Effects of Migration and the Challenges Filipinos Encounter Related to their Religion when they Migrate to Norway

Abstract

The religiosity of the Filipinos has a long and rich history that began even before the time of the Spanish colonization when they brought Catholicism to the Philippines. However, we cannot deny the fact that the influence of the Spaniards to the religious aspect of the Filipinos is deep and still manifests until now and touches not just the religious aspect, but as well as the social aspect. In particular, the Philippines, having among the greatest concentration of Catholics in the world, is a manifestation of the Spanish influence to the Filipinos especially regarding their religion. Nevertheless, we can also say that the Catholicism of the Filipinos has already evolved over time and became uniquely Filipino that made it more than just a religion but also, a way of life to most of them. Given the importance of religion to the Filipinos, this study investigated how the religiosity of the Filipino Catholics was affected when they migrated to a country with low religiosity and the predominant religion is also different such as Norway. The qualitative research method was utilized in this study with the help of six (6) participants. Pertinent data for the study was collected through individual interviews and participant observations. The results of the study came from the data collected based on the interviews conducted with the participants. The data was also interpreted with the consideration of different theories relevant to the topic. The effects of migration and the challenges that the Filipino Catholics encountered when they migrated to Norway were explained and better understood as a result of the study. Other concerns also arose during the course of the study such as mental health problems and how they are affected by religion. In the end, recommendations were formulated based on the concerns and limitations of the study. These recommendations may benefit not just the Filipinos, but also the Norwegian society in general, as well as the future researchers who might be interested in conducting further studies related to this topic.