handicrafts. The students attended Mass daily and recited the rosary in the evening. A similar boarding school was established in Paranas in Samar. From among these products of the seminarios, they selected a few to be catechists to help the Jesuit missionaries.

The missionaries also built the towns that we know today. They effected a policy of reduccion that brought together small settlements scattered along the mountains, coasts and rivers under their bells. The small visitas they had established were aggregated into pueblos. In 1616, when the residencia at Tinago (now Tarangan) was burned by Moro pirates, the Jesuits transferred their mission center to Catbalogan, and the town became the cabecera of the whole island.

The Jesuits erected churches in Catbalogan, Basey, Guiuan, Sulat, Palapag, Dulag, Carigara, Borongan and Palo. Still standing today are the Capul church dedicated to St. Ignatius de Loyola and the Basey church dedicated to St. Michael the Archangel. Typhoon “Yolanda” totally destroyed the beautiful church in Guiuan, and also partly

destroyed the Palo church.

The missionaries’ work was constantly threatened by “Moro raiders” (Joloanons, Maguindanaos, Camucones and Caragas). The raiders usually came during the harvest season and devastated the towns (now larger than before), burned the churches, carted off their properties, and took men and women to be sold in the slave markets in Borneo.

The Jesuits in Samar and Leyte led frugal lives. They received from the colonial government an annual allowance of 100 pesos and 100 fanegas of rice, which came always late and were never given in full. This was not enough to keep body and soul together considering that all their mission expenses were to be paid from it. And they were not permitted to receive any donations or fees for their ministries. Their superiors required them to pay for all services received, never asking the people for free labor. To meet their needs, they engaged in small enterprises

In 1768, the Jesuits were expelled from all Spanish territories including the Philippines. By then, there were many pueblos established in Samar and Leyte. The Franciscans took over the administration of the parishes in Samar in 1768, while the Augustinian fathers administered Leyte.

And now, 420 years later, the Christian faith planted and nurtured by the Jesuit missionaries lives on. The faithful eagerly await the Jesuit Pope bless our devastated land and the poor but tenacious and joyful people of Samar and Leyte.

Charo Nabong-Cabardo is the editor and coauthor of the book “Diocese of Calbayog: The History of the Local Church in Samar, 100 Years,” published in 2011.