HOLY NAME SOCIETY

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF THE HOLY NAME SOCIETY: PHILIPPINES

Holy Name Society - Personal Call to Holiness
Hoy Name Member in PrayerThe Holy Name Society is committed to helping its members grow
in holiness through devotion to the most Holy Name of Jesus. Members of this fraternity are
called to be leaders, to cleanse themselves in the sacrament of penance, strengthen themselves
with the most Holy Eucharist, nourish their souls on Sacred Scripture, increase their desire for
divine love through prayer, and lead their families, friends, and coworkers to Christ Jesus by
their acts of charity and piety.
If you are a Catholic over the age of 18, please consider joining the Holy Name Society join
your prayers with others so that the Most Holy Name of Jesus can be venerated our prayers
will be heard!
Purpose
The Confraternity of the Most Holy Names of God and Jesus (Holy Name Society) promotes
reverence for the Sacred Names of God and Jesus Christ, obedience and loyalty to the
Magisterium of the Catholic Church, and the personal sanctification and holiness of its members.
Members are called to contribute to the evangelization mission of the Church and to make
perpetual acts of reverence and love for our Lord and Savior. The apostolate of the society is to
assist in parish ministries by performing the Corporal Works of Mercy: to feed the hungry, to
clothe the naked, give drink to the thirsty, shelter to the homeless, tend the sick, visit those in
prison, and bury the dead; as well as the Spiritual Works of Mercy: to convert sinners, instruct
the ignorant, counsel the wayward, comfort the sorrowing, bear adversity patiently, forgive
offenses, and pray for the living and the dead.
Membership in the Holy Name Society
Membership in the Holy Name Society is open to all Catholics, lay faithful, clergy, and religious
over the age of 18. They must be firm believers in all that the Catholic Church believes and
teaches and put these teachings into practice in their daily lives. These beliefs of the Catholic
faith are expressed in the Credo of the People of God, Apostolic Letter in the form of Motu
Proprio, Solemni Hac Liturgia (Credo Of The People Of God) Of The Supreme Pontiff Paul VI,
June 30, 1968
How to Become a Member
Membership in the Holy Name Society is typically at the parish level. The parish Holy Name
Society must be properly chartered with the Dominican Order. To become a Professed member

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of the Holy Name Society requires a public expression of faith by the candidate in a special
induction ceremony. It is also possible to become a Novice member in the Confraternity.
Membership
The Holy Name Society is the popular name for the Confraternity of the Most Holy Names of
God and Jesus. It is fundamentally and essentially a spiritual organization for Catholics - lay and
religious. The purpose of the Holy Name Society is to give honor to the Most Sacred Names of
God and Jesus and to assist members to grow in holiness and achieve their personal salvation.
Holy Name Society members promote devotion to the most Holy Name of Jesus. The Holy
Name Society embraces Catholics from all walks of life. Membership is open to all Catholics
over the age of eighteen.
Professed Member
Candidates become fully Professed Members of the Confraternity of the Most Holy Names of
God and Jesus following promises made at a special Induction Ceremony. The names of the
Professed members must be written in ink in the Official Register of the Holy Name Society. The
Spiritual Director or the priest conducting the induction ceremony should sign and date the page
containing the signatures.
After the Induction Ceremony the candidates become Professed members in the Confraternity of
the most Holy Names of God and Jesus and now obtain the graces, indulgences, rights, privileges
and Spiritual Benefits of Membership.
Novice Member
To become a Novice member requires the candidate to fully believe and put into practice in their
daily lives all of the promises specified in the Holy Name Pledge. The candidate must also fulfill
any and all of the obligations and duties for a Novice Member as prescribed by the Parish,
Deanery, (Arch)diocesan Holy Name Society with jurisdiction over the area the Novice resides.
Novice members may belong directly to the National Association if they reside in an area where
there is no active Parish, Deanery or (Arch)diocesan Holy Name Society.
The following special form should be used to become a Novice member. The candidate wishing
to become a Novice member in the Confraternity of the Most Holy Names of God and Jesus
should sign this form in the presence of their parish priest and then send to the NAHNS at the
following address:

