Felix Manalo
Encyclopedia
Felix Ysagun Manalo also known as Ka Félix, was the first Executive Minister (Tagalog
: Tagapamahalang Pangkalahatan) of the Philippines'-based religious organization Iglesia ni Cristo
, and incorporated it with the Philippine Government on July 27, 1914. He is the father of Eraño G. Manalo
, who succeeded him as Executive Minister of the Iglesia ni Cristo
, and the grandfather of Eduardo V. Manalo
, the current Executive Minister.
Because there were no precursors to the registered church, external sources and critics of the Iglesia ni Cristo
refer to him as the founder of the Iglesia ni Cristo
and describe him as such but the official INC doctrines claim otherwise.
The official doctrine of the Iglesia ni Cristo
is that Felix Y. Manalo is the last messenger of God
, sent to reestablish the first church founded by Jesus Christ, which the INC claims to have fallen into apostasy
following the death of the Apostles.
He worked as a herd boy, and was later apprenticed to his uncle in the latter’s photography studio and sometime in 1904, opened a hat shop in Paranaque, Rizal.
Felix Manalo began to entertain his first doubt in the Catholic teachings when, sometime in 1904, he witnessed a public debate between a Catholic priest and a Protestant pastor in Paranaque, Rizal. The Protestant pastor evidently prevailed and gained Manalo’s profound interest.
That year, he joined the Methodist Episcopal Church and attended classes given by that sect in the Methodist Theological Seminary wherein he eventually became an evangelist.
Thus began a seemingly endless search for the true religion—a search that led Manalo to join one Protestant sect after another—scrutinizing every doctrine and comparing them with the biblical percepts. In 1907, he joined the Presbyterian Church wherein he became a pastor after attending the Union Theological Seminary. In 1908, he joined the Disciples of Christ and served as an evangelist for a year before leaving, having been accused of domestic violence.
The manner of baptizing by immersion by the Christian Mission attracted Manalo’s attention and, in 1910, he joined the missionaries and later became an evangelist. He married Tomasa Sereneo of Paco, Manila who died soon after giving birth to their son, Gerardo.
In 1911, he joined the Seventh day Adventists wherein he also became a pastor. Then Bro. Manalo remarried. His second wife was Honorata de Guzman of Sta. Cruz, Manila. The couple were both active in the Church’s activities, Felix Manalo as a minister and Honorata, a deaconess. But then, after pondering on the Adventist’s persistent observance of Sabbath, Manalo found it unscriptural. He abandoned the Adventist Church and returned to his hat shop. According to some source, Manalo was suspended by the Seventh Day Adventist for alleged adultery.
Dissatisfied with the doctrines and practices of the then existing religions, Manalo severed himself from all of them. Then he transferred his business and domicile to Pasay City and also opened a barber shop. Although he was frequently visited by his former colleagues in the Adventist Church who tried to bring him back to the fold, Manalo did not waver.
He totally lost faith in the established religions. He began to associate himself with atheist and free-thinkers to examine their conviction which he found false and irrational, as well. He discovered that wrong interpretations of the bible caused both the atheist’s disbelief and the diversity of the doctrines of different religions.
In search for the truth, Manalo resolved to undertake a thorough examination of the doctrines of the different religions.
.
A few months later, the church in Punta gained more converts and Manalo decided to propagate the church in other places. He left the small congregation in the care of Federico Inocencio, one of the converts, and Atanacio Morte, the head deacon. He headed for Tipas with his wife and infant daughter, Pilar, to bring the mission of salvation to his town mates.
In his hometown, he met stiff persecutions. His town mates could hardly believe that so familiar a figure as he could bring no less than the message of salvation to them. They derided him. Yet some of the more determined detractors were later converted. Among these were Justino Cassanova, pastor of the Christian and Missionary alliance and Norbeto Asuncion who became ministers of the Iglesia ni Cristo.
On July 27, 1914 the Iglesia ni Cristo was officially registered with the Philippine government with he himself as the first Executive Minister.
