The 500 Years of Christianity in the Philippines (500 YOC) is a quincentennial observed in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. It commemorates the introduction of

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

in the

in 1521 when the

Magellan expedition The Magellan expedition, also known as the Magellan–Elcano expedition, was the first voyage around the world in recorded history. It was a 16th century Spanish expedition initially led by Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan to the Moluccas ...

made a stopover in the islands.

Background

The 500 Years of Christianity in the Philippines celebrations is part of the larger 2021 Quincentennial Commemorations in the Philippines (2021 QCP) event organized by the Philippine government. The Philippine national government aims to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the Filipinos' first contact with the Spanish in 1521 from a Filipino-centric point of view in 2021. The National Quincentennial Committee (NQC) was formed for this purpose in May 2018, when President

Rodrigo Duterte Rodrigo Roa Duterte (, ; born March 28, 1945), also known as Digong, Rody, and by the initials DU30 and PRRD, is a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the 16th president of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022. He is the chairperson ...

issued Executive Order (EO) No. 55. President Duterte issued EO 103 on January 28, 2019 formalizing the intent for the commemorations to be "Filipino-centric" and expanded the membership and scope of the NQC. The full name of the event commemorating the introduction of Christianity in the Philippines is "500th anniversary of the introduction of Christianity in the Philippines" The

Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines The Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines; ceb, Hugpong sa mga Obispo nga Katoliko sa Pilipinas; bcl, Komperensya kan mga Obispo Katoliko kan Pilipinas; hil, Komperensya sang mga Obispo Katoliko sang Pilipinas; ilo, Kumperensya ti ...

(CBCP) is the lead organizer of the quincentennial of the introduction of the Christianity in the Philippines. Bishop Pablo Virgilio David representing the CBCP, reject the notion that celebrating the 500th anniversary of the introduction of the Philippines as also celebrating the Spanish colonization of the islands citing continued prevalence of the religion long after colonization and asserts that Filipino ancestors were "intelligent enough" to accept what is good and reject what is evil among the introductions made by the Spanish in the Philippines. Despite the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

, the 2021 QCP will still be held albeit modified to comply with protocols imposed in response to the health crisis. Although about 50 projects related to the quincentennial were either canceled or indefinitely postponed.

Marketing

The

(CBCP) adopted the event's theme and logo on September 18, 2019. The theme is "Gifted to Give" was derived from

Matthew Matthew may refer to: * Matthew (given name) * Matthew (surname) * ''Matthew'' (ship), the replica of the ship sailed by John Cabot in 1497 * ''Matthew'' (album), a 2000 album by rapper Kool Keith * Matthew (elm cultivar), a cultivar of the Ch ...

10:8. The logo used various elements such as a cross, a ship, the sun, a rosary. The logo depicts a ship with a cross as its mast with the central figure derived from ''First Baptism in the Philippines'' painting of

Fernando Amorsolo Fernando Cueto Amorsolo (born Fernando Amorsolo y Cueto; May 30, 1892 – April 24, 1972) was a portraitist and painter of rural Philippine landscapes. Nicknamed the "Grand Old Man of Philippine Art," he was the first-ever to be recognized as a N ...

. The logo was designed by Edilberto Dionio, a theology student. The logo was designed by Edilberto Dionio, a theology student

Events

The commemoration of the introduction of Christianity in the Philippines was supposed to culminate in April 2021 but was changed to be the kickoff month of the observances due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result some events will be held in 2022. * September 26, 2020 – Social media launch of the 500 Years of Christianity (YOC) event. * January 5, 2021 – A temporary artwork made from solar-powered light bulbs will be installed encompassing the Agrifina Circle and Relief Map at the

Rizal Park Rizal Park ( fil, Liwasang Rizal, es, link=no, Parque Rizal), also known as Luneta Park or simply Luneta, is a historic urban park located in Ermita, Manila. It is considered one of the largest urban parks in the Philippines, covering an area ...

. The artwork made under the non-profit Liter of Light is in a form of a rosary and the bulbs will be donated after the event. * Pilgrim's Passport

February 25, 2021 – April 22, 2022 – Pilgrims visiting 537 sites in the Philippines designated as Jubilee Churches within period will be granted

plenary indulgence In the teaching of the Catholic Church, an indulgence (, from , 'permit') is "a way to reduce the amount of punishment one has to undergo for sins". The ''Catechism of the Catholic Church'' describes an indulgence as "a remission before God of ...

s by

Pope Francis Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...

. * March 14, 2021 (

CET CET or cet may refer to: Places * Cet, Albania * Cet, standard astronomical abbreviation for the constellation Cetus * Colchester Town railway station (National Rail code CET), in Colchester, England Arts, entertainment, and media * Comcast En ...

, UTC+1) –

will preside a mass at the

St. Peter's Basilica The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican ( it, Basilica Papale di San Pietro in Vaticano), or simply Saint Peter's Basilica ( la, Basilica Sancti Petri), is a church built in the Renaissance style located in Vatican City, the papal e ...

Vatican City Vatican City (), officially the Vatican City State ( it, Stato della Città del Vaticano; la, Status Civitatis Vaticanae),—' * german: Vatikanstadt, cf. '—' (in Austria: ') * pl, Miasto Watykańskie, cf. '—' * pt, Cidade do Vati ...

at 10a.m. as part of the quincentennial. * April 14, 2021 – Commemoration of the first Christian baptisms in the Philippines. Rajah Humabon and 50 others agreed to get baptized 500 years ago. A re-enactment of the event will see 500 people with special needs get baptized. * April 17, 2021 – Commemoration of the first Easter Sunday mass in the Philippines. The date itself also falls on a Easter Sunday, will also mark the official kickoff of the 500 Years of Christianity (YOC) event. * April 2022 – International Mission Congress (IMC) and the 2nd National Mission Congress will be held which was postponed by a year due to the

References

External links

* {{Catholic Church in the Philippines 2021 in the Philippines Philippine historical anniversaries Christianity in the Philippines Catholic Church in the Philippines Historical events in the Philippines History of the Philippines (1565–1898) Presidency of Rodrigo Duterte 2021 in Christianity

Background

Marketing

Events

See also

References

External links