First Mass in the Philippines

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First Mass in the Philippines

Location of Limasawa in Southern Leyte

Date March 31, 1521 (Easter Sunday)

Location Limasawa, Leyte (Most possibly in present-day Triana)

The first documented Catholic Mass in the Philippines was held on March 31,

1521, Easter Sunday. It was conducted by Father Pedro de Valderrama of Ferdinand
Magellan's expedition along the shores of what was referred to in the journals of Antonio
Pigafetta as "Mazaua".
Today, this site is widely believed by many historians and the government to
be Limasawa off the tip of Southern Leyte,[1][2] However, until at least the 19th century,
the prevailing belief was that the first mass was held in Butuan. [3] This belief is
maintained by some, who assert that the first mass was instead held at Masao, Butuan.
[4]

To end the conflict for the issue about the first mass, the National Historical Commission
of the Philippines (NHCP) panel adapted the recommendation[5] and unanimously
agreed that the evidence and arguments presented by the pro-Butuan advocates are
not sufficient and convincing enough to warrant the repeal or reversal of the ruling on
the case by the National Historical Institute (the NHCP's forerunner). It is further
strengthen by the evidence that it was only after 22 years, in 1543—when a Spanish
expedition led by Ruy López de Villalobos landed in Mindanao.[6]
Contents

 1Landing on Philippine shores

o 1.1Log of Francisco Alvo
o 1.2Diary of Antonio Pigafetta
o 1.3Blood compact
o 1.4First Mass
o 1.5Planting of the cross
 2Proclamation of the national shrine
 3Historical controversies
o 3.1Bolinao
o 3.2Homonhon
o 3.3Masao
o 3.4Confusion on meeting the king of Butuan
 4Government position
 5Further readings
 6References
 7Further reading

Landing on Philippine shores[edit]

When Ferdinand Magellan and his European crew sailed from Sanlúcar de
Barrameda for an expedition to search for spices, these explorers landed on the
Philippines after their voyage from other proximate areas. On March 28, 1521, while at
sea, they saw a bonfire which turned out to be Mazaua (believed to be today's
Limasawa) where they anchored.[7]
Log of Francisco Alvo[edit]
Wikisource has original
text related to this article:

The First Voyage Round

the World/Log-Book of
Francisco Alvo or Alvaro

On March 16, 1521 as they sailed in a westerly course from Ladrones, known today as
the Mariana Island, they saw land towards the northwest but they didn't land there due
to shallow places and later found its name as Yunagan. On that same day, they went in
a small island called Suluan which is a part of Samar and there they anchored. Leaving
from those two islands, they sailed westward to an island of Gada where they took in a
supply of wood and water from that island, they sailed towards west to a large island
called Seilani (now Leyte). Along the coast of Seilani, they sailed southwards and
turned southwest until they reached the island of Mazava. From there, they sailed
northwards again towards the Island of Seilani and followed the coast of Seilani towards
northwest and saw three small islands. They sailed westwards and saw three islets
where they anchored for the night. In the morning, they sailed southwest. There, they
entered canal between two island, one of which was called Subu (now called Cebu) and
the other was Matan (now called Mactan). They sailed towards southwest on that canal
then turned westward and anchored at the town of Subu wherein they stayed there for
many days.[8]
Diary of Antonio Pigafetta[edit]
Wikisource has original
text related to this article:

