After 40 years, Filipino Chaplaincy in Madrid Remains a ‘Home’ for Migrants

What began in the early 1980s as a pastoral response to a small but growing community has, four decades later, become a steady presence in the lives of Filipinos in Spain.

The Capellanía Filipina – Tahanan Madrid, entrusted to the Society of the Divine Word (SVD), marks 40 years of formal service this year, a milestone that reflects both a rooted history and a mission that continues to unfold among migrants navigating life far from home. 

As current chaplain Fr. Gerónimo John E. Paat said, “Tahanan has been a spiritual home, a sanctuary of belonging, and a living witness to God’s enduring love among Filipinos in Madrid” (Archdiocese of Madrid).

The chaplaincy was formally established on January 1, 1986, through an agreement between the Archdiocese of Madrid and the SVD to provide pastoral care to Filipinos in the Spanish capital.

In those early years, many Filipinos were adjusting to an unfamiliar language and culture while trying to build new lives. Sundays became a space of recognition. Small groups gathered for prayer and Mass in English, supported by priests, religious sisters and lay volunteers who understood that migrants needed more than liturgy they needed belonging.

As migration to Spain increased, so did the need for more organized pastoral care. The Archdiocese of Madrid invited religious congregations to help accompany migrant communities, and the SVD responded by assigning missionaries to serve the Filipino faithful.

Beyond Sunday worship, Tahanan was the place where Filipinos could celebrate the sacraments, speak their language, share meals and carry one another through the uncertainties of migrant life. 

Over time, the chaplaincy evolved into a space of accompaniment, for families navigating reunification, for migrants facing legal and residency challenges, and for communities seeking to hold on to their identity while finding their place in Spanish society.

Lay participation has remained central to this mission. Volunteers have sustained the chaplaincy through formation, service and community-building. In moments of crisis, from disasters in the Philippines to the disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic, Tahanan has continued to serve as a point of solidarity.

Migration remains a defining reality for many Filipino families, shaped by distance, sacrifice and long periods of separation. In that experience, faith communities often become one of the few spaces where migrants are seen not only for their work, but for their stories and dignity.

The history of Tahanan is a witness to what the Church can be in the present: a place of welcome, memory and human connection.

Forty years on, the chaplaincy continues to live up to its name, offering many Filipinos in Madrid something essential in migrant life: a place to belong. As Fr. Paat reflected, “Christ has always been the heart of Tahanan, the source of its life and mission.”