Blessed Pedro Calungsod’s looks remain a mystery

I would like to share this article that was published in Sun Star – Sun, Feb 26, 2012.

CEBU CITY -- No one really knows what Blessed Pedro Calungsod looked like, but the image chosen to represent him “is that of every man,” said a church official.

“Many people look like him,” said Msgr. Ildebrando Leyson, who has worked on the cause of sainthood for the Visayan catechist for more than a decade.

He told Sun.Star Cebu that he once overheard two boys who visited the Beato Pedro Calungsod Shrine telling each other that they looked like Visayan martyr.

But there was also a person who approached him to ask whether the model of the image was a basketball player.

“He said he was not comfortable praying before the image of a basketball player,” said Leyson.

Approximation

Choosing an image that best represents Calungsod, who will be declared a saint in October 2012, went through a process, and the facial features and build are based on descriptions found in old documents.

Leyson related there were several attempts by a few artists to translate these descriptions into painting and sculpture.

The official portrait is the image of the martyr as imagined by the painter Rafael Casal, made in 1999. The palm branch and the white vesture are symbols of the martyr’s triumph and joy.

That painting was used in the two versions of Leyson’s book, “Pedro Calonsor Bissaya: Prospects of a Teenage Filipino.”

“Our only sources of information about that boy are the documents on the martyrdom of Padre Diego,” Leyson said in his book.

Indios

The documents mention him as an indio bisaya or a pure native from the Visayas region of the Philippines.

“We do not know what he looked like. We do not know of any drawing or painting of him from his time,” said Leyson, who turned to Historia de las Islas e indios de Bisayas by Fr. Alcina.

“Alcina, who was a contemporary of Pedro Calungsod, described the male Visayan indios of his time as usually more corpulent, better built and somewhat taller than the Tagalogs in Luzon; that their skin was light brown in color; that their faces were usually round and of fine proportions; that their noses were flat; that their eyes and hair were black; that they, especially the youth, wore their hair a bit long; and that they already started to wear camisas (shirts) and calzones (knee breeches),” he added.

Calungsod was the teenaged catechist who was martyred together with Jesuit Father Diego de San Vitores in Guam on April 2, 1672. The Jesuit priest was beatified in 1985.

The inside cover of Monsignor Leyson’s book acknowledges the image was based on the first account of the martyrdom of Pedro Calungsod, the manuscript of Francisco Solano, S.J.

The manuscript, which dates back to April 1672, was found in the archives of the Jesuits in Rome.

Casal’s painting also became the basis of the image of Pedro that was unfurled in one of the windows in Vatican City during his beatification in March 2000.

Model

The painting was presented to Leyson during one of his trips to Manila while he was still doing research on the life of Calungsod.

“It was placed in one part of the room where I was staying but I did not know it was the one prepared by the Jesuits,” he said. He brought the painting with him to Cebu and left it with then Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal.

“In Rome, the Vatican asked for an official image,” he told Sun.Star Cebu.

“I suggested to the Cardinal to hold a competition of artists, provide them with background information and give them the freedom to interpret the information,” said Leyson.

“But the Cardinal said there is already an image that would be used, the painting that I brought from Manila,” he added.

Leyson said there are persistent talks that the model for the image was a popular college basketball player. But he does not know who the model for the image was.

“We encourage the painter (Casal) to write a testimony about the painting that he made,” he added. (Sun.Star Cebu)

Lent’s 3 Disciplines of Dying to Self

Homily delivered by Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio G. Tagle at the Mass on Ash Wednesday, February 22, 2012, at the Arzobispado de Manila Chapel at 7:30 a.m.

We are opening today the sacred Season of Lent, Kuwaresma, almost 40 days of preparations for the celebration of Easter. That is the whole point of our Lenten preparation, inihahanda tayo para sa pagdiriwang ng muling pagkabuhay ni Kristo at para tayo naman ay makiisa rin sa bagong buhay. And it is not only for ourselves, but for the whole of society. The whole nation needs to rise again to new life.

But how do we rise with Jesus to new life, when, like Him, we should love until death? That is the conversion that is needed. The first reading from Joel asks us to repent and the second reading from St. Paul asks us to be reconciled with God. This is a form of dying. Whenever we repent, whenever we try to be reconciled with God, we need to die to ourselves. There is no new life without death. Death is not the end of life. Death is the way to life. That’s what we learn from Jesus. So we should accompany Jesus in this death, so that we can accompany Him also to new life.

