The first “name” of the Church was The Way (Acts 9:2), The members of the Church were

called Christians in Antioch (Acts 11: 26). The Church was persecuted by the Roman Empire
(which was still pagan) until the Conversion of the Emperor Constantine in 313 AD which paved
the way for Christians to infiltrate Rome until Christianity was declared as the official religion of
the Roman Empire in 380 AD by Emperor Theodosius. Way back in 45 AD, the first apostle who
went to Rome and started the Church there was no other than Peter. Later, reflecting on the
mission of Jesus which He passed on to the Church, the Church’s official “name” or title evolved
into: One (John 17:21), Holy (Ephesians 1:4, 5:27, I Peter 2:9), Catholic (Matthew 28: 18-20,
Acts 1:8, Gen 12: 3, John 3: 16-17) and Apostolic (Ephesians 2:20 )

From the Church developed the Hierarchy (Bishops, priests, and deacons – with the
Pope as the overall head for the sake of division of work and maintaining the unity of the Church
while it spreads the Kingdom of God on earth.

From the Church comes the different “kinds” of priests according to spirituality or mission
area.
a. Diocesan is a term use for priests serving their local places;
b. Monks: started in the 3rd century AD in Egypt and in Syria with a life of simplicity or
asceticism.
c. Missionaries are group/community of priests who really want to go to serve remote places not
yet evangelize.
Examples of missionaries are the following:
c.1. The Dominicans who was founded by St. Dominic in Prouille, France in 1216. (Dominic was
a Spanish priest).
c.2. The Augustinians which started in 1244 in Italy (group or no specific founder).
c.3. The Jesuits or called Society of Jesus who was founded in 1540 by Ignatius of Loyola,
formerly a Spanish soldier who became priest.
c.4. The CICM and other missionary groups only came out later.
The CICM was founded by a diocesan priest Theophile Verbist in 1862 in Scheut,
Anderlecht, Brussels, Belgium.

Hierarchy in the Church

The hierarchical structure is Pope, Bishops, Priests, Deacons (are the ordained ones) and the
Laity (not ordained “leaders” of the Church like the Catechists, Communion ministers, etc.).
Strictly speaking, hierarchy in the Church refers to the bishops, priests and deacons and the
pope being the head of the Hierarchy (e.g. Pope Francis as the prsent pope)
New Evangelization
Pope Benedict XVI issued a letter to the Catholic faithful entitled Porta Fidei. The document is a
call to celebrate a Year of Faith with the theme, “The New Evangelization for the Transmission
of Faith”. The theme was significant since Benedict XVI sees a crisis of faith in the world, a
problem which he considers as the greatest challenge to the Church today. To reach out to
other Christians in deep need of a new encounter with Christ.This crisis of faith is characterized
by what the Pontiff describes as an “eclipsed of God, a kind of amnesia which, albeit not an
outright rejection of Christianity, is nonetheless, a denial of the treasure of our faith, a denial that
could lead to the loss of our deepest identity.” This is to "re-propose" the Gospel to people who
have encountered a crisis of faith. Because we are living in a world now where there is a denial
of the treasure of our faith.
New Areopagi of Mission
The “New Areopagi” is a metaphor John Paul II used in a missionary context, defining them as
spaces opened to mission. There are two kinds of New Areopagi: one that is Christian-ecclesial
which requires an ad intra evangelization, and another that is mundane or neopagan, addressed
by the ad extra evangelization. The New Evangelization demands both a new personal
experience of faith, considered as a free encounter with Jesus Christ, and also the discovering
of the communal aspect of that faith. From this strong position we might hope for the recovery of
the public dimension of Christianity.

New sector of evangelization

Cultural sector
Today, we are called to give witness to the personal transcendent God. That is, God
being alive and part of human affairs. 

Social sector
Recognizing that the world today is the world of mega-migration, the laity hence are
invited to enter into collegiality (interconnected and interdependent) with other peoples
and cultures. 

Economic sector  
In this age of commodification (everything has tag price/for sale), the laity are called to
live the evangelical idea of poverty (you have nothing hence, you have everything).

Civic sector  
In this age of strife, the laity are called to participate in the pursuit for peace, liberation of
people, promotion of the indigenous peoples’ rights and the integrity of creation.

Science, Technology and Communication sectors

There is no doubt that at the present, science, technology and communications have
been making great innovations. They seem to become everything for the human
person.  However, the laity are challenged to live their lives in aid of virtual reality and
not to defy virtual reality.  

Religious sector
Finally, the laity are called to return to religion that promote peace and inter-existence
and not on fundamentalism and violence.

