Meaning:

Aglipayan Church - a religious reform movement in the Philippines. ... In 1902 he

founded the Philippine Independent (or National) Church, a Protestant
denomination, becoming its bishop and leader. It is better known as the Aglipayan
Church.
History:
Catholic missionary work started in the Philippines in 1565 when Augustinian
missionaries arrived with the conquering Spanish army. Within a few years most of
the population had been baptized. Franciscans, Jesuits and others joined the
Augustinians in the 17th century. The church soon became an integral part of the
colonial government. There were instances of protests and revolts against Spanish
friars in the 17th and 18th centuries, but it was the 19th century that saw the
emergence of organized struggle within the Filipino church. The martyrdom of three
Filipino priests in 1872 raised nationalist consciousness. This culminated in the 1896
Philippine Revolution; independence was proclaimed in 1898. That same year the
Americans defeated the Spanish and took over the Philippines as a colony. The
Filipino-American war ended in 1902 with the defeat of the Filipinos. It was in this
context that the Philippine Independent Church was born in 1902, out of the
aspiration of the Filipinos for genuine independence, democracy and abundant life.

Partly because of the appeal of nationalism, the church drew some two million
former Roman Catholics into its membership. But in 1906 the supreme court ruled
that all the churches they were using should be returned to the Roman Church. This
seriously weakened the new denomination. Under the theological leadership of
Bishop Gregorio Aglipay, the IFI adopted a Unitarian stance, but after his death in
1941 it returned to a more Catholic position and entered in 1961 into inter-
communion with the Philippine Episcopal Church with which it now shares a
seminary. Strong relationships were developed with other Anglican churches in the
world and with Old Catholic churches, which eventually resulted in full communion
with the Anglican Communion and the Old Catholic Union of Utrecht. The IFI and the
United Church of Christ in the Philippines signed a covenant of partnership in 1999.

The mission statement of the IFI says that as a community of faith steeped in the
nationalist history and the workers' struggle in the Philippines, it affirms its
commitment to its historical mission and ministry in empowering the poor, deprived
and oppressed through its liberative education, organizing and mobilizing of the
Filipino people in pursuing life in its fullness. The church envisions a Philippine
nation that is free from foreign domination, where justice and peace reign, and
whose people are united in active witness to God's love in the world.

The IFI now has two colleges in Manila and in Southern Leyte, three theological
seminaries, 14 primary and secondary schools, and many kindergartens. It is much
involved in peace-building ministry, human and democratic rights advocacy and
ecumenical linkages. It pursues better Christian education and stewardship; the
training of more dedicated priests and more aggressive campaigns against all forms
of poverty are high on its agenda. Among its programme objectives the IFI seeks to
fully inform its members of its history, mission and ministry, to enhance the
interaction between national, diocesan and local levels, to establish effective
instruments for the implementation of its activities and to achieve recognition as a
pillar of Philippine society.
Beliefs:
Philippine Independent Church, religious body that separated from the Roman
Catholic Church in 1902 and rejected the spiritual authority of the pope. It is known
popularly as the Aglipayan Church, after its founder Gregorio Aglipay. Initially it drew
large numbers as a result of nationalist feelings, but later its membership dwindled
significantly. Doctrinal disputes and strong factionalism developed. One group allied
with American Unitarians and split into various parties. Another, a trinitarian group,
moved toward the Episcopal Church, by which their ministers were ordained after
1948 and with which they were formally united in 1961. In 1965 the Philippine
Independent Church joined the Old Catholic Union of Utrecht.
Priesthood
The Church believes in ordination both of priests and bishops. Like many Anglican
and Lutheran denominations and unlike the Catholic Church, the church ordains
women. Since its establishment, the Church allows its priests to marry, rejecting
mandatory clerical celibacy.
Worship and liturgy
The main liturgy on Sunday is the eucharist, which is said in the vernacular. The
church is noncommittal regarding transubstantiation and Real Presence in
the Eucharist. Church members are taught that the Eucharistic species, the bread
and the wine, remain only as symbols during the Holy Mass and do not change into
the actual body and blood of Jesus Christ.
Contraception
Aglipayan bishops joined public demonstrations in support of the Reproductive
Health Bill, a law advocating for contraception and sex education that the Catholic
Church and several other Christian denominations objected to on moral grounds.