If you have ever attended a Catholic Mass in the Philippines, or in the many diaspora communities abroad, and found yourself singing “Pananagutan” or the iconic “Papuri sa Diyos,” you have encountered the spirit of Father Eduardo “Honti” Hontiveros, SJ (b. December 20, 1923 – d. January 15, 2008). Known affectionately as the “Father of Filipino Liturgical Music,” Fr. Honti was a visionary who translated the theology of the Second Vatican Council into melodies that resonated with the heart of the Filipino people.

Born in Molo, Iloilo City, one of eight siblings, Eduardo Pardo Hontiveros was raised in a family where music and faith were deeply intertwined. He studied at Capiz Elementary School and transferred to the old Ateneo de Manila campus in Padre Faura, graduating in 1939. He attended San Jose Seminary from 1939 to 1945, and entered the Society of Jesus on January 28, 1945, after World War II. Fr. Honti’s journey in the Jesuit order took him to theological studies in the United States and Rome. He earned a doctorate in theology from the Gregorian University in Rome and served as a professor of theology and Rector of San Jose Seminary. For decades, he was a fatherly figure to generations of seminarians at the Loyola School of Theology, teaching them that prayer was not just spoken but sung.

A Faithful Response to Vatican II

The turning point for Philippine church music came in the mid-1960s with the conclusion of the Second Vatican Council. The council’s call for the “inculturation” of the liturgy—using the vernacular instead of Latin—ignited Fr. Honti’s creativity. He realized that for the Mass to truly belong to Filipinos, the music needed to reflect the Filipino soul.

“When I was a seminarian back in 1940, I began composing some hymns and Masses in Latin. Nobody ever sang them; they just remained in my music books. Then when I was teaching in (Ateneo de) Zamboanga around 1950, I became director of the choir of the students. For them I composed a few songs in English; since I was director, they had to sing them. When I returned from Rome to teach Theology in 1958, I helped the seminarians’ choir with some arrangements of songs. Apart from this, I really was not interested in composing anything.

The decisive motivation to begin in earnest was the liturgical renewal inspired by Vatican II, which asked local churches to produce music for the liturgy. I started by composing a Mass, the Misa ng Bayan sa Awit (Sung Mass of the People). Then the seminarians asked me to write songs for them, because they realized painfully that almost all of the ‘Filipino songs’ they had for their parishes were really European and American music with translated Filipino words. Since they kept requesting frequently, I created even more melodies; gradually composing became a steady concern of my life…”

– Father Hontiveros

Legacy: The Birth of “Jesuit Music”

In the late 1960s, Fr. Honti, as he was fondly called, began composing Tagalog hymns for the small parishes near the Ateneo de Manila Loyola Heights campus in Quezon City, such as the San Jose Manggagawa parish in Barangka, Marikina, and the Sta. Maria della Strada Parish in Katipunan Avenue, Pansol, Quezon City. He was known for his humility, often adjusting his melodies if the local choir found them too difficult to sing. His goal was never performance; it was participation.

Some of his most enduring works include: “Pananagutan” – perhaps his most famous composition, emphasizing social responsibility and communal love; “Papuri sa Diyos” – the standard song for the Gloria in Tagalog, sung in almost every parish today; “Magnificat (Ang Puso Ko’y Nagpupuri)” – beautiful Tagalog version of Mary’s canticle; “Ama Namin,” “Luwalhati,” “Santo,” and “Kordero ng Diyos” — key parts of the Misa ng Bayan that have given the Filipino Mass its distinct and familiar musical identity.

Fr. Honti’s influence extended far beyond his own sheet music. He was the foundational mentor for the Jesuit Music Ministry, inspiring a new generation of composers like Fr. Manoling Francisco, SJ, Fr. Arnel Aquino, SJ, Fr. Fruto Ramirez, SJ, Fr. Nemy Que, SJ, Fr. Danny Isidro, SJ and groups like Bukas Palad Ministry, Hangad Vocal Ensemble, Himig Heswita, Pansol Choir, Tinig Barangka, and the Young Voices of the Philippines.

His contributions were recognized with the highest honors, including: Tanglaw ng Lahi Award (1976) from Ateneo de Manila, Papal Award Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice (2000) for his service to the Church, and Presidential Medal of Merit (2008), awarded posthumously.

Fr. Honti suffered a major stroke in 1991 that limited his ability to communicate, yet his music continued to speak for him. He passed away on January 15, 2008, leaving behind a library of over hundreds of hymns that ensure his voice is heard every time a Filipino congregation gathers in prayer.

Farewell Tribute

Fr. Roque Ferriols, SJ delivered the homily during the funeral mass for Fr. Hontiveros at the Oratory of St. Ignatius, Loyola House of Studies, 15 January 2008. In his words, he recalled:

“In the Society of Jesus there are certain people who appear and disappear in your life – depending on the vagaries of the assignments you receive. You begin to take it for granted that they will always be near. They are like fixed stars that are so present that you do not notice them. When they suddenly pass away you realize that you have lost a friend.

The early Jesuits referred to themselves as a company of friends in the Lord. In his quiet loyal way, Father Eddie was – is a friend in the Lord to all of us. Memories of Father Eddie are now flooding my mind and I will share a few of them.

Father Eddie, Father Jess Diaz and I took our first-year theology in St. Mary’s, Kansas. There was a steep slope in the Theologate golf course. Eddie was one of the few brave souls that learned to ski on that slope. I remember seeing him coming in, his face red from the cold raw air. I admired his courage but was unable to imitate it.

Years later we were in Baguio for a province retreat. I had to be rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery. Eddie accompanied me. Before I was wheeled in the operating room, I asked him to hear my confession. Across the years, I remember his words of consolation and I am grateful for them.

St. Augustine says that to sing is to pray twice. Eddie’s has filled our churches with people who pray twice. They love to pray singing melodies composed by Fr. Eddie. Eddie’s music is in the style of Ilonggo folk music. He loved the music. He loved the people who created the music. He learned from their music and spread their style throughout the world.

Eddie loved to talk, he loved to sing, and he loved to laugh. In the last years of his life he could not sing, he could not talk. All he could pronounce were a few words, but he could still laugh.

And he lived life with zest. He communicated animatedly using the few words he could pronounce and gestures. He composed music using a computer, and he laughed. He was so alive and cheerful that we sometimes failed to notice the courage with which he embraced life. He was cheerful. He spread his cheerfulness to the people he lived with. That is the word I will use to describe Eddie: Courage.

He spent time every day praying before the Blessed Sacrament, that was the source of his courage. He loved to live life with joy at a time when physical energy to him was diminished and inspired courage in others.

We thank God for giving us Eddie as brother and friend.”

– Fr. Roque Ferriols, SJ

Commemorative Concerts

Watch these excerpts from commemorative concerts honoring Fr. Hontiveros, SJ by the Jesuit Music Ministry:

The header features an image grab from the video of Luwalhati sa Diyos Concert, Jesuit Music Ministry, Ang Puso Ko’y Nagpupuri, 9 December 2024. Written for Dateline Ibalon by Jojo De Jesus based on trusted references and sources, including: Jesuit Communications, Jesuit Music Ministry, GMA Network, Radio Veritas Asia, and Wikipedia. (credit: Jesuit Music Ministry)