A few months later, the Church’s work of propagation was launched in the town of Pateros and then in the town of Pasig. The propagation of the Church first began in Tondo, Manila in the closing months of 1915.
Manalo met various oppositions and persecutions from entrenched religious establishments such as the Catholic and Protestant forces. He also conducted Bible classes for the ministry. Soon some student members were ordained on whose assistance Manalo could now depend in looking after the spiritual needs of the growing church.
Trusted ministers were assigned to pioneer in the work of propagating the faith in the areas surrounding Manila. The church branched out to the provinces in Central Luzon. In 1937, the church began propagating in the Visayas when Manalo sent Alipio Apolonio to pioneer in preaching the church in Cebu, whence it hopped from one Visayan Island to another.
In Feb. 1939, the first issue of Pasugo came out. The Tagalog magazine aimed to disseminate the doctrines of the Church. Publication of this monthly periodical temporarily stopped during the war years and reappeared in Jan. 1951.
During the wartime period, when the Japanese Imperial Army
occupied the Philippines, the mission of salvation continued in spite of the reign bombs and threats. While other religious groups compromised, out of fear, with the Japanese and succumbed to the machinations of the enemy, the Iglesia ni Cristo continued to hold worship services, continued to hold missionary campaigns and continued to minister to the spiritual needs of the brethren.
In 1948 the church began constructing a concrete house of worship in Washington street, Sampaloc, Manila. It was the beginning of pious undertaking; the resurgence of big houses of worship that became landmarks through the breadth and length of the archipelago. It was far from the expectation of many people because of the majority of the church members are numbered among poor. Because of its force, this church has gained the respect even of those who disagree with it in many things.
Manalo was accused of immorality in 1922, that resulted in a schism led by Teofilo Ora and the loss of some followers. Many journalists, like the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism
(PCIJ) also began criticizing his church.
In 1938 a letter from Rosita Trillanes were published in newspapers, accusing Felix Manalo of raping her many times and threatens to kill her, witnessed many who have been raped by Manalo(some are maidens, others are the wives of members and ministers. She even stated that Manalo himself told her about the others whom he molested when he was persuading her to accede to his desires and in persuading the women he loves, whether a maiden or a married woman, he mentions the many wives of Solomon and claims that the man sent of God should be made happy, and the consent and agreement to his desires is honorable in the eyes of God. He even told her about some thirty women he abused and several women inside their Church.
This made Manalo to file a libel case to Trillanes where she lost in the COURT OF FIRST INSTANCE in MANILA(September 1939) that's why she made an appeal to the Court of Appeals(April 21, 1942) and justice was served on her side.
Because of this the libel case to Trillanes was dismissed in 1942.
The Court of Appeals said "... the Prosecution admits that there is reason to believe that the offended party, Manalo, did commit immoral acts with some women members of the Iglesia." "And the Solicitor concludes that he found out through proofs presented that Manalo is a man "un hombre de baja moral" (man of low moral) and that he took advantage of his position in the Iglesia to attack and sully the virtue of some of his female followers."(Case No.8180, April 21, 1942) and REPORTED by OFFICIAL GAZETTE in Vol. I, No. 1, July 1954, p. 394. The decision were made by HONTIVEROS, BRIONES and TORRES.
After 10 years she retracted and made an affidavit saying that all of her accusations are false and untrue.(November 21, 1952)(Certificate No. A0385178 issued at Maila, on November 7, 1952:Notary Seal: Frolian Tafalla Notary Public Until December 31, 1952 Doc. No. 118 Page No. 97 Book No. II Series of 1952)
She came back to the church where she was expelled(excommunicated) after the retraction when Manalo forgave her. Their members believe that she was bothered for a decade by her conscience and that is the reason of recantation.
who was elected unanimously by the council of elders.
At his funeral, thousands observed the remains of their beloved religious leader, seized with grief, weeping and in anguish. The local police estimated the crowd in the funeral procession to be 2 million and the rite took five hours. INC believe that Felix Manalo is the angel from the "East" as described in the bible from the book of revelations describing the different angels coming from the different sides of the world.
