Date of Award
8-2025
Document Type
Thesis - SCU Access Only
Publisher
Santa Clara : Santa Clara University, 2025
Degree Name
Licentiate in Sacred Theology (STL)
Director
Mary E. McGann
Abstract
This thesis proposes the inculturation of the Catholic rite of house blessing in the Philippine context, highlighting how God’s embrace of every culture and the Holy Spirit’s transformative presence manifest within Filipino indigenous ritual before a family resides in a new home. Recognizing the enduring clandestine observance of pre-Hispanic practice before a family moves to a new home, this thesis argues that developing an inculturated Catholic rite for house blessing that incorporates Filipino indigenous beliefs and practices can bring greater wholeness to the sense of identity of many Filipino Catholics. This thesis offers a liberating vision of inculturation within the Philippine Catholic Church by reclaiming Filipino indigenous identity and affirming the sacred presence already active in the land before colonial evangelization. Through a theological engagement with indigenous cosmology, it provides a rich foundation for contextual Pneumatology and a synodal, culturally rooted ecclesial life.
The project employs three methodologies: Fr. Anscar Chupungco’s creative assimilation method, José de Mesa’s hermeneutics of appreciation, and Antonio Sison’s concept of re-rooting. These approaches provide a framework for dialogue between Filipino indigenous rituals and Catholic teachings and practices regarding house blessings. By exploring cultural elements, values, and beliefs within Filipino indigenous traditions, we can identify aspects that resonate with and complement the Christian faith and Catholic vii teachings on house blessing. These resonances inform the creation of a proposed “Filipinized” rite of blessing a home.
This thesis concludes that by incorporating Filipino indigenous beliefs, values, and practices into the Catholic rite of blessing a new home, the proposed “Filipinized” rite of home blessing not only honors the rich heritage of Filipino indigenous culture but also strengthens the connection between Catholic faith and Filipino traditions. This approach is both authentic and transformative. The proposed inculturated rite provides a contextually grounded and theologically meaningful expression of Filipino Catholic faith in today’s world.
Recommended Citation
Almeria, Julius, "Inculturating the Rite of House Blessing in the Philippine Catholic Church: A Theological and Liturgical Approach" (2025). Jesuit School of Theology Dissertations. 162.
https://scholarcommons.scu.edu/jst_dissertations/162
