First Calungsod fiesta celebrated

CEBU, Philippines - Humility in admitting one’s fault was the key message of Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma at the first fiesta of the young Visayan martyr, St. Pedro Calungsod.

“One of the themes for this celebration is confession. The desire to be holy starts with awareness. The start to a holy life is admission that we are sinners,” Palma said in his homily urging faithful to take confessions especially this Holy Week.

Furthermore, realizing our own faults will lead to enlightenment reflected in a person’s lifestyle and care for others.

“If we realize that we are weak, fragile human beings, and that we are sinners then we appreciate the love and mercy of the Lord and I think that’s the whole theme, which is of course, very real and to me is a call for today’s times,” Palma added in an interview after the mass.

Over 20 priests joined the prelate in leading the Eucharistic celebration to mark the feast day of our very own San Pedro Calungsod, which was moved earlier since the official date, April 2, falls on the Easter octave, two days after Christ’s resurrection is celebrated.

Participating in the fiesta mass was the renowned Calungsod devotees Mandaue Children and Youth Choir, who flew to Rome for his canonization and sang at the National Thanksgiving celebration in South Road Properties in Cebu last year.

Hundreds of devotees from all walks of life filled the chapel at the shrine inside the Archbishop’s residence compound — sick, rich, poor, young and old - all joined in the historic celebration.

Shrine rector Msgr. Ildebrandro Leyson revealed that the “miracle woman” whose extraordinary story of healing convinced the Vatican to finally call the young lad from the Visayas to be hailed as the second Filipino saint 300 years after his tragic death, next to fellow martyr San Lorenzo Ruiz, was present.

“She came here during one of our novena masses. But I was not able to talk to her longer because I was busy then,” Leyson said.

The rector relayed the request of the woman to remain anonymous despite initial reports that her identity would be revealed after last year’s canonization.

The woman wants to stay out of the limelight, he added, saying that she visits the shrine wearing red, the color of Calungsod devotees.

Keeping identity unknown will make the people focus on the teenage saint and not on her, Leyson said. (FREEMAN)