Felix Manalo started his preaching mission with only a handful of listeners in a small room at the workers quarters of a construction company. When he died, he left a well-established church with millions of members all over the Philippines. In only 49 years of existence, the Iglesia ni Cristo
had 1,250 local chapels, and 35 large concrete cathedrals. Felix Y. Manalo was a recognized and highly respected religious leader of the Philippines.
The ministers of the Christian Mission honored him on December 12, 1918, as an outstanding evangelist.
The Genius Divinical College of Manila on Avenida, Rizal, a non-sectarian institution headed by Eugenio Guerero, conferred on Felix Manalo the degree of Master of Biblo-Science honoris causa on March 28, 1931.
On July 27, 2007, coinciding with the 93rd Anniversary of the Iglesia ni Cristo, the National Historical Institute (NHI) of the Philippines unveiled a marker on the birth place of Felix Manalo, declaring the site as a National Historical Landmark. The marker is located at Barangay Calzada, Tipas, Taguig City, Metro Manila where the ancestral home of Manalo once stood. The marker sits on a 744 square meter plaza. In his dedication speech, Ludovico Badoy, NHI executive director said "Brother Felix Manalo's significant contribution to Philippine Society is worth recognizing and emulating.". He further said "...the church he preached have changed the lives and faith of many Filipinos. He deserves the pride and recognition of the people of Taguig.". The responsibility, maintenance and operation of the landmark was turned over to the INC.
On the same year, President Arroyo declared July 27 of every year as "Iglesia ni Cristo Day" to enable millions of INC followers in the Philippines and in 75 countries around the world to observe the occasion with fitting solemnity.
Tagalog language
Tagalog is an Austronesian language spoken as a first language by a third of the population of the Philippines and as a second language by most of the rest. It is the first language of the Philippine region IV and of Metro Manila...
: Tagapamahalang Pangkalahatan) of the Philippines'-based religious organization Iglesia ni Cristo
Iglesia ni Cristo
Iglesia ni Cristo also known as INC, is the largest entirely indigenous Christian religious organization that originated from the Philippines and the largest independent church in Asia. Due to a number of similarities, some Protestant writers describe the INC's doctrines as restorationist in...
, and incorporated it with the Philippine Government on July 27, 1914. He is the father of Eraño G. Manalo
Eraño G. Manalo
Eraño de Guzman Manalo , also known as Ka Erdy, was the second Executive Minister of the Iglesia ni Cristo, serving from 1963 until 2009. He took over the administration of the church after the death of his father, Felix Manalo, in 1963. He was instrumental in the propagation and expansion of the...
, who succeeded him as Executive Minister of the Iglesia ni Cristo
Iglesia ni Cristo
Iglesia ni Cristo also known as INC, is the largest entirely indigenous Christian religious organization that originated from the Philippines and the largest independent church in Asia. Due to a number of similarities, some Protestant writers describe the INC's doctrines as restorationist in...
, and the grandfather of Eduardo V. Manalo
Eduardo V. Manalo
Bro. Eduardo Villanueva Manalo, is the third and current Executive Minister of the Iglesia ni Cristo , following the death of his father, former Executive Minister Eraño G. Manalo....
, the current Executive Minister.
Because there were no precursors to the registered church, external sources and critics of the Iglesia ni Cristo
Iglesia ni Cristo
Iglesia ni Cristo also known as INC, is the largest entirely indigenous Christian religious organization that originated from the Philippines and the largest independent church in Asia. Due to a number of similarities, some Protestant writers describe the INC's doctrines as restorationist in...
refer to him as the founder of the Iglesia ni Cristo
Iglesia ni Cristo
Iglesia ni Cristo also known as INC, is the largest entirely indigenous Christian religious organization that originated from the Philippines and the largest independent church in Asia. Due to a number of similarities, some Protestant writers describe the INC's doctrines as restorationist in...
and describe him as such but the official INC doctrines claim otherwise.
