By Anthony Barich
THE chaplaincy for the Perth Archdiocese’s Filipino community was re-established on 4 July after an eight-year hiatus.
Archbishop Barry Hickey installed University of WA chaplain and former Archdiocesan vocations director Fr Armando Carandang and Mundaring parish administrator Fr Elver Delicano as senior and assistant Filipino Chaplains respectively at St Mary’s Cathedral.
There are currently up to 10,000 Filipinos in the Perth metropolitan area, Fr Armando told The Record.
The chaplaincy was re-estblished with a view to a deeper evangelisation and an integrated support of the growing number of Filipinos and Filipino-Australians within the Archdiocese, in cooperation with various Filipino groups.
During this time, and before, Archbishop Hickey showed “great fatherly care” towards the Filipino people, Fr Armando said during the special Cathedral Mass, and thanked the prelate for his ongoing support, adding that, though the Archbishop is due to retire soon, “we don’t want you to go … we’ll miss you”.
Fr Elver, who was previously a missionary in Africa, told The Record that the Filipino people live to serve the Church – “that’s what we’re known for” – and the country, which is up to 85 per cent Catholic, is known among the global community for its strong faith.
This faith came to them from the Spanish, who were originally evangelised by the Apostle St James. Spain “discovered” the Philippine Islands in 1521 before granting them independence as a nation on 12 June 1898.
The renowned Catholic circumnavigator Ferdinand Magellan died during the voyage of discovery on the Philippine Island of Mactan.
This independence was short-lived, however, as the Spanish-American War broke out after which the US “purchased” the country for $20 million, but eventually granted the Philippines independence as a nation on 4 July 1946.
Today, the Filipino Catholic community in Perth thrives with four officially registered organisations – Couples for Christ (Australia) Global Mission, Damayang Filipino, El Shaddai and the Filipino Australian Club of Perth.
The Filipino Catholic community also has at least 15 prayer groups, which Fr Armando said reflects the “devotional”, Hispanic influence of their country.
These groups include San Lorenzo Ruiz, Padre Pio, Our Lady of the Rule, Alliance of Two Hearts, Queen of Angels Cenacle, Our Lady of Missions, Our Lady of Fatima, Divine Mercy, Sacred Heart, St Therese, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Immaculate Conception, Sto Nino, St Joseph and Marian Family Cenacle Prayer Groups (managed by the Franciscan priests and nuns of Mary Immaculate).
The Filipino Catholic community also holds three major events each year, including Santo Nino on the third Sunday of January at St Joachim’s Church in Victoria Park; Philippine Indepenence Day on the Sunday closest to 12 June at St Mary’s Cathedral; and San Lorenzo on the last Sunday in September at Bedford. Other parish-based events are also prominent.
Wherever Filipino Catholics are present in parishes, they are “very conspicuous”, Fr Elver said, especially in music ministry.
Chaplaincy to the Filipino people has a three-fold purpose, Fr Armando said:
– To provide a unified spiritual and pastoral support to all Filipino religious organisations and prayer groups in the Archdiocese of Perth,
– To facilitate incorporation, especially of new migrants, individual and family, into the parish life and the Archdiocese as a whole,
– To provide assistance, if and when needed or requested, in attaining fuller participation of already established Filipino-Australians in their respective parishes.
Filipinos have not traditionally had problems integrating into Australian parishes, he said, as they already speak English – a product of American control of the Philippines for nearly 50 years, as the US facilitated country-wide English education programmes and instituted a democratic government.
Philippine-born Royal Perth Hospital chaplain Fr Nelson Po, who concelebrated the 4 July Mass at St Mary’s Cathedral, is part of an advisory and consultative council which includes all present Filipino priests of the Archdiocese.
Presently, this includes Frs Robert Carillo, Andrew Albis, Nelson Po, Rainier Fernandez, Arnel Taracina and Fr Denis Sudla, plus the two chaplains.