Ad- Gentes
They were told to go ad gentes—that is, “to the nations,” to those who did not know Christ—and
to proclaim the Gospel. Because the apostles were faithful and obedient to Christ's command, his
Church has grown and flourished..
Ad Intra (The call for New Evangelization) Vs. Ad Extra (Mission of every member of the Church)

Ad intra refers to the Church's own inner renewal within the contexts of faith, doctrine, and
God's revealed truth, dealing with “the Church in itself, but with the aim of helping it better to
respond to its mission in the world.” Ad extra hence refers to the Church's relationship with the
world.
JPIC
Justice is the virtue by which we respect the inherent rights of others and render to them and to
God what is due to them in fairness and uprightness (CCC 1807). Gods’ justice is an expression
of God’s love for us (Micah 7:8-20). In the same way our justice towards others should be an
expression of our love.  

Peace is a gift and is not imposed by the way of force or any forms of threat. Peace must never
be pursued though violence, class struggle or hatred. Peace must be sought after as a means
for shared responsibility in building the kingdom of God in our midst.  In the final analysis, our
desire and commitment to seek and work for real peace is born out of our loving relationship
with God because He Himself is our peace. (PCP II, 308)

Integrity of creation According to Pope John Paul II, “world peace is threatened not only by the
arms race, regional conflicts and the continued injustices among people, but also by the lack of
respect for nature.” (1990, Pope John Paul II. Peace with God the Creator, Peace with all of
Creation) When God created the world, he made it pretty sure that it would be wonderful and
very good. But mankind little by little neglects the chance to enjoy it due to some irresponsible
actions and decisions that devastate the God’s creation.
With these words, Pope Francis begins his momentous letter, "Laudato Si’ – On the Care of Our
Common Home." While a significant teaching for all Catholics on our responsibility to care for
God’s creation, the Holy Father addresses the encyclical to "every living person on this planet"
and invites all people of good will to act urgently on behalf of Earth, on behalf of future
generations, and especially on behalf of justice for poor and marginalized people who are most
impacted by the destructive power of climate change and environmental destruction.
Indigenous Peoples Rights Act (IPRA)
The IPRA, passed by Congress in October 1997 is a landmark legislation in the history of IPs’
struggle for recognition of their basic human rights and the right to self-determination. It
promotes the rights of IPs to their ancestral lands and domains through the issuance of
Certificates of Ancestral Domain Titles (CADT), self-governance and empowerment, the right to
cultural integrity and their customary laws. It acknowledges the right of the IPs to give consent
to development interventions in their communities through the process of Certification
Precondition/ Free and Prior Informed Consent (CP/FPIC).
The law gave jurisdiction of all ancestral domain claims to the National Commission on
Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) including those previously awarded by the DENR and all future
claims that shall be filed. The new law provided the basis for filing new claims which included
the submission of a valid perimeter map, evidences and proofs, and the accomplishment of an
Ancestral Domain Sustainable Protection Plan (ADSPP). All existing ancestral domain claims
previously recognized through the issuance of CADCs are required to pass through a process of
affirmation for titling.
The National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) protects and promotes the interest
and well being of the Indigenous Cultural Communities (ICCs)/ Indigenous Peoples (IPs) with
due regard to their beliefs, customs, traditions and institutions, and to the recognition of their
ancestral domains as well as their rights. NCIP was the one who created IPRA
In this light, therefore, the ECIP, which represents the CBCP in matters related to the
Indigenous Peoples’ Apostolate on the level of the conference, must coordinate its work with the
dioceses which have their own IPA. In a sense, the ECIP services the needs and demands of
the particular Churches’ “service apostolates” to the Indigenous peoples. ECIP is also
responsible for consolidating and coordinating the efforts of forty-five Indigenous Peoples’
Apostolates (IPAs), which are directly working with indigenous communities in the different
dioceses in the country.
The vision of ECIP is Integral Evangelization with the Indigenous Peoples as witnessing to the
Gospel of Jesus, journeying with them in a dialogue of life and faith and celebrating the riches of
each other’s values and life-events. Together, we respect human dignity, uphold the right to
ancestral domain and cultural identity and work towards total human development and integrity
of creation.
The Objectives of the ECIP are the following:
1. To share the Good News of Jesus Christ with the indigenous peoples in the Philippines
through “a witness of life and humble service” (ECIP Mission Statement, 1984) among them;
2. To recognize the Good News in the indigenous people’s culture;
3. To give and/or to generate assistance to the indigenous in the Philippines in their concern
and struggle for total liberation and the development “of all men [and women] and all of man
[and woman] (Lumen Gentium).
4. To undertake specific programs to achieve the above objectives “in conjunction with, and with
the approval of the dioceses which have their active Indigenous People’s Apostolate.”