The official doctrine of the Iglesia ni Cristo
Iglesia ni Cristo
Iglesia ni Cristo also known as INC, is the largest entirely indigenous Christian religious organization that originated from the Philippines and the largest independent church in Asia. Due to a number of similarities, some Protestant writers describe the INC's doctrines as restorationist in...
is that Felix Y. Manalo is the last messenger of God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
, sent to reestablish the first church founded by Jesus Christ, which the INC claims to have fallen into apostasy
Apostasy
Apostasy , 'a defection or revolt', from ἀπό, apo, 'away, apart', στάσις, stasis, 'stand, 'standing') is the formal disaffiliation from or abandonment or renunciation of a religion by a person. One who commits apostasy is known as an apostate. These terms have a pejorative implication in everyday...
following the death of the Apostles.
Biography
Felix Y. Manalo was born in Barrio Calzada, Taguig, in Rizal province, southern Luzon, in the Philippines on May 10, 1886—at a time when the country was yet in the clutches of Spanish colonialism and when Roman Catholicism was still considered the state religion. He was raised in the catholic faith by his parents, Mariano Ysagun and Bonifacio Manalo. (It was sometime after his mother’s death that he decided on his mother’s name over his father’s name. He grieved over the death of his mother for whom he had a great affection. Thus for sentimental reasons and for expressing his reverence, he adopted her name, Manalo.) He began acquiring his education from barrio school under the tutelage of a “maestrong Cario” (a teacher called Cario).He worked as a herd boy, and was later apprenticed to his uncle in the latter’s photography studio and sometime in 1904, opened a hat shop in Paranaque, Rizal.
Felix Manalo began to entertain his first doubt in the Catholic teachings when, sometime in 1904, he witnessed a public debate between a Catholic priest and a Protestant pastor in Paranaque, Rizal. The Protestant pastor evidently prevailed and gained Manalo’s profound interest.
That year, he joined the Methodist Episcopal Church and attended classes given by that sect in the Methodist Theological Seminary wherein he eventually became an evangelist.
Thus began a seemingly endless search for the true religion—a search that led Manalo to join one Protestant sect after another—scrutinizing every doctrine and comparing them with the biblical percepts. In 1907, he joined the Presbyterian Church wherein he became a pastor after attending the Union Theological Seminary. In 1908, he joined the Disciples of Christ and served as an evangelist for a year before leaving, having been accused of domestic violence.
The manner of baptizing by immersion by the Christian Mission attracted Manalo’s attention and, in 1910, he joined the missionaries and later became an evangelist. He married Tomasa Sereneo of Paco, Manila who died soon after giving birth to their son, Gerardo.
In 1911, he joined the Seventh day Adventists wherein he also became a pastor. Then Bro. Manalo remarried. His second wife was Honorata de Guzman of Sta. Cruz, Manila. The couple were both active in the Church’s activities, Felix Manalo as a minister and Honorata, a deaconess. But then, after pondering on the Adventist’s persistent observance of Sabbath, Manalo found it unscriptural. He abandoned the Adventist Church and returned to his hat shop. According to some source, Manalo was suspended by the Seventh Day Adventist for alleged adultery.
Dissatisfied with the doctrines and practices of the then existing religions, Manalo severed himself from all of them. Then he transferred his business and domicile to Pasay City and also opened a barber shop. Although he was frequently visited by his former colleagues in the Adventist Church who tried to bring him back to the fold, Manalo did not waver.
He totally lost faith in the established religions. He began to associate himself with atheist and free-thinkers to examine their conviction which he found false and irrational, as well. He discovered that wrong interpretations of the bible caused both the atheist’s disbelief and the diversity of the doctrines of different religions.
In search for the truth, Manalo resolved to undertake a thorough examination of the doctrines of the different religions.
