Calungsod clan to arrive for Thanksgiving Mass
THE Calungsod clan from Ginatilan town will arrive in Cebu City today to join the national thanksgiving mass for their famous ancestor.
Reserved army officer Jaime Calungsod, 85, who was featured in the Aug. 29 issue of Cebu Daily News, said he wouldn’t miss the big event.
Jaime could hardly contain his excitement when CDN visited him again at home in barangay Poblacion, Ginatilan last Saturday.
Although he has difficulty walking and hearing, Jaime said he was ready to join the thousands of devotees attending Friday’s Mass presided by Cebu Archbishop Emeritus Ricardo Cardinal Vidal.
Jaime’s assured of a spot up front in the VIP area.
“My son has already arranged with the church officials that we will have a special place in the front row,” said Jaime.
He said he was very grateful for this special privilege for his family.
Jaime said the Calungsods from Mindanao will also join them in the Thanksgiving Mass. He said the celebration was timely because they will all travel back to Ginatilan town after the Mass for their annual family reunion on Dec. 1.
Jaime traveled to Rome for the Oct. 21 canonization of Pedro Calungsod in St. Peter’s Square, an experience he described as a dream come true.
He said until now, he could not believe that their relative is already a saint in heaven.
“We are so happy and proud of him,” Jaime said.
Jaime has been a devotee of Pedro Calungsod even before the teenage martyr was beatified in 2000. Jaime attributes the healing of his prostate cancer to a miracle granted by the Visayan saint.
“Everday, I never miss praying to him. I always ask him to continue to bless our family with graces,” he told CDN. Correspondent Patricia Andrea D. Pateña
