The Church Spreads

and Grows
• The Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Love, would always be the soul of the Church.
• Jesus commissioned the Twelve to continue the mission He started—
establishing the Kingdom of God by baptizing all people in the name of the
Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
• The Acts of the Apostles chronicles the growth and spread of the Church.
• It was narrated that those who were scattered went as far as Phoenicia,
Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to only Jews.
• Some went to a busy city of Greece, Antioch to proclaim Jesus is the
Messiah.
• A faithful disciple who was filled with the holy spirit, Barnabas, was sent to
look into what was happening in Greeks
• It was in Antioch that the followers of Jesus were first called Christians.
• Philip also did his share in spreading the Church is Samaria.
• Philip baptized an Ethiopian after he preached the Word of God to him
• It is clearly stated in the Acts of the Apostles that it is the Holy Spirit who is
principally responsible for the growth of the Church.
• It is also the Holy Spirit who gave the early Christians to persist in their faith,
despite the persecution.
• Christians are given the freedom to practice their faith and observe their
religious duties.
Christianity in the Philippines
• Christianity came to the Philippines upon the arrival of Ferdinand Magellan.
• Spanish priests propagated the Catholic Faith in the country.
• Magellan and his companions celebrated the first Mass in Limasawa Island on
March 31, 1521 (Easter Sunday).
• The first to be baptized were Rajah Humabon who was given his Christian name,
Carlos, and his wife Hara Amihan who was given her Christian name, Juana.
• The image of the Santo Niño de Cebu, the oldest religious icon in the
Philippines
• The missionaries established many churches all throughout the country and spread
the Catholic Faith among Filipinos.
• The first to arrive were the Augustinians then, the Franciscans, Jesuits, and
Dominicans followed.
Christianity in the Philippines
• Christianity came to the Philippines upon the arrival of Ferdinand Magellan.
• Spanish priests propagated the Catholic Faith in the country.
• Magellan and his companions celebrated the first Mass in Limasawa Island on
March 31, 1521 (Easter Sunday).
• The first to be baptized were Rajah Humabon who was given his Christian name,
Carlos, and his wife Hara Amihan who was given her Christian name, Juana.
• The image of the Santo Niño de Cebu, the oldest religious icon in the
Philippines
• The missionaries established many churches all throughout the country and spread
the Catholic Faith among Filipinos.
• The first to arrive were the Augustinians then, the Franciscans, Jesuits, and
Dominicans followed.
The
Church Undergoes Renewal
• Renewal in the Church is God’s dream and desire.
• Jesus brought a new way of relating with God, a new way of being a community
and a new way of being human.
• Renewal is a gift of newness and fullness of life offered to our Church and our
people by the God of love.
• The sacred Council has set out to impart an ever-increasing vigor to the Christian
life of the faithful
• While the growth of the Church was something truly wonderful, there were also
controversies and heresies that plagued the Church.
• Controversy already arose because of the conversion of the Gentiles to
Christianity. Gentiles were not circumcised.
• Peter spoke to the apostles and explained important truths that God makes no
distinction between circumcised and uncircumcised
 Different Council
• Council in Jerusalem affirmed that salvation is through the grace given by Jesus
• Ecumenical council is a gathering of bishops from all over the world in order to address
controversies surrounding a doctrine or practice.
• Council of Nicea was convened to counteract and correct the heresy spread by Arius.
• Council of Trent was convened in response to the heresies promoted by Martin Luther
who broke away from the Church and founded the Protestant movement.
• Second Vatican Council was convoked by Blessed Pope John XXIII to respond to the
challenges posed by the modern world.
The Second Vatican Council paved the way for the celebration of the Mass not just in Latin
but in many languages and opened the way for Catholics to pray with those who belong to
other Christian Faith.
What the Church is today and how it performs its role in the modern world is the fruit of
Second Vatican Council.
 Renewal/Movements in the Philippines
• The Church in the Philippines sought to receive God’s gift of renewal during the
Second Plenary Council of the Philippines (PCP II)
• The PCP II declared the need for the Church to become the Church of the poor.
• Renewal in the Church in the Philippines comes through various renewal
movements such as, the Catholic Charismatic Renewal, lay covenant
communities, the Neo-Catechumenal Way, the Christian Family Movement,
Marriage Encounter, Focolare, and the Parish Renewal Experience (PREX)
• The Parish Renewal Experience (PREX) is anchored in Pope Paul VI’s call for
evangelization.
• In 2001, ten years after PCP II, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the
Philippines (CBCP) convoked the National Pastoral Consultation on Church
Renewal