More than 95% of the population of the province of Lanao del Sur in the Philippines — where Marawi is situated - are Muslim, while Christians constitute less than five percent. In past decades, Columban missionaries strove to overcome distrust and hostility between these two communities by building bridges of mutual understanding, respect, and friendship. Below is a reflection by a former Columban seminarian from the Philippines, Alito B. Delos Santos, who continues to nurture the seeds sown by those Columban missionaries.
On May 14, 2025, I accompanied Fr. Ramon Torres to the city of Balabagan to retrieve election returns from the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting. These were required as part of the independent verification of the official election count. Despite reports of election-related violence in Malabang, a town we had to pass through, the roads were quiet, and a calm atmosphere prevailed.
Upon arriving at Balabagan parish, I was astonished at seeing a large, vibrant crowd. I had expected a simple religious event on the final day of preparation for the annual parish festival, but found instead a marriage ceremony involving ten couples presided over by Bishop Edwin Dela Peña as well as a temporary clinic operating on the church grounds. To my surprise, the medical team consisted largely of Muslim women doctors, their hijabs a striking symbol of interfaith generosity as they tended to patients of all (and none) faith traditions. Yes, that particular morning the “missionary church” in Balabagan had become the recipient of a missionary outreach by the local Muslims, a thought-provoking reversal of how many people think about mission.
The following day, May 15, my wife and I, who are members of Couples for Christ, returned to the same parish to join the local Catholic community for the traditional celebration of the feast day of San Isidro Labrador. En route, we paused at the site where Columban missionary Fr. Rufus Halley had been martyred in 2001, since it was his sacrifice for the sake of peace building in that province which had deeply influenced my decision to become a seminarian with the Missionary Society of St. Columban.