Sunday at St. Peter’s Square in Rome at 10 a.m. (6:30 p.m. Manila time), Pope Benedict XVI will declare as “saints” seven “Blessed,” including our very own Blessed Pedro Calungsod, Visayan martyr and catechist.
To be witnessed by 50,000 pilgrims from the Philippines and other countries (according to the office of Ambassador to the Vatican Mercedes Tuason), the canonization comes at a time when the Filipino youth need a new model.
Among those at St. Peter’s Square are 40 priests, including Fr. Manuel Ocaña, and seven new deacons from the Archdiocese of Palo, Leyte, led by Archbishop John Du.
Here in Manila at 6 p.m. (10 a.m. Rome time), the parish youth of St. Anthony de Padua Church in Singalong, Manila, will celebrate the canonization with a Youth Mass led by its parish priest, Fr. Benny Tuazon.
In Barangay Cebu in San Isidro, Isabela, the Chapel of San Pedro Calungsod will launch the Year of Faith. Oct. 21, canonization day, is also its fiesta day.
Who is San Pedro Calungsod?
From the Archdiocese of Cebu comes this biography of the new saint. Pedro Calungsod was a teenage lay Catholic Christian from the Visayas in the Philippines who served the Jesuit Mission in the Marianas as a catechist and helper from June 16, 1668, until his death on April 2, 1672.
Like many catechists and helpers of the missionaries, he was the silent and humble minister who did his duty faithfully and had no historians to tell his deeds to future generations. His family is unknown. His background is unrecorded.
His name appears only in the documents on the martyrdom of Fr. Diego Luis de San Vitores, SJ, the Spanish superior of the said Mariana Mission with whom he was killed. Pedro was the lone companion of Fr. Diego in the early morning of Saturday, April 2, 1672, at the Village of Tomhom, on the island of Guam in the Marianas, when two natives killed them.
Documents state that Pedro could have defended the Jesuit priest if he only were armed, but he did not carry any weapon since it was prohibited by San Vitores. Documents said Pedro could have run for his life, but he preferred to stay and die with San Vitores.
Fr. Diego Luis de San Vitores was beatified on Oct. 6, 1985, while Pedro Calungsod was beatified on March 5, 2000. For more information, visit the Blessed Pedro Calungsod website (www.calungsod.com).
Nuestra Señora del Pilar
For as long as I can remember, devotees of Our Lady of the Pillar from Zamboanga City would gather at Our Lady of Remedios Church in Malate nine days before Oct. 12, feast of Our Lady of the Pillar, at 5:30 p.m. to recite the novena and then attend the Holy Mass.
Every Oct. 12, Holy Mass would be celebrated at 8 a.m. at the Doña Engracia Hall of the Aristocrat Restaurant. Faithfully attending the novenas were the late Dr. Cesar Villafuerte Sr. and his wife Ludy.
Lawyer Augusto Africa and his wife Nena Africa also attended the Mass. To this day, they gather devotees to attend the Novena Masses and fiesta Mass, including La Hermandad Zamboangueña Foundation, which supports 64 college scholars.
The fiesta Mass this year was celebrated at the Sta. Maria Goretti Church at the Pope Pius XII Catholic Center at 8 a.m. by Fr. Joey Bustillo, parish priest, and Fr. Candido Lim, SJ (a native of Zamboanga), of the Mary the Queen Parish in San Juan.
“Your devotion to Our Lady of the Pillar makes your faith stronger,” Fr. Bustillo said. “Who else can bring you closer to Jesus, if not His Mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary?”
Couples for Christ
Due to the success of last year’s Couples for Christ (CFC) 30th anniversary “pearlgrimage” to the Holy Land, Egypt and Jordan, CFC members are clamoring for another pilgrimage. As a matter of fact, two groups from Adam’s Travel left for a Marian pilgrimage last Oct. 1 to Europe spearheaded by CFC cverseer Dr. Joe Yamamoto and wife Dr. Mila Yamamoto. Chaplain was Msgr. Allen Aganon.
The pilgrimage to the Holy Land will be on Nov. 27. (For details, call tel. 5211651 or 5223876.)
Soledad fiesta 20l2
Devotees of Nuestra Señora de Soledad de Porta Vaga in Cavite City will hold Novena Masses Oct. 30-Nov. 8, at 6 a.m. and 6 p.m., at San Roque Church.
On Nov. 4, 8 a.m., there will be a medical-dental mission at St. Joseph College. On Nov. 9, 2:30 p.m., there will be a Thanksgiving Rally. Bishop Emeritus Teodoro Buhain will officiate the Concelebrated Mass at 5:30 p.m. at San Roque Church.
On Nov. 10 at 8:30 a.m. will be the katakol. Bishop Emeritus Cirilo Almario of Malolos, Bulacan, will officiate the Concelebrated Mass at 1 p.m at Samonte Park Covered Court.
Newly appointed archbishop of Nueva Caceres, Rolando Tria Tirona, will celebrate the Fiesta Mass on Nov. 11 at 9 a.m. in San Roque Parish.
The miraculous icon of the Soledad will be brought in a procession on Nov. 11 at 7 p.m. On Nov. 18, 6 p.m., is the concelebrated Mass led by Imus Bishop Emeritus Manuel C. Sobreviñas. Grand procession will follow at 7:30 p.m.
Leading the celebration are Fr. Cezar R. Reyes Jr., parish priest, and Fr. Floriano C. Roa, parochial vicar. Hermanos mayores are Francisco A. Arellano and Romeo A. Arellano Jr. Jose B. Llacuna is overall chair.
