adapted from "The Story of Toribio Quimada and
Universalism in the Philippines: A Church School Curriculum," by
Margaret K. Gooding and Rebecca Quimada Sienes in "Maglipay Universalist,"
by Fred Muire
People
who live in the Philippine Islands only heard about Universalism about
50 years ago because of a minister named Toribio Quimada. His church
was called Iglesia Universal de Christo. In 1951, Toribio got a letter
asking him to baptize a baby. The letter came wrapped up in an old newspaper.
Toribio looked at the newspaper and discovered to his surprise that
it listed all the religions in the United States. He hoped to find his
religion, Iglesia Universal de Christo listed, but it wasn't there.
He did notice though that there was a church called the Universalist
Church of Wisconsin and being curious decided to write the church a
letter. He wrote, "This is my first time to meet such a word as
'Universalist.' What is this? I was puzzled over the similarities in
the two words 'Universal' and 'Universalist.'", his letter to the
Universalist Church of Wisconsin was returned to him unopened. Toribio
was disappointed because he was not sure that he believed all the teachings
of his own religion. Also, he was unhappy that his church didn't have
any Sunday School materials to help him teach the children!One
day, a friend handed him an almanac, and there again was a list of the
churches in the United States. He found the Universalist Church of Gloucester,
Massachusetts (the same church where John Murray had preached about
130 years earlier!) on the list and he wrote another letter. This time
he received an answer! The minister of the church, Carl Westman, was
surprised to receive a letter from a place as far away as the Philippines.
He sent Toribio's letter to the Reverend Carleton M. Fisher of the Universalist
Service Committee. The Service Committee often worked with people from
other countries. Rev. Fisher and Toribio Quimada wrote to each other
for two years. Rev. Fisher and later, the Reverend Dana Klotzle, another
Universalist minister, sent Toribio Quimada lots of religious education
materials for his Sunday School and lots of other information about
the Universalist church.last, Toribio Quimada had found a religion he
could believe in. He preached about a God who loved people and did not
punish them. He
preached that the Holy Bible was not written by God but by good people
who wrote about God. He preached that Jesus Christ was not the son of
God, but was the son of Joseph and Mary, and that he was a great teacher
who delivered a message of justice, equality, and compassion. 1955,
the Universalist Church of the Philippines was registered by the Philippine
Government in Manila and Toribio Quimada was licensed as a Universalist
minister. In 1985, the Universalist Church of the Philippines became
the Unitarian Universalist Church of the Philippines. Like Thomas Potter,
Toribio Quimada brought the message of Universalism and its loving God
to his land.
People
who live in the Philippine Islands only heard about Universalism about
50 years ago because of a minister named Toribio Quimada. His church
was called Iglesia Universal de Christo. In 1951, Toribio got a letter
asking him to baptize a baby. The letter came wrapped up in an old newspaper.
Toribio looked at the newspaper and discovered to his surprise that
it listed all the religions in the United States. He hoped to find his
religion, Iglesia Universal de Christo listed, but it wasn't there.
He did notice though that there was a church called the Universalist
Church of Wisconsin and being curious decided to write the church a
letter. He wrote, "This is my first time to meet such a word as
'Universalist.' What is this? I was puzzled over the similarities in
the two words 'Universal' and 'Universalist.'", his letter to the
Universalist Church of Wisconsin was returned to him unopened. Toribio
was disappointed because he was not sure that he believed all the teachings
of his own religion. Also, he was unhappy that his church didn't have
any Sunday School materials to help him teach the children!
One
day, a friend handed him an almanac, and there again was a list of the
churches in the United States. He found the Universalist Church of Gloucester,
Massachusetts (the same church where John Murray had preached about
130 years earlier!) on the list and he wrote another letter. This time
he received an answer! The minister of the church, Carl Westman, was
surprised to receive a letter from a place as far away as the Philippines.
He sent Toribio's letter to the Reverend Carleton M. Fisher of the Universalist
Service Committee. The Service Committee often worked with people from
other countries. Rev. Fisher and Toribio Quimada wrote to each other
for two years. Rev. Fisher and later, the Reverend Dana Klotzle, another
Universalist minister, sent Toribio Quimada lots of religious education
materials for his Sunday School and lots of other information about
the Universalist church.last, Toribio Quimada had found a religion he
could believe in. He preached about a God who loved people and did not
punish them. 
He
preached that the Holy Bible was not written by God but by good people
who wrote about God. He preached that Jesus Christ was not the son of
God, but was the son of Joseph and Mary, and that he was a great teacher
who delivered a message of justice, equality, and compassion. 1955,
the Universalist Church of the Philippines was registered by the Philippine
Government in Manila and Toribio Quimada was licensed as a Universalist
minister. In 1985, the Universalist Church of the Philippines became
the Unitarian Universalist Church of the Philippines. Like Thomas Potter,
Toribio Quimada brought the message of Universalism and its loving God
to his land.