Philippine E-Journals

ARTICLE THREE: THE SPREAD OF MISSIONARY CENTERS IN ILOKOS

Juan A. Foronda

Discipline: History, Philippine History

 

Abstract:

By the time that the Franciscans had left, Ilocos was well prepared for the establishment of ministerios or missionary cen­ters. The Franciscans had done a creditable job of reducing the villages into mere compact settlements, the towns. In this connection special mention must be made of Fr. Juan de Ayora, considered the Apostle of Ilocos.1 Ilocos by 1585 awaited with keen anticipation more ecclesiastical personnel. When the Augus- tinians returned to Ilocos in 1586, the establishment of mission­ary centers or ministerios marked an era which may be consi­dered as second to none in the missionary history of the region. The return of the Augustinians may, therefore, be considered as the “golden age” of missionary activity in the North.