The Exarchate of the Philippines (
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
: ''Εξάρχεια των Φιλιππίνων'';
Tagalog: ''Eksarkado ng Filipinas'';
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
: ''Exarcado de Filipinas'';
Pampangan: ''Eksarkadu ning Filipinas'';
Zambal: ''Iksarkado nin Filipinas'';
Bikol: ''Eksarkado nin Filipinas'';
Cebuano: ''Eksarkado sa Filipinas'';
Ilocano: ''Eksarkado ti Filipinas'';
Ilonggo: ''Eksarkado sg Filipinas'') is the
Philippine
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
jurisdiction of the
Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, governed by the
Orthodox Metropolitanate of Hong Kong and Southeast Asia
Eastern Orthodox Metropolitanate of Hong Kong and Southeast Asia () is an Eastern Orthodox diocese of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. It is centred in Hong Kong and has jurisdiction over Eastern Orthodox Christians in Southeast Asia. ...
. The exarchate has five parishes and three chapels in the country.
History
Around the beginning of the seventeenth century,
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
sailors settled in
Manila
Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...
and
Legazpi.
The Greeks of
Legazpi now number no more than 10 families have keep their Greek identities and have become distinguished public figures and intellectuals in the country. But as of now the population of the Greek community in the as a whole Philippines is unknown but its estimated about 129, 100 or 120 members.
In 1989, Adamopoulos saw the need to establish the first Greek Orthodox church in the Philippines and thus established the Hellenic Orthodox Foundation, Inc., but he died in 1993 before the church was completed. The Annunciation Orthodox Cathedral in Sucat,
Parañaque,
Metro Manila
Metropolitan Manila (often shortened as Metro Manila; fil, Kalakhang Maynila), officially the National Capital Region (NCR; fil, link=no, Pambansang Punong Rehiyon), is the seat of government and one of three defined metropolitan areas in ...
, was finished in 1996. Constructed in true Byzantine style and with interior furnishings imported from Greece, it serves hundreds of Orthodox faithful, Filipinos, the local Greek community and expats in the national capital.
On 20 April 1990, a Filipino
hieromonk
A hieromonk ( el, Ἱερομόναχος, Ieromonachos; ka, მღვდელმონაზონი, tr; Slavonic: ''Ieromonakh'', ro, Ieromonah), also called a priestmonk, is a monk who is also a priest in the Eastern Orthodox Church an ...
, Fr. Vincentius Escarcha (a former
Benedictine
, image = Medalla San Benito.PNG
, caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal
, abbreviation = OSB
, formation =
, motto = (English: 'Pray and Work')
, foun ...
Abbot and a
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
* Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
* Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...
priest for more than 20 years in Bajada,
Cataingan, Masbate), together with four nuns and faithful members of his community, were received into the Orthodox Church by Metropolitan Dionysios of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of New Zealand and assisted by Bishop Sotirios of Zelon. On 19 January 1994, Metropolitan Dionysios and Bishop Sotirios received several Filipino Christians in Manila by Holy Chrismation.
In 1996, the Orthodox Metropolitanate of Hong Kong and Southeast Asia was created for the needs of the faithful under the Church of Constantinople. In 2004, the Theotokos Orthodox Church in Bajada was consecrated by Metropolitan Nikitas of Hong Kong and South East Asia. the nuns of the Theotokos Orthodox Monastery in Bajada ran a kindergarten.
On 5 March 2000, the Church of the Annunciation of the Theotókos was consecrated by His All-Holiness
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I
Bartholomew I ( el, Βαρθολομαῖος Αʹ, , tr, I. Bartholomeos; born 29 February 1940) is
the 270th archbishop of Constantinople and Ecumenical Patriarch, since 2 November 1991. In accordance with his title, he is regarded as the ''pr ...
, with Metropolitans Ioakeim and Nikitas, Bishop Dionysios, and a significant number of clergy from overseas assisting. During the service, the entire congregation followed the Patriarch in circumambulating the church. The Patriarch told the people present that the only thing which can really lead man to the land of gladness is the perfect love for his fellow man and for God. The message from the Patriarchate of Constantinople is one of love for the people of Southeast Asia, one which assures people everywhere of the immeasurable love of Christ. Despite not being the bishop's seat—the
cathedra—the church is sometimes called a "cathedral" because it is the only church in the metropolis blessed by the Ecumenical Patriarch.
Four other parishes, in
Cataingan,
Sbù,
Los Baños and
Hagónoy, have since been established, along with a few other chapels.
Language
The
Divine Liturgy
Divine Liturgy ( grc-gre, Θεία Λειτουργία, Theia Leitourgia) or Holy Liturgy is the Eucharistic service of the Byzantine Rite, developed from the Antiochene Rite of Christian liturgy which is that of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of ...
and other Orthodox services are said in
English,
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
and the
local language
*
A regional language is a language spoken in a region of a sovereign state, whether it be a small area, a federated state or province or some wider area.
Internationally, for the purposes of the European Charter for Regional or Minority L ...
.
Parishes and chapels
Parishes
*Annunciation Orthodox Cathedral,
Parañaque,
Metro Manila
Metropolitan Manila (often shortened as Metro Manila; fil, Kalakhang Maynila), officially the National Capital Region (NCR; fil, link=no, Pambansang Punong Rehiyon), is the seat of government and one of three defined metropolitan areas in ...
[ (archived fro]
the original
on 2008-02-03)
*Theotokos Orthodox Parish,
Cataingan,
Masbate
Masbate, officially the Province of Masbate ( Masbateño: ''Probinsya san Masbate''; tl, Lalawigan ng Masbate), is an island province in the Philippines located near the midsection of the nation's archipelago. Its provincial capital is Masbate C ...
*Holy Trinity Orthodox Parish,
Los Baños, Laguna
*Holy Resurrection Parish,
Sbù,
South Cotabato
*St. Isidore of Chios Parish,
Hagónoy,
Dávao del Sur
Chapels
*St. George Chapel,
Makati
Makati ( ), officially the City of Makati ( fil, Lungsod ng Makati), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines.
Makati is the financial center of the Philippines; it has the highest concentration ...
*St Nectarios Chapel,
Quezon City
Quezon City (, ; fil, Lungsod Quezon ), also known as the City of Quezon and Q.C. (read in Filipino as Kyusi), is the most populous city in the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 2,960,048 people. It was fou ...
, Metro Manila
*St Eleftherios Chapel,
Sorsogon,
Bicol
One more church, the Holy Cross Orthodox Church in Siniloan, Laguna, is functioning alternatively, in connection with the Holy Trinity parish of Los Baños.
Clergy
Within the Ecumenical Patriarchate's Orthodox Metropolitanate of Hong Kong and Southeast Asia, there are currently six active Filipino priests in the Philippines, along with a couple of nuns, all of whom are under the administrative authority of Metropolitan Nektarios of Hong Kong and Southeast Asia.
See also
*
Philippine Orthodox Church
References
External links
Exarchate of the PhilippinesOrthodoxy in the Far East
{{Religion in the Philippines
Eastern Orthodoxy in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
Eastern Orthodox dioceses in Asia