1

THE CHURCH AS FAMILY-ORIENTED: EMBRACING FILIPINO TRADITION

A Term Paper Submitted to

REV. FR. JULIUS CHELANGA, MSP
Department of Philosophy
Saint Paul Seminary Foundation

In Partial Fulfilment
of the Requirements of the Course
Rel 05: Ecclesiology with Vatican II

WINSTON C. QUILATON
April 2024
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Abstract

This paper explores the dynamic intersection between the Church and Filipino tradition,
particularly focusing on the family-oriented relationship of the members of the faithful within the
context of Filipino culture in order to enhance our understanding of the Church. By delving into
the rich tapestry of Filipino familial values and traditions, this study investigates how the Church
not only accommodates but actively embraces these cultural norms, fostering a deep sense of
community, belonging, and support among its members. To do this, this paper investigates into
the (1) general overview of Family-Oriented, (2) Family-Oriented in the Church, (3) Filipino
Concept of Family-Oriented (Sakop), and (4) Sakop-Orientation in the Philippine Church.
Finally, the paper synthesizes with the convergence of the (1) Sakop and (2) Family-Oriented
Church to elucidate how important it is to understand the nature of the church as family-oriented
by embracing the Filipino tradition of Family-Orientation. This study is deemed significant
towards the symbiotic relationship between religious faith and cultural preservation, highlighting
the significance of familial bonds in nurturing spiritual growth and communal solidarity in the
understanding the church.

Keywords:
Church, Family, Family-oriented, Filipino Tradition, Sakop
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Table of Contents

Contents Page

Titl
e........................................................................................................................................................1
Abstract............................................................................................................................................2
Table of Contents.............................................................................................................................3

Part 1: Introduction..........................................................................................................................4
Part 2: Discussion............................................................................................................................6
Family-Oriented...........................................................................................................................6
Family-Oriented in the Church....................................................................................................8
Filipino Concept of Family-Oriented........................................................................................11
Sakop-Orientation in the Philippine Church..............................................................................12

Part 3: Conclusion..........................................................................................................................14
Embracing Sakop in the Understanding of the Church.............................................................14

References......................................................................................................................................15
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Part 1: Introduction

The church’s commitment to fostering a family-oriented environment is not merely a

doctrinal stance but a foundational principle that shapes its very essence. At its core, the church
recognizes the “family as the foundation of society”, embodying values of love, marital support,
and unity (Cardinal Brady, 2008). Embracing this ethos, the church wants to create spaces and
opportunities for families to grow spiritually, emotionally, and socially together. Through
various pastoral programs, services, and family initiatives, the church aims to strengthen familial
bonds, instill moral values, and provide a nurturing environment for individuals to thrive within
the context of their families. This family-oriented approach not only enriches the spiritual lives
of its members but also fosters a sense of belonging and community, reinforcing the role of the
church as a model of support and guidance for families navigating the complexities of modern
life (Roberto, 2020). This is the main reason why most members bring their families in the
church to learn about the proper ways of teaching which is acceptable to the faith of the Church.
Something that is not good should not be entertained nor practiced on the households. Thus, the
Church considers itself the house of Christian families.

However, the Church does not only serve as an institution where families gather but also
a vessel that is deeply intertwined with cultural dynamics of the society. A vessel does not only
hold or collects any substance but also fills it with the right substances. It remains empty unless
the substances are also in accordance with its label. This gives us the idea that the Church cannot
stand alone for a reason that its teachings about faith must be rooted from its experiences
presented by the society. It cannot so make any attempt to teach anything good if the culture does
not even accept its benefits to their lifestyle. Thus, both Catholic faith (vessel) and societal
culture (substance) works together to serve its very purpose, to spread the Good News of the
Gospel.

Still, faith and culture remain a concern in the Church, particularly with regards to its
new form of evangelization, on the process of inculturation. It is a both a challenge and
opportunity for the Roman Catholic church to partake between faith and culture as a new form of
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evangelization. In this new vein, the church needs to re-evaluate its moral principle for the better
establishment of spreading the gospel across the world, through the process of inculturation.
However, Pope John Paul II (1991) himself believes that the “new evangelization” of cultures
plays an important role for a better relationship between the Church and the world. This tells us
“…to recall that evangelization too plays a role in the culture of the various nations, sustaining
culture in its progress towards the truth, and assisting in the work of its purification and
enrichment” (Centesimus Annus, 1991:50). This opens an interesting question: “How do we
understand the Church?”