The person who does not want to die, die to self, will not find life. Sino ang gusting mamatay? Hindi tayo makakarating sa bagong buhay kung walang gustong mamatay! Naiibang pagbati na sa halip na “Good Morning,” Mamatay ka na sana!” Hindi naman ang kahulugan nun ay mawala ka na sana sa balat ng lupa kundi mamatay ka na sana in the sense that matagpuan mo ang bagong buhay. At yung mga dapat mamatay, sana mamatay na, sa sarili.

And this season gives us three disciplines of dying to self so that we could also turn to God and be reconciled to God and have our relationships, different kinds of relationships, set aright, mga tamang ugnayan. And our Gospel for today gives us those three disciplines of Lent , three ways of dying, three ways of being reconciled with God.

The first discipline of Lent is almsgiving. Pagkakawanggawa. Kaya nga mayroon tayong Alay Kapwa kapag Lent. It reminds us of our right relationship with the neighbors. We should be good Samaritans, even those that we do not know, simply because they are in need, we should be willing to give. And with a pure motivation, not the type of giving that will draw attention to me. Alam na alam natin yan. Ang daming nagbibigay pero hindi naman talaga pagbibigay ang pakay. Ang gusto ay makunan ng litrato. Ang gusto ay makakuha ng boto. 

Hindi pagbibigay iyon. Hindi pagkakawanggawa iyon. Pagsasamantala yan. Sinasamantala mo ang pangangailangan ng iba para ikaw ang mapansin. That must die. That attitude must die. That attitude of self-directedness must die. That self-seeking must die. And what must rise? True concern for the neighbour. Who is may neighbour? Anyone is my neighbour because all of us came from God. It doesn’t have to be my relative. The person does not have to come from my region or my province. There is a human being and he needs something, he or she is my neighbour. We should rise to that. Almsgiving.

At huwag na kayong lalayo baka ang nangangailangan ay kasama niyo lang sa bahay; kasama niyo lang sa trabaho. Baka yung sa inyo ay naglalaba, yung labandera o kung mayroon kayong kasambahay. Baka yung inyong kasambahay. Lalo na dito sa atin na talaga naming maraming dukha, at marami pa ring nakakabangon mula sa Sendong at duon sa mga lindol na naganap sa Visayas. So almsgiving, dying to ourselves, especially that self-seeking that wants to hoard things for ourselves. Akin to. Akin to. Pera for myself. No. Almsgiving. Kapag may umutang po sa inyo sa araw na ito at sa Kuwaresma, huwag niyo na po ninyong singilin. Pagkatapos ng misa, puntahan niyo at sabihan ninyo, “Huwag ka nang mag-abala, iyo na yan!” O, baka mag-alisan na kayo sa simbahan.. sa almsgiving.

The second discipline of Lent is Fasting. It says of a relationship with God, of course, and even with ourselves and with objects, properly. Kasi po, one way by which we, in an unnoticed way, become self-centered is through food, especially nowadays when people are so conscious of health. That is a good sign. We have to take care of our body; we have to take care of the life given to us by God. But be careful. Sometimes taking care of our health becomes self-preoccupation. It’s not anymore health that I am taking care of, I am already too pre-occupied with myself. Ilang oras ang nauubos sa harap ng salamin. Ang daming pera ang nauubos para sa pagpapaganda.. How do I look, how do I look? Puro ganuon. Habang kumakain ng almusal iniisip na ang mimeryendahin. Habang nagtatanghalian, iniisip na yung mimiryendahin sa hapon. Habang nagmimiryenda iniisip na iyong ihahapunan. Tayo lang ang kumakain one a day, never-ending. One full meal a day.. never-ending.

Now through fasting we are learning to depend on God and to take care of ourselves in the right way. Taking care of self does not mean you only think of self. Kaya po ngayong araw na ito ang ating fasting ay may kasamang kawanggawa. Fast2feed. What we will save from fasting we give to Hapag-Asa so that many children can eat, especially the malnourished. Marami pinoproblema ang calories, yung iba walang makain. Yan po minsan ang ating problema, “alisin mo yung taba!” Yung iba hindi nakakakita ng taba. So yung fasting for today ay hind pagpa-pa-slim. Self-preoccupation na naman iyan. Yung fasting for today ay hindi lamang para bumaba yung aking blood sugar, self-preoccupation na naman iyan. Sana yung fasting for today ay pagbabahagi sa mga walang-wala para sila naman ay mabiyayaan.

