Lit by the Word: Youth on Fire

In 2019, the St. Paul National Bible Quiz (SPNBQ) celebrated a major milestone—ten years of setting young hearts ablaze with the Word. Launched in commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the Society of St. Paul in the Philippines, the Bible Quiz has since grown into a national movement of youth biblical engagement. It is endorsed by the Episcopal Commission on Biblical Apostolate of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (ECBA-CBCP) and the Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines (CEAP).
A Nationwide Movement

Over the years, the SPNBQ has brought Regional Eliminations and Grand Finals to key locations across the country:
• Metro Manila
• Northern Luzon (Baguio, La Union, Pangasinan, Ilocos)
• Cagayan Valley (Tuguegarao, Cauayan)
• Central Luzon (Tarlac, Pampanga, Bulacan)
• Southern Luzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas)
• Bicol Region (Naga, Legazpi)
• Central Visayas (Cebu, Bohol, Dumaguete)
• Eastern Visayas (Tacloban)
• Western Visayas (Iloilo, Bacolod)
• Southern Mindanao (Davao)
• Northern Mindanao (Cagayan de Oro)

Contestants are tested across three biblical categories:
• Old Testament
• Gospels
• Acts, Letters, and Revelation

The final competition features three rounds: Easy, Average, and Difficult.
From modest beginnings in 2009—66 schools and parishes, 87 teams, and 261 participants—the SPNBQ has flourished. By its 10th edition, it had reached 395 schools, 682 teams, and more than 2,000 students.