FR. GENARO “GENIE” O. DIWA*
“The poor among the nations,” Fr. Horacio de la Costa, SJ, once said, “hide two jewels in their rags: their music and their faith.” More than possessions, our music and our faith are precisely the gifts by which the Gospel has taken root in our native land.
It is therefore no coincidence that the liturgical renewal inaugurated by the Second Vatican Council found such ready reception in the Philippines. Mindful of the Council’s desire that the faithful participate fully, consciously, and actively in the Sacred Liturgy, our bishops promptly approved in 1964 the use of the principal Philippine languages in the liturgy, a decision later confirmed by the Holy See. The Church’s prayer thus came to resound ever more deeply in the language, and later, the music of our people.
Providentially, the Society of Jesus stood at the forefront of this renewal. Beginning with Fr. Eduardo Hontiveros, SJ, whose seminal work “Misa ng Bayan sa Awit” drew inspiration from the pasyón, the pangaluluwa, and other indigenous expressions of popular piety, a new chapter in Filipino liturgical music began to unfold.
From his pioneering work sprang generations of composers and musicians from among the Jesuits and their friends who have enriched the Church’s worship with compositions that are at once authentically Filipino and authentically liturgical.
The rich legacy of Bukas Palad, Hangad, Himig Heswita, and the many gifted composers and musicians who form part of the Jesuit Music Ministry and who have shared in this apostolate is a luminous expression of that treasure within the life of the Church in the Philippines. Their music has done more than accompany the liturgy; it has served the liturgical action itself, deepened the faithful’s participation in the sacred mysteries, and helped countless communities raise their hearts and voices in the praise of the Triune God.
We, in the CBCP Episcopal Commission on Liturgy and the Archdiocesan Liturgical Commission of Manila join the entire People of God in giving thanks for this extraordinary ministry. We pray that the Lord, who has begun this good work, may continue to inspire new generations of composers, ministers, and assemblies to place their gifts at the service of the Church’s worship, so that, as encouraged by Sacrosanctum Concilium, the faithful may be led ever more deeply into the mystery they celebrate.
And if, paraphrasing Nick Joaquin, ours is a people called “to remember, to pray, and to sing,” then tonight we rejoice because the lgnatian musical tradition has helped generations of Filipino Catholics to do all three: faithfully, beautifully, and for the greater glory of God.
Thank you, and may God bless you all
July 4, 2026