FIRST CATHOLIC MASS IN THE PHILIPPINES

As cited by Candelaria, and Alporha (2018) in Miguel Bernad, “Butuan or Limasawa? The Site of
the First Mass in the Philippines: A Reexamination of Evidence” Pigafetta’s Testimony on the Route
of Magellan’s Expedition 1.Saturday 1 March – Magellan’s expedition sighted a “high land” named
“Zamal” which some 300 leagues westward of Ladrones (now the Marianas) Islands.
2.Sunday, March 17 – “The following day” after sighting Zamal Island, they landed on “another
island which was uninhabited” and which lay “to the right” of the above-mentioned island of
“Zamal.” (To the “right” here would mean on their starboard going south or southwest.) there they
set up two tents for the sick members of the crew and had a sow killed for them. The name of this
island was “Humunu” (Homonhon). This island was located at 10 degrees North latitude.
3.On that same day (Sunday, March 17), Magellan named the entire archipelago the “Islands of Saint
Lazarus,” the reason being that it was Sunday in the Lenten season when the Gospel assigned for the
Mass and the liturgical Office was the eleventh chapter of St. John, which tells of the raising of
Lazarus m the dead.
4.Monday, March 18 – in the afternoon of their second day on that Island, they saw a boat coming
towards them with nine men in it. An exchange of gifts was affected. Magellan asked for food
supplies, and the men went away, promising to bring rice and other supplies in “four days”.
5.There were two springs of water on that island of Homonhon. Also they saw there some indications
that there was gold in these islands. Consequently Magellan renamed the island and called it
“Waterin Place of Good Omen”.
6.Friday, March 22 – At noon the natives returned. This time they were in two boats, and they
brought food supplies.
7.Magellan’s expedition stayed eight days at Homonhon; from Sunday, March 17, to the Monday of
the following week, March 25.
8.Monday, March 25 – In the afternoon, the expedition weighed anchor and left the island of
Homonhon. In the ecclesiastical calendar, this day (March 25) was the feast day of the Incarnation,
also called the feast of the Annunciation and therefore “Our Lady’s Day.” On this day, as they were
about to weight anchor, an accident happened to Pigafetta: he fell into the water but was rescued. He
attributed his narrow escape from death as grace obtained through attributed his narrow escape from
death as grace obtained through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary on her feast day.
9.The route taken by the expedition after leaving Homonhon was “toward the west southwest,
between four islands: namely, Cenalo, Hiunanghan, Ibusson and Albarien.”Very probably “Cenalo”
is a misspelling in the Italian Manuscript for what Pigafetta in his map calls “Ceilon” and Albo calls
“Seilani”: namely the island of Leyte. Nghan” “a misspelling of Hinunangan) seemed to Pigafetta to
be a separate island, but is actually on the mainland of leyte (i.e.,”Ceylon”). On the other hand,
Hibuson (Pigafetta’sIbusson) is an island east of Leyte’s southern tip. Thus, it is easy to see what
Pigafetta meant by sailing “toward the west southwest” past those islands. They left Homonhon
sailing westward towards Leyte, then followed the Leyte coast southward, passing between the island
of Hibuson on their portside and Hiunangan Bay on their starboard, and then continued southward,
then turning westward to “Mazaua”.
10.Thursday, March 28 – In the morning of Holy Thursday, March 28, they anchored off an island
where the previous night they had seen a light or a bonfire. That island “lies in a latitude of nine and
two-thirds towards the Arctic Pole (i.e., North) and in a longitude of one hundred and sixty-two
degrees from the line of demarcation. It is twenty-five leagues from the Acquada, and is called
Mazaua.”
11.They remained seven days on Mazaua Island.
12.Thursday, April 4 – They left Mazaua, bound for Cebu. They were guided thirher by the king of
Mazaua who sailed in his own boat, Their route took them past five “islands” namely. “Ceylon,
Bohol, Canighan, Baibai, and Gatighan.”
13.At Gatighan, they sailed westward to the three islands of the Camotes Group, namely, Poro,
Pasihan and Ponson. Here the Spanish ships stopped to allow the king of Mazaua to catch up with
them, since the Spanish ships were much faster than the native balanghai-a thing that excited the
admiration of the king of Mazaua.
14.From the Camotes Islands they sailed southward towards “Zubu”.
15.Sunday, April 7 – At noon they entered the harbour of “Zubu”. As cited by Candelaria, and
Alporha (2018) in Miguel Bernad, “Butuan or Limasawa? The Site of the First Mass in the
Philippines: A Reexamination of Evidence” Pigafetta’s Testimony on the Route of Magellan’s
Expedition 1.Thursday, March 28 – In the morning they anchored near an island where they had seen
a light the night before a small boat (boloto) came with eight naties. To whom Magellan threw some
trinkets as presents. The natives paddled away, but two hours later two larger boats (balaghai) came,
in one of which the native king sat under an awning of mats. At Magellan’s invitation some of the
natives went up the Spanish ships, but the native king remained seated in his boat. An exchange of
gifts was effected. In the afternoon that day, the Spanish ships weighed anchor and came closer to
shore, anchoring near the native king’s village. This Thursday, March 28, was Thursday in Holy
Week, I.e., Holy Thursday. 2.Friday, March 29 – “Next day. Holy Friday,” Magellan sent his slave
interpreter ashore in a small boat to ask the king if he could provide the expedition with food
supplies, and to say that they had come as friends and not as enemies. In reply the king himself came
in a boat with six or eight men, and this time went up Magellan’s ship and the two men embraced.
