Church bells ring out in martyr’s town

GINATILAN, Cebu—Even before sunrise, the sleepy town of Ginatilan was already buzzing with activities.

The bells of St. Gregory the Great Parish Church pealed at 4 a.m. to wake up residents and remind them of the historic day ahead: the canonization of Blessed Pedro Calungsod whom they believe came from this coastal town, 135-kilometers southwest of Cebu City.

Buntings and colorful pennants decorated the town, where festivities began with a fluvial parade that started from a small port about 500 meters from the church.

Across the country, church bells rang as millions attended special Masses to celebrate the naming of the the second Filipino saint, who was killed 340 years ago.

President Aquino declared Sunday a “National Day of Celebration” and sent Vice President Jejomar Binay to lead a big congregation to the rites in the Vatican.

“The event fills us with pride as Catholics, yet it calls on us to exercise humility and reflect on the supreme sacrifice made by Saint Calungsod in defense of his faith,” he said.

Thousands from all walks of life holding small statues of Calungsod, many of them teary-eyed, trooped to at least three different venues in Manila where the government had set up giant screens on which to show the solemn proceedings in Rome.

As Pope Benedict XVI read the names of the seven new saints, church bells across the Philippines tolled for a few minutes to welcome Calungsod’s sainthood.

“I am filled with joy. We now have two saints to intercede for our many problems,” said Nanang Linda Petra, 54, a  mother of 12, who took a day off from her work as a laundrywoman to watch the ceremonies.

In Toledo City, devotees braved the rains to flock to Blessed Pedro Calungsod Parish Church in Barangay (village) Cantabaco, where four Masses were held to celebrate Calungsod’s canonization. Police said 20,000 people attended the Masses.

More than 2,500 devotees gathered at Calungsod Shrine inside the Archbishop’s Palace in Cebu City, filling it to capacity, as early as 11 a.m. for the 1:30 p.m. Mass.

At 8 a.m., about 500 fishermen on board 20 pump boats joined a sea procession in Ginatilan. The boats sailed for close to two hours  to the boundary of neighboring town of Malabuyoc, about 7 km away. Drumbeats accompanied prayers on its way back to Ginatilan.

Prayers for son

Devotee Anastacia Gomez of Daanbantayan town traveled for eight hours just to get to Ginatilan and attend the procession.

Gomez, 56, said she asked St. Pedro Calungsod to soften the heart of her son, who has been giving the family problems.

“I know Pedro is the patron of the youth so I know he is the right blessed person to ask help from. Now that he is a saint, I am more confident that he will answer my prayers completely because my son is slowly changing now,” she said in Cebuano.

About 1,000 devotees filled the St. Gregory the Great parish church for the 10 a.m. Mass.

They laughed when Msgr. Danny Sanico, the episcopal vicar and former Ginatilan parish priest, said in jest that several towns had claimed that St. Pedro hailed from their areas.

“People from Loboc (Bohol) will say Pedro Calungsod came from there because there are many surnames there that starts with ‘Cang.’ Those from Leyte, Bacolod and Iloilo also claim (the same)… but Pedro’s sainthood is not just about pride but a challenge to all of us… to continue what he started,” he said.

Most churchgoers wore pink, yellow, white and black Pedro Calungsod T-shirts.

Drumbeats and music ended the two-hour concelebrated Mass. Later, the devotees went to nipa huts put up for the occasion to share lunch barrio fiesta-style.

In the afternoon, a wide screen set up near the church showed the live telecast of the canonization rites in Rome. The festivities were capped by a thanksgiving concert in the evening.

Cancer victims

“We heard about the miracles that Calungsod has given to those who believe and come to him. We are here to pray that we can pass the bar exam when we take it next year,” said Ritchie Diamano, who will graduate this March.

A mother from Barangay Bacayan in Cebu City brought her 12-year-old son Winzel to the healing Mass at noon.  Ailene Arcilla said St. Calungsod answered her prayers 12 years ago when he healed Winzel.

“My son was supposed to undergo operation because of some illness in his blood. But when we prayed to Calungsod, the doctors said that my baby was all well,” she told the Inquirer. “I promised him that I will dedicate Winzel to him for making him grow healthy,” Arcilla said.

Lily Martin, 70, attended the celebration in Cebu to thank the saint for saving the lives of her sister and niece.

Martin said her sister, Helen Paclibar, 63, was diagnosed in July with Stage 4 colon cancer while her niece, Rowena Cantal, 32, was diagnosed with Stage 3 colon cancer.

Both were healed after prayers were offered to Calungsod, Martin said.

Shouting “Viva San Pedro Calungsod!” the young and the young at heart clapped and waved red, yellow and white balloons at Sto. Niño de Tondo Parish in Manila.

A few minutes after Calungsod was canonized, a photo of the saint was unveiled and was showered with confetti as balloons were let loose amid drum rolls and jubilant screams.

Before and after the announcement, youth organizations from different parts of Manila sang, rapped and danced to the tune of religious songs such as “Shine, Jesus, Shine” and Jamie Rivera’s “Kuya Pedro” to educate the crowd about the life of Calungsod.

Anyone can be a saint

Fr. Tirso Gliponeo, a parish youth minister, said: “Calungsod is not just an inspiration to the Christian youth but to all the youth in the country.”

The cultural program aims to send the message to the youth that “anyone can be a saint,” Gliponeo said.

In his homily at a Mass at San Juan Arena, Manila Auxiliary Bishop Bernardino Cortes hailed Calungsod for his dedication to his beliefs.

“We pray that like you, our brothers and sisters will be ready to sacrifice their lives for God and for humanity,” Cortes said.

After the Mass, organized by the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines,  29 AD, a group advertising themselves as “musicionaries,” or musicians and missionaries, staged a musical reenacting Calungsod’s martyrdom.

Inspirational diva Jaime Rivera sang “Kuya Pedro Calungsod,” a song composed for the canonization.

Around 300 students  joined  “Pedro at Ako” at the Don Bosco Technical Institute in Makati City sponsored by the Federation of National Youth Organizations.

Julie Ann Regencia, 21, an engineering student, said Calungsod “was just like us, young catechists.”

For her, Calungsod’s sainthood was a good way to reach the youth and tell them his good deeds and heroic acts.

“In the future, we can do what he had also done. We could be like him in one way or another,” she said. With reports from Rima Jessamine Granali, Nathaniel R. Melican and Niña Calleja in Manila, AFP