The Site of The First Mass On Philippine Soil
The Site of The First Mass On Philippine Soil
The Site of The First Mass On Philippine Soil
FIRST MASS ON
PHILIPPINE SOIL
OVERVIEW:
The site where Mass was first
celebrated on Philippine soil has been a
subject of controversy for several
decades.
The two places put forward are the
island of Limasawa to the south of
Leyte, and mouth of the Agusan River
near Butuan in northeastern Mindanao
OVERVIEW:
During the 17th, 18th and 19th
centuries, a strong and almost
unanimous tradition existed to the
effect that the first Mass on the
Philippines soil was celebrated at or
near Butuan.
SHIFT IN OPINION
The shift in opinion from Butuan to
Limasawa was directly due to the rediscovery
of the testimony of both Pigafetta and Albo.
It was the more careful study of Pigafetta’s
text that led scholars to question the validity
of the Butuan tradition.
Father Pablo Pastells S.J.
James Robertson
Trinidad H. Pardode Tavera
THE ULTIMATE TRUTH?
Mazaua is universally believed to be
Limasawa, an isle in Leyte in Latitude
9°56’ N and longitude 125°5’ E.