Mons. Rufino S. Magliba (Apo Rufing) is full of mystery to believers and non-believers. To the faithful he is the manifestation of the Holy Spirit in the end times. They believe that he is the "Second Comforter," the "Living God" to save those who fulfill God’s commandments and teachings. Ever since he started his ministry, people have approached him to cure their diseases and he does: the lame can walk, the deaf can hear. With his naked eye he can see whatever sickness or illness a person has. He can determine one’s ailment even if he is continents away, simply by divining over a patient’s name, address and age written on a clean sheet of paper.
Even Apo Rufing‘s birth is a mystery. On January 25, 1922 his first foster parents, Felipe Magliba and Petronila Sarmiento, were at their rice fields in Pangasinan where beneath a rosal plant they discovered a crying infant about four months old. They brought him home and raised him as their own, registered him under the name Rufino Sarmiento Magliba and recorded the child’s birthday as September 25, 1921, going back four months as they assumed the age of the child when they found him.
The boy grew healthy and he became their happiness. Satisfied and proud of his achievements his foster parents let him continue in school until he was in third grade. One day, the boy accompanied them to the rice fields and when it was time to go home he could not be found. Days and months passed and the couple could no longer tend their fields as they spent almost all their time and effort looking for the boy in neighboring towns.
Rufino was found by a traveling businessman and his wife from Dagupan City, Andres Morante and Jacinta Aurora. The couple found him, alone and crying underneath a balete tree between Asingan and Binalonan. Out off pity, the couple offered to bring the boy with them, and so Rufino lived with his newfound parents in Dagupan City, beginning another chapter of his life. Healthy, clever and gifted, he easily won over the couple’s hearts. Rufino’s new parents treated him as their own child and enrolled him at Malued Elementary School.
One day, the couple noticed something strange about their new son. Rufino would sometimes appear to be talking to somebody but they could not see who it was. Then one day the strangest thing happened. It was dinnertime and they found him talking to somebody. Rufino invited his invisible guest to take a seat at the dinner table and pulled a chair for his unseen visitor. Then, unbelievable as it was, they watched as food on the table floated up and was consumed by the invisible guest seated beside Rufino. After several unsettling, breathless minutes, Rufino bid his unseen caller goodbye. As soon as Andres got a chance he confronted the boy, who explained, "He is an old bearded man who claims that he is my father and calls me his son." Rufino was surprised when the couple told him that they could not see the man.
Andres and Jacinta decided to bring him to an arbularyo (quack doctor) but they could find nothing wrong with him. The closeness and love the couple had for the boy was gradually replaced with uncertainty, until they decided to bring him to a distant relative in San Fabian, Pangasinan.
At 12, Rufino was brought to the household of Don Marcelo Vidal, a businessman. He had to stop going to school, he became a kutsero – a kalesa driver – and was soon the favorite of the riding public. He also helped in fishing and farming. By 14, Rufino became well-known in all of his trades.
Rufino earned the respect and trust of Don Marcelo and not long after he became the pilot of Don Marcelo’s fishing boat. He also became the head of all fishermen along the San Fabian coastline. As years went by, all those who lived along Lingayen Gulf came to know his name and his accomplishments – he became an expert at arnis de mano, judo, aikido and other self-defense techniques.
Rufino met the beautiful young lady named Cecilia Villena who became his soulmate. He became even more responsible, building a house of their own and providing for his wife and 14 children.
He also began healing the sick in the neighborhood. One day, he confided in his wife the mystery that shrouded him: the invisible bearded old man who frequently accompanied him, directing him and telling him what to do even in the middle of the sea.
The time had come for a greater task, the divine calling of Apo Rufing. One night, as he was busy tending his net out at sea, a bright light suddenly appeared shocking his two companions on the boat. Apo Rufing heard the voice of the bearded old man but his companions did not.
The voice said, "My son, My son – the time has come. You have to stop being a fisherman become a Fisher of Men."
Apo Rufing asked, "Father, what do you mean? What shall I do?"