This paper argues that the only way to respond to this is to make the Church more
relatable and reachable to the faithful. Given the connection between family-orientedness and
culture, it is possible that evangelization is always at hand. It is true that the Second Vatican
Council has formulated a new form of evangelization by means of inculturating learnings gained
from various intercultural engagement through various liturgical practices and rituals of the
Church (International Theological Commission, 1988). However, the value of family-
orientedness must never be taken away from its roots while the mission of the Church is taking a
step forward towards synodality. Whatever strategies are to be made, there must be also the
essence of familial bonds to keep the progress on its track theologically, historically, and socially
understandable. This opens another significant question: “How do we understand the value of
family-orientedness to better understand the Church?”

This is the main purpose why this paper was written, to give emphasis on the
understanding of the church as family-oriented by embracing Filipino tradition. By delving itself
into the rich historical and cultural backgrounds of family-ties, we may somehow understand
how should the Church be understood within the Filipino context. This intersection between
religion and culture is particularly pronounced, with the Church playing a pivotal role in shaping
and sustaining familial bonds and community cohesion. Finally, this paper is ultimately task with
a concluding question: “How do we understand the value of family-orientedness in the Filipino
context to better understand the Church?” Through this exploration, we aim to enrich our
comprehension of the cultural dynamics shaping the whole Church in this new era, thereby
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contributing to a deeper appreciation of the Church's role in fostering religious and cultural
continuity.

Part 2: Discussion

Family-Oriented

Child/ren Mother Father Family

Diagram 1. Traditional Structure of Family

When we simply think about family, we often refer to it as a group of individuals,

consisting of a mother, a father, and their child or children. Basically, it was defined as “married
partners and children residing in a household” (Pearson, n.d.). The father is the head of the
household, the provider of basic needs, and protector of all family members. The mother is the
light of the household, carer, and the assistant to her husband. The children should also do their
duties with respect to their parents and take care of their siblings especially when their parents
are not around. Traditionally, the father is more superior than the mother as he is the one who
decides what is best for the family. However, the definitions about family changed over time.
According to Murdock (1949), it is a It includes adults of both sexes, at least two of whom
maintain a socially approved sexual relationship, and one or more children, own or adopted, of
the sexually cohabiting adults.” It can be nuclear, extended, single-parent, or complex. This
considers the fact that a family exists not only because of marital relations, but also through legal
considerations. The parent or parents have the right to adopt any person who is or are eligible for
parenting and also responsible for the growth and development of the child or children.
However, the concept began causing concerns at it tried to open itself on a wider perspective. It
should not just be enclosed as a “group of two or more persons related by birth, marriage, or
adoption who live together,” (Health Resources & Services Administration, 2023) but can be
also any “institution, which makes provision of information to the individuals in terms of all the
aspects that lead to their progression” (Kapur, 2022). It does not primarily state that the
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component of a family must be biological or non-biological, but anyone (person) or anything
(organization), even childless, who has or have the capability to nourish its members toward its
effective growth and development.

Family Value-System Society

Diagram 2. Family as the Basic Unit of Society

Speaking of progress, the family has a primary role in the society, to teach their members
about value-system. It is a misconception that the government is the initial stage of teaching
goodness to its citizens for a reason that the family should be doing it before the government
does its role. It is arguable to say that the family is the basic unit of a society (Estrada, 2010).
Whatever has been taught or learned in a particular household would manifest into others.

The family serves as the basic foundation to bring peace and promote the common good
that the society envisions. It should always start in the family to teach social norms, proper
manners, and other ethical considerations so that they easily understand how to help and build up
a safer society. It is the place where an individual acquires his or her learnings. The personality
he or she has all or not so, mostly affected by this background. If a person learns something
good, this learning will be also applied to others and they will also follow the footsteps of its
origin. For instance, if all members of the family know how help the poor and the abused, they
will protect those victims and others will do the same until such time that poverty nor cases of
abuse will no longer cease to exist. The government cannot control the increasing crimes in the
society as long as the family do not take its part seriously. It is very important, therefore, to have
a good relationship with the members of the family so that they may also teach these experiences
to others and to the whole society. This, in turn, reveals the definition of what ‘family-oriented’
is.
Family Value-System Family-oriented
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Diagram 3. Structure of a Family-Oriented Family

To be family-oriented means “a state of mind informed by your value system which

serves as a guide for structuring your life around your family” (Capriola, 2019). This means that
in a family, a value-system must be introduced to understand what family-oriented is. This puts
the family loved ones at the core of one’s priorities. It is the same to “family-centered or family-
focused” (Capriola, 2019). Whatever the situation is, they should always consider a value-system
for the dignity of the family, even one’s life is at stake. Anyone can have a family and anyone
can construct their own type of family but family-oriented needs a value-system to keep the
family intact under the household. It does not have a negative approach for it always consider a
positive atmosphere amongst each other either professionally, emotionally, and spiritually
(McCarthy, 2021). However, putting up a family-oriented family has also a prospect for
misunderstanding. There is also a negative connotation of it when activities are done with
misguided teachings for the sake of dignity of the family.

