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This is an article about Fr. Chazal's apostolate.

Latin Mass in Cebu


In the Mountains of Cebu, Traditionalist Catholics Keep the Faith

By Max Limpag
Jul 8, 2024

Unsettled by the sight of a child beating his chest while reciting “mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa,” I was distracted from figuring out on which page of the Traditional Latin Mass (TLM) missal we were in at the Chapel of Holy Relics in Tabor Hill, San Jose, Cebu City. I arrived late for the mass that Sunday.

I took a missal, in Latin with English translations at the opposite page, and knelt beside him. I marveled at his facility in reciting Latin. I knew by then, having worked on a story on the subject, that there is a resurgence among the youth in the return to traditional practices like the TLM. But a child?

The Hearts of Jesus and Mary Seminary is isolated in the mountains of Cebu City

He would later contact me on Facebook to introduce himself as the one beside me at the pew in Tabor Hill, the only church authorized by the Archdiocese of Cebu to hold the TLM.

Alejandro, who asked that I only use his first name, is 22 but looks 14. “I drank from the chalice of immortality,” he joked to me when I asked him whether he would mind if I described him as “looking 14.”

Approaching the The Hearts of Jesus and Mary Seminary

He calls me señor or nyor in our Messenger chats and writes like the authors of the old Spanish colonial time books and novenarios that use the letter c for k. “Dili man naco calling, nyor.” (It’s not my calling) when I asked him why he left the seminary. Even the way he dresses makes him seem from another time.

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Latin Mass groups
Alejandro moves among the different groups in Cebu that hold the TLM or the Tridentine Mass or the Mass in the Extraordinary Form. These groups do not see eye to eye albeit they share some youth volunteers. Alejandro told me that some members of the different groups would ask him why he continues to join the other masses. He told me he goes for the sacraments, to wherever there was a Latin liturgy.

Fr. François Chazal celebrates a Traditional Latin Mass at the Hearts of Jesus and Mary Seminary in the mountain barangαy of Pamutan in Cebu City

Of the groups that Alejandro listed as holding Latin masses in Cebu, I’ve been to three. The first is the authorized one by the Archdiocese of Cebu, held every Sunday at 1 p.m. in the chapel in Tabor Hill. Only three priests are permitted by the archdiocese to say the TLM. On some Sundays, like what happened yesterday, none of the authorized priests was available and the community holds a “mass in the ordinary form.” These are in keeping with the restrictions on the Latin mass imposed by Pope Francis.

The other is in a chapel in Mandaue City administered by the Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX). Many Catholics do not see this mass as valid because the SSPX does not have canonical status with the Vatican. It was founded by the late French Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, who was excommunicated in 1988 for consecrating four bishops despite prohibition by Pope John Paul II. The excommunication was lifted in 2009 by Pope Benedict XVI, who nevertheless said that SSPX priests “do not legitimately exercise any ministry in the Church.”

Fr. Chazal puts on the cassock of seminarian Josiah Loeman from New Zealand. The cassock symbolizes a cutting off from the world, he said

The third one is by the Marian Corps of Saint Pius X (MCSPX), an order started by priests kicked out from SSPX in 2012 for opposing moves to reconcile with the Vatican.

Leading the group is Fr. François Chazal, a firebrand in his call for “return to tradition” and rejection of Vatican II and its changes to the mass. He has a small following on YouTube although his old channel that contained years of videos was deleted, according to a volunteer, because of his sermons denouncing COVID restrictions and the vaccine.
Pope Francis “a heretic”
Fr. Chazal frequently calls Pope Francis a heretic but acknowledges that he is leader of the Catholic Church. “We’ve had bad popes in history,” he said. He supports former Apostolic Nuncio Carlo Maria Vigano, who was excommunicated on Friday (July 5) by the Vatican for schism.

When the MCSPX announced it was holding a “Taking of the Cassock” ceremony last June 29, I arranged to attend it. It was scheduled at the MCSPX's Hearts of Jesus and Mary Seminary in the mountain barangαy of Pamutan in Cebu City.

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In Latin Mass, the people receive communion by tongue and at the communion rail. The church in Pamutan is still unfinished and does not yet have a communion rail

I asked Alejandro, who studied for a year at that seminary and himself took the cassock, for information and he offered to accompany me. He had not been there for more than a year at least, he said.

