San Pedro Calungsod devotees urged: Continue devotion

CEBU, Philippines -  After the success of the National Thanksgiving Mass for San Pedro Calungsod, the organizers have urged everybody to continue their devotion to the second Filipino saint.

Fr. Charles Jayme, the official custodian of the pilgrim image and the head of the Duaw Nasud, said that everybody should continue the devotion to San Pedro in their own ways.

He said that the pilgrim image of San Pedro is temporarily placed at the multi-million Chapel of San Pedro Calungsod at the SM Seaside City in SRP. The chapel was designed by the New York-based architect Carlos Arnaiz.

“The pilgrim image is enshrined temporarily at the Chapel of San Pedro. We are still waiting for the go signal of Archbishop Jose Palma on where we will put the image,” said Jayme.

He added that since the said chapel is open to the public, the devotees can go there for devotion and veneration. Jayme said that the feast day of San Pedro Calungsod falls on April 2 but if ever the said date will fall during the Holy Week, it will be moved to the Saturday before the Palm Sunday.

Jayme is optimistic that the Duaw Nasud will be continued next year since there are many dioceses have requested to be visited by the pilgrim image.

 “Naa pay mga dioceses nga nag-request. I’m positive nga maadtuan ni namo sa Team Duaw Nasud. Mag-agad lang gyud mi ani sa time. Most probably next year before San Pedro’s feast day,” Jayme said.

According to Jayme, the Bishop of Davao talked and coordinated with him because they wanted to be visited by the pilgrim image.

Aside from Davao, the other interested dioceses are Palawan, Tagum and Zamboanga.

The National Thanksgiving Mass the other day was attended by over a million devotees from all over the country who braved the scorching heat just to show their devotion to the first Visayan saint, who is a native of Cebu.

 “Despite sa kainit, sa kalapad sa lugar, ang mga tawo didto ra gyud sila, ang uban buntag pa nagbarog ngadto hangtud ni-hapon ug hangtud pagkagabii, grabe kaayo ilang faith expression,” Jayme said.

“When I arrived from the galleon for the fluvial, it (the crowd) moved me. Timaan na sa aura nga gidala ni San Pedro sa mga tawo,” Jayme added.

Fr. Raul Gallego, the chairman on the committee on venue, admired the concerted effort made by the Cebuano community to make the event successful.

“It was the result of the dedicated and concerted effort of the entire Cebuano community. Every sector of the Cebuano society helped to make the historic event a success,” said Gallego.

Cebu Archbishop Emeritus Ricardo J. Cardinal Vidal celebrated the Eucharistic Mass together with about 60 Philippine Bishops as concelebrants including Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma, who led the members of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).

The mass was also concelebrated by cardinal-elect Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle, Retired Manila Archbishop Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales and Most Rev. Giuseppe Pinto, the Papal Nuncio to the Philippines.

President Benigno S. Aquino III, together with high-ranking officials of the Vatican and Philippine Catholic churches, graced the event.

Hundreds of thousands of Filipino pilgrims paid tribute and joined the celebration of San Pedro’s sainthood. —FPL  (FREEMAN)