Let us give thanks

This has been a specially blessed year for our country with the canonization of our second Filipino saint, San Pedro Calungsod, the youngest among seven canonized last Oct. 21st and the elevation of Archbishop Luis Antonio Tagle to cardinal, the second youngest of six at the consistory in Rome last Nov. 24th.

The new Cardinals, “Princes of the Church”, are from Columbia, India, Lebanon. Nigeria, the United States and the Philippines. Pope Benedict XVI explains that this is in the context of the new evangelization in this Year of Faith declared by the Church that “belongs to all peoples, speaks all languages.” This universality is significant, coming after the all-European new Cardinals elevated last February.

Thanks to modern technology with TV, particularly the Eternal World Television Net- work (EWTN) in this case, together with the world I was able to view this event, as also the canonization of our San Pedro Calungsod. Personally, I was impressed by the youth and smiling friendliness of Cardinal Tagle as he greeted his fellow cardinals, and his tearful reaction to the ceremony, all so very emotionally Filipino!

Speaking of universality, and reaching all peoples, after 12 years of scholarly research of a number of our Cebuano theologian churchmen, a Cebuano language Bible has been produced. Last Saturday, Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma, Fr. Carmelo Diola of Dilaab Foundation and Archbishop Emeritus Ricardo Cardinal Vidal showed to media the Cebuano language Bible during its launching at the Cathedral Museum.

Last Tuesday, the flower-bedecked image of San Pedro Calungsod came home to a warm welcome in Cebu from its Duaw Nasud pilgrimage, 18 dioceses of these in the Visayas and Mindanao. At the San Pedo Calungsod Shrine at the Archbishop’s Palace, a gold halo was placed behind the head of the image to signify sainthood. The first of triduum Masses was then said at Guadalupe Parish Church, the second on Wednesday at the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral, and the third on Thursday at the St. Joseph Shrine in Mandaue. A farewell Mass was then said there this morning before it was taken to the Ouano wharf for the fluvial procession on the Galleon San Diego to the beautiful Templete at the South Road Properties for the National Thanksgiving Mass there. Thanks to our Cebu press for these details.

In this religious atmosphere, let me recall other significant religious observances this month. Nov. 13th was the Feast of St. Frances Cabrini, patroness of immigrants to the United States, she being one of 13 children from Lombardy in Italy when she immigrated to the States where she did most of her missionary activity. Nov. 21st was the Feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary; Nov. 22 the Feast of St. Cecilia and Thanksgiving Day in the States; and the Feast of Vietnamese Sts. Andrew Dung Lac and his 117 companion missionaries in the 18th century. Nov. 25th was the Feast of Christ the King, and Nov. 27th the Feast of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal who appeared to St. Caherine Laboure. Nov. 30th, today, is the Feast of St. Andrew, Apostle, and is also our Bonifacio Day in honor of our Filipino hero Andres Bonifacio.

In spite of the recent major blessings the country has received with the canonization of San Pedro Calungsod and the elevation to Cardinal of Archbishop Luis Antonio Tagle, more recent development tend to cloud all others of these. Among them are remembrance of the natural disasters the country underwent earlier this year, the shocking recent theft of the jewelry adorning the image of Lapu-Lapu City’s Nuestra Senora de Regla so soon after the recent feast in Her honor, the recent successive scheduled readings in Church about predicted warning disasters, and a currrent series on TV of “The End of the World” and “Doomsday Preppers” and the Mayan prediction of the end of the world next month. Thankfully, Pope Benedict XVI has cautioned the faithful against all these, reminding us to continue to live in according to moral, ethical and religious standards for truly the end may come, but no one may know when.

One happy event I attended last Saturday, Nove. 23rd was the opening of the Ikebana Ikenobo Exhibit at the lobby of the Montebello Villa Hotel, on the invitation of fellow Zontia I Zelia Borromeo. This exhibit was in celebration of the 550th anniversary of Ikenobo-Ikebana in Kyoto, Japan. Most of the arrangements in this exhibit were of free style or modern, not anymore the classical, which I had first learned in one of Zelia’s earliest Ikebana seminars.

The Ikebana Ikenobo brochure she provided explains that “plants (are) cut and removed from nature so that they are filled with new beauty, when placed in a (container) in a new way. . . with branches, leaves and flowers (in) a new form which holds our impressions of a plant’s beauty as well as the mark of our own spirit.”

And now congratulations to people and events honoured and recently remembered. Congratulations to Dr. Pureza Oñate, who was inducted as the 14th president of the Asean Federation of Psychiatry and Mental Health in Singapore last Nov. 17th. Congratulations also to Cebu schools that have had graduates who topped in the various national licensure examinations: St. Theresa’s College, Universityof San Carlos, University of Cebu, and Cebu Normal Univesity. Congratulations also to the Cebu Institute of Medicine of Cebu Velez Hospital on their 55th anniversary as they remembered Drs. Jacinto Velez Sr. and Jr., and Mrs. Epifania Velez at the Cebu Memorial Park in Banilad. Congratulations, all!

The Quezon Service Cross was posthumously awarded to the late Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo who recently died in a plane crash. Also recently remembered was the late Celso Ad Castillo who died at the age of 69 last Nov. 28th after checking his book, “Autobiography and Craft” which is to be released soon.

From local media we remembered the late columnist Josefina “Jo” Magsaysay, also on Nov. 28th, on her fifth death anniversary.

Until next week now, after another busy, event-filled week for which we thank God, may He continue to less us, one and all!