“Mabuhay!” exclaimed Washington Auxiliary Bishop Robert P. Boxie III, the main celebrant of a Mass on Oct. 17, 2026, to honor Filipino Marian devotions and Saints Lorenzo Ruiz and Pedro Calungsod, the two Catholic saints from the Philippines. The large congregation at St. Mary’s Church in Rockville, Maryland, enthusiastically responded “Mabuhay,” the traditional Tagalog greeting meaning “Long Live.”
The concelebrants at the Mass included Msgr. Robert G. Amey, St. Mary’s pastor, who greeted the Filipino Catholics of the Washington area attending the Mass, and welcomed Bishop Boxie to the modern church next to the historic church built in 1816-17 on Rockville Pike, now named the Chapel of Our Lady.
St. Mary’s modern church was the first built in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington after Vatican II, and the architecture reflects some of the transitions of the Church during that time. Above the altar is a bronze baldachin, or canopy, supported by four bronze pillars. The baldachin is curved to match the architecture of the dome of the church, flaring out as though ruffling in a breeze.
The Mass for Filipino Catholics honoring their Marian devotion and the legacy of their two native saints was organized by the DC Filipino Catholic group with support from the Office of Cultural Diversity and Outreach of the Archdiocese of Washington.
In his homily, Bishop Boxie, a Louisiana native, spoke of asking Father Ryan Pineda, the pastor at St. Philip the Apostle Parish in Camp Springs who serves as the chaplain of the Filipino Catholics in the archdiocese, what he should know about the Filipino Catholic community. Father Pineda replied, “They are low-key.” Bishop Boxie told the congregation, “I don’t think you are low-key at all…In fact, I think you are pretty radical.” He went on to explain that the word radical stems from the Latin word that means “rooted,” and the Filipino community is certainly rooted in faith.
In 2021, Filipino Catholics marked the 500th anniversary of Catholicism in the Philippines.
Continuing his praise of the Filipino community, Bishop Boxie said, “Wherever you go and live or relocate outside your country – whether Europe, the Middle East, South or North America, Africa – you always plant the faith; you put down roots. You bring your Marian spirituality, your trust in the Blessed Mother and her protection over you – a constant reminder for all of us that Mary is our mother and our guide; you bring your devotions, your love of the Church. You bring your service, faithfulness, your strong sense of community and family life which enriches and enlivens the Church.”
The bishop went on to speak of the faith of the Filipino people and of the two Filipino saints being honored at the Mass. “These martyrs, Lorenzo Ruiz and Pedro Calungsod, refused to compromise their faith; they refused to turn their backs on God; they refused to be uprooted from Jesus; they accepted the cost of discipleship as a follower of Jesus Christ, and they gained the crown of martyrdom. Tertullian, a 2nd-century Church theologian, said, ‘The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church.’ It is the seed of their faith, planted centuries ago, buried deep within the earth, and which has taken root in the hearts and minds of the Filipino people… These roots have spread far and wide; they have extended across continents and countries and kingdoms, through the generations… You are the spiritual heirs of these martyrs and of all those who have come before you who have given you this treasure of faith that continues to be renewed in each generation.”
Also participating in the Liturgy were Father Stephen Wong, a parochial vicar at St. Mary’s; Deacon Frank Avenilla, who served as the deacon master of ceremony for the bishop; Deacon Jason Lising, who served as deacon of the altar; and Deacon Ronnie Chavez, who served as deacon of the Word. Visiting priests and seminarians included Father Mario Catungal, Father Ryan Pineda, Father Wency Serafica, and seminarians Joseph Solomon, Joseph Ytem, and Bartek Sobkowicz.
Before Mass began, a rosary was prayed in English, Tagalog, and the other languages of the Philippines. The statues of the two saints were processed around the church and up to the sanctuary where they were reverently placed on raised platforms at the foot of the altar. At the offertory, the bread and wine were brought to the altar along with baskets of fruit and food. Music for the Mass was directed by Victor Roa of the St. Mary’s Filipino Choir.