Foundation of the Church of Christ
In an early month of 1914, Felix Manalo with his wife, Honorata, left their home and headed for Punta, Sta. Ana, Manila to begin preaching about the Church of Christ (Iglesia ni Cristo). There he started with four or five listeners in a small room at the workers’ quarters of Atlantic Gulf and Pacific Company of Manila, Incorporated. As the listeners began to grow in number the nightly religious meetings moved out in the open. Soon, the first converts were baptized in the nearby Pasig RiverPasig River
The Pasig River is a river in the Philippines that connects Laguna de Bay to Manila Bay. Stretching for , it is lined by Metro Manila on each side...
.
In his hometown, he met stiff persecutions. His town mates could hardly believe that so familiar a figure as he could bring no less than the message of salvation to them. They derided him. Yet some of the more determined detractors were later converted. Among these were Justino Cassanova, pastor of the Christian and Missionary alliance and Norbeto Asuncion who became ministers of the Iglesia ni Cristo.
On July 27, 1914 the Iglesia ni Cristo was officially registered with the Philippine government with he himself as the first Executive Minister.
A few months later, the Church’s work of propagation was launched in the town of Pateros and then in the town of Pasig. The propagation of the Church first began in Tondo, Manila in the closing months of 1915.
Manalo met various oppositions and persecutions from entrenched religious establishments such as the Catholic and Protestant forces. He also conducted Bible classes for the ministry. Soon some student members were ordained on whose assistance Manalo could now depend in looking after the spiritual needs of the growing church.
Trusted ministers were assigned to pioneer in the work of propagating the faith in the areas surrounding Manila. The church branched out to the provinces in Central Luzon. In 1937, the church began propagating in the Visayas when Manalo sent Alipio Apolonio to pioneer in preaching the church in Cebu, whence it hopped from one Visayan Island to another.
In Feb. 1939, the first issue of Pasugo came out. The Tagalog magazine aimed to disseminate the doctrines of the Church. Publication of this monthly periodical temporarily stopped during the war years and reappeared in Jan. 1951.
During the wartime period, when the Japanese Imperial Army
Empire of Japan
The Empire of Japan is the name of the state of Japan that existed from the Meiji Restoration on 3 January 1868 to the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of...
occupied the Philippines, the mission of salvation continued in spite of the reign bombs and threats. While other religious groups compromised, out of fear, with the Japanese and succumbed to the machinations of the enemy, the Iglesia ni Cristo continued to hold worship services, continued to hold missionary campaigns and continued to minister to the spiritual needs of the brethren.
Controversies
Before becoming the founder of Church of Christ(Iglesia ni Cristo), he was a former member of different religious congregation such as Catholic Church, Philippine Mission Churches of Christ(excommunicated because of adultery filed by his wife), Seventh-Day Adventist Church(excommunicated because of adultery).Manalo was accused of immorality in 1922, that resulted in a schism led by Teofilo Ora and the loss of some followers. Many journalists, like the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism
Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism
The Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism is a non-profit media organization specializing in investigative journalism. It is based in Quezon City, Philippines. Established in 1989 by nine Filipino journalists, the organization funds investigative projects for both the print and broadcast...
(PCIJ) also began criticizing his church.
In 1938 a letter from Rosita Trillanes were published in newspapers, accusing Felix Manalo of raping her many times and threatens to kill her, witnessed many who have been raped by Manalo(some are maidens, others are the wives of members and ministers. She even stated that Manalo himself told her about the others whom he molested when he was persuading her to accede to his desires and in persuading the women he loves, whether a maiden or a married woman, he mentions the many wives of Solomon and claims that the man sent of God should be made happy, and the consent and agreement to his desires is honorable in the eyes of God. He even told her about some thirty women he abused and several women inside their Church.
This made Manalo to file a libel case to Trillanes where she lost in the COURT OF FIRST INSTANCE in MANILA(September 1939) that's why she made an appeal to the Court of Appeals(April 21, 1942) and justice was served on her side.
Because of this the libel case to Trillanes was dismissed in 1942.
