500 Years of Christianity in the Philippines Mural
Painting a mural was one of my 2018 goals as I explore more in my creative journey. Earlier in January, I, together with my fellow artsy classmates (Aliah, Joshua, Reign, & Tricia), were assigned to join the mural competition with the theme, “500 Years of Christianity in the Philippines.” We are facing exciting times in the life and mission of the Catholic Church in the Philippines. By extension, since the Philippines has a prophetic calling to be a light in Asia and even to the world, what happens in this nation will have a big impact on what happens in the world.
The coordinators of the mural competition decided to change the aforementioned plan. From a competition of different strands, they made us into one team in order for us to bring the best work we could make and I think this was the best collaboration of artists as we share our different views and perspective to make the best artwork. We had first a brainstorming and made the draft as instructed by our creative director. The drafts turned out so well. It was indeed a great collaboration of artists
The first part of the mural shows the very first mass held in Cebu – the beginning of Catholicism of the Filipinos by the Spaniards way back 1521.
This represents how strong the faith of the Filipino Catholics is. It has been part of their life to celebrate the feast of saints including the one on the painting – Nazareno. It is one of the greatest proof that we have kept the fire of faith burning in our hearts.
As I have mentioned earlier, Filipino Catholics are known for being a devotee of Sto. Nino, the baby Jesus.
Throughout the 500 years of Catholicity in the Philippines, many people have answered the call of Jesus to be part of the religious community. There have been a number of priests, nuns, and the like all around our country but still they are not enough to lead the Catholic nation in bringing the Word of God to the people. In addition to that, Pope Francis’ visit to our country marks one of the highlights in the Philippine Catholic History. Lastly, we are guided by the grace and love of Mary, being the bringers of our prayer to Jesus.
Christ has been the center of most of the Filipino Catholic Families. It has been our tradition to pray the rosary and other prayer routines together for instance, in meals, travels, and gatherings.
Spreading the Word of God, various church communities have risen and continuing the mission of Jesus throughout our nation.
This was the mural piece that we made. The Filipino saints, Saint Pedro Calungsod and Saint Lorenzo Ruiz were the most vital part of the Philippine Church History. They had proven their undying faith for God that they had sacrificed their lives. Moreover, it is shown in the mural the Pasig Catholic College community following the teachings of Christ in their lives. Lastly, the logo of 500 years of Christianity was painted for a better understanding of the people who will view the mural artwork.
This mural isn’t enough to show how great was the Filipino Catholic communities throughout the 500 years. But then it is enough to highlight the most wonderful and significant events that made us appreciate and understand the beauty of our religion.
Before, I thought that painting a mural that easy but then upon after my experience with this, I came to realize that creativity is not enough to finish a huge artwork. Passion, patience, and interest are needed to you keep going and motivated all throughout the process.
