by Audrey Seah
During my recent visit to the Asian Institute of Liturgy and Music (AILM) in the Philippines, I had the opportunity to spend some time with local liturgist and faculty member of AILM, Tinnah dela Rosa. An inevitable topic of conversation was that of inculturation and Fr. Anscar Chupungco’s legacy; Fr. Chupungco was on the board of AILM. I had asked Tinnah what Filipinos think of inculturation and how inculturation has been embraced. With a hint of disappointment, Tinnah related that inculturation in the Roman Catholic church has not been readily received by all.
One of the greatest treasures of the Filipino church is the Misa ng Bayang Pilipino. The Misa was put together by scholars at the Maryhill School of Theology under the direction of Fr. Chupungco in the 70s. It was presented to the Sacred Congregation of Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments in 1976, and supported fully by the Bishops of the Philippines.
The Misa is modeled on the Roman Order but incorporates cultural values and patterns in elements, gestures, and language of the Misa. For instance, the introductory rites consist not only of the entrance procession, penitential rite, and collect, but includes a veneration of the cross that reflects the Filipinos’ devotion to the cross, and presentation of the gifts—bread and wine together with other gifts the community brings. The sign of peace is also part of the introductory rite. The sign concludes the penitential rite and evokes the Filipino social system of mediation as they turn to the priest for prayer on their behalf, suggesting the Filipino attitude of shyness and unworthiness in the presence of a person of higher status, that is, God himself.
Other variations in the liturgy include the blessing of lectors through the gesture mano po, in which the reader takes the priest’s hand to his forehead, signifying respect for authority, as the latter says “may God show you his mercy.” Several other ritual variations are found in the rite, but its most significant feature is the language used in its Eucharistic prayer, which employs genuine Filipino values, idiomatic expressions, proverbs, and images drawn from the life experiences of its people without losing the theological content of the Roman Order of Mass.
Despite the cultural and theological richness of the rite, Tinnah explained that it continues only to be used at special events. One recent example was its use at the opening mass of the 2013 Philippine Conference on the New Evangelization held at the University of Santo Tomas. She has observed that there seems to be a disconnect between the intent of liturgists and the reception of some inculturated elements by the people. Some perceive elements of inculturation as a secularization of the liturgy. For example, many parishes prefer the pipe organ because Sacrosanctum Concilium and Musicam Sacram say it is to be held in high esteem. This is unfortunately interpreted to mean the organ is a more sacred instrument. Parishes are unable to afford organs, so they compromise with a digital keyboard with a pipe organ sound. Some parishes make a pastoral concession for the guitar. Many church musicians are advised not to use the piano as it is perceived by some to be a “protestant” instrument or a percussion instrument, and therefore unsuitable for the liturgy. Native instruments such as gongs and drums are never used because they sound too secular—they make worshippers who associate worship in church and the sacred with western musical styles uncomfortable and unable to pray. For precisely this reason, several liturgical compositions of Tinnah’s which employ traditional instruments, have only been heard in a concert hall.
Inculturation is historically a Catholic neologism; it struck me as ironic that inculturation is more easily embraced by protestant traditions that do not necessarily have a reference point for what a worship service should or should not be like. Unlike her Roman Catholic students, Tinnah’s Methodist, Lutheran, and Baptist students report success with incorporating traditional elements in worship services when they return to their home countries. What can we make of the situation in the Catholic Church?
Two things seem to be happening here: the infrequent use of Misa ng Bayang Pilipino, especially in parishes (if any at all); that traditional music causes discomfort to parishioners because they perceive it as secular. The latter could be seen as a hindrance to the former, but it does not need to be so. Perhaps the Misa is exactly what the church needs to bridge the false dichotomy between the sacred and the secular present here. While music is often the easiest element of the liturgy to be inculturated, it can also be the most jarring. But what if various elements of the Misa were introduced gradually? For instance,the mano po could be the first to be introduced, and then the veneration of the cross and so on. And on local feast days, maybe Misa’s Eucharistic prayer could be used. I suspect that traditional music, if it were one of the last elements to be included, will no longer be misconceived as secular when the faithful see that the other inculturated elements are profoundly meaningful and Christian in their own right.
Audrey Seah is an alumna of Saint John’s School of Theology-Seminary and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Theology (Liturgical Studies) the University of Notre Dame.
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