The Province of San Pedro Bautista in the Philippines is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. Since arriving from Spain in 1578, the Franciscans have served in more than 200 towns and missions in the archipelago.
Political events affected the presence of the Spanish friars, and by the 1900s, only a few remained, according to the April 17 issue of Assumption Province’s newsletter.
In 1951, Italian friars, mostly expelled from China, began serving in the Cagayan Valley. The next year, friars from Assumption Province, which is based in Wisconsin, arrived at the invitation of the Bishop of Calbayog. In 1956, friars from the St. Barbara and St. John the Baptist Provinces began their service in the Philippines.
The Franciscans founded Our Lady of the Angels Seminary in 1962 to develop native Franciscan vocations. Eight years later, the Vicariate of San Gregorio Magno was established. On Jan. 23, 1983, the Filipino Province of San Pedro Bautista was inaugurated.