The Court of Appeals said "... the Prosecution admits that there is reason to believe that the offended party, Manalo, did commit immoral acts with some women members of the Iglesia." "And the Solicitor concludes that he found out through proofs presented that Manalo is a man "un hombre de baja moral" (man of low moral) and that he took advantage of his position in the Iglesia to attack and sully the virtue of some of his female followers."(Case No.8180, April 21, 1942) and REPORTED by OFFICIAL GAZETTE in Vol. I, No. 1, July 1954, p. 394. The decision were made by HONTIVEROS, BRIONES and TORRES.
After 10 years she retracted and made an affidavit saying that all of her accusations are false and untrue.(November 21, 1952)(Certificate No. A0385178 issued at Maila, on November 7, 1952:Notary Seal: Frolian Tafalla Notary Public Until December 31, 1952 Doc. No. 118 Page No. 97 Book No. II Series of 1952)
She came back to the church where she was expelled(excommunicated) after the retraction when Manalo forgave her. Their members believe that she was bothered for a decade by her conscience and that is the reason of recantation.
Death
Felix Manalo felt his health declining rapidly. He had stomach ulcers which brought him constant pain that even medication did not help. On April 12, 1963 at 2:35 in the morning, Felix Ysagun Manalo died at the age of 76. He passed the leadership of the church to his son, Eraño de Guzman ManaloEraño G. Manalo
Eraño de Guzman Manalo , also known as Ka Erdy, was the second Executive Minister of the Iglesia ni Cristo, serving from 1963 until 2009. He took over the administration of the church after the death of his father, Felix Manalo, in 1963. He was instrumental in the propagation and expansion of the...
who was elected unanimously by the council of elders.
At his funeral, thousands observed the remains of their beloved religious leader, seized with grief, weeping and in anguish. The local police estimated the crowd in the funeral procession to be 2 million and the rite took five hours. INC believe that Felix Manalo is the angel from the "East" as described in the bible from the book of revelations describing the different angels coming from the different sides of the world.
Felix Manalo started his preaching mission with only a handful of listeners in a small room at the workers quarters of a construction company. When he died, he left a well-established church with millions of members all over the Philippines. In only 49 years of existence, the Iglesia ni Cristo
Iglesia ni Cristo
Iglesia ni Cristo also known as INC, is the largest entirely indigenous Christian religious organization that originated from the Philippines and the largest independent church in Asia. Due to a number of similarities, some Protestant writers describe the INC's doctrines as restorationist in...
had 1,250 local chapels, and 35 large concrete cathedrals. Felix Y. Manalo was a recognized and highly respected religious leader of the Philippines.
Recognition
The church’s growth and expansion met many criticisms and persecutions. Its leaders and members alike were often ridiculed and maligned. However, Felix Manalo was an eloquent speaker, and he could deliver a skillful argument, had a facility in the use of Scriptures and a mastery in organization.The ministers of the Christian Mission honored him on December 12, 1918, as an outstanding evangelist.
The Genius Divinical College of Manila on Avenida, Rizal, a non-sectarian institution headed by Eugenio Guerero, conferred on Felix Manalo the degree of Master of Biblo-Science honoris causa on March 28, 1931.
On July 27, 2007, coinciding with the 93rd Anniversary of the Iglesia ni Cristo, the National Historical Institute (NHI) of the Philippines unveiled a marker on the birth place of Felix Manalo, declaring the site as a National Historical Landmark. The marker is located at Barangay Calzada, Tipas, Taguig City, Metro Manila where the ancestral home of Manalo once stood. The marker sits on a 744 square meter plaza. In his dedication speech, Ludovico Badoy, NHI executive director said "Brother Felix Manalo's significant contribution to Philippine Society is worth recognizing and emulating.". He further said "...the church he preached have changed the lives and faith of many Filipinos. He deserves the pride and recognition of the people of Taguig.". The responsibility, maintenance and operation of the landmark was turned over to the INC.
On the same year, President Arroyo declared July 27 of every year as "Iglesia ni Cristo Day" to enable millions of INC followers in the Philippines and in 75 countries around the world to observe the occasion with fitting solemnity.