A diamond anniversary celebration among holy men
It was not going to be the first time that retired Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Artemio Panganiban walked the former Elenita Carpio down the aisle. They had done it on their wedding day 61 years ago in simple ceremonies at the Immaculate Conception Church, the parish church in Cubao, Quezon City, that is now a cathedral. Six decades later, the Panganiban couple renewed their marriage vows in a solemn celebration that highlighted a deeply spiritual connection.
It would have been understandable if such a milestone was marked with pomp and lavishness, but life experiences had sifted to what was truly essential to them. Instead of a big bash with a gathering of luminaries in their social circles, the guests in attendance were men of the cloth who had become part of his journey to Christ.
So it was that one afternoon in a quiet chapel in the countryside, they affirmed their matrimonial bond in a Eucharistic service with 86 bishops and archbishops witnessing the occasion. A gentle rain outside cooled the sacred space of the Carmelite Missionaries Center of Spirituality in Tagaytay. Inside, the aisles and the altar were lit up by more than a thousand lights glowing in glass candle holders.
Mystery, Mercy, Mission
The wedding march of 1961 was reprised with moving solemnity presided by His Eminence Jose F. Cardinal Advincula, Archbishop of Manila. Besides the Panganiban daughters Marilen and Tet, with their husbands Alex Yaptangco and Noy Mañalac and the grandchildren, the congregation was primarily the bishops. It was a sight to behold: the monsignors in their white soutanes and red caps filling the pews.
The jubilee couple began their walk down the aisle as the Manila Cathedral Choir sang Panunumpa, the original composition of Fr. Jboy Gonzales, SJ. Leni rested an arm on her husband’s as they slowly paced down the aisle. The retired chief magistrate kept his eyes looking straight ahead, holding back a glimmer of tears. Upon reaching the altar they proceeded to make a floral offering before the statue of the Blessed Mother. They also laid a bouquet of roses at the grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes in the Carmelite grounds. These were acknowledgements of CJ Art’s devotion to Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception and Our Mother of Perpetual Help.
The ceremony commenced with everyone following the rites in a specially printed Missalette prepared by Fr. Reginald Malicdem, rector of the Manila Cathedral. The liturgical prayer guide was done following Vatican protocol. After the gospel reading, Archbishop of Lingayen-Dagupan, His Most Reverend Soc Villegas, who was also one of the ninongs, took to the podium to deliver an inspired homily. He kept eye contact with CJ Art in particular as the archbishop spoke of mystery that saw them through the day-to-day living through 62 years of marriage — the mysterium fidei or mystery of faith hidden in God. The message continued like a personal conversation as he went on to talk about the grace of mercy by which their relationship was blessed, mercy from God and the mercy they extended to one another. He concluded by enjoining them to continue the mission of sharing the wisdom gained from their experiences, to pass on love and share in the responsibility of making Christ known through their lives.
Constant Presence of Our Lady
After the final blessing, CJ Art addressed his ecclesiastical guests and expressed deep appreciation for their benediction. He presented four envelopes as tokens of appreciation to Cardinal Advincula, Archbishop Villegas, CBCP president Pablo Virgilio David and to the Carmelites, represented by Sister Marigold Magbanua, mother superior of the Carmelites in Tagaytay.
From the podium, he narrated his journey as a “Catholic ignoramus” who grew up in public schools with no formal teaching on the faith. He shared that his first real encounter with the Catholic liturgy was not with the Holy Mass, which he could not relate to since the service was said in Latin with a priest mumbling with his back to the people; it was the novena to our Lady of Perpetual Help in Baclaran that gave the boy he was then a sense of the Divine. His father brought him there every week and Art was so taken by the song Immaculate Mother that he learned it by heart. He recalled that in 1947 his father purchased a framed picture of Our Lady of Perpetual Help which was hung in their small, rented “entresuelo” on Cataluna street in Sampaloc, Manila. Unknown to him, his elder brother Nardo, who migrated in 1973, brought the framed image to Canada where it had been up until two years ago. Prior to his passing, Nardo instructed his daughter, Pedget, to send it back to Art, who now has the 75-year-old framed image in his home.
He recalls another instance when he discovered, through hindsight, that a chapel he helped build as a student was dedicated to Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception. At that time, he was the president and co-founder of the National Union of Students of the Philippines and concurrently president of the FEU Central Student Organization and the FEU Student Catholic Action. He had become close to the school chaplain, Fr. Michael Nolan, who took a liking to the uncatechized student leader. The kindly priest taught him the Our Father, the Hail Mary, the Glory Be and the nondenominational FEU Prayer.
