Marian Piety and Modernity: A Sociological Assessment of Popular Religion in the Philippines

Abstract

This study is a sociological account of modern popular religion in the Philippines, focusing on the Perpetual Help Devotion as an exemplary case. The Perpetual Help Devotion was introduced to the Philippines by the Redemptorist Missionaries in 1906, and since 1932, the Perpetual Help shrine in Baclaran district has been the center of devotional activity. This study provides a nuanced account of the preponderance of popular religion in modern societies. I focus on the link between religion and urban modernity and the elite management of religious piety, where various resources are utilized to guarantee the relevance of popular religion in public life. The devotees, however, are also agents who respond to regulation and craft their own notions of the devotional relationship. The study explains how popular religion is configured into modern arrangements using the interplay of stabilizing and expansive forms of engagement, which ensures its persistence amidst transitions and change.