Pakikisama is a Filipino word which describes a core value for Filipinos – the concept that to do or achieve anything is a shared task, from immediate family to neighbours to much wider groupings. This concept has underpinned the growth of the Filipino Chaplaincy of the Diocese of London, which celebrates its twentieth anniversary in May 2026. From its first service twenty years ago with 8 attendees, it now has an electoral roll of over 260, organisationally underpinned by an indefinite BMO. The existence of the Chaplaincy, staffed by clergy from the Iglesias Filipina Independiente (or Philippine Independent Church – a member church of the Old Catholic Federation), was a concrete manifestation of the Concordat of Full Communion established between the Church of England and the IFI in 1963.
Now significant plans are being made for its further expansion and growth. A meeting was held on March 27th between the visiting Obispo Maximo (or Archbishop) of the Philippine Independent Church and Bishop Anderson Jeremiah, representing the Diocese of London, Canon Larry Galon, the Diocesan Filipino Chaplain, and Canon William Taylor representing the host church of St John, Notting Hill. Immediate plans include:
- The invitation for a Filipino priest to join Fr Larry Galon, the present Filipino Chaplain, in the Autumn of 2026 to explore the establishment of a new worshipping community of the Filipino Chaplaincy, in a different Area and part of the Diocese where many Filipinos live. Seed funding is being sought for the project. This experimental project of a new worshipping community is planned to run until the end of 2026.
- A visit to the Philippines from the Diocese of London in January 2027 to establish the possibility of further exchanges, and the possibility of incorporating the new Filipino work into the plans for the development of the A5 corridor on a longer term basis.
- Ongoing work in the exchange of young people and theological students/seminarians.
Intercultural ministry thrives when undergirded by the concepts of reciprocity and respect or pakikisama. Mabuhay Filipino Chaplaincy!
The photo shows The Most Revd Joel Porlares, Obispo Maximo of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente (Archbishop of the Philippine Independent Church), The Bishop of Edmonton, The Rt Revd Dr Anderson Jeremiah, and Canon Larry Galon, Filipino Chaplain of the Diocese, meeting in the Old Deanery, Friday 27 March.