Family-Oriented in the Church

Church as Family Value-System Family-oriented

Diagram 4. Church as the Basic Unit of Family

This is when the church intervenes in the situation. As an institution of families, they
provide guidance for the family members on how to be family-oriented. Perhaps, the church is
glad to see partners with their children attending the eucharistic celebration to hear the Good
News of the gospel. The church keeps the family to be family-oriented, intact, and spiritually
mature. As Sharma (2012) writes, “The church is...my family.” They provide ideal
representations of familial relationships from biblical passages into realistic applications.
Eventually, they “fill the gaps left by state provision” (Sharma, 2012:820). There are certain
things that the society cannot teach good values that the church can provide explanations. For
instance, the Holy Family of Mary, Joseph, and Jesus (Matthew 1:18-25); the Fourth
Commandment “honor your father and your mother” (Exodus 20:12); and many others (Sirach
3:2-6, 12-14; Colossians 3:12-21). As Jesus said, “‘Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?’
 9
And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers.
For whoever does the will of my heavenly Father is my brother, and sister, and mother’”
(Matthew 12:48-50). On Article 4: The Fourth Commandment, the Catechism of the Catholic
states that,

The fourth commandment is addressed expressly to children in their

relationship to their father and mother, because this relationship is the most
universal. It likewise concerns the ties of kinship between members of the
extended family. It requires honor, affection, and gratitude toward elders and
ancestors. Finally, it extends to the duties of pupils to teachers, employees to
employers, subordinates to leaders, citizens to their country, and to those who
administer or govern it. This commandment includes and presupposes the
duties of parents, instructors, teachers, leaders, magistrates, those who govern,
all who exercise authority over others or over a community of persons (CCC,
2199).

However, when a family becomes emotionally-centered, they become more attached to

personal desires, and soon forget the interests of others who are not affiliated to their so-called
‘family’. If someone does not belong in a family, they are neglected and forgotten. This is the big
mistake in the interpretation of the First Vatican Council. They become emotionally-driven
towards being the source of value-system. This led them towards forcible evangelization and
conversion, an egoistic desire to materialize the spiritual aspect of the family.

Traditional Church

Catholics Non-Catholics

Diagram 5. First Vatican Council’s Structure of Family

In the history of the Catholic Church, it did not want to open itself before about family as
universal. As the Church stated, “outside the church there is no salvation (Extra Ecclesiam
Nulla Salus).” On the decree of the Council of Florence it states:

[The holy Roman Church] …firmly believes, professes and preaches that no
one outside the Catholic Church, neither pagans nor Jews nor heretics nor
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schismatics, can become partakers of eternal life; but they will go to the
eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels, unless before the end of their
life they are joined to it. For union with the body of the church is of so great
importance that the sacraments of the church are of use toward salvation only
for those remaining in it, and fasts, almsgiving, other works of piety and the
exercises of a militant Christian life bear eternal rewards for them alone. And
no one can be saved, no matter how much he has given in alms, even if he
sheds his blood for the name of Christ, unless he remains in the bosom and
unity of the Catholic Church (Jahn, Quoting Sullivan, p. 66.).

What they mean is the physical and tangible definition of family in the church. To be
member of the family, he or she must be a Catholic, exclusively. If someone was not a member
of the organization, he or she must become a Catholic in order to be saved from eternal
damnation. Only the Catholics before had a strict value-system of the dogma, which declared
themselves as family-oriented, while others were proclaimed “let him be anathema,” which
means condemned (Pope Pius IX, 1868).

However, when the Second Vatican Council convened by Pope John XXIII, held from
1962 to 1965, it came to symbolize the Church’s importance as an institution of universal family
which “constituted a spectacle of truth, unity and charity, and it would have been for the
separated brothers an invitation to the unity wanted by Christ” (Carbone citing Acta et
Documenta Concilio, vol. I:34). As distinct to its traditional understanding, it re-defined itself as
“outside the church, there is salvation.”

Still, there is a concern on the understanding of the Church to provide a new structure of
value-system that must be taught to its universal family. The doctrines of the Catholic Church are
different from the doctrine of others which becomes a great challenge. In this new vein, the
definition of family must therefore find its way to keep the mission of the church.

