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HIS EMINENCE MOST REV.PEDRITO F. FAMORCAN, D.D. First Ecumenical Archbishop, Philippine Ecumenical Christian Church Butuan City, Philippines

The eldest and only son among four siblings of the late IFI or PICC Priest Rev. Fr. Tito Falculan Famorcan and Marina Falqueza Fiedacan was born at Calatrava, Romblon on April 14, 1926. Young Pedrito finished his Primary grades I – IV at Calatrava, Romblon; Grade Five at Despujols now San Andres, Romblon; Grade Six at New Washington, Aklan; Grade Seven at Concepcion, Iloilo; First Year at Kalibo Institute, Kalibo, Aklan; graduated High School at Oriental College, Manila; took up his Arts, Sciences and Philosophy at Lyceum of the Philippines, Manila; finished his Priesthood at PANAY DIOCESAN SEMINARY, Iloilo City under the Rectorship of Bishop Juan P. Quijano.

During World War II 1941 -1945, young Pedrito with his God given gifts of Music learned from childhood by himself playing 28 Strings and Reed Instruments until his age 16; his musical gifts became his passport to join the Military Guerilla Movement against the Japanese invaders. Since there was no music at that time that can be heard by anyone, no radio, television, band or orchestra during the war days; Pedrito’s entertaining one-man band guitar (Kinablit) violin & string instruments won him musical popularity garnering successive army promotions from February ’43 to April inducted as Private and assigned at 65TH Regimental Field Hospital as Dental Technician; April to June – Corporal; by passing the rank of (PFC) Private First Class; from June to December ’43 as Sergeant up to June 1945 when Liberation came and his Military Organization was demobilized; he was honorably discharged as a young Military Sergeant Veteran at age 19 with World War II Veterans Benefits and Medals awarded him. Fresh from Seminary graduation after the War, he was ordained Priest of IFI or Philippine Independent Catholic Church (Aglipayan) by Bishop David O. Villanueva, on November 8, 1946 at Sibalom, Antique. Assigned Parish Priest of Culasi, Antique; Roxas, Mindoro; Looc, Romblon and Ternate Cavite. Time and again, he was also assigned as General Missionary to Mindanao with his Home and Mission Base at Buenavista, Agusan, where he successfully built many Churches and organized Parishes in Mindanao and Visayan Islands. With excellent records as Priest and fruitful Ecumenical Ministry link in fraternal relationship with other Churches abroad; he rose from the ranks and file among the country’s Pilipino Clergy, prominently distinguishing himself as achievers of series of international positions, involvement and recognitions. Having gone around the world three times with no expense from his pocket but by grants and scholarships offered by Foreign Religious Agencies, he has much to tell and teach people wherever possible anywhere he goes.

Far and wide, he was the former Philippine Independent Catholic Church delegate to Europe at the World Council of Churches (Geneva), First Filipino WCC Scholar Awardee at the Graduate School of Ecumenical Studies, UNIVERSITY OF GENEVA (Switzerland); First Filipino Priest scholar delegate, ST. AGUSTINE’S COLLEGE (Canterbury, England) the Central College of the Anglican Communion – training ground for bishops in Anglican Orders; First Filipino Priest to personally contact Archbishop Geoffrey Fisher 1961 (Archbishop of Canterbury, titular head of at least 65 million Anglicans worldwide).The only Filipino delegate to the INTERNATIONAL HEALING CONFERENCE (Hattem, Holland 1961); delegate, joint World Council of Churches and East Asia Christian Conference on Interchurch Aid 1963 (Hong Kong); First Filipino Chaplain, ORDER OF ST. LUKE THE PHYSICIAN (International) San Diego, California, USA; First Filipino lone delegate to the First International CAMPS FARTHEST OUT Conference (Lake Junaluska, North Carolina, 1973 USA).

After 17 years of hardwork as Priest and General Missionary, having served several Churches in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, He was unanimously elected Bishop by the IFI Supreme Council of Bishops in 1963; followed by Apostolic Succession Consecration Ceremonies. He was the Organizer/Chairman; Mindanao Interchurch Relief Committee 1962 – 1965, Institutional Founder /President; HOLY TRINITY THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY 1966 Buenavista, Agusan del Norte; MINDANAO CHRISTIAN ACADEMY 1968, Buenavista, Agusan del Nort; MINDANAO CHRISTIAN ACADEMY branch 1970, La Paz, Agusan del Sur; SOUTHERN TECHNICAL INSTITUTE 1983, Butuan City; Proprietor SACRED HEART INSTITUTE, Awa, Prosperidad, Agusan del Sur.

In 1964 after the Philippine Independent Church (PIC) or Iglesia Filipina Independiente (IFI) entered into a CONCORDAT OF FULL COMMUNION with the Protestant Episcopal Church of the USA (PECUSA), many things happened adversely within the PIC. For Msgr. Famorcan, “A true Pilipino cannot be half Protestant (alien) and half Pilipino or half Filipinista.”. By God’s grace, PHILIPPINE ECUMENICAL CHRISTIAN CHURCH (Simbahang Catolico Pilipino) or PECC evolved from within with Christ, Co-founder and Msgr. Famorcan anointed as the Supreme Head or Archbishop through the guidance of the Holy Spirit; registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission on July 7, 1969, with Registry No. 38772 and recently renewed with Registry No. CN200712917. This is to PRESERVE and CONSERVE the original ideals, teachings, principles and practices of the PIC, along with the shiny virtues of our noble heroes and martyrs of our faith left most prominently by Fathers, Burgos, Gomez, Zamora, Aglipay, Rizal and the rest of their breed. PECC is a new name but genuinely and substantially is the original PIC or IFI in Teachings, Principles and Practices, in Spirit and in Truth. Archbishop Pedrito F. Famorcan didn’t actually founded a new Church, but merely safeguard the spiritual unity, aspired and handed down to us by our noble patriots and Church leaders, from plunging into oblivion. Exhausted and agonized after engaging in 227 uprisings and rebellions against foreign transgressions and domination, gaining at last political independence and spiritual liberty was a jubilant consolation and a priceless reward for all the bloody sacrifices of our forefathers, martyrs and heroes of the faith and the rest of their breed, became the springboard of the emergence of the PHILIPPINE ECUMENICAL CHRISTIAN CHURCH – God’s Church whose all embracing, love to serve our people without prejudice and exclusion, solely for God’s glory and honor unto all eternity is ours to own. Recipient of Holy Spirit‘s Y2K New Millennium anointing: LPFU year 2000, Ecumenical Message and Archdiocesan Decree 107 December 30, 2003. PECC New Covenant Maxim: BELIEVE AND LIVE! DOUBT AND DIE! And became PECC’s emblem of Faith is LOVE, PEACE, FELLOWSHIP and UNITY in Christ for all and in all – truly Pilipino truly Christian, truly Ecumenical, exponent of cordial Pilipino hospitality the only kind in the world. So far, PECC Archbishop Pedrito F. Famorcan who presently at age 89 served 68 years (and onwards) as servant on God’s Altar outlive his predecessors Supreme Bishops Gregorio Aglipay – 48 years in service; Isabelo Delos Reyes Jr. – 52 years; Santiago Fonacier – 54 years and Macario Ga – 58 years. His legacy will forever lives on to his 12 children and grandchildren with PECC Clergy and Churchmen as his living witnesses of his fulfillment of God’s Mission commissioned to him. God continue to bless richly his fruitful Ministry with signs and wonders’ following his footsteps towards the fullness of God’s healing love and redemption, reconciling of his people and the world unto Himself.