And, finally, Prayer. Prayer is a living and loving relationship with God. Many times, prayer is reduced to a ritual. Many times prayer becomes a conventional thing that we have to do, some obligation that we must fulfil but does not lead us to a living relationship with God, a relationship with God that will refocus my life, that centers on not the self but God, and with God as the center of my life, I will be changed. I will be loving like God. I will be truthful like God. I will be just like God. I will be compassionate and merciful like God. Prayer is important to die to self, in order to receive the very life of God. 

So through almsgiving, fasting and prayer we hope to make perfect the business of dying. Sabi nila, practice makes perfect. Let us perfect the art of dying—dying to self—so that new life will come to us. And I repeat, if you do not want and you refuse to die to self, you will never ever experience new life in Christ. So before we bless the ashes that will be imposed on us with the words, “Turn away from sin and believe the Gospel,” or “Remember you are dust and unto dust you shall return,” let us be filled with this desire to turn to the Lord, to change our ways, to die to self and to look forward to new life.


source: rcam.org

Calungsod and Tubid

Ronald Tubid (born on October 15, 1981 in Iloilo City, Philippines) is a Filipino professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association who plays for the Barako Bull Energy. While playing for the amateur Philippine Basketball League, he was selected by artist Rafael del Casal to model for the painting of (then) Blessed Pedro Calungsod, hence earning him the nickname "The Saint". Here are two news articles regarding Tubid and Calungsod which were written twelve years apart, from Tubid's amateur to professional career in basketball and from Calungsod's Beatification to Canonization.  

Blessed Pedro's bewildered sub 

by Gerry Carpio (The Philippine Star) 

March 07, 2000 12:00 AM 

Ronald Tubid, guard-forward of the University of the East Red Warriors, thought it was just one of those things, but barely 24 hours after his face appeared in the newspapers, he was overwhelmed.

"Marami akong phone calls na natatanggap maya't maya," said Tubid, a bit amused when interviewed in the Warriors headquarters at the K.B. Lepanto Bldg near the UE campus on Gastambide st., Sampaloc.

He said his callers started calling him "Pedro", after Blessed Pedro Calungsod, who was beatified by Pope John Paul II in ceremonies at the Vatican last weekend.

From among over 100 possible candidates, Tubid, now 18, was chosen to stand in as model for the 16th century martyr two years ago. A huge portrait, produced by painter Rafael de Casal from photos taken of Tubid, was unveiled during the beatification ceremonies.

Throughout the day yesterday, Tubid was hounded by calls by his friends and members of the UE Warriors teasing him "Pedro".

"Pati ang girl friend ko binibiro ako," he mused.

Even his team, the Ana Water Dispensers, in the PBL, is being christened "Ana Blessed Water" and the young cager himself is being called "Ronald Tubig."

"Okay lang naman sa akin iyan," said Tubid.

Fr. Catalino Arevalo of the Archdiocese of Cebu picked him to be the model of the martyr whom he described as a "brave, strong, dexterous and loyal" catechist who was killed by the Chamorro tribesmen in the Marianas Islands in 1672.

Arevalo said it was not easy to choose who among the more than 100 young men really looked like Calungsod. All the young men listed as models were carefully reviewed and studied by the Archdiocese of Cebu.

"Each one of them was interviewed, their background investigated and their families examined by the Catholic Church," Arevalo said.

He said that while he was in deep prayer, a quick flash of lightning appeared in front of him and a face similar to Tubid came into sight.

"My feelings were very strong that Tubid had the young blessed's feature," Arevalo said. Tubid was chosen when he was 17, about as old as the Blessed Pedro Calungsod when the latter was murdered.

Tubid also appeared to be the "right person" for the purpose because of his features, and by coincidence, he also comes from Oton, Iloilo, where the Blessed Calungsod is believed to have lived before he joined the Catholic mission to the Marianas.

"Sa bayan namin, maraming Calungsod, Calunsod o Calongsod. When the beatification rites were held at the Vatican, I was told there was a big celebration - like a fiesta - in my town and in the towns of Molo, Tigbawal and Leon, Iloilo," he said.

Tubid may not be the "blessed" that he portrays in leaflets, but he was raised by a Catholic family and started living a more "directed, disciplined" life when his father died last January.

His mother teaches accounting subjects at the University of Iloilo while his younger brother, 15, is still in high school. He said he was already a UE freshman when he was tapped for the portraiture.

