Team 1 The First Mass

Oquiana, Acuzar, Binaban

There has been a lot of debate and theories that have happened regarding where the
first mass was held in the Philippines. The First Mass was celebrated by Fr. Pedro Valderama
during the Magellan-Elcano expedition on March 31, 1521. The NHCP verified the results of the
investigation conducted by the panel of scholars formed by the commission in 2108,
recommending the recognition of the event as the site of Limasawa, located in today’s Southern
Leyte. The date on which the Spaniards step foot in the Philippines is well known in the history
books. But on the site of the first Easter Sunday Mass celebrated in 1521, which appeared in the
last years of the 19th century and the early decades of the 20th century, there was a
controversy. At that time, both international and local historical research scholars of that time

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changed their views to Limasawa Island in Leyte from the historically known site of Butuan in

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Agusan Del Norte.

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A monument commemorating the first mass in the Philippines was erected near the
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mount of the Agusan River in 1872. The place is known today as the municipality of Magellan.
The panel said several versions of the Butuan tradition have been altered due to misinformation
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or, simply, the process of copying accounts from previous historical versions. The shift to the
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Limasawa tradition happened following the publication of the Da Moto transcription and the
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examination of the log of Victoria's pilot, Francisco Albo. Pardo de Tavera wrote the program for
the Limasawa Exhibit in 1921, in celebration of the Quadricentennial of the arrival of the
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Magellan Expedition in the Philippines, establishing the fact that the first mass was held in
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Limasawa. The same account was followed by many scholars from the early 20th century,
arguing that the historical event took place in Limasawa, not in Butuan.
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Some Filipino historians have long contested the idea that Limasawa was the site of the
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first Catholic mass in the country. Historian Sonia Zaide identified Masao (also Mazaua) in
Butuan as the location of the first Christian mass. The basis of Zaide's claim is the diary of
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Antonio Pigafetta, chronicler of Magellan's voyage. Odoric of Pordenone, an Italian and

Franciscan friar and missionary explorer, is heartily believed by many Pangasinenses to have
celebrated the first mass in Pangasinan in around 1324 that would have predated the mass held
in 1521 by Ferdinand Magellan. A marker in front of Bolinao Church states that the first Mass on

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 Team 1 The First Mass
Oquiana, Acuzar, Binaban

Philippine soil was celebrated in Bolinao Bay in 1324 by a Franciscan missionary, Blessed
Odorico. According to Bernad (2002), the confusion originated on the misinterpretation of some
of the 17th century historians such as Colin and Combes, often yielding incorrect representation
of Magellan's voyage, which ultimately led to the misconception of the first mass being held at
Butuan, rather than Limasawa. The writings of the previous historians failed to depict the
correct route of Magellan's ships toward the Philippines. Some write-ups accounted for the
entrance of the ships from the southern part of the country whereas the account of Antonio
Pigafetta revealed the entrance from the eastern part of the country, from the direction of the
Pacific region. This account rooted from the misunderstanding of the meeting between the
three persons. According to Pigafetta, Magellan met the datu of Limasawa, and another datu,

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whom the scribe himself called "one of his brothers", namely the king of Butuan. This highlights

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the origin of the confusion – Magellan in fact never went to Butuan; he and his men celebrated

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the first mass on the island of Limasawa, together with the two datus: one from the island and

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another from Butuan, before proceeding to Cebu. Previous historians, in difference from
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Pigafetta's account, thought that Magellan went to Butuan and there held the first mass based
on the explorer's meeting with the island's king. Magellan’s route never included Butuan as one
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of its destinations. From the eastern part of the Philippines, reaching the island of Homonhon,
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Magellan proceeded to Limasawa and thereupon met two kings, namely the datu of Limasawa
and the datu of Butuan. After celebrating the first mass in that same island, the explorer and his
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men set out for Cebu in search for greater resources.

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Although the evidence provided came from only two accounts, it is considered that the
evidence is the primary source. There was corroboration of evidence and comments on those
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two, while the Pro-Butuan arguments are mainly based on second-hand accounts. The
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corroboration of data and statements is contradictory, although their arguments are backed by
other historians. The above-mentioned proof from the logbook of Albo and the account of
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Pigafetta; the two indigenous kings; the seven days in Mazaua, along with other evidence, such
as the confirmatory evidence from the Legazpi expedition, is already sufficient for us to affirm
that Limasawa is the original place where the first mass was held in the Philippines. With the

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 Team 1 The First Mass
Oquiana, Acuzar, Binaban

celebration of the quincentennium approaching, we hope that the controversy regarding the
first mass may be ended once and for all.

References
Valencia, Linda B. "Limasawa: Site of the First Mass". Philippines News Agency. Ops.gov.ph. Archived
from the original on October 15, 2007.

Bernad, M. A. (2002). Butuan or Limasawa: The Site of the First Mass in the Philippines: A
Reexaminationof the Evidence.

Pigfetta, Antonio (2008) [c. 1525, historical reproduction republished c. 1905]. Helen, Emma;
Robinson, James Alexander (eds.). The Philippine Islands 1493–1898. BiblioBazaar, LLC. p. 129. ISBN 978-
1-4264-6706-6. ISBN 1-4264-6706-0, ISBN 978-1-4264-6706-6

"Limasawa, not Butuan, affirmed as site of first Mass in PH". Inquirer. August 21, 2020.

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"Controversy over site of celebration of Philippines' first Catholic Mass resolved". Catholic News

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in Asia | LiCAS.news | Licas News. August 20, 2020.

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Tabios, H. (2020, August 20). 'First Easter Sunday mass was held in Limasawa' --- Nat'l Historical
Commission. Retrieved January 30, 2021, from https://mb.com.ph/2020/08/20/first-easter-sunday-

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