Legends of the Sto. Niño de Cebu
(Part 13)
Manuel Enriquez dela Calzada originally wrote this in Cebuano, it was translated into English by Martin Abellana. It was published in 1965. It was Consuelo Enriquez Uy, a descendant of the Dela Calzada, who donated copies of the book to the Cebu City Library.
Numerous entries on the legends of the Sto. Niño de Cebu are contained in the book. CEBUpedia is running a series of selected stories in the book, with the hope that the Cebu City government, in coordination with the family of Manuel Enriquez dela Calzada, will reproduce the book so it can be distributed to the public schools in Cebu City.
“‘Why did your body become still and frozen while you were kneeling at the turret?’ they asked him.
“‘That was because my soul was not in my body,’ answered Victoriano. ‘The moment my attention was directed or called to things spiritual, I totally forget my body and the world. At the time that my body was stiff and frozen, God was before me. I had to center all my attention to God because from Him we obtain all the grace and all the things good for us. I listened attentively to all what He said to me. The acolyte who was before me at that moment who made me drink from the cup, was no other than the Child Jesus. To all what He said, to all His commands, you must have heard me say, ‘Thy will be done.’
“Victoriano Fanlu Mambru was later reassigned to the Islas Marianas and henceforth nothing was heard from him.
“Another story compiled in the book was entitled ‘El Marino De La Fragata Barcelona,’ it was taken from a letter (dated September 26, 1877) written by Fernando Saavedra de Gracia addressed to his friend, Fidel Moas y Mati. The letter sender was a crew of the Frigate ‘Barcelona’.
“The story was about an incident when Fernando embarked from Cebu and went to the San Agustin Church to take communion but his ship left him. There he met a boy who spoke in Spanish and told him to ride in his ‘baroto.’ Miraculously without paddling they were able to catch up with him ship and he was able to board. When asked what his name was, the boy answered I am Jesus of Cebu.” (End of series)
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