The province of Leyte to which the Archdiocese of Palo belongs was the scene of the first Mass in the Philippines celebrated by Pedro de Valderrama on March 31, 1521, Easter Sunday.

However, formal work of evangelization did not start until 74 years later, when the Jesuits arrived in Kangara or Carigara, led by Pedro Chirino with four priests and one brother companion on 16 July 1595.

The population of about 70,000 came under the general control of local officials called encomenderos assigned to collect the tribute from the people.

A constant difficulty the missionaries encountered in their efforts of spreading the Faith was the greediness of the tribute collectors and the carrying out of the Moro raids.

The object of the raids was to capture slaves, to inflict physical damage to the towns and countryside, and to carry away any crop or booty.

The first major raid on record was made on October 28, 1603, composed of seventy ships and two thousand men.

In the Palo missions a small catechetical text was printed in the Visayan by Cristobal Himenes, as an aid in the preparation of candidates for baptism.

The same ratio was found in the twenty-five villages where the missionaries had chapels; there were 4,946 Christians in the total population of 24,500.

Eight of the parishes were in the west and south: Palompon, Ormoc, Baybay, Hilongos, Maasin, Sogod, Cabalian, and Hinunangan.

Another eight parishes were in the east: Palo, Tanauan, Dulag, Abuyog, Dagami, Burauen, and, across the gulf in Samar Island), Basey and Balangiga.