Fund-raising for canonization kicks off with Cobonpue artwork for donors

In a wooden box frame, the figure of a man is formed out of bent pieces of thin black iron wire.

Behind him a map of Cebu and scenes of martyrdom stitched onto paper suggest the life of Pedro Calungsod, the Visayan lad assured of sainthood.

The artwork was unveiled on Wednesday evening to kick off a an ambitious donation drive of the Cebu Archdiocese to raise P20 million of a target P60 million needed for the Oct. 21 canonization rites in Rome.

“It is not always easy to be begging,” said Cebu Archbishop Emeritus Ricardo Cardinal Vidal at the launch at the Radisson Blu Hotel.

“You and I know that I am the biggest beggar in this place. I may have the title ‘Cardinal’ of the Catholic Church, but that does not make me any less of a beggar,” Vidal said.

Each donor who gives at least P25,000 will receive this limited edition commemorative sculptural piece of the young Visayan martyr.

Why would someone pay that much for this artwork to hang on a wall?

A big reason could be that the creator is world renowned Cebu industrial designer Kenneth Cobonpue.

Each handmade piece will come with a Certificate of Donation from the Special Events Committee for the canonization of Calungsod.

With this certifcate, about 1,200 donors with also get a chance to win two BMW cars and a KIA Sorento SUV in a raffle draw on Sept. 8, 2012. Rules and regulations in joining the raffle can be viewed through www.pedrocalungsodlimited.com.

With the canonization rites for the Philippine’s second saint fast approaching, well-heeled benefactors of the Catholic Church in Cebu aside from parishes across the island are being asked to contribute for the historic event.

Cardinal Vidal said he was not seeking contributions for himself or for travel expenses of the clergy to Rome.

“I beg for the greater glory of God, which means that I am begging you to give greater glory to God. In this sense, I am only fulfilling my original vocation which is to work so that the name of God may be glorified,” he told an audience that included members of Cebu’s high society such as businesswoman Mariquita Salimbangon-Leung, co-chairperson of the Finance Committee of the canonization preparations in Cebu.

The 81-year-old prelate addressed a common concern about the huge amount being solicited at a time when the economy is not doing well and the majority of Cebu’s parishioners live in poverty.

He said financial resources are needed for “activities related to the canonization, the biggest part of which is the national celebration in Cebu after the ceremony in Rome.”

“The fund we are raising is not, I repeat —is not— intended for the trip to Rome. All of us going to Rome will have to shoulder our own expenses,” the Cardinal said.

He said the money is needed for requirements of the venue during the Oct. 21 canonization in Rome and the venue for the national thanksgiving celebration in Cebu on Nov. 30.

Plans are afoot to build a temple for the liturgical celebration in the reclamation area of Mandaue City.

“Why the huge outlays? Because we are projecting many people to come, whether in Rome or in Cebu… We are preparing structures to make the celebrations more convenient, more accessible, and more memorable for the people,” Vidal said in his prepared remarks.

“The canonization of Blessed Pedro Calungsod requires much material resources not because sainthood can be bought. No, Blessed Pedro is a saint whether we contribute a single centavo to his cause or not,” Vidal explained.

Pope Benedict XVI will celebrate Mass in St. Peter’s Square where Blessed Pedro Calungsod will be canonized along with other candidates, mostly founders of religious organizations and clergy members from France, Italy, Spain, Germany and America.

A black cloth covered the commemorative Calungsod piece designed by Cobonpue and was pulled up to reveal the boxed sculptural piece during a ceremony at the hotel.

“There are many little details inside the box. Blessed Pedro’s faith transcends these pictures. May we make his example our own,” Cobonpue said in a message that was read by Estela Fernandez, product research and development manager of Kenneth Cobonpue Asia.

The designer was out of town but his mother Betty Cobonpue was present to unveil the artwork with Cardinal Vidal.

One of the images shows a man pierced in the heart by a spear, a representation of how Calungsod was killed by natives in Guam in 1672.

Also present in the launch were Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia, Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama, Msgr. Roberto Alesna, some members of the local clergy.

In an interview, Marlinda Angbetic-Tan, chairperson of the Special Events Committee for Calungsod’s canonization, said they will prepare 1,500 pieces of the special commemorative piece.

Of this number, 1,200 will go to donors who contribute at least P25,000.

The other 300 pieces will be given to major sponsors.

She said the fund-raising was aimed to draw to help the archdiocese come up with at least P20 million of the P60 million for Calungsod’s canonization.

“I myself could not afford to donate P1 million. But P25,000 is manageable for some who want to help,” Tan said.

She said raising funds for the canonization for the country’s second saint—the first for the Visayas—is a task, not only of the Church but of lay members.

“As a dynamic part of the Roman Catholic Church, the laity is involved in a significant way in the celebration of the canonization of Blessed Pedro Calungsod,” she said.

The cardinal thanked those who made a donation or pledges. He mentioned Msgr. Roberto Alesna, chair of the Finance Committee, Salimbangon-Leung, Edna Lhuillier who is the wife of Ambassador Philippe Lhuillier, and the Special Events committtee headed by Angbetic-Tan, vice chairperson Carmel de Pio Salvador and consultant Marissa Fernan.

Msgr. Alesna, in a brief interview after the unveiling, said the cash in bank of the donation drive so far has heached P17 million.

During a meeting last March, the archdiocese reported that it raised more than P4 million in private donations for Calungsod’s canonization.

Another P10 million will be collected from the 147 parishes and chapels in Cebu.

The Thanksgiving Mass on Nov. 30 was supposed to be held at the South Road Properties in Cebu City but the archdiocese changed the venue after being told it would cost P100 million just to level and backfill the site.

Calungsod was a teenage catechist and assistant on a mission organized by Jesuit priest Fr. Diego de San Vitores to the Ladrones Islands, now known as Guam.

He was speared with a cutlass by hostile natives in April 2, 1672 when he and Fr. Diego were baptizing villagers. Their bodies were then tied together and thrown into the sea. Little is known of the historical details of the youth’s origins or his life.

Since his beatification by Pope John Paul in 2002, Cebuanos have been praying hard for Calungsod, who is held up as Christian model for the youth, to be elevated to the honors of the altar.