"Be a Fisher of Men and a fisherman no more!" said the voice, and it faded with the light. After a brief moment of confusion, Apo Rufing told Himself to focus on catching fish but to his dismay all the fish were gone. As they made their way home they overheard people mourning for their dead daughter in a house nearby. Suddenly, the voice of the bearded old man came again to Apo Rufing, "Tell the grieving family that their daughter is not dead. Hold her hand, call her name and she will be alive!" Apo Rufing did as the voice commanded, and to the astonishment of all, the girl came to life. That was the first known occurrence of Apo Rufing resurrecting the dead. The news spread like wildfire and became the talk of the town.
Apo Rufing became more prominent as a wonderful healer than a fisherman. The sleepy barangay of Nibaliw West became a point of pilgrimage. Every day, people lined up at a little chapel that was built as a place of worship and healing. Lives were changed, people witnessed wonder after wonder in him. Because of faith in his power, all who went to him came away happy with another miracle to share. While he was healing some saw him as an old, bearded man with white hair so they began to call him Apo Lakay. More and more people came from different places. Apo Rufing was blessed with divine healing, extracting rotten or aching teeth with his bare fingers. His eyes were like x-rays that helped him determine diseases. He became so illustrious that even the members and officers of the Rational Therapeutic Society of the Philippines came to observe and see for themselves how Apo Rufing performed wonders. After he was proven genuine, he was awarded a lifetime membership by the society on January 31, 1948. In the same year he was conferred the title of Doctor of Naturopathy and Divine Healer. Then the Wasoniesis University awarded him the Diploma of Physicalis Medicinae Doctoris, Honoris Causa. The wandering boy with a modest formal education – the fisherman, farmer, carpenter and kalesa driver – had become a famous doctor.
At the age of 30 Apo Rufing or Apo Lakay was instructed by the mysterious voice to begin preaching the Golden Rules: "Love God with all thy heart, all thy soul, all thy strength and all that ye have" and to "Love your fellow man as you love yourself." This was what Apo Rufing had to teach those who sought him out. He taught them how to love God as well as each other. Healing and preaching became his vocation. The sick came to be healed and to listen to him speak. He selected some of his friends to be his assistants. The mysterious voice revealed to Apo Rufing: "You are my beloved son, I am your Father in Heaven, preach now and build a church, all who believe in you and fulfill what you tell them – you will save. Do not hesitate for I will dictate what you will say, and I will be with you always. Go everywhere, preach My will, heal the sick and build My Church."
The mysterious voice came again to Apo Rufing one night, saying, "My son, My son, build My church. Keep going, go everywhere, find my lost sheep." Apo Rufing organized the people who believed in him and trusted him. He preached from the Bible, quoting the words of God. His congregation continued to grow and spread throughout the province. Today, the CDCCPI has 35 organized local chapters in Pangasinan. In eastern, central and western Pangasinan, there are concrete churches.
With the help of some of his faithful, a larger chapel was built near Apo Rufing’s house, called the Crusaders of the Divine Church of Christ. Apo Rufing selected his first batch of priests from his followers, teaching them how to celebrate Mass and to preach the gospel. Others were designated as ministers. He consecrated all of them, giving them power to cure the sick and the ability to preach.
Preparations were made to register the newly organized church with the government. On September 27, 1955, the church was formally registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission with a membership of more than 250,000.
The church spread quickly through nearby provinces. In Tarlac, evangelical missions were conducted in almost every town. Today the Tarlac archdiocese has 22 organized chapters and thousands of devotees. The concrete churches are easily recognized as CDCCPI because of their double crosses and the magnificent crowns above their altar domes. Nueva Ecija was also included in the evangelical missions. Countless miracles and wonders were performed by Apo Rufing and the clergy that accompanied him. Successful evangelical missions in Nueva Ecija have yielded 24 chapters, several concrete churches and thousands of believers. In Zambales, 14 chapters were established.