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The NAHNS has published the "Official Book of Ceremonies" for Holy Name Societies. This
booklet contains all of the ceremonies necessary to erect a parish Holy Name Society, induct
members into the Confraternity of the most Holy Name of God and Jesus, as well as a ceremony
for Professed Members to renew their promises and a ceremony to officially install new officers
of a parish or (Arch)Diocesan Holy Name Society.
Ministries
The National Association of the Holy Name Society promotes to all members to perform the
Corporal Works of Mercy and the Spiritual Works of Mercy individually or collectively in their
Parish, Deanery, Vicariate, Diocesan, Archdiocesan Federations, Unions or Societies.
Corporal Works of Mercy
.....to feed the hungry, to clothe the naked, give drink to the thirsty, shelter to the homeless, tend
the sick, visit those in prison, and bury the dead.
Spiritual Works of Mercy
......to convert sinners, instruct the ignorant, counsel the wayward, comfort the sorrowing, bear
adversity patiently, forgive offenses, and pray for the living and the dead on a parochial, diocesan
and national level.
Devotion to the Holy Name
Devotion to the Holy Name falls loosely into three periods. The first phase is the very early
Church and was cultivated by the Apostles and the early disciples. In this period devotion is to
the Name of Christ, to the Name of Christ Jesus, to the Name of the Lord, and to the Name of
Jesus.
The second phase is found in the early middle ages. Here devotion to the Holy Name was fixed
specifically to the Name of Jesus. Pope Gregory X (1271 - 1276) and the Council of Lyons in
1274 initiated a call of the Universal Church to this special devotion. Through the works of
Blessed John of Vercelli, the sixth Master General of the Order of St. Dominic, the Dominicans
began preaching on the virtues of the Holy Name and built special altars where the lay faithful
could venerate the Holy Name of Jesus.
The third phase was brought to life by St. Bernardine of Siena (1380 - 1444). St. Bernardine
made the object of devotion the Monogram of the Holy Name. St. Bernardine painted a special
wooden tablet with the Monogram of the Name of Jesus surrounded by rays of the sun. St.
Bernardine and his contemporary St. John Capistran popularized this devotion and made it so

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widespread that the monogram of the name of Jesus, even today, stands at the side of the cross as
a symbol of Christianity.
The Holy Name Society is spiritually rooted in the zealous devotions that began in the
Dominican Order and flourished through the work of St. Bernardine and his Franciscan Brothers.
All whatsoever you do in word or in work, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ Col
3:17
HOLY NAME SOCIETY
ARCHDIOCESE UNION OF HOLY NAME SOCIETY: MANILA
About the Holy Name Society of the Philippines
The Holy Name Society, a confraternity entrusted to the Dominican Order, was first established
in the Philippines on November 13, 1930 at the University of Santo Tomas, Manila by Rev. Fr.
Silvestre Sancho O.P. then Rector of the University. The University was the premier home of the
Holy Name Society until the break of Second World War. The first President of the Society was
Mr. Manuel Colayco; he died during the liberation of UST in 1945. On April 21, 1950, the
Episcopal Commission on Catholic Action granted the Confraternity the official mandate to
operate as a National Catholic Action Organization. Rev. Fr. Jesus Castaon O.P. was appointed
National Promoter and Ramon C. Salinas, then a student of the university was the first National
President, and later became a Dominican Priest. From here on, the Holy Name Society Parish
Unit Organizations, which were subsequently organized into Diocesan Unions under the
Reverend Diocesan Directors appointed by their Bishops, proliferated in the Philippines .
On April 21, 1952 , Fr. Pedro Tejero, O.P., was appointed National Promoter. He convened the
Reverend Diocesan Directors appointed by their Bishops and the Diocesan Union Presidents of
the HNS.
On August 2, 1953, His Excellency Bishop Vicente T. Reyes held a meeting with all the
Archdiocesan and Diocesan Union officers and spiritual director to organized a governing body
and elect there offices. A constitution and by-laws was made and approved for the National
Electorate. The first officers of the National Directorate were Mr. Teotimo Roja, President, Mr.
Jose Feria, Vice President, Mr. Antonio C. Delgado, Treasurer and Mr. Serafin Guingona,
Secretary.
On September 15, 1958, Rev. Fr. Jaime N. Boquiren, O.P., was appointed National Promoter of
the HNS by Fr. Silvestre Sancho, O.P., the Prior Provincial of the Holy Rosary Province . He
held the position until he retired on April 30, 1968. In 1996 he was reappointed as National
Promoter and remained in this position until he retired in 2006. With 20 years of service, he
became the longest serving National Promoter of the National Association of the Holy Name
Society in the Philippines .