"Buenas dias nyorr. Eat ur breakfast before mo viaje. Eat daghan hehe," (Eat your breakfast before the trip. Eat a lot) Alejandro messaged me on the day of the event as I was about to pick him up. I thought it foreboding but set the apprehensions aside to prepare for the drive. Other than coffee, I had no breakfast.

Pamutan is about an hour's drive from downtown Cebu City. Some parts of the road going there are so badly damaged you really have to be extra careful. In some areas, only one narrow lane is passable and you end up in a staring contest with drivers of motorcycles-for-hire on who should give way. The habal-habal or motorcycle-for-hire is the only means of public transportation in these parts.

We started from Lapu-Lapu City and I was driving slowly so it took us close to two hours to reach the "parking area," which was no more than a small clearing by the roadside. There are two parking spaces. Alejandro chose the one that needed a longer walk to the seminary because he worried it would rain. The other one was closer but would be impassable in heavy rain.

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Alejandro, who took the cassock in 2021, served as guide to the isolated seminary

We put on our backpacks. Mine was about a third of my body weight, which I would regret later. I made a walking stick using rattan bought on Facebook from someone who sells arnis sticks. I offered Alejandro one that I made for him but he refused. I don't need it nyor, he said.
Isolated seminary
The hike to the seminary would take 20 minutes, Alejandro told me the night before. The dirt road at the start was flat before we arrived at an isolated house with a dog who wouldn't stop barking at us. I was struggling to go up a hill and had to ask for time to catch my breath. I was breathless both from the effort to climb and the fantastic view.

The location of the seminary was chosen for its isolation and the cool weather, Alejandro told me. It had neither electricity nor internet connection. They get water from a spring. They live an ascetic life with a horarium (Latin for the hours, essentially a daily schedule) that listed waking up at 6 a.m., then Office of Prime with Martyrology and Meditation first thing, to Angelus, Mass, Breakfast and various lessons, meditations, prayers, and chores throughout the day until candlelights off at 10 p.m.

The road to the MCSPX seminary is steep. It's extremely challenging on the walk back

"We cannot presume to be stronger than any one of us. We are all made out of the same cloth, of the same fabric, which is impurity.  And so that's the reason why we also come here. To save our soul. To stay away from the occasions of sin. And to stay with God," Fr. Chazal said in his sermon to explain their isolation.

But their isolation could not shield them from the bane of Filipino communities, even in remote countryside—karaoke. Alejandro said disco music and top videoke hits from distant hamlets would pierce the meditative silence at the seminary.

A little over halfway to our hike, the path started heading downward. It was gradual at first but steep at the end. Alejandro told me priests would return from night flights and carry their luggage through where we just passed.
MCSPX missions
Cebu is the base for MCSPX missions. They have three priests overseeing 40 small groups in Visayas and Mindanao. They also visit Japan, Malaysia, and South Korea. On Sundays, they typically hold three Tridentine Masses, in the morning, at noon, and in the evening. Last June 30, Fr. Chazal celebrated all three, going from Pardo in Cebu City in the morning to Lapu-Lapu City at noon and to faraway Dalaguete town in the evening.

Fr. Chazal blesses the altar servers

The first impression one gets after entering the chapel at the MCSPX seminary is how huge it is although unfinished. The structure used to be made of bamboo, but it was destroyed when Typhoon Odette hit the country in December 2021. They are rebuilding it with steel frames.

A large painting of the crucifixion dominates the altar, to which the priest and the mass goers face in a Latin Mass.

The faithful lined up to give confessions to Fr. Chazal. The congregation prayed Hail Mary in English before the start of the mass. They would pray it again after it ended.
Cutting off from the world
The "Taking of the Cassock" is the first part of the journey to the priesthood. The wearing of the cassock signifies a "change of life" that is turning towards God and a “cutting-off from the world,” Fr. Chazal said in his sermon before the ceremony. He also called the wearing of the cassock as "hoisting the flag" to show a clear sign to people of the return to faith.

He criticized clerics in Cebu for not wearing the cassock or any other clerical garb. "Where are they? I haven't seen a priest in cassock all these years I've been to the Philippines, perhaps once on the street."

