Filipinos comprise some of the biggest numbers of migrants worldwide, and in Macau, they are the largest non-Chinese migrant ethnic group. Mainly Catholic, they are also known to be very religious people, and as such, for most Filipinos, faith plays a central role in the migration process. This paper is a study of how Filipinos understand what faith is. A qualitative analysis of interviews with Filipino migrants in Macau reveal some major ethnographic features of the faith of Filipino Catholics particularly construed from the use of words and concepts expressed in their own language. Some of the major themes that emerged include beliefs on the role of God’s agency in their lives, variations of views towards faith based on cultural traits as embodied in the use of words from their own language, and the relation between the public practice of attending mass and the private practice of personal prayer. The study also points to the need for integrating linguistic anthropology as a useful tool in providing a more nuanced analysis of faith and religious practice among migrants.

Religion and migration are both phenomena that have endured perennially in the experience of humanity. However, studies on the relationship of these two subjects are not as prevalent compared to how widespread international migration has become especially among people coming from religious societies. This work contributes to the knowledge base on the significance of religion within the context of international migration by looking at how religious faith and practice evolve as a result of the experience of migration. Interviews about the migration narratives of Filipino Catholics working in Macau were conducted. These were supported by data collected through the use of survey questionnaires that look into changes in religious practices of respondents as well as their attitudes towards faith and belief. The study has found that there is constancy in the religious faith and practice of Filipino Catholics even amidst external changes to the physical and social environment brought about by moving to a predominantly secular society. Through recourse to anthropological analysis, this immutability of faith is attributable to the unique ethnographic feature of Filipinos' high regard for the centrality and importance of interiority in their life.  Keywords: migration, immigrant religion, faith, Filipino religiosity