Episcopal Church in the Philippines

On May 1, 1990, the PEC was officially separated from ECUSA and inaugurated as an [[autonomous]] church taking its place as a church province in the [[Anglican Communion]] with the name Episcopal Church in the Philippines (ECP).

On May 1, 1990, the PEC was officially separated from ECUSA and inaugurated as an [[autonomous]] church taking its place as a church province in the [[Anglican Communion]] with the name Episcopal Church in the Philippines (ECP).

[[File:Cathedral of the Resurrection.JPG|thumb|upright|left|The Cathedral of the Resurrection in [[Baguio]].]]

[[File:Cathedral of the Resurrection.JPG|thumb|upright|left|The Cathedral of the Resurrection in [[Baguio]].]]

When the church had been admitted as a missionary district, its first missionary bishop, Charles Henry Brent, unlike other Protestant missionaries, had no intention of converting Filipino Roman Catholics to Anglicanism. As a consequence, his missionary focus was in those parts of the islands that had not previously been evangelised, in particular, in the mountain provinces and in Mindanao. In Manila missionary work was also done among the non-Christian Chinese community. In Manila Bishop Brent felt his ministry to the American community should be his main focus. He wrote: “From every point of view, the most important part of our work is among Americans and other English-speaking people.” One of the first things he did was to build a cathedral in downtown Manila, the Cathedral of St. Mary & St. John, which was destroyed during [[World War II]] and later rebuilt in Quezon City. It was at that time that part of the Cathedral congregation formed the Church of the Holy Trinity, now located in the upscale village of [[Forbes Park, Makati|Forbes Park]], [[Makati]]. Holy Trinity's priest or rector from its beginning had always been an expatriate and its congregation was for the most part of expatriates; in recent years this has changed considerably and at the present it is an even mixture of Chinese Filipino, American/European and Filipino.

When the church had been admitted as a missionary district, its first missionary bishop, Charles Henry Brent, unlike other Protestant missionaries, had no intention of converting Filipino Catholics to Anglicanism. As a consequence, his missionary focus was in those parts of the islands that had not previously been evangelised, in particular, in the mountain provinces and in Mindanao. In Manila missionary work was also done among the non-Christian Chinese community. In Manila Bishop Brent felt his ministry to the American community should be his main focus. He wrote: “From every point of view, the most important part of our work is among Americans and other English-speaking people.” One of the first things he did was to build a cathedral in downtown Manila, the Cathedral of St. Mary & St. John, which was destroyed during [[World War II]] and later rebuilt in Quezon City. It was at that time that part of the Cathedral congregation formed the Church of the Holy Trinity, now located in the upscale village of [[Forbes Park, Makati|Forbes Park]], [[Makati]]. Holy Trinity's priest or rector from its beginning had always been an expatriate and its congregation was for the most part of expatriates; in recent years this has changed considerably and at the present it is an even mixture of Chinese Filipino, American/European and Filipino.

[[File:St. Luke's Hospital, Manila (1923).jpg|thumb|[[St. Luke's Medical Center|St. Luke's Hospital]] in Manila (1923)]]

[[File:St. Luke's Hospital, Manila (1923).jpg|thumb|[[St. Luke's Medical Center|St. Luke's Hospital]] in Manila (1923)]]

For the educational needs and in response to requests from the American parents for a boarding school for their children, Bishop Brent founded a school in Baguio for American boys. First called the Baguio School and later Brent School, this school is now known as Brent International School-Baguio. It is one of four [[Brent International School]]s under the umbrella of a mother corporation called Brent International Schools Inc. The others are Brent International School-Manila/Biñan, BIS-Subic, and BIS-Boracay. In addition to children of expatriates, a large number, if not the majority, of enrollees in the Brent Schools are Filipinos from well-to-do families.

For the educational needs and in response to requests from the American parents for a boarding school for their children, Bishop Brent founded a school in Baguio for American boys. First called the Baguio School and later Brent School, this school is now known as Brent International School-Baguio. It is one of four [[Brent International School]]s under the umbrella of a mother corporation called Brent International Schools Inc. The others are Brent International School-Manila/Biñan, BIS-Subic, and BIS-Boracay. In addition to children of expatriates, a large number, if not the majority, of enrollees in the Brent Schools are Filipinos from well-to-do families.

With regard to starting missionary work and establishing a church for and among the unchurched, Bishop Brent was against [[proselytization]]. Having observed the extensive work of the Roman Catholic Church in the islands, he decided not to “put up an altar over and against another altar”. He adopted a policy of “non-interference under ordinary circumstances with the adherents of other churches”. Along this line, he decided to concentrate the mission work of the newly established church on the Americans and white Europeans in the country as well as on those geographic areas where there were non-Christians or where the unchurched were not being served by any church.

With regard to starting missionary work and establishing a church for and among the unchurched, Bishop Brent was against [[proselytization]]. Having observed the extensive work of the [[Catholic Church in the Philippines|Catholic Church in the islands]], he decided not to “put up an altar over and against another altar”. He adopted a policy of “non-interference under ordinary circumstances with the adherents of other churches”. Along this line, he decided to concentrate the mission work of the newly established church on the Americans and white Europeans in the country as well as on those geographic areas where there were non-Christians or where the unchurched were not being served by any church.

[[File:Church of the Holy Trinity, Zamboanga (1923) 02.jpg|left|thumb|Church of the Holy Trinity in [[Zamboanga City]], 1923]]

[[File:Church of the Holy Trinity, Zamboanga (1923) 02.jpg|left|thumb|Church of the Holy Trinity in [[Zamboanga City]], 1923]]