Tovic Salvador

Catholic group nominates priest-composer Eduardo Hontiveros as National Artist

Article (news)

Josh Mercado

<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1739169401743image0 (13).jpeg" class="fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:633px"/>Portrait of Fr. Eduardo P. Hontiveros SJ. </div>The late Jesuit priest Eduardo P. Hontiveros SJ, known as the &quot;Father of Filipino Liturgical Music,&quot; has been nominated for the National Artist award.This was confirmed by Lester Mendiola, director of the Jesuit Music Ministry. According to Mendiola, the nomination is supported by Hontiveros&#x27; colleagues at the Ateneo de Manila University and Jesuit Communications (JesCom), the company behind the film &quot;GomBurZa,&quot; the &quot;Luwalhati Sa Diyos&quot; concert, and the latest &quot;Purihi&#x27;t Pasalamatan: The Fr. Eduardo Hontiveros, SJ Liturgical Music Songwriting Competition.&quot;He noted that while the late priest had already earned the papal and presidential merit awards, Hontiveros merited the &quot;highest&quot; accolade of being referred to as a National Artist.&quot;He (Hontiveros) was given several awards in the past: the Papal Award and may presidential honor siya. Pero, para sa amin, we want to get the highest, the national artist,&quot; he revealed during the songwriting competition&#x27;s press conference.When asked about the group&#x27;s motivation for nominating Hontiveros for National Artist and launching the music competition on his behalf, Mendiola stated that it is their way of introducing the late composer to the youth.&quot;Siguro parang by-product. Many people don&#x27;t know Fr. Hontiveros pero kapag kilala siya, [sasabihin nila] &#x27;Ay siya pala &#x27;yung gumawa nun.&#x27; So parang [we want to] introduce him to the young people. Fr. Honti created 380 songs. In our last count, marami roon ang hindi pa namin napa-publish. We want people to get inspiration from the music Fr. Honti created,&quot; the director said. <div> </div><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1739169447743image2.jpeg" class="fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"/>Jesuit Communications Executive Director Fr. Nono Alfonso SJ, Jesuit Music Ministry director Lester Mendiola, and composer Alejandro Consolation II at the media conference for the launch of the &quot;Purihi&#x27;t Pasalamatan&quot; songwriting competition last January 28, 2025. Josh Mercado</div><div>A tribute </div>The Jesuit Music Ministry, JesCom&#x27;s music division, has organized a songwriting competition to remember the late priest, who composed the songs &quot;Pananagutan,&quot; &quot;Paghahandog Ng Sarili,&quot; and &quot;Ama Namin,&quot; among others.Its goal is to inspire a new generation of composers to create original liturgical music in the vernacular, ensuring that sacred music remains a relevant link between Filipino faith and culture.&quot;We envision &#x27;Purihi&#x27;t Pasalamatan&#x27; as a platform for fostering creativity and collaboration while preserving the essence of Filipino worship. This is our way of encouraging composers and musicians to contribute to the rich tapestry of Filipino liturgical music while bringing fresh perspectives to sacred worship,&quot; Mendiola mentioned.He added, &quot;With this competition, we would like to promote Filipino sacred music as a significant part of worship and cultural heritage, and foster collaboration among composers, musicians, and choirs to enrich the liturgical music community.&quot;The competition emphasizes the significance of music in Filipino Catholic faith life, where choirs and music ministries play critical roles in parish communities. &quot;Purihi&#x27;t Pasalamatan&quot; encourages the creation of new compositions, which helps to refresh liturgical service while preserving cultural and artistic traditions.The deadline for submission of entries is April 19, and the finalists will be announced on June 20. The competition will be conducted biennially, and Filipino composers, choirs, and music aficionados are invited to participate. The winners will get cash rewards of P100,000 for the first prize, P50,000 for the second prize, and P30,000 for the third prize. All finalists will earn P10,000 each. The contest is open to all Filipino composers.Hontiveros died of a deadly stroke on January 15, 2008, his second in a couple of days. He was 85. Then-President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who formerly taught at the Ateneo, attended his funeral. She would eventually give him the presidential merit award posthumously.

The late Jesuit priest Eduardo P. Hontiveros SJ, known as the "Father of Filipino Liturgical Music," has been nominated for the National Artist award.

The late Jesuit priest Eduardo P. Hontiveros SJ, known as the "Father of Filipino Liturgical Music," has been nominated for the National Artist award.