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The Dominican Fathers who were former National Promoters: Fr. Pedro Traquena, Fr. Rogelio B.
Alarcon, Fr. Francisco Mendoza, Fr. Larry Faraon, Fr. Ramon C. Salinas, Fr. George Moreno,
and Fr. Reynaldo Adalid. The current National Promoter Rev. Fr. Edgardo Alaurin, OP was
appointed and took over as National Promoter in May 2012.
The following have served as HNS National Presidents since 1953: Atty. Teotimo Roja, Atty.
Bagasan, Judge Candido Villanueva, Engr. Octavio Q. Nicolas, Judge Leonardo Afable, Judge
Rodolfo Toladano, Judge Ulysses Salvador, Mr. Francis Lagman, Judge Emmanuel S. Flores,
Engr. Manuel De Guzman, Mr. Bienvenido Pentinio, Bro. Conrado Mataga, Bro. Emiliano A.
Aberin, Atty. Jimmy Pablito, Bro. Manny Aguilar and Bro. Felix Tobillo. The current President is
Bro. Laureano Culala, Jr. who was elected on January 20, 2013.
YEAR
1982 - 1984
1984 - 1986
1986 - 1988
1988 - 1990
1990 - 1991
1991 - 1993
1993 1994 - 1995
1995 - 1997
1995 - 1996
1996 - 1998
1998 - 2000
2000 - 2002
2002 - 2004
2004 - 2006
2006 - 2008
2008 - 2011
2011 - 2013

PRESIDENT
Bro. Candido P. Villanueva
Bro. Jose N. Francisco
Bro. Antonio P. Reynes
Bro. Octavio Q. Nicolas
Bro. Leonardo F. Afable
Bro. Rodolfo V. Toledano
Bro. Fortunato M. Gupit
Bro. Ulysses V. Salvador
Bro. Francis M. Lagman
Bro. Francis M. Lagman
Bro. Emmanuel S. Flores
Bro. Manuel M. De Guzman
Bro. Beivenido P. Pentinio
Bro. Conrado Q. Mataga
Bro. Emiliano A. Aberin
Bro. Jimmy R. Pablito
Bro. Manuel A. Aguilar
Bro. Felix Tobillo

SPIRITUAL DIRECTOR
Fr. George O. Moreno, OP
Fr. Francisco Mendoza, OP
Fr. Francisco Mendoza, OP
Fr. Larry B. Faraon, OP
Fr. Honorato C. Castigador, OP
Fr. Honorato C. Castigador, OP
Fr. Ramon C. Salinas, OP
Fr. Ramon C. Salinas, OP
Fr. Ramon C. Salinas, OP
Fr. Ramon C. Salinas, OP

Fr. George O. Moreno, OP

Fr. Reynaldo J. Adalid, OP
Fr. Reynaldo J. Adalid, OP
Fr. Edgardo D. Alaurin, OP

The Holy Name Society :

Promotes the honor and glory of our Divine God and the personal sanctification of its
members by acts of love and devotion to the most Holy Name of Jesus. The spiritual life
of its member is a perpetual act of reverence and love.

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Promotes respect for the Holy Name of God, faith in the Catholic Church and the
Magisterium, loyalty to one's country and respect for all lawful authorities both civil and
religious.

The members are encourage to perform the Corporal Works of Mercy: to feed the hungry,
to clothe the naked, give drink to the thirsty, shelter the homeless, tend the sick, visit
those in prison, and bury the dead, as well as perform the Spiritual Works of Mercy: to
convert sinners, instruct the ignorant, counsel the wayward, comfort the sorrowing, bear
adversity patiently, forgive offenses, and pray for the living and the dead on a parochial,
diocesan, and national levels.