(Vatican II)
Jesus Church
Catholics (Brother) (Mother) Father

Non-Catholics

Diagram 6. Second Vatican Council’s New Structure of Family

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The members of the universal church, ‘Katholikos’, have become inclusively available, as
Pope Paul VI (1965) supports, “mankind is being drawn closer together, and the ties between
different peoples are becoming stronger, the Church examines more closely her relationship to
non-Christian religions. In her task of promoting unity and love among men, indeed among
nations, she considers above all in this declaration what men have in common and what draws
them to fellowship” (Nostra Aetate:1). As the Church stands, we do not have the right to judge
our neighbors. Only God is the author of our life and judge us according to what we have done
here on earth. For Pope Paul VI (1965), “the Church believes that by His cross Christ, Our
Peace, reconciled Jews and Gentiles. making both one in Himself” (Nostra Aetate:4). The
Lumen Gentium (11) further elaborates this kind of family as wedlock and domestic, “From the
wedlock of Christians there comes the family, in which new citizens of human society are born,
who by the grace of the Holy Spirit received in baptism are made children of God, thus
perpetuating the people of God through the centuries. The family is, so to speak, the domestic
church.” We are under the household of God the father (Lumen Gentium 2), the church as the
mother (Lumen Gentium 6), and we became brothers of Christ in Spirit (Lumen Gentium 6).
Thus, through the teachings and communitarian love of this union, family-oriented in the
universal church is at hand.

Filipino Concept of Family-Oriented

Filipino Family Values Sakop Family-Oriented

Diagram 7. Structure of Family in the Philippines

With respect to the well-known Filipino thinker in the Philippines, Leonardo Mercado,
who happens to be an SVD priest, he popularized the word ‘Sakop’, particularly on his work
entitled The Filipino Mind (1994), a unique version of family-oriented citizens in the Philippine
context. It is a concept related to “being together” (Mancenido, 2021:3), a value-system that
when Filipinos are bound together, tasks will become easier to accomplish. He argued that in-
group (Sakop), ranked as second, is one of the Filipino values in the country and others include
“(1) life…, (3) values concerning relationships, and (4) all the other values” (Mercado,
1994:126). It is a manner of social construct that they are not individualistic in nature and are
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more concerned by the decisions of the majority rather than their personal interests. According to
him, “Privacy for the Filipino does not involve an individual but his sakop or reference group”
(Mercado, 1994:31). This shows that the achievement of someone is also a contribution to the
achievement of the group or “sakop-oriented, which is characterized as interpersonal”
(Mercado, 1994:159). There are also “certain terms like ‘kuyog’, ‘kasama’, and ‘kadua’” which
is related to sakop (Mancenido, 2021:3). In all this terms, it signifies that Filipinos are family-
oriented as there is a sense of belongingness that is essential to them. For instance, even though
individuals do not belong to the nuclear family, the extended family is not just exclusive to
biological relation but also inclusive to anyone. That is why teenagers call the olds as ‘Nanay’ or
‘Tatay’ as a sign of respect and been called as ‘Anak’ in return. According to Asia Society
(2021), “The Philippines, being able to rank as Top 8 in the world and the 1st in Asia, goes to
show how the well-known Filipino hospitality trait still remains as one of its greatest assets. All
throughout the years, the country has been known to possess genuine hospitality towards
visitors, foreigners, or expatriates” The hospitable character of the Filipinos just shows a
glimpse of its family-oriented character on how to treat not just its fellow citizens but also
foreigners as members of the family. Thus, basing on the behavior of the concept sakop, it
frames the family-oriented group as the “people’s constructed social order” of a typical Filipino
family (Batoon, 2014:10).

Sakop-Orientation in the Philippine Church

What have been mentioned above were just few of the understandings on the sakop-
orientation in the Filipino tradition. However, it is enough as deemed relevant in connection to
the understanding of the church in the Philippine context.
The belief in religion is very essential in the lifestyle of the Filipinos. According to the
study conducted by Li Jia (2021) entitled Religions in Philippines: History, Culture and Faith,
“religion holds a central place in the life of the majority of Filipinos,” not just as a belief-system
but also as a ground of “moral purpose of existence” (Jia, 2021:339). There are eventually
various religious denominations in the Philippines but the Catholic Church has been a “very
visible pillar of Christianity in the Philippines, becoming an institution itself, … not only into
 13
tradition but also in values formation … of Filipinos” (Jia, 2021:342). Indeed, the Philippines is
rich in culture that is greatly affecting the value-system of the church.

