AGOS: Currents of Faith in the Diocese of Kalookan

The cities of Caloocan, Malabon, and Navotas have been married, geographically, to major bodies of water. The Malabon-Navotas and Tullahan Rivers, the Dagat-dagatan swamps and inlets, and the vast fishponds along the coastline of Manila Bay have been important bloodlines not only in the socio-economic life of communities but also in the growth of the Catholic faith of the people. It is in this vignette that this book tells the stories of the Catholic parishes and communities of believers in the Diocese of Kalookan, presently composed of vicariates located in the three cities. This work chronicles the long and rich history of the Roman Catholic faith in the towns of Malabon, Navotas, and Caloocan. The growth and evolution of churches and communities of believers demonstrate the enduring legacies of faith and spirituality in the people of the Diocese in the past centuries.

This book has five chapters, each one chronicles the history of parishes and communities, illustrated through the metaphor of river flow and traversing the seas. The first chapter, Pagdaong, sets the tone for the enormous task of the community of Catholic faithful emanating from the commemoration of the 500th year of Christianity in the Philippines – the writing of parish histories. The second chapter, Paglalayag, narrates the establishment of the Diocese of Kalookan in 2003, the events that culminated in the creation of a new diocese out of the Kalookan-Malabon-Navotas (KalMaNa) District from the Archdiocese of Manila, and the seals and insignias that symbolize the diocese’s aspirations as a flourishing enclave of Christian believers in northeastern Metro Manila. The third one, Pagpapalaot, chronicles the historical development of each vicariate and parish in the Diocese. It provides accounts of the significant events that shaped the Church in the Diocese and portrays the story of churches that experienced changes and continuities in the decades and centuries of their existence. The fourth chapter, Pagdaloy – paints the rich history and culture of devotion in the diocese, focusing on select stories of select devotions to patrons and collective spiritual beliefs and practices. The last chapter, Pag-Ibayo, unfolds the present theological undercurrents of the Catholic faith and their implication to the Diocese’s priorities, and charts its future by looking at the efforts to expand its programs and projects to harness more faithful towards the Church of the People.