"Ang gusto ko ngayon ay makatapos. Ang konting allowance na natatanggap ko eh pinadadala ko naman sa amin," said Tubid, who normed 12 points per game for the Warriors last season and 10 ppg for Ana Dispenser.

"I sometimes fail to go to Church on Sundays because of my hectic basketball schedule, but I always try to find the time, lalo na ngayong wala pang laro sa UAAP," he said.

Things have, indeed, changed for this sturdy youth from Iloilo who found himself unwittingly thrust into the limelight for being a stand-in for the country's second Blessed Filipino, and hoped to be, to use a basketball parlance, his worthy substitute. - With report from Sandy Araneta

A painting of Blessed Pedro Calungsod by Alfredo Esquillo at the Loyola House of Studies (Photo: John Francis Lagman)

Basketball player is Filipino Saint’s face

UCA News, February 24, 2012

A PROFESSIONAL basketball player has become the face of Blessed Pedro Calungsod, a Filipino who will be proclaimed saint by Pope Benedict XVI in October.

Ronald Tubid from Iloilo province was used as a model for the image of Calungsod, said Jesuit Father Catalino Arevalo.

“If you look at the portrait carefully he was the one used as model,” said Father Arevalo during a seminar at the Loyola School of Theology on Wednesday.

He said Tubid is a Visayan like Calungsod and was only 17 years old when he posed as a model for the future saint.

“We asked everybody who knew him if he was a good candidate, of good moral character, and everybody said yes. So we used him as the official face of Calungsod,” Arevalo said.

Tubid plays professional basketball for the Barako Bull Energy team at the Philippine Basketball Association. He used to play for the University of the East and the Philippine Basketball League during his younger years.

Calungsod was a catechist who went with Spanish Jesuit missionaries to Ladrones Islands in the western Pacific in 1668 when he was martyred.

Because no one knows what the boy martyr looked like, at least eight various likenesses of him had made their appearance since the time he was proposed for the altar.

But the easy favorite among many likeable likenesses is the first oil painting of him (1999) by Rafael del Casal which was eventually chosen by the Archdiocese of Cebu as the official portrait.

EPILOGUE

Had basketball developed in the seventeenth century, San Pedro Calungsod might had played it as well. Ronald Tubid is also known by many as "The Fearless" in the hard court. Sometimes, he would be labelled as "Bad Boy" especially in the heat of the game. 

Whenever we see Tubid on the court, we see a basketball player. But whenever we see his painted image as San Pedro Calungsod, we see a "Saint". San Pedro Calungsod is the model for filipino youth and we are all proud for his elevation to sainthood. He may not be a hard court hero, but his physical agility was proven remarkable by account witnesses. Most importantly, he offered his life as a martyr and never feared death. This only proved that he is "Faithful and Fearless".

San Pedro Calungsod, pray for us!      

Biography of Blessed Pedro Calungsod

PEDRO CALUNGSOD was young native of the Visayas Region in the Philippines. Little is known about his life. Based on accounts, Pedro was taught as a lay catechist in a Jesuit minor seminary in Loboc, Bohol. For young recruits like him, the training consisted of learning the Catechism, Spanish, and Latin. They would be later sent with the priests to the countryside to perform daily religious functions as altar boys or catechists. Some of them were even sent to mission centers overseas to accompany the Jesuits in their arduous task of proclaiming the Good News and establishing the Catholic faith in foreign lands. And that was the case of Pedro Calungsod.

On June 18, 1668, the zealous Jesuit superior Padre Diego Luís de San Vitores, answering a "special call," began a new mission composed of 17 young laymen and priests to the Ladrones islands. Pedro was one of the boy catechists who went with them in the Western Pacific to evangelize the native chamorros.

From Hospitality to Hostility

Life in the Ladrones was hard. The provisions for the mission like food and other needs did not arrive regularly; the jungles were too thick to cross; the cliffs were very stiff to climb; and the islands were frequently visited by devastating typhoons. Despite all these, the missionaries persevered, and the mission was blessed with many conversions. The missionaries reached out to the backward poblaciones (towns) and baptized over 13,000 natives. Capillas (chapels) began to rise at various sites as Catholic instruction became extensive. A school and church were even built and dedicated to St. Ignatius of Loyola in the city of Agadna in the northeast. Subsequently, the islands were renamed “Marianas” by the missionaries in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary and of the Queen-Regent of Spain, María Ana, who was the benefactress of that mission.

