The Oficio Divino is a foundational liturgical text for the Iglesia Filipina Independiente (IFI), or Philippine Independent Church. This nationalist church was established in 1902 during a period of profound social and political transformation following the Philippine Revolution and the onset of American colonial rule. It was born from a schism with the Roman Catholic Church, driven by the desire of Filipino clergy and patriots to Filipinize the church hierarchy and reform its doctrines. The text was edited and its property owned by Isabelo de los Reyes, a prominent Filipino nationalist, intellectual, and one of the principal founders of the IFI. It was officially sanctioned and ordered for use by the church's first Supreme Bishop, Gregorio Aglipay y Labayan, in Manila in July 1906 and subsequently published in Barcelona. The Oficio Divino represents a radical departure from Roman Catholic liturgy. It is divided into two main parts: the Novísimo Evangelio (Newest Gospel), presented as a unified, critical, and expurgated version of the canonical gospels stripped of interpolations, and the Culto Eucarístico (Eucharistic Worship) or Missal, which claims to be based on the actual practices of Christ and His Apostles, drawing upon ancient Hebraic, Roman, Greek, Muzarabic, and Anglican liturgies. This work was a central component of the IFI’s effort to create a theological identity that was both nationalist and reformist, emphasizing a rational, Christ-centered, and simplified worship practice.
Oficio divino de la Iglesia Filipina Independiente