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8. Communities PCF Serves in Rome, Italy and Europe.

Chaplaincies and Communities served by priests of the Pontificio Collegio Filippino are found in this Google Maps. Our service could be in the form of:

  • principally caring for the communities as spiritual directors;
  • collaborating with the Chaplaincies established by the dioceses, with a stay-in appointed Chaplain;
  • celebrating parish-scheduled English Masses coordinated by Filipinos (but welcoming other nationalities); or,
  • accepting invitations from Filipino lay covenanted communities or civic organizations celebrating regular or special occasions.

Common in these efforts is to care for Filipinos especially of the first generations, and for those who are ready, and for the new generations, to gradually invite them into the local parishes.

One feasible path towards incorporation into the local parish is to help coordiate English Masses that become part of parish schedule (rather than as an exclusive Filipino community activity). Before or after Masses, the Filipinos may always meet for other prayers or activities. This is the model at the Vatican’s Sant’Anna Parish, at least six other aparishes in Rome, and in many parishes throughout Europe, Middle East and Asia (for example, four Masses in Hong Kong).

One special effort also has to be exerted with the Italian (or other European) parish priests, who for now tend to see Filipino migrants as separate communities, under the care of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines rather than of the local Italian diocese. They follow the European model when they migrated to the US, Germany, Switzerland, etc. decades before and after the year 1900.

In contrast, Filipinos may be gradually led into the local parish life whenever they are ready, in the context of Pope John Paul II’s 2001 message: “The organizational structure of such a service is not a substitution  but is cumulative with respect to the territorial parochial care, which it is expected to join sooner or later” (87th World Day of Migration 2001).