In San Juan, La Union, a multimillion-peso church and convent with a multipurpose function hall was erected along the beach. This local chapter church is considered the biggest ever constructed other than the central church. In Baguio City, along Moran St., Mines View, a magnificent CDCCPI church towering seven stories high has provided a breathtaking view of the area. It serves as the summer cathedral of the congregation. La Union and Benguet together consist of 12 chapters. Further north, the provinces of Ilocos Sur and Abra also received Apo Rufing and his missionary group. The Ilocos Sur/Abra Archdiocese has eight local chapters. In Ilocos in 1957, two days of continuous preaching and healing in San Lorenzo, San Nicholas was not enough to heal the masses. On the second day, as darkness fell, hundreds of sickly people were still lining up longing to be cured by Apo Rufing. Apo Rufing could not accommodate them with his usual manner of healing. He stood on a platform and instructed all the sick to raise their hands. He asked the crowd if they really believed in him as the second comforter sent by God and the crowd shouted back, "Yes, Apo!" He then commanded the sick to hold or touch their afflictions with their right hands. The people obeyed and Apo Rufing looked above and prayed. He blessed the people and many of those who believed were healed.
By the fifth year since the Church’s official registration, membership had grown to a million. The most able priests were consecrated as bishops, more priests and ministers were sent to work and oversee the established local churches in different provinces. As the church grew every year and believers multiplied, invitations for Bible missions poured in. Mons. Rufino S. Magliba could no longer keep up with the demand by himself, so he empowered all his bishops and priests and gave them authority to conduct Bible missions. On May 25, 1963 all governors of Central Luzon gathered and conferred on him the Award of the Most Outstanding Rural Preacher in all of Luzon.
In 1964, Apo Rufing authorized Rev. Fr. Romualdo N. Jerez to preach the church doctrines to the people of Mindanao. In South Cotabato, Fr. Jerez met with a distant relative of the family, author Severino Doctor. Fr. Jerez helped his uncle in the fields but did not introduce himself as a priest yet. Then one afternoon, as he and his cousin, Rogelio Doctor, were walking home they heard a woman crying. Rogelio entered the house only to discover the woman’s husband in near death. To his surprise Fr. Jerez said, "Go back, cousin, and tell the woman that they know a powerful healer."
"If she asks me who, whom will I say?" Rogelio stammered in shock.
"Me. I can cure the man, cousin." Fr. Jerez prayed, "Lord make me an instrument of thy will!" then he massaged coconut oil onto the sick man’s body and forehead. Fr. Jerez blessed and gave his patient water, and after a couple minutes the man suddenly began to sweat and said he needed to urinate. He stood to answer the call of nature himself.
That night, Rev. Fr. Romualdo N. Jerez revealed himself to his relatives. He told them about Mons. Rufino S. Magliba, the "supreme pontiff" and founder of the church where he served as a priest. He opened the Bible for the first time since arriving on the island and wearing his priest robes, he led them in evening prayer. All his relatives and almost all in the neighborhood attended the first prayer officiated by Fr. Jerez. The next day, the missionary of the Crusaders of the Divine Church of Christ began. Thousands sought out Fr. Jerez and he selected some faithful members to help him, spreading the Will of God the Father. After a year of gathering devotees, chapters were organized in the town of Maitum, South Cotabato, which later became a part of Sarangani when the province was divided. Chapters continued to spread rapidly to nearby provinces such as Sultan Kudarat, North Cotabato and Maguindanao. Four years of preaching and teaching bore 12 organized chapters.
Mons. Magliba went on the first pontifical mission to the island of Mindanao in January 1969.
In the late 1970s, the missionaries began spreading the will of God in Metro Manila. In the 1980s in Caloocan, one faithful family converted their own home to serve as a temporary chapel for the ministry. In July 1991, a lot in Pasig City was purchased by the congregation, and today, the beautiful and elegant Mutya ng Pasig Cathedral serves as the home office of the Metro Manila and Tagalog Provinces Archdiocese, consisting 10 fully organized chapters.
In 1980 Mons. Magliba took his mission to foreign lands: Hawaii, California, London, Singapore, Rome, Naples, Milan, Canada and Taiwan. All the doctrines of the church were given through inspiration and verbal instruction of God to Mons. Magliba.
A gigantic and magnificent central temple for the congregation was erected in Nibaliw Magliba, San Fabian. The completion of this glorious temple demonstrates the continued guidance of God. The elegant crown on top of its altar dome, signifies the church destined to overcome all odds.