Origin and Development

Devotion to the Holy is most ancient, going back to the beginnings of the Old Testament. The
second commandment of Decalogue enjoins reverence to the Name of God. In the New Law, our
Lord taught us to pray that God's Name might be hallowed everywhere and St. Paul said that at
the Name of Jesus every knee should bend in heaven, on earth and under the earth (Philippians
2:10-11).
The institution of the Holy Name Society as a Confraternity of the Church may be traced back to
the thirteenth century. At the Fourteenth Ecumenical Council held at Lyons, France, in 1274, the
Council Fathers resolved to openly profess, honor and institute a special devotion to the Holy
Name of God and Jesus Christ, to repair the damage wrought by Albigensian heresy and other
enemies of the Church.
On September 20, 1274, Pope Gregory X, the reigning Pontiff, issued the Papal Brief "Nuper in
Concilio" directing Blessed John of Vercelli, the Master General of the Dominican Order, to
instruct all members of the Order of Preachers to fulfill with greater zeal the will of the Pope for
the propagation of the devotion by rendering honor and reverence to the Holy Name of God and
Jesus Christ, His Beloved Son. Their efforts were rewarded by the spread of the devotion through
Europe.
With the impetus provided by Blessed John of Vercelli, the devotion became widespread. In
1432, in Lisbon, Portugal, it started to assume an organizational pattern. To stop an epidemic of a
plague that was then ravaging Lisbon, a saintly Dominican Prelate, Andre Diaz, urged the people
to put their trust in the power of the Holy Name of the Savior and to enroll themselves in a
society which should labor to make the Name of Jesus loved and honored by all. Soon the city
was freed from the dreaded disease. On January 1, 1433, the new Society of the Holy Name was
born. And through it, the people assembled to give thanks to God for their deliverance. Statutes
were drawn up and the Feast of the Circumcision was made the principal feast of the Society.
The Second Sunday of the month was made the Sunday meeting of the Confraternity.

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In 1450, another Dominican Friar named Didacus of Victoria founded another confraternity. This
time he named it the Society of the Holy Name of God. Its aim was to suppress blasphemy and
profanity in ordinary and everyday conversation. A constitution was also drawn up for the
purpose.

Papal Recognition
After more than a century in existence, or to be exact on April 13, 1564, the Society was
extended official recognition as a Confraternity of the Church by Pope Pius IV when he merged
Bishop Diaz' confraternity with that of Fr. Didacus. Pope Pius IV commanded all ecclesiastical
authorities to favor the organization and by it granted indulgences for certain practices and
devotion of members. Later Popes of the 16th and 17th centuries further enriched it with many
more indulgences, both partial and plenary.
The first unit of the Holy Name Society in the United States was established shortly after
American Civil War and the first archdiocesan union was organized in New York City in 1882
after several parochial units joined forces at the initiative of the parish unit of St. Vincent Ferrer.
Units of the Society were also erected in the Diocese of New York and Brooklyn. The
Archdiocese of San Francisco followed shortly thereafter and through Father Charles Hyancith
McKenna, OP., also called te "Apostle of the Holy Name", permission was granted by Pope Leo
XIII on May 20, 1896, to establish the Holy Name Society everywhere in the United States
where the organization might receive the approval of the local Ordinary.

Patronage and Promotion

The Society, being a Confraternity of the Church, has been established through Papal letter
entrusted to the Order of Friars Preachers (Dominicans). This is the reason why the source of
canonical authority for its establishment in any parish must come from the Master General of the
Order. With unswerving devotion, the Dominican Fathers exerted their best to put into fruition
the original desire of Pope Gregory X, as communicated to Blessed John of Vercelli.

Founder of the Holy Name Society

Now who was this man, Blessed John of Vercelli, OP and what did he do?
He was born John Garbella around 1205 near the city of Vercelli. The son of a dairy farming
family, had lots of land, sheep and the wool from the sheep was turned into "wealth" of one form
or another.

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Vercelli view large image is approximately 350 miles north of Rome and just about equally
distant between Milan and Turin.
Above the city of Vercelli on the side of the mountain is a town called "Mossa Santa Maria" and
above the town is a hamlet called "Cappa Mostro" and this is where John Gabrella was born.
John Gabrella received his education in the school right next to the Church at he bottom of the
mountain where the city of Vercelli is located.
He was a student of University of Paris at the age of 14; by the time he was 25 he had received
his Doctorate of Civil and Canon Law. It was a delayed vocation to the religious life. He left
Paris and started a school in Vercelli.
He taught school and met Blessed Jordan of Saxony, who was then a dynamic Dominican
preacher. He received John Vercelli into the Order of Preachers. It was Saint Dominic who
founded the Order of Preachers in 1216. He recruited Blessed Jordan Saxony in 1221. Blessed
Jordan was 30 years old when he was received into the Order, just two years before St. Dominic
died.
Blessed John Vercelli became the 6th Master General of the Order. He has been given the credit
as the founder of the Holy Name Society.
Coming from the Northern Italy, he was rather short in stature with a pointed chin and blue eyes.
He was known to be lame, some would say that he was crippled, had a limp on his right side or
would use a walking stick while walking barefoot everywhere he went.
The back part of his walking stick is a relic shrined in New Orleans and the remaining part of the
walking stick is in a monastery in Vercelli, Italy. He was credited for the saving the writings for
St. Thomas Aquinas. He was known to be obedient to the popes of his time.

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