The hospitality of the natives however soon turned to hostility as the missionaries started to change the traditional practices of the chamorros, which were incompatible with Christianity. The missionaries objected their ancestral worship. The chamorros dug up the skulls of their dead relatives and kept them as miraculous talismans. These were enshrined in special houses guarded by native shamans called macanjas. The chamorros prayed to their ancestral spirits and asked them for good luck, good harvest and victory in battle.

They also objected to the practice of young men called urritaos of consorting with young unmarried women in public houses without the benefit of the sacrament of matrimony because they considered this as a form of institutionalized prostitution.

They also displeased the upper caste chamorros called matuas who demanded that the blessings of Christianity be limited to members of this group. The inferior castes should not be given the privilege of becoming Christians.

Poisoned Water?

An influential Chinese named Choco who earlier came from a sunken wreck became envious of the prestige that the missionaries were gaining among the chamorros. He started to spread the talk that the baptismal water of the missionaries was poisonous. And since some sickly chamorro infants who were baptized died by coincidence, many believed the calumniator and eventually apostatized. The evil campaign of Choco was readily supported by the matuas, macanjas and the urritaos who, along with the apostates, began persecuting the missionaries.

The Martyrdom of Pedro Calungsod

The most unforgettable assault happened on 2 April 1672, the Saturday just before the Passion Sunday of that year. At around seven o’clock in the morning, Pedro—by then, about 17 years old—and the superior of the mission, Padre Diego, came to the village of Tomhom, in the Island of Guam. There, they were told that a baby girl was recently born in the village, so they went to ask the child’s father, named Matapang, to bring out the infant for baptism. Matapang was a Christian and a friend of the missionaries, but having apostatized, he angrily refused to have his baby baptized.

To give Matapang some time to cool down, Padre Diego and Pedro gathered the children and some adults of the village at the nearby shore and started chanting with them the truths of the Catholic Faith. They invited Matapang to join them, but the apostate shouted back that he was angry with God and was already fed up with Christian teachings.

Determined to kill the missionaries, Matapang went away and tried to enlist in his cause another villager, named Hirao, who was not a Christian. At first, Hirao refused, mindful of the kindness of the missionaries towards the natives; but when Matapang branded him a coward, he got insulted and so, he consented. Meanwhile, during that brief absence of Matapang from his hut, Padre Diego and Pedro took the chance of baptizing the infant, with the consent of the Christian mother.

When Matapang learned of the baptism, he became even more furious. He violently hurled spears first at Pedro. The lad skirted the darting spears with remarkable dexterity. The witnesses said that Pedro had all the chances to escape because he was very agile, but he did not want to leave Padre Diego alone. Those who knew Pedro personally believed that he would have defeated his fierce aggressors and would have freed both himself and Padre Diego if only he had some weapons because he was a very valiant boy; but Padre Diego never allowed his companions to carry arms. Finally, Pedro got hit by a spear at the chest and he fell to the ground. Hirao immediately charged towards him and finished him off with a blow of a cutlass on the head. Padre Diego gave Pedro the sacramental absolution. After that, the assassins also killed Padre Diego.

Matapang took the crucifix of Padre Diego and pounded it with a stone while blaspheming God. Then, both assassins denuded the bodies of Pedro and Padre Diego, dragged them to the edge of the shore, tied large stones to their feet, brought them to sea and threw them into the deep. The remains of the martyrs were never to be found.

When the companion missionaries of Pedro learned of his death, they exclaimed, “Fortunate youth! How well rewarded his four years of persevering service to God in the difficult mission are: he has become the precursor of our superior, Padre Diego, in Heaven!” They remembered Pedro to be a boy with very good disposition, a virtuous catechist, a faithful assistant, and a good Catholic whose perseverance in the faith even to the point of martyrdom proved him to be a good soldier of Christ (cf. 2 Tim 2:3).

The Beatification

Padre Diego Luís de San Vitores was beatified in 1985. It was his beatification that brought the memory of Pedro Calungsod to our day. On 5 March 2000, Pope John Paul II beatified Pedro Calungsod at Saint Peter's Square in Rome. Here’s an excerpt from the homily of Blessed Pope John Paul II during the Beatification Rites of Blessed Pedro Calungsod and 43 others:

"If anyone declares himself for me in the presence of men, I will declare myself for him in the presence of my Father in heaven" (Mt 10: 32). From his childhood, Pedro Calungsod declared himself unwaveringly for Christ and responded generously to his call. Young people today can draw encouragement and strength from the example of Pedro, whose love of Jesus inspired him to devote his teenage years to teaching the faith as a lay catechist. 