Another exchange of gifts was made. The native king and his companions returned ashore. Bringing
with them two members of Magellan’s expedition as guests for the night. One of the two was
Pigafetta.
3.Saturday, March 30- Pigafetta and his companion had spent the previous evening and drinking
with the native king and his son. Pigafetta deplored the fact that, although it was Good Friday they
had to eat meat. The following morning (Saturday) Pigafetta and his companion took leave of their
hosts and returned to the ships.
4.Sunday, March 21 – “Early in the morning of Sunday, the last of March and Easter day.” Magellan
sent the priest ashore with some men to prepare for the Mass. Later in the morning Magellan landed
with some fifty men and Mass was celebrated, after which a cross was venerated. Magellan and the
Spaniards returned to the ship for the noon-day meal, but in the afternoon they returned ashore to
plant the cross on the summit of the highest hill. In attendance both at the Mass and at the planting of
the cross were the king of Mazaua and the king of Butuan.
 5.Sunday, March 31 – On that same afternoon, while on the summit of the highest hill, Magellan
asked the two kings which ports he should go to in order to obtain more abundant supplies of food
than were available in that island. They replied that there were three ports to choose from: Ceylon,
Zubu, and Calagan. Of the three, Zubu was the port with the most trade. Magellan then said that he
wished to go to Zubu and to depart the following morning. He asked for someone to guide him
thither. The kings replied that the pilots would be available “any time.” But later that evening the
king of Mazaua changed his mind and said that he would himself conduct Magellan to Zubu but that
he would first have to bring the harvest in. He asked Magellan to send him men to help with the
harvest.
6.Monday, April 1 – Magellan sent men ashore to help with the harvest, but no work was done that
day because the two kings were sleeping off their drinking bout the night before.
7.Tuesday April 2 and Wednesday, April 3 – Work on the harvest during the “next to days,” i.e.,
Tuesday and Wednesday, the 2nd and 3rd of April.
8.Thursday, April 4 – They leave Mazaua, bound for Cebu. First Mass was held in Butuan  In Albo’s
account he didn’t mention the first Mass but only the planting of the cross upon a mountain top from
which could be seen three islands to the west and southwest unlike Pigafetta he mention in his
account that the first Mass is held in Butuan on Easter Sunday, March 31. (Johndelapaz.wordpress
(2018). Many historians also concluded that the first mass was held in Butuan stating evidence
coming from Fancisco Albo was the Pilog in Magellan’s expedition although Pigafetta was seen as a
credible source and one of the most cited documents by historians and that is also because the
accounts of Pigafetta was more detailed than Albo’s account. As cited by Pastrano M, 2013 from Fr.
Joesilo Amalla“I read almost all the extant manuscripts of Antonio Pigafetta, who documented
Magellan’s journey, and of Fransisco Albo, Magellan’s pilot,” “ I read and touched and prayed over
the handwritten pages.” Nowhere in Pigafetta and Albo’s accounts was there any mention of the
word “Limasawa,” what the primary sources recorded was that the first Mass was held in a place
called Mazaua. The exact words were ‘e se chima Mazaua’ ( and is called Mazaua).” (Pastrano M,
2013).

Laws Declaring Site of the First Catholic Mass in the Philippines Republic Act No. 2733 An Act to
Declare the Site in Magallanes, Limasawa Island in the Province in Leyte, Where the First Mass in
the Philippines was Held as a National Shrine, to Provide for the Preservation of Historical
Monuments and Landmarks. Republic Act No. 11373 An Act Declaring March 31 of every Year a
special working holiday in the whole province of Southern Leyte, in Commemoration of the First
Mass held in Limasawa Island, Province of Southern Leyte, to be known as the “First Mass Day” On
March 1, 1994, National Historical Institute Chairman and Executive Director Serafin D. Quiazon
informed that it upholds Limasawa as the site of First Mass representing “more credible possibility
until a controvertible evidence to the contrary is established (Municipality of Limasawa (n.d.).”
There are many laws that supports Limasawa as the place where the First Catholic Mass happened.
Although there claims that it is Butuan where the First Mass happened but in the recent
announcement from the President and the National Historical Commission which resolves the debate
on the site of the First Catholic Mass in the Philippines which confirms that the first mass was held in
Limasawa and not in Butuan.
Founding of Katipunan The Katipunan, officially known as the Kataastaasan, Kagalanggalangang
Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan, was a Philippine revolutionary society founded by anti-Spanish
colonialism Filipinos in Manila in 1892; its primary goal was to gain independence from Spain
through a revolution. On July 6, 1892 barely three days after forming the Liga Filipina, Jose Rizal
was arrested on trumped up charges. The following day the Governor General, Eulogio Despujol
decreed his immediate exile to Dapitan.   With this news, in the evening of the same day July 7, Liga
Filipina members Ladislao Diwa, Teodoro Plata, Andres Bonifacio, Jose Dizon and Valentin Diaz 
met at the house of Deodato Arellano.  Here they organized the KKK or "Kataastaasan,
Kagalangalangang Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan; popularly known as "Katipunan”; a 
movement to advocate separation of the colony from Spain. They formed  the first two triangulos
(triangles); a three-man unit designed to guarantee that only two members would be known to any
member at any time.  The triangulo or “tungko”, became a cell called “Hasik” (to sow; scatter) whose
job was to recruit members from their areas.  From these beginnings, the Katipunan spread in the
provinces until its discovery by the Spanish authorities ignited the revolution of 1896. Of the six
founders, only two survived after the Philippine-American war; Ladislao Diwa who died in 1930 and
Valentin Diaz who died in 1916.