Philippines Celebrates Pedro Calungsod Sainthood

Philippines Celebrate Pedro Calungsod SainthoodThe Philippines has a new saint after Pope Benedict XVI yesterday canonized Pedro Calungsod, a 17-year-old catechist from Cebu who was martyred in Guam in 1672. Church bells rang while thousands in Cebu cheered, clapped and prayed as they watched a live three-hour television broadcast of the canonization at the Vatican. Calungsod was formally beatified on March 05, 2000 by Blessed Pope John Paul II and was officially canonized by Pope Benedict XVI at Saint Peter's Basilica in Vatican City on October 21, 2012.

You can browse more latest Missionaries News Updates

Sainthood of Pedro Calungso

"Filipino pilgrims occupied two thirds of [St Peter's] square and we cheered the loudest … after the Pope mentioned the Philippines," said Jesuit priest Jose Quilongquilong, rector of the Loyola House of Studies in Manila and who was in Rome for the canonization.

Father Quilongquilong, who hails from Cebu, said the mood in St. Peter's Square was festive. Pilgrims were introduced to seven new saints through tapestries unfurled from balconies on St. Peter's Basilica, with Calungsod's image hanging third from the right. "This was the second highest place of honor,'' said Ildebrando Leyson, vice-postulator for the Canonization Cause of Blessed Pedro Calungsod.

Fr. Leyson said the center balcony is the highest place of honor, with the next in rank moving out from the center. "The 'ranking' is decided by three factors — martyrs rank higher than non-martyrs; bishops rank higher than priests, who rank higher than religious and laypeople," he said.

In the town of Ginatilan, where Calungsod was reported to have come from, people were elated, said parish priest Fr. Gerardo dela Victoria. After the listing of Calungsod's name in the canons of the Church, Archbishop Jose Palma of Cebu said Filipinos should work more to become "spiritual through good deeds." "May we show our gratitude in prayer and works of love," Archbishop Palma said in a text message from Rome. "Let us praise God for the gift of San Pedro Calungsod," the prelate said.

In Manila, the bishops' conference said the lack of "first-class relics" from Calungsod should not diminish his stature as a saint. What is important, it said, is that Calungsod's spirit "burns bright in Filipino's hearts." Calungsod has no relics because his body was allegedly thrown into the sea by his killers.

Church records show that Calungsod and Jesuit priest Diego Luis de San Vitores tried to baptize a baby in a village called Tumhon in Guam on April 2, 1672. The child's father angrily refused and, with the help of other natives, hacked them to death and threw their bodies into the ocean.

Browse Beautiful World Heritage Sites. More Missionaries News Updates

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

D G S Dhinakaran

Image
Dr.Duraisamy Geoffery Samuel Dhinakaran, was an Indian Evangelical Preacher and founder of the Jesus Calls Ministry, born on July 1, 1935 at Surandai in Tirunelveli District of Tamil Nadu, India. He attended St.John`s college, Palayamkottai and subsequently was awarded a Bachelor degree in Mathematics from Madras University in 1955. He had a very tough life being torn by the ailments of poverty and agony of unemployment. Unable to bear the agony of these problems, on February 11, 1955, Dr.D.G.S.Dhinakaran decided to put an end to his life. He started towards the nearest railway track in his village to throw himself before the speeding train when he was stopped by his uncle who introduced Jesus Christ. He experienced a sudden wave of divine peace and hope, flood his heart. His mind was transformed and he returned home enlightened. After this incident, things started happening in him supernaturally. There arose an unquenchable thirst in him to spend hours together poring over the lif...
More +

India Celebrates World Sunday School Day

Image
The "World Sunday School" was founded with a great challenge to save and shape the children community after seeing thousands and thousands of street children who neither go to school nor to Church by Serampore trio (William Carey, Joshua Marshman, and William Ward) in India at 1803. Every year first Sunday of November, the "World Sunday School Day", was observed by the Churches. The day is being observed to commemorate the day and its significant change of effective effects towards this modern world especially to the children of the Sunday School in nurturing their shape in way of how a good Christian by birth should adapt to grow in the society through the foot-steps of Christianity's religion principles.
More +

Charles Mead

Image
Rev.Charles Mead was the Father of the South Travancore Mission, born on 1st October 1792 at Bristol, Gloucester, England. He was brought up by his uncle Rev.John Hunt at Wakefield, Yorkshire, attended Gosport Missionary School and ordained at Chichester on 6th March 1816. According to the London Mission Society’s report, Rev.Charles Mead was nominated for Travancore as Rev.Ringeltaube’s successor. He married Rev.Hunt’s daughter. He left from England on 20th April, 1816 for Travancore and arrived at Madras on 28th August 1816 along with Rev.Richard Knill, who known as the pastor of the church at St Petersburg. He was received by Rev.Loveless, who was the first England missionary of Madras. Rev.Mead was detained a considerable time at Rev.Loveless’s house at Madras by his wife's ill-health and he studied Tamil. There after he gave early intimation of his arrival to Col.Munro and consulted him on various subjects related to the mission affairs and solicited help. After one year back,...
More +