Leaving family and friends behind, Pedro willingly accepted the challenge put to him by Fr Diego de San Vitores to join him on the mission to the chamorros. In a spirit of faith, marked by strong Eucharistic and Marian devotion, Pedro undertook the demanding work asked of him and bravely faced the many obstacles and difficulties he met. In the face of imminent danger, Pedro would not forsake Fr. Diego, but as a "good soldier of Christ" preferred to die at the missionary's side. Today Bl. Pedro Calungsod intercedes for the young, in particular those of his native Philippines, and he challenges them. Young friends, do not hesitate to follow the example of Pedro, who "pleased God and was loved by him" (Wis 4: 10) and who, having come to perfection in so short a time, lived a full life (cf. ibid., v. 13). 

The Canonization

In 2008, Most Rev. Ricardo Cardinal Vidal expressed hope that Blessed Pedro Calungsod would soon be canonized. A beatified person can be proclaimed a saint only after miracles attributed to him (or her) are authenticated. Several people have sought his intercession and attested to the miracles that he manifested: the cure of a young man who was inflicted with bone cancer and the salvation of a kidnap victim among others. All of these happened through Blessed Pedro Calungsod's intercession.

On March 24, 2011, the Vatican consultor physicians declared that a supernatural healing has occurred. On July 2, the Vatican consultor theologians authenticated that the supernatural healing was due to the intercession of Calungsod. Then, on October 11, the Vatican consultor cardinals, archbishops and bishops unanimously affirmed what the physicians and theologians declared could point to an authentic major miracle and that it is opportune to declare Calungsod a saint.

On Dec. 19, 2011, Pope Benedict XVI received in audience Angelo Cardinal Amato, the Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, and authorized the promulgation of the Decree concerning a miracle of Calungsod. The Pope has finally approved the canonization of Blessed Pedro Calungsod and six others for sainthood. This act fulfills the requirements for canonization. 

On 18 February 2012, Pope Benedict XVI declared that Calungsod will be canonized on 21 October 2012.

Prayer for the Canonization of Blessed Pedro Calungsod

O God, through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, graciously grant the canonization of Blessed Pedro Calungsod, if it be for the greater glory of your Name and for the good our souls. AMEN.

Our Father... Hail Mary... Glory be.

o-o-O-o-o

O Dios, pinaagi sa pangama sa Mahal nga Birhen Maria, mapuangurong itugot ang Kanonisasyon ni Beato Pedro Calungsod, kung ugaling kini alang sa labaw'ng kahimayaan sa Imong Ngalan ug alang sa kaayohan sa among mga kalag. AMEN.

Amahan Namo.... Maghimaya ka Maria... Himaya sa Amahan....

Epilogue

Though Pedro Calungsod has not been officially recognized yet as a saint, we know that he is already enjoying the beatific vision in God's eternal kingdom. That alone, is more than enough for us to make him a model. Like Blessed Pedro Calungsod, may we remain steadfast in our faith, fervent in our hope and selfless in love. 

As Blessed Pedro Calungsod approaches to sainthood, Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma hopes this good news will encourage the people to live a life of holiness: “May this make the people aware of the call of the lay faithful to holiness… We are all called to a life of union with God and a life of mission.”

Blessed Pedro will soon be canonized and will henceforth be invoked as Saint Pedro Calungsod. This is our goal because all of us are called to be saints.

San Pedro Calungsod, pray for us!

Sources:

http://pedrocalungsod.page.tl/Biography.htm

Augusto V. de Vian, “The Pampangos in the Mariana Mission 1668-1684” in Micronesian, Journal of the Humanities and Social Science, dry season issue, June 2005, vol. 4, no.1.

Emy Loriega, “Blessed Pedro Calungsod”, in The Pacific Voice

Homily of Pope John Paul II, Beatification of 44 Servants of God, Sunday, 5 March 2000

Jessica Ann R. Pareja, The Freeman, December 21, 2011

Louie Jon A. Sanchez, The Varsitarian, October 20, 1999, Vol. LXXI No. 6

The Archdiocese of Manila , Pedro Calungsod, Young Visayan Proto-Martyr, Manila, 2000.

