Filipino Catholicism is characterized by its colorful and lively celebration of the liturgy.

Aside from the usual ecclesial prayers and rites, Filipinos have many unique ways in expressing
their faith. We are now in the season of Lent and traditional practices are starting to surface. It is
during this time that Filipinos take pride of their age-old traditions. We owe these traditions to
the Spanish (Iberian) and Hispanic traditions. Because of this unique characteristic of Filipino
Catholicism, most of the faithful were catechized through the many devotional practices. I
remember that in the past, I learned about the incarnation of God through the rosary. The
manangs used to pray the rosary during dawn in our chapel. Their voices served as the signal for
the people that morning is already coming. The lives of people, spiritual and temporal, revolve
around these simple practices. Another distinguishing characteristic of Filipino Catholicism is
that it is priest-centered. It means that the celebration of the Eucharist lacks the participation of
the faithful. People do not participate well in the celebration. They attend the Mass just to
witness the colorful celebration or, in Fiesta Masses, to watch the fireworks display after.
These are some of the issues that surround Filipino Catholicism. To address these issues,
sacramental catechesis should integrate the basic dimensions of the liturgy, which are God’s
salvific acts and the ecclesial acts of the Church. If the people have a sufficient knowledge of the
Scriptures, they will be able to understand the Eucharist. They will also know about the Lord’s
ministry to the poor. Through the knowledge of that, they will become active in the activities of
the Church. The PCP II also challenges Filipinos to integrate their devotional piety with their
moral responsibility. Non-Catholic sects criticize Filipino Catholics for not being consistent in
their faith. The Catholic faith is merely external. The PCP II suggests that in order to have an
authentic faith and genuine worship, Catholics must learn to serve their neighbor, Catholics and
non-Catholics alike. In that way, sacramental catechesis becomes effective.