Spiritual Awakening
When he met Leni, Art became more familiar with Church practices. She, who had once considered entering the convent, would only entertain his suit if he attended Sunday Mass with her, received holy communion and went to confession once a month. While he complied to win her hand, it was much later in their marriage that his faith became personal. They attended a marriage encounter in 1986 and a Life in the Spirit seminar thereafter upon the invitation of the late Sonny de los Reyes and his wife Bai.
“While the ME (marriage encounter) was more cerebral and mental, the LSS was spiritual and soul-piercing,” he said. These experiences ignited a hunger for more religious nourishment. Monsignor Gerry Santos, then a new priest, became his instructor and taught Art basic catechism, biblical stories and the Papal encyclicals. “I read over 100 books on the Christian religion, mostly Catholic and some Protestant,” he shared. Monsignor Gerry stood as one of their sponsors that day.
His newfound zeal for God led him to share his epiphany and transformation in several fora and seminars. During one, Philippine Ambassador to the Vatican Henrietta de Villa heard his testimony and took him under tutelage. She enlisted him in the Council of the Laity of the Philippines, the Second Plenary Council of the Philippines, the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting, the Pontifical Council for the Laity in the Vatican and the Metropolitan Manila Cathedral-Basilica Foundation. He was a major force in raising funds for and superintending the retrofitting, strengthening, air-conditioning and redecorating of the Manila Cathedral.
86 Bishops and Two Special Guests
The gentler rain outside was a fitting backdrop to the final benediction extended by the congregation of holy men, led by Cardinal Advincula. After the ubiquitous picture-taking, the couple departed for the reception at The China Palace in Tagaytay Highlands. Guest Tessie Sy-Coson, whose family owned the premium leisure property, arrived before the bishops. She was later joined by Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Alexander Gesmundo, who represented Art’s judicial family.
CJ Art had changed from his white suit to a more relaxed white jacket while Leni walked in beside him wearing a blue gown. Most of the bishops donned their clerical collars for the dinner and were comfortably settled around the tastefully decorated tables themed to the Blessed Mother’s colors. Local pale blue hydrangeas and white serissas bloomed in blue and white chinoiseries with sampaguita blooms scattered among fairy lights.
During the evening program, family members present were introduced. Upon the request of CJ Art, daughter Tet Mañalac and granddaughter Andrea, rendered two songs, one of which (Till) was the couple’s special song. Eldest daughter Marilen Yaptangco offered the toast to their parents and yielded the microphone to her dad for his response.
He thanked his daughters and granddaughter for their song, the CBCP for taking time to be part of the milestone in their life and took the occasion to explain why the CBCP had been a special part of his spiritual and judicial career. He was a lay delegate during the daily sessions of the 1991 Second Plenary Council of the Philippines and conversed lengthily with many of the bishops and archbishops in attendance. That initial connection was strengthened when Ambassador de Villa invited him to join the PPCRV as the National Vice President and Chief Legal Counsel. It gave him the opportunity to visit and be hosted in several dioceses and parishes around the country.
Thumbed Down by the Wife
CJ Art also credited the CBCP leadership for helping him make a major decision. The late President Fidel Ramos had invited him to join his cabinet as secretary of Justice. He consulted the CBCP leaders who were the spiritual advisers of the PPCRV. There were two positions taken by the prelates, one which enjoined him to accept and help President Ramos promote people’s welfare, while the other felt that the reputation of the PPCRV would be compromised as a non-partisan organization. The deadlock was broken when he asked Leni, who reminded him that they agreed when they got married that he could be anything but a politician, as she could not fill the role of a politician’s wife.
He conveyed the decision to decline to President Ramos, who said in jest that they were both “under the saya” and countered with an entreaty to join the Supreme Court. “It was a position I could not refuse because it is non-political and non-partisan.” CJ Art wrapped up by saying that the Holy Spirit had used the CBCP to guide his spiritual journey and judicial career.
CBCP president His Excellency Most Reverend Pablo Virgilio David responded on behalf of the bishops and thanked the couple for the example of their lives and the work they do in the secular world that served to inspire men of the cloth such as them. The evening concluded with Cardinal Advincula obliging a request from one of the bishops to bless everyone present. It was a fitting way to end the occasion that celebrated a spiritual journey and a marriage going on 62 years.
