OUR LADY OF PEÑAFRANCIA SEMINARY

Bibincahan, Sorsogon City

A.Y 2022-2023

Ronel A.Llorente
Research paper

THE SITE OF THE “FIRST MASS” IN THE PHILIPPINES

In this paper, I will try to determine when and where is the site of first the “First Mass” in the
Philippines. The purpose of this paper is to find out where is the exact location of the historic
mass.

Debates continue on where first Mass was held here in the Philippines. There is a controversy
regarding the site of the first Mass ever celebrated on Philippine soil.
Pigafetta, the Italian chronicler of the Magellan expedition, tells us that it was held at Easter
Sunday, the 31st of March 1521, on an island called “Mazaua”. Two native chieftains were in
attendance; the rajah of Mazaua and the rajah of Butuan. After the Mass, party went up a little
hill and planted a wooden cross upon its summit. In this case, the subject of the controversy is
the identity of Mazaua. There are two conflicting claims regarding this: one school of thought
points to the small island south of Leyte whereas, the other school rejects that claim and points
instead the beach called “masao”, at the mouth of the Agusan River in northern Mindanao, near
the village (now the city) of Butuan. Judging from the facts presented and basing from the
information and evidences which I have researched, I affirm that the first mass in the Philippines
was held in Limasawa.1

The first evidence to support my research is in accordance to the accounts of Pigafetta and
Francisco Alvo who are eye-witnesses of the Magellan’s voyage both stated that the first mass in
the Philippines took place on an island called Mazava in Albo’s account and Mazaua in
Pigafetta’s account. They both asserted that from the island of Homonhon they went westward
towards the island of Leyte and turned to a southwest direction to reach this island. Based on
these geographic locations provided by Albo and Pigafetta, the island of Limasawa in Southern
Leyte is the counterpart. On the contrary, the statement of Father Fernando Colins, a historian, in
his work Labor Evangelica, he asserted that Magellan went to Butuan and there he celebrated the
first Mass and erected a cross. And to support this, Antonio Pigafetta testified that he gave a gift
of certain things to the queen Mother of France — Louise of Savory and mother of Francis I.
Gian Battista Ramusio mentioned that a copy of Pigafetta’s account was given to Louise of
Savory. Whereas, these manuscripts were translated to French by Jacques Fabre and imprinted

1
Antonio Pigafetta [No date]. Ferdinand Magellan's 1519-1522 expedition. [Online]. Available from:
https://philippinediaryproject.com/author/antonio-pigafetta/ [accessed 21 September 2022].
by Simon de Colins. And also, there was a monument erected during 1872 to commemorate the
First Mass in Butuan on April 8,1521. , Ramusio’s version of Pigafetta’s manuscripts are not
reliable.

Francisco Albo and Antonio Pigafetta play a big role in the First Mass in thePhilippines. Without them,
the events in the expedition will be said unknown. It is whytheir accounts is important and was written in
the history to prove that the events aretrue with supporting evidence and eyewitness. On the
comparison of both account, Pigafetta has the most detailed andcomprehensive account
compared to Albo’s account. Prigafetta narrated in detailed theevents that happened from their travel
including the date and place. If the viewers willread his account, they will support it and considered as
fact because he narrated it withfull details. Historians research about facts, not only from the words of
eyewitness butas well as the supporting evidence.Since Albo is one of the survivor in the Battle that even
his journal contains asmall details about the events of the first mass, it is considered as primary source.
Hisjournal support the accounts of Pigafetta that proves that the events narrated in theirjournal were in
fact true and considered as History that change the Philippines.