Faith in the Context of Migration: Ethnographic Features of Faith of Migrant Filipino Catholics

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.