50 Years of the Misa ng Bayang Pilipino (Mass of the Filipino People): A Status Quaestionis

Lorenzo Penalosa; Audrey Seah

doi:10.25365/exf-2026-5-14

Authors

Lorenzo Penalosa The Catholic University of America https://orcid.org/0009-0007-6742-4552
Audrey Seah College of the Holy Cross https://orcid.org/0009-0002-7531-7558

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.25365/exf-2026-5-14

Keywords:

Liturgical Inculturation, Misa ng Bayang Pilipino, Roman Rite, Cultural Adaptation, Philippines, Post-Vatican II Liturgy

Abstract

The year 2025 marks the 50^th anniversary of the first publication of the Misa ng Bayang Pilipino (MBP), an inculturated Filipino Order of Mass composed under the direction of Anscar Chupungco. This paper explores the status quaestionis of the MBP, re-examining its historical context in the post-Vatican II period and analyzing it through the lens of Chupungco’s framework of liturgical inculturation. This study also reviews recent scholarship that has engaged the MBP and presents some pathways for further research.

Author Biographies

Lorenzo Penalosa, The Catholic University of America

Lorenzo Penalosa, OSB, is a doctoral candidate (STD in Liturgical Studies) at The Catholic University of America, Washington, DC.

Audrey Seah, College of the Holy Cross

Audrey Seah is Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA, where she teaches courses in liturgy, global Catholicism and Deaf and disability theology. Her research examines the social and theological relationships between worship, culture, and politics.