The First Voyage Round

the World/Pigafetta's
Account of Magellan's
Voyage

Antonio Pigafetta was a famous Italian traveler who studied navigation and known by
the name of Antonio Lambardo or Francisco Antonio Pigafetta. He joined the
Portuguese, Captain Ferdinand Magellan and his Spanish crew on their trip to Maluku
Island.[9] Pigafetta has the most complete account of Magellan expedition entitled Primo
viaggio intorno al mondo (First Voyage around the world). He was one of the eighteen
survivors who returned to Spain aboard the "Victoria" and therefore considered as an
eyewitness of the significant events happened on the first mass of which Magellan
names it the Islands of Saint Lazarus that is later called the Philippine Archipelago.
Pigafetta narrated on his account the events happened from March 16, 1521 when they
first saw the Island of the Philippine group up to April 7, 1521 when the expedition
landed on Cebu. On March 16, 1521, there was a "high land" named "Zamal" that was
sighted by the Magellan's expedition which was some 300 leagues westward of the
Ladrones Island. On March 17, 1521, they landed on "uninhabited island" or known as
"Humunu" (Homonhon) which Pigafetta referred to as "Watering place of good signs"
because the place is abundant in gold. Humunu lays right of Zamal at 10 degrees north
latitude. They stayed there 8 days from March 17 to 25, 1521. On March 25, 1521, they
left the island of Homonhon and change route towards west southwest, between four
islands: namely, Cenalo, Hiunanghan, Ibusson, and Albarien. Afterwards, they sail
westward towards Leyte, then followed the Leyte coast southward passing between the
island of Ibusson on their port side and Hinunangan Bay on their starboard, and then
continued southward, the returning westward to Mazaua. On March 28, 1521, there is
an island lies on a latitude of 9 and 2/3 towards the arctic pole and in a longitude 100
and 62 degrees from the line of demarcation. It is named as Mazaua which is 25
leagues from the Acquada. On April 4, 1521, they left Mazaua bound for Cebu and
guided by their King who sailed on his own boat. All throughout their route, it took them
past five island namely: Ceylon, Bohol, Canighan, Baibai, and Gatighan. They sailed
from Mazaua west by northwest into the Canigao channel, with Bohol island to port and
Leyte and Canigao islands to starboard. Then they continue sailing northwards along
the Leyte coast, past Baibai to Gatighan (it was 20 leagues from Mazaua and 15
leagues from Subu or Cebu. At Gatighan, they sailed westward to the three island of the
Camotes group namely: Poro, Pasihan, and Ponson. From the Camotes Island they
sailed southwestward towards "Zubu". On April 7 they entered the harbor of "Zubu"
(Cebu). It takes them three days to negotiate the journey from Mazaua northwards to
the Camotes Islands and then southwards to Cebu. That was the route of Magellan
expedition as stated in the account of Pigafetta. In that route, the southernmost point
reached before getting to Cebu was Mazaua, located at nine and two-thirds degrees
North latitude.[8]
Blood compact[edit]
The island's sovereign ruler was Rajah Kolambu. When Magellan and comrades set
foot on the grounds of Mazaua, he befriended the Rajah together with his brother Rajah
Siagu of Butuan. In those days, it was customary among the indigenous—and in most
of southeast Asia—to seal friendship with a blood compact. On instigation of Magellan
who had heard the Malayan term for it, casi casi, the new friends performed the ritual.
This was the first recorded blood compact between Filipinos and Spaniards. Gifts were
exchanged by the two parties when the celebration had ended. [10][11]
First Mass[edit]

Replica of the marker unveiled in Limasawa on 31 March, 1951

On March 31, 1521, an Easter Sunday, Magellan ordered a Mass to be celebrated

which was officiated by Father Pedro Valderrama, the Andalusian chaplain of the fleet,
the only priest then. Conducted near the shores of the island, the First Holy Mass
marked the birth of Roman Catholicism in the Philippines. Colambu and Siaiu were the
first natives of the archipelago, which was not yet named "Philippines" until the
expedition of Ruy Lopez de Villalobos in 1543, to attend the Mass among other native
inhabitants.[10][12]
In the account of Pigafetta, Gomez noticed that he failed to mention some points of the
journey where the masses were held, one example is when they were at the port of San
Julian. Pigafetta mentioned about a mass held on Palm Sunday which was held on April
1, 1520 during their voyage to the west but never mentioned about Easter Sunday.
Same situation happened when the fleet arrived in the Philippines, Pigafetta only
mentioned about the Easter Sunday Mass while he is silent on the Palm Sunday.
For further investigation, some points at Pigafetta's account was translated as follows:
At dawn on Saturday, March 16, 1521, (feast of St. Lazarus, Gomez inserted) we came
upon a highland at a distance... an island named Zamal (Samar)... the following day
(March 17, Sunday) the captain general desired to land on another island (Humunu)
...uninhabited... in order to be more secure and to get water and have some rest. He
had two tents set up on shore for the sick. On Monday, March 18, we saw a boat
coming towards us with nine men in it. This marks our first human contact with
Europeans... giving signs of joy because of our arrival. At noon on Friday, March 22,
those men came as they had promised. And we lay eight days in that place, where the
captain every day visited the sick men who he had put ashore on the island to recover."

— Antonio Pigafetta