CICM Philippine Adventure

After the Philippine revolution against Spain in 1898, which had been successful with the help of the United States, all Spanish missionaries were expelled. The Philippines then became an American Territory and American bishops were appointed, among them Bishop Dennis Dougherty (later Cardinal-archbishop of Philadelphia) who was assigned to the diocese of Nueva Segovia with its see in Vigan, Ilocos Sur. It covered the whole northern part of Luzon.

In 1906, Bishop Dougherty sent a pressing appeal for missionaries to the headquarters of the CICM Congregation in Scheut-Brussels. The challenge was immediately accepted and in September 1907, Bishop Dougherty welcomed the first eight CICM priests and one CICM brother who began in earnest the evangelization of the people of the Mountain Province, the Igorots as they are called, who were then still largely animists with a tradition of violence. They were headhunters. Vengeance called for killings between village and village, between tribe and tribe. Today, most Igorots are very well disposed towards the Church and more than two-thirds have become Christians.

From the early days, Scheut Missions-CICM in the Philippines has accepted challenges outside the Mountain Province in many lowland parishes which have been without priests for years. And from that concerted effort towards the evangelization of the Igorots and the revitalization of whole Christian areas, the greatest achievement CICM is proud of are the more than 150 native Philippine CICM members, of whom about eighty priests are missionaries in other countries today. In addition, there are about three dozen native Igorot diocesan priests working among their own people in the Apostolic Vicariates of the Mountain Provinces under the leadership of native bishops, one of whom is a member of CICM. Father Francis H. Lambrecht, cicm (1895-1978) was one of the most energetic CICM missionaries in the mountains of Luzon. Ordained in 1923, he arrived in the Philippines the next year. For seventeen years, he evangelized the Ifugao people, at the same time mastering their language and ancient traditions.

In 1941, he became secretary and procurator of the Apostolic Prefecture, later Vicariate, of the Mountain Province. He founded St. Francis Xavier Seminary in Baguio City and for thirty years he was involved in the training of native priests for the Mountain province. At the same time, he taught anthropology at Maryhurst (CICM) Seminary, St. Louis University and Baguio Colleges.

Father Francis' anthropological researches were published in scientific periodicals of several universities worldwide. Among his lasting anthropological contributions are his research on the Ifugao Epic Sagas which he called "remarkable pieces of primitive literature." Father Francis' scientific research, however, was always for "the purpose of being a better missionary" as he said in his acceptance speech after being awarded a doctor's degree of Humane Letters, honoris causa, by the Ateneo de Manila University in 1976. His life was a priestly journey, a pilgrimage of the spirit, of sacrament and service.

"Bishop William Brasseur has been an indispensable factor in the development and Christianization of the Mountain Provinces." This is how Jaime Cardinal Sin, Archbishop of Manila,

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