The congregation was encouraged to bring forth statues of the saints or the Blessed Virgin Mary to place on the communion rail. One statue, the Blessed Virgin Mary holding an older child Jesus, was owned by Janet Harmon, who also served as a lector for the Mass, reading the Responsorial Psalm. Harmon, a parishioner at Immaculate Heart of Mary in Lexington Park, Maryland, noted that the statue was too large to place on the shrine in her home, so it is sitting on her buffet in her living room. Her original statue of Our Lady of Fatima was given to her daughter upon her marriage. Janet has been married for 41 years to Jeff Harmon, whom she met in the Philippines while he was serving in the U.S. Navy, and is a founding member of the DC Catholic Filipinos. The ministry was first organized at the request of Father Pineda back in 2021, who wished to organize a celebration of the 500 years of Christianity in the Philippines. DC Filipino Catholics have continued to be active in commemorating the feasts of the two Filipino saints. She shared that many Filipinos are also active in their home parishes.
Beth Reyes, a 32-year-old IT data analyst who, along with her sister Marygrace and mother Antonietta Janeo-Reyes, wore the Filipiniana traditional dress they bought on their last trip to the Philippines, spoke about why she is an active member of the Filipino Catholic community. She said, “The Filipino community makes my faith so strong. There are so many things in the outside world crowding into my mind, and it is challenging to stay focused on what is important.” She added that praying the rosary and the Divine Mercy chaplet, and attending Eucharistic Adoration, all help her stay close to God. Her mother, an Extraordinary Minister of the Eucharist at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, echoed this, adding how important it was to her to raise both her daughters in the Catholic faith. Marygrace, a 29-year-old gift processing specialist for Howard Community College, serves as a lector at St. Mary’s Parish in Laurel.
Following the Mass, a reception was held in the school hall, where various Filipino foods and desserts were served. Many of the attendees were dressed in the traditional garb of the Philippines, with the women wearing the Filipiniana and the men wearing Barong shirts.
(Michelle Ardillo is a freelance writer and parishioner at the Shrine of St. Jude Parish in Rockville. She is a retired middle school English teacher in the Archdiocese of Washington who is currently writing a book on the apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary. See more of her work at www.michelleardillo.com.)
St. Lorenzo Ruiz and St. Pedro Calungsod, the two saints of the Philippines
(The following is excerpted from a 2021 Catholic Standard article by Rosemarie Ong.)
The missionary spirit of the Filipino people is best exemplified by the heroic examples of two Filipino saints, Lorenzo Ruiz and Pedro Calungsod, laypersons who died as martyrs in other lands.
Lorenzo Ruiz, an altar server and calligrapher of Binondo Church in Manila, fled with the Dominican missionaries to Japan to escape a false charge. He was martyred in 1637 by the Tokugawa Shogunate, then the feudal military government in Japan, for refusing to renounce his faith.
Three hundred years later, Lorenzo Ruiz was canonized as the first Filipino martyr and saint. Recalling his words, San Lorenzo said he would rather die “a thousand deaths” than deny the Savior. He is the patron saint of Filipino youth, the Philippines, and overseas workers. His feast day is on the 28th of September.
Pedro Calungsod, the second Filipino canonized by the Roman Catholic Church, was a young missionary catechist who died a martyr in 1672. This was four years after he journeyed with Father Diego Luis San Vitores and other Jesuits to evangelize the Chamorros, the indigenous people in Guam. After rumor spread that the Jesuits’ baptismal water was poisoned, the Chamorros turned against the missionaries. Calungsod was struck by a spear in the chest as he shielded Father Diego from two native attackers. Nearly three-and-a-half centuries later, Calungsod, the first martyr of the Visayas Islands, was proclaimed a saint.
At Calungsod’s beatification, Pope John Paul II remarked that “in a spirit of faith, marked by strong Eucharistic and Marian devotion, Pedro undertook the demanding work asked of him and bravely faced the many obstacles and difficulties he met.” San Pedro Calungsod’s feast day is on April 2. He is the patron saint of Filipino youth and a prime example of a catechist willing to risk it all to bring the message of Jesus Christ to the world.
The gift of faith that the Filipino people received and nurtured down the centuries has borne its most sublime fruit in the martyrdom and sainthood of those two laypersons, San Lorenzo Ruiz and San Pedro Calungsod.
