Plenary Council

Joint Pastoral Letter of the Philippine Hierarchy on the Forthcoming Plenary Council

Dearly Beloved in Our Lord:

Many and grave are the problems which confront the Catholic Church in the Philippines as a result of the mounting crisis in the affairs both of our nation and of the world. At the same time, the very magnitude and urgency of the crisis offer unexampled opportunities for the Church to bring about, as only she can do, the spiritual regeneration of society.

In order to meet these dangers and to take advantage of these opportunities by vigorous, appropriate and concerted action, We have decided to summon a Plenary Council, to be held in Manila from the 6th to the 27th of January of this coming year of Our Lord, 1953

The membership of this Council will include His Excellency the Papal Nuncio, and the Most Reverend Archbishops, Bishops, and other Ordinaries of the six ecclesiastical provinces within the national territory of the Republic of the Philippines. We are particularly happy to announce that His Holiness Pope Pius XII, now gloriously reigning, has appointed as this personal representative and Legate a latere to the Council, His Eminence, Cardinal Gilroy, Archbishop of Sydney, Australia, who will preside over Our deliberations.

The function of the Council is twofold: to bear witness to the Catholic Faith of the Filipino people, and to decree such legislation as may be thought necessary or convenient for the preservation, enrichment and propagation of Catholic life in all its aspects. The Fathers of the Council will not approach this difficult task without preparation. For over four years, certain members of the hierarchy, assisted by a devoted staff of experts, have been engaged in drafting a schema, or integrated summary, of the matters to be considered by the Council. This schema will be thoroughly and freely discussed at Our deliberations, and the resulting decisions will be embodied in decrees, which, upon their revision by the Holy Apostolic See, will have the force of law.

Thus the importance of this assembly can hardly be exaggerated. It is the first Plenary Council to be held in the Philippines, and as such, marks an important stage in the development of Philippine Catholicism to full maturity. It is constituted by the entire Catholic hierarchy of our country acting in concert, with one heart and one mind, and in full communion with the See of Peter – the Catholic Church of the Philippines, as it were, made visible. It takes place at one of the most critical periods in our national history, and proves, if proof were needed, that the Church fully realizes her responsibilities, not only to those spiritual values which are her main concern, but also to the temporal order of society, whose stability and well-being under a regime of justice she can so powerfully contribute to maintain. Finally, the decisions which will issue from it cannot fail to have a profound effect on Our Catholic life, by clarifying the objectives, standards and inner springs of that life and its manifold activities.

It is evident, then, what we hope to accomplish by this Council. They are those salutary purposes which you, Dearly Beloved, in union with Ourselves, have been earnestly praying and working for in these times of stress. The preservation among our people, so devotedly and overwhelmingly Catholic, of one true Faith, the Faith revealed by Jesus Christ the Son of God and authentically declared by the Church which He founded; the promotion of religious discipline, intimate union with God and zeal for the salvation of the neighbor among Our beloved Clergy and those chosen souls, both men and women, who have embraced the state of perfection in the religious life; the stimulation no less than the prudent regulation of lay Catholic Action in all its forms, individual, familial and social; the further expansion of Catholic education as a vitally necessary means not only to ensure the purity of Catholic faith and morals, but the very security of our way of life and its free institutions; and last but not least the more frequent and effective use of the sacraments, those supernatural channels whereby We participate in the very life of God Himself.

To the accomplishment of these ends We must bend all Our efforts; but let Us not forget, Dearly Beloved, that Our whole strength must come from God, for without Him We can do nothing. To Him, therefore, the giver of all good gifts, We earnestly recommend that you lift up your hearts in prayer, that the work of the forthcoming Plenary Council may be crowned with complete and lasting success.

We hereby prescribe to all the faithful:

1. The addition to the Holy Sacrifices of the Mass of the Collecta de Spiritu Santo Pro Re Gravi;

2. The recitation of the Holy Rosary with the Litany of the Saints and the Hymn, Veni, Creator Spiritus;

3. And recommend pious practices as prayers, fasting and the frequent reception of the Sacraments.

Manila, Philippines, November 29, 1952.

(Sgd.)+JULIO ROSALES, D.D.

Archbishop of Cebu

(Sgd.)+SANTIAGO C. SANCHO, D.D.

Archbishop of N. Segovia

(Sgd.)+JAMES T.G. HAYES, SJ, D.D.

Archbishop of Cagayan

(Sgd.)+PEDRO P. SANTOS, D.D.