ANGELES UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION

Manuel Roxas St, Angeles, 2009, Pampanga

College of Business and Accountancy

Department of Accountancy

Position Paper about the Site of the

First Mass in the Philippines

A Research Work Presented to the Faculty of

Angeles University Foundation

History Department

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement

in Readings in Philippine History

Garcia, Aldrich C.

Malubay, Joanna May T.

Mansilungan, Bianca Ayeza B.

Sanchez, Nicole B.

September 2019
 The introduction of Christianity on Philippine shores is generally linked to the celebration of the first

Holy Mass. But for the past centuries, innumerable numbers of Filipinos including the top experts in

education, history, religion, politics and other subjects are still debating as to where the exact location of the

'First Mass' on Easter Sunday where both Butuan City and Limasawa claim to be the venue of this historical

religious rite.

Countless people pursue the historic truth regarding the topic on the birth of Christianity in the

Philippines based on honesty, independent-mindedness, critical truth and truth were only wherever the

search leads and whatever it’s finding. And to that, we strongly believe that the first ever Christian Mass in

the country on March 31, 1521, was celebrated in the island of Limasawa, South of Leyte and not in Butuan

City, so declared the National Historical Institute (NHI).

Numerous trials and findings conducted by NHI prove that the most credible and reliable source

about the birthplace of Christianity in the Philippines was written in the account of Antonio Pigafetta entitled

“First Voyage Around the World”. This account was reported by a principal eyewitness of the event that

describes the life of early navigators, descriptions of the islands and their peoples, their history and records of

the catholic missions, and showing the political, economic, commercial and religious conditions of the

country. It contains two essential points that made the first mass in the Philippines happened in Limasawa ,

not in Butuan.

The first point is the testimony of route and map made by Pigafetta about “Mazzaua Island” where

the first mass happened. Limasawa is an island lying off the southwestern tip of Leyte while Butuan is a city

located in Caraga Region. As described, Butuan is a river settlement and situated near the delta of Agusan

River that is not mentioned in the account of the witness. In line with this, Mazaua located lies in the latitude

of nine and two-thirds towards Arctic pole and longitude of one hundred and sixty-two degrees from the line

of demarcation. The description of the island is deemed fit with the island of Limasawa, an island on the

southern tip of Leyte with coordinates of nine degrees and fifty-four degree north. The fact that there is no

mention of the river that describes the Mazaua Island and geographic evidence that showed the first mass

took place in Limasawa.

 The second point is the confirmatory evidence in the presence of two powerful kings when

Magellan visited the island, the King of Mazaua and King of Butuan. The fact knew that latter is a visitor

Mazaua and his territory is on Butuan which is a separate island. So it can be said that Mazaua is not Butuan.

Another shred of evidence as to why Limasawa Island was the real site of the Mass on Easter Sunday

is Triana, the main barangay in the island town. It is in the municipality of Limasawa. Magellan named the

barangay, himself. Triana is a suburb of Seville, Spain in which where Magellan married Beatriz Barbosa in its

main church.

In an article titled “Butuan or Limasawa? The Site of the First Mass in the Philippines: A

Reexamination of the Evidence”, which Father Miguel Bernad, S.J. authored. Fr. Miguel was a professor and

researcher of Saint Xavier University, Cagayan de Oro in Mindanao who went to Mazaua, Butuan City and

Limasawa, Southern Leyte to study the Mass held during Magellan's expedition. He conducted research works

in Spain and other places related to Magellan's Mass. In his research, he discovered in the map of Pigafetta

that Mazaua was placed in the southern tip of Leyte. The modern maps will show that this jibes with

Limasawa, not in Butuan. Thus, he came into a conclusion that Magellan and his co-explorers landed and held

the Mass in Limasawa, Southern Leyte.

The Evidence of Albo's Log-Book stated that Francisco Albo joined the Magellan expedition as a pilot

in Magellan's flagship. He was one of the eighteen survivors who returned with Sebastian Elcano after having

circumnavigated the world. Albo began keeping his own diary- merely only a log-book on the voyage out,

while they were sailing southward in the Atlantic along the coast of South America, off Brazil. His account of

their entry into Philippine waters. Events which were recorded in his log correlated with Pigafetta’s

manuscripts, however undeniably names of places had dissimilarities such as Albo, an island as called as

“Yunagan”, which was named as “Samal” or Samar in Pigafetta’s Account.

There is also an island where they anchored and re-supplied water called as “Gada” by Albo, while

Pigafetta had it as “Acquada” nevertheless it denotes one thing, may it be “Gada” or “Acquada”. As both

refers to the island of Homonhon, off the Guiaun Point in Eastern Samar, the same place where they re-
supplied water and took some provisions generously given by the natives. Finally, in Albo’s log-book Leyte was

called as “Seilani” while Pigafetta’s Account had it as “Ceylon.” Although it is not clearly stated in Albo’s Log-

Book that Magellan and his crew stayed in Masaua for a week and on Easter Sunday when the First Mass was

celebrated. But then, it is to be noted that Albo does mention about the planting of the cross, which

happened after the mass, upon a mountain-top from which could be seen three islands to the west and

southwest. But this description also fits the southern end of Limasawa. It does not fit the coast of Butuan

from which no islands could be seen to the south or the southwest, but only towards the north.

Lastly, on June 19, 1960, Republic Act No. 2733, called the Limasawa Law, was enacted without

Executive approval. The legislative act declared the site in Magallanes, Limasawa Island in the Province of

Leyte, where the first Mass in the Philippines took place was also declared a national shrine to commemorate

the birth of Christianity in the Philippines. Likewise, Limasawa Island is touted to be the pilgrimage site of the

first Catholic mass in Asia, officiated on Easter Sunday on March 31, 1521 by Father Pedro de Valderrama

under the fleet of Ferdinand Magellan.

REFERENCE

Bernad, M. (2002). Butuan or Limasawa: The Site of the First Mass in the Philippines: A Reexaminationof the

Evidence. Budhi: Ateneo de Manila University, Quezon City

Mercado, S. (2019). Limasawa or Mazzaua? 7th Millennium Community Maasin City 06600, Southern Leyte,

Philippines

Province of Southern Leyte (2019). MUNICIPALITY OF LIMASAWA. Retrieved from: http://southernleyte.

gov.ph/local-government-units/limasawa

Saint Mary's College of California (2019). The Site of the First Mass in the Philippines: Butuan or Limasawa?

Retrieved from: https://www.coursehero.com/file/16437675/AAAAA/