Here’s something very positive written by a foreigner named Steve Ray. Steve Ray authored many best-selling books, among which are, Crossing The Tiber (his conversion story), Upon This Rock (on the papacy), & just recently John’s Gospel (a comprehensive bible study guide and commentary). Steve is also currently filming a 10-video series entitled, Footprints of God. The first two videos are out: Peter, Keeper of the Keys, & Mary, Mother of God (now available here in the Philippines) .
STEVE RAY’S OPEN LETTER TO THE FILIPINO CATHOLICS:
We stepped into the church & it was old & a bit dark. Mass had just begun & we sat toward the front. We didn’t know what to expect here in Istanbul, Turkey. I guess we expected it to be a somber Mass but quiet & somber it was not-I thought I heard angels joyously singing behind me.
The voices were rich, melodic & beautiful. What I discovered as I spun around to look did not surprise me because I had seen & heard the same thing in other churches around the world. It was not a choir of angels with feathered wings & halos but a group of delightful Filipino Catholics with smiles of delight and joy on their faces as they worshiped God & sang His praises. I had seen this many times before in Rome, in Israel, in the United States & other countries.
Filipinos have special traits & they are beautifully expressed as I gazed at the happy throng giving thanks to God. What are the special traits which characterize these happy people? I will share a few that I have noticed-personal observations- as I have traveled around the world, including visits to the Philippines.
FIRST, there is a sense of community, of family. These Filipino Christians did not sit apart from each other in different isles. They sat together, closely. They didn’t just sing quietly, mumbling, or simply mouthing the words. No, they raised their voices in harmony together as though they enjoyed the sense of unity & communion among them. They are family even if they are not related.
SECOND, they have an inner peace & joy which is rare in the world today. When most of the world’s citizens are worried & fretful, I have found Filipinos to have joy & peace-a deep sense of God’s love that over shadows them.
They have problems too, & many in the Philippines have less material goods than others in the world, yet there is still a sense of happy trust in God & love of neighbor.
THIRD, there is a love for God & for his Son Jesus that is almost synonymous with the word Filipino. There is also something that Filipinos are famous for around the world - their love for the Blessed Mother. Among the many Filipinos I have met, the affectionate title for Mary I always hear from their lips is ‘Mama Mary.’ For these gentle folks Mary is not just a theological idea, a historical person, or a statue in a church -Mary is the mother of their Lord & their mother as well, their ‘mama.’
The Philippines is a Catholic nation-the only such nation in Asia & this wonderful country exports missionaries around the world. They are not hired to be missionaries, not official workers of the church. No, they are workers & educators, doctors, nurses & housekeepers that go to other lands & travel to the far reaches of the earth, & everywhere they go they take the joyous gospel of Jesus with them.
They make a somber Mass joyful when they burst into song. They convict the pagan of sin as they always keep the love of Jesus & the Eucharist central in their lives.
My hope & prayer, while I am here in the Philippines sharing my conversion story from Baptist Protestant to Roman Catholic, is that the Filipino people will continue to keep these precious qualities. I pray that they will continue loving their families, loving the Catholic Church, reading the Bible, loving Jesus, His Mother & the Eucharist.
As many other religions & sects try to persuade them to leave the Church, may God give the wisdom to defend the Catholic faith. As the world tempts them to sin & seek only money & fame and power, may God grant them the serenity to always remember that obedience to Christ & love for God is far more important than all the riches the world can offer.
May the wonderful Filipino people continue to be a light of the Gospel to the whole world!
Be a proud Filipino & share this to friends!

AMEN !!!