FILIPINO CATHOLICISM: A CASE STUDY IN RELIGIOUS CHANGE ฀฀฀ F. LANDA ]OCANO ฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀฀ IN THIS PAPER I SHALL DESCRIBE AND ANALYZE CERTAIN aspects of what has been labeled in the literature as Filipino "folk religion." I say "certain aspects" in that it is impossible within the limits of .a single essay to deal with all facets of Filipino folk religious practices. In fact, the discussion will center mainly on Roman Catholicism. Even if the scope of this study is limited, it is nevertheless worthwhile undertaking if only to start something upon which other future and more detailed works may be based. It must be said, in this connection, that this essay is written from an anthropological point of view, not from any religious denomination. The materials used for this purpose have been gathered from different parts of the Philippines, either through fieldwork done by myself since 1955 or culled from what other fieldworkers have written during the last decade. The description of urban religious practices is based largely on a preliminary six months work in Manila's major churches and suburban centers. During this period, I have interviewed churchgoers, priests, pastors, religious devotees, and lay leaders. I have likewise participated in many of the rituals going on in or about these religious centers. In order to appreciate the implications of many of these religious prac- tices for the present discussion, let us first examine a number of central and interrelated theoretical points before proceeding with the descriptive analysis. ( 1) Religion, viewed as an embodiment of profound human experi- ences, is committed to the expression and explanation of what Paul Tillich calls the "ultimate concern" 1 of society - that is, the fulfillment of the "restlessness of the heart" within the flux of daily activities. ( 2) Central to this commitment is the stimulation and organization of feelings of people toward life so that they may find importance and inspira· tion in what they do. 2 *An outline version of this essay appeared in the J!hilippine Educational Forum (Manila, 1966). I Paul Tillich, Dynamics of Faith (New York: Harper & Brothers, 1957), pp. 2-13. 2 Purnell Handy Benson, Religion in Contemporary Culture: A Study of Religion Through Social Science (New York: Harper & Brothers, 1960), pp. 124-128. 42