Filipino Family

Sakop Value-System Family-Oriented

Philippine Church

Diagram 8. The Convergence of Filipino Family and the Philippine Church

In the figure, it shows that Sakop plays an important role in the value-system in the
Church, further creating a family-oriented Philippine Church. For instance, the Philippine
Church, in general, is very devoted to the Virgin Mary and Santo Niño that every local church
has its own version of it. This reminds them that the Blessed Virgin Mary is a Filipino model of
motherhood and the Child Jesus as the model of innocence, creating a space for convergence
between the church and Filipinos. They dress the statue in fine linen and welcome the Child
Jesus into their home. In the Peñafrancia Festival, barges known as pagodas present statues of
the Virgin before the devotees (Jia, 2021:342). During Christmas, the Christian Filipino also
highlight the parol as it signifies that “Filipino Christmas would not be the same without this
humble yet radiant display outside of houses and in the streets,” a symbol of “devotional
offering to the Child Jesus, the Light of the world” (Vargas, 2016). Others may include
veneration of local saints, pabasa or pasyon, etc. In this way, Filipinos find comfort and spiritual
connection of being family-oriented with the Church through its convergence. In other words,
“being-together” (Sakop) with the Church. Furthermore, Filipino social realist painter
Emmanuel Garibay, painted a masterpiece on the Filipino version of the Holy Family.

Image 1. Holy Family (left) and Mother and Child (right), oil on canvas by Emmanuel Garibay
 14
As illustrated in the picture, Pattenden (2018) states that, it is “the family of the ghetto,
with… the jar being carefully held by Jesus… a jar illuminated by the light of a fire fly,
representing truth, beauty and hope - honored wonders held safe in the hands of the Christ
child.”

This paper, argues therefore, that the values learned in the Philippines, through the
process of inculturation, enabled the church to connect with the people. In return, as the universal
church embraces the concept of Sakop of the Filipinos, it enabled the people to better understand
the teachings of the church. This can be also known as a reciprocal or symbiotic relationship
between the Church and Filipino families. This helps the Church to “Christianize more fully the
Filipino family in order that its attitudes and values be in conformity with the Gospel” (Gorospe,
2016:289).
These are just few of the examples on how the Sakop is applied in the Philippine Church,
a valuable aspect in their value-system that is beneficial to both the church and the Filipino
society. Without it, the Filipinos, nor even other nationalities, can ever feel the presence of the
church to their way of life.

Part 3: Conclusion

Embracing Sakop in the Understanding of the Church

Sakop Family-Oriented Church

Diagram 9. Understanding the Church as Family-Oriented through Sakop

This has been an essential topic in the new form of evangelization of the Church. Since
the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council change its mission from previous traditional account, it
has brought a lively sort of evangelization by means of ‘inculturation’. There is a sort of system
in cultures which helps the church continue its mission in a universal perspective. This approach
does not necessarily change the canonical requirement, but on a universal sense, gives all
members of the church the opportunity to understand the liturgy better through their culture,
assuring that “the originality of a culture does not signify withdrawal into itself but a
 15
contribution to the richness which is the good of all” (ITC, 1988: 7). This has been considered
by the Second Vatican Council as the Church’s magisterium (ITC, 1988: sec.2). The preservation
of the magisterium supports the fact that, “the Church’s efforts to make the message of Christ
penetrate a given sociocultural milieu, calling on the latter to grow according to all its
particular values, as long as these are compatible with the Gospel” (ITC, 1988: sec.11).
The values that are seen in the Filipino culture contains values that keep them family-
oriented with the church, which also highlights the value-system of the church as family-oriented
church. In general, it is “always taking the person as one’s starting-point and always coming
back to the relationships of people among themselves and with God” (Pope Paul VI, 1975: sec.
20). Thus, the connection between the people of God and the universal nature of the Church
enables everyone to connect with one another and create a harmonious relationship as family-
oriented individuals, being together with the church (Sakop) and have a sense of belonginess
with convergence. Without such co-existence of Sakop and Church, it is therefore difficult to
understand the nature of the church as family-oriented. As Ragui (1992:17) concludes:

To explain the universal nature of the Church and its family to a Filipino
requires using a suitable Filipino value. Sakop lends itself beautifully to
conveying the group-unity concept. Starting with local benefits, the sakop
kinship idea can be extended to embrace the membership of the world Church
as the family of God. Not only will this break down barriers within the local
setting but Filipinos will also appreciate other cultures within the Church.
This will unite the world Church in the eyes of Filipinos and enable them to
see the value of their position in the family.

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 16
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 17
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