The Catholic Church reaches out in the Philippines to the Filipino-Chinese

I. Why is the Roman Catholic Church an institution?

A. It is the single largest Christian body in the world.
1. It has close to one billion members.
2. It has members on most countries.

B. The word “Catholic” means universal.

C. It regards itself as the only legitimate inheritor of the commission of Jesus Christ.
1. It has an unbroken line of episcopal successions from Peter, the first pope.

D. It has a hierarchy on its own.
1. It is headed by a pope.
a. The current pope is Pope Benedict 16.
b. The pope is infallible (Meaning he is always right in matters of faith and doctrine.)
2. The cardinals, who are the head of the archdioceses, are directly under the pope.
3. The bishops fall under the archbishop and head dioceses.
4. The priests follow next and head individual churches.
5. Deacons are the candidates for priesthood and are still undergoing study and training.

E. It has its seat of governance in Vatican City, Rome, Italy.

II. How does Vatican reach out to the Philippines?

A. The pope has his special envoy called the Papal Nuncio.
1. The current Papal Nuncio is Franco.

B. The Philippines is divided into several archdioceses to reach out to the people.
1. The most prominent archdiocese in the Philippines is the Archdiocese of Manila
a. It is headed by His Eminence, Jaime Cardinal Sin.
b. It has involved itself in the Philippine Government.
b.1. It has intervened in EDSA I
b.2. It has intervened in EDSA 2

III. How does the Catholic Church in the Philippines reach out to the Filipino-Chinese?

A. In the 1990’s Cardinal Sin realized that the Filipino-Chinese needs a special ministry.

B. He established the Lorenzo Mission Institute in Makati.
1. It serves as a seminary and an order that caters the needs of the Filipino-Chinese.
2. It reaches out to the Filipino-Chinese by saying Masses using the Chinese language.
3. It wants to focus on “Inculturation”
a. Its goal is to incorporate Chinese tradition in the Catholic faith to appeal to the Filipino-Chinese.
a.1. They use the incense stick of the Chinese.
a.2. They pay tribute to ancestors by offering foods.

IV. The Immaculate Conception Parish serves as an example.

A. It is located in Damar Village in Quezon City.
1. The village has a predominant Filipino-Chinese population.
B. It holds regular Chinese Masses.
1. They use the Chinese language in the whole Mass.
C. The Parish Priest is Father Peterson Tieng.
1. He is a part of the Lorenzo Mission Institute.
2. He is a Filipino-Chinese.