Fr. François Chazal celebrates a Traditional Latin Mass at the Hearts of Jesus and Mary Seminary in the mountain barangαy of Pamutan in Cebu City

During the sermon, Fr. Chazal discussed a frequent subject of his talks: his accusations of Pope Francis being heretical.

"Pope Francis today prides himself to take as many heresies as he can, 24 by 7. He is truly heresy on demand. And that's why Archbishop Vigano is entitled to say, why would you pretend to be my judge since you don't have a Catholic faith?" Fr. Chazal said.

After his sermon, Fr. Chazal then put on the cassock and red belt of seminarians Josiah Loeman and Joseph Emmanuel Thomas Mateo. Loeman is from New Zealand while Mateo is a Filipino-Australian. MCSPX has three seminarians, the other one is Mateo's brother. Fr. Chazal expects two more to join later in the year, one from Ireland and the other from France.

An MCSPX Mass is the liturgy before Vatican II. It is said entirely in Latin. People often ask me whether people actually understand what is said in a Latin Mass and the answer is, most frequent mass goers do. They have been attending the masses for so long they know the liturgy by heart. For beginners, it’s easy to follow because the missals are in Latin on the left with the English translation on the right.

These are some of the books that survived Odette in 2021

The priest faces east, toward the altar and with his back to the people. Men and women are segregated.  The faithful take communion on the tongue at the communion rail in front.

After the mass, the congregation had lunch together. The meal consisted of pasta, Fr. Chazal's favorite, native chicken soup, spring rolls, vegetable salad, and jackfruit. For drinks, there was iced tea and wine. Alejandro told me Fr. Chazal loved the pasta that he used to cook.

One of the topics at lunch was a news report of how, in Australia, young people travel for miles to attend Latin Mass and how one church had been forced to end services by the Vatican.

After lunch, Alejandro and I decided to head back to the city. Erik Monisit offered to join us. He is from Liloan and didn't plan to attend that day but nobody was around to drive the faithful from Cebu City so he volunteered. Monisit used to be a lay missionary for the mainstream Catholic Church before leaving it and joining the SSPX and then MCSPX to follow Fr. Chazal.
Extremely challenging walk
The walk back was extremely challenging for one unused to hiking and trekking. For one, the road was so steep, probably a 70-degree incline. I was hyperventilating and leaning on my walking stick, taking a rest to catch my breath every few minutes or so.

Monisit excused himself to go ahead, he was taking their vehicle to the other parking spot, which was easier to walk to from the chapel. The other members of the Cebu City faithful would be waiting there.

The author takes notes as Fr. Chazal gives his sermon

After a long rest, Alejandro and I continued the climb. The part was even more difficult, and I asked for a few minutes to rest. By then, I already had serious doubts whether I could finish the walk home.

This is where the 14th Station of the Cross is set up during Lent, Alejandro pointed out to a spot near where I was sitting. Fourteenth station, I thought to myself, the burial of Jesus Christ. What would friends think if I collapsed here?

I asked Alejandro if he could carry my bag. He immediately put it on in front, to balance his backpack. I apologized for the weight, I carried a drone we weren't able to fly because I left the phone with the app controller in the car, but Alejandro just dismissed it. My backpack is heavier, he told me.

Alejandro during his taking of the cassock in 2021, back when the seminary was built of bamboo

Freed from that weight, my walk was easier, and I survived the last difficult part, a steep downhill to the house with the dog who wouldn't stop barking. It had a shed and I took off my shirt to rest and lie down. "Immodesty!" Alejandro would later comment on my photo.

I gathered strength at the shed. After "Sasakyan Kita" finished playing loudly in the house, I put my shirt back on and we walked uneventfully back to the car. I told Alejandro I was planning to attend the MCSPX Mass in Lapu-Lapu City the next day and asked whether he would be there. “On Sunday, nyor,” he told me, “I will attend the SSPX Mass.”

The Aachen Altar (German: Aachener Altar), also called the Passion Altar (Passionsaltar), is a late Gothic triptych showing the Passion of Christ. It was created around 1515–1520 in Cologne by the artist known as the Master of the Aachen Altar and is now kept in the Aachen Cathedral Treasury.

The seminary chapel is located in the hilly part of Cebu City, Philippines. You can view it on this map: https://maps.app.goo.gl/Z7qf721VXXhw2aGj6