The Hagiography Circle: 1672, no. 2: "Pedro Calungsod". Cite: born: ca. 1654 in Ginatilan, Cebu, Philippines. 

Ang Talambuhay ni Beato Pedro Calungsod

Si PEDRO CALUNGSOD ay isang kabataang nagmula sa rehiyong Bisaya ng Pilipinas. Konti lamang ang nalalaman tungkol sa kanyang buhay. Ayon sa mga nasusulat, si Pedro ay tinuruan upang maging katekistang layko sa seminaryo minore ng mga Heswita sa Loboc, Bohol. Para sa mga batang nahimok tulad niya, ang paghuhubog ay kinabibilangan ng pag-aaral ng katekismo, wikang kastila at latin. Ipadadala sila pagkatapos sa mga baryo kasama ng mga pari upang gampanan ang kanilang pang-araw-araw na gawain bilang mga sakristan o katekista. Ang iba sa kanila ay ipinapadala sa misyon sa ibayong-dagat kasama ng mga Heswita sa kanilang mapanghamong gawain ng pagpapahayag sa Mabuting Balita at ang pagtatag ng pananampalatayang katoliko sa mga banyagang lupain. At ito ang naganap kay Pedro Calungsod.

Noong ika-18 ng Hunyo 1668, ang masigasig na Heswitang superyor na si Padre Diego Luís de San Vitores ay tumugon sa “espesyal na tawag” at nagsimula ng bagong misyon kasama ng 17 kabataang lalaki at mga pari sa mga isla ng Ladrones. Si Pedro ay isa sa mga batang katekistang nagpunta sa Kanlurang Pasipiko upang ipahayag  ang Mabuting Balita sa mga katutubong chamorro. 

Mula sa Mabuting Pakikitungo hanggang sa Pagkapoot

Ang buhay sa Ladrones ay mahirap. Ang mga panustos para sa misyon tulad ng pagkain at iba pang pangangailangan ay hindi regular na dumarating; ang mga gubat ay napakasusukal tahakin; ang mga talampas ay napakatatarik akyatin; at ang mga isla ay palagiang binabayo ng mga bagyo. Sa kabila ng lahat, ang mga misyonero ay hindi pinanghinaan ng loob, at ang misyon ay pinagpala sa dami ng taong nagbagong-loob sa Diyos. Ginalugad ng mga misyonero ang mga liblib na lugar at nakapagbinyag ng higit sa 13,000 katutubo. Sinimulan na din ang pagtatayo ng mga kapilya sa iba’t-ibang lugar sapagkat lumalawak na ang gawain ng pagtuturo. Isang paaralan at isang simbahan sa karangalan ni San Ignacio de Loyola, ang naitatag sa lungsod ng Agadna sa hilagang-silangan. Kinalaunan, ang mga isla ay muling pinangalanang “Marianas” sa karangalan ng Mahal na Birheng Maria at ng Reyna-Rehente ng Espanya, si María Ana, na siyang tagatangkilik ng misyong yaon.

Di naglaon, ang mabuting pakikitungo ng mga katutubo ay naging poot sapagkat ang mga misyonero ay nagsimula ng mga pagbabago sa nakaugalian ng mga chamorro na hindi angkop sa Kristiyanismo. Ang mga misyonero ay tumutol sa pagsamba nila sa kanilang mga ninuno. Hinuhukay ng mga chamorro ang mga bungo ng mga namayapang kamag-anak at itinuturing ito bilang mapaghimalang anting-anting. Ang mga ito’y idinadambana sa mga espesyal na bahay na binabantayan ng mga katutubong salamangkero na kung tawagin ay macanja. Ang mga chamorro ay nagdarasal sa ispiritu ng kanilang mga ninuno upang swertehin, magkaroon ng magandang ani at manalo sa digmaan.

Tumutol din sila sa kaugalian ng mga kabataang lalaki na tinatawag na urritao sa kanilang pakikipagniig sa mga kabataang babae sa mga pampublikong lugar na walang basbas ng sakramento ng kasal sapagkat itinuturing nila ang ganitong pagkakalakal ng sarili bilang bahagi ng kanilang pamumuhay.

Hindi rin sila naibigan ng mga chamorrong nasa mataas na antas sa lipunan o matua na nag-utos na ang biyaya ng pagiging Kristyano ay nararapat lamang sa kanila. Ang mga mabababa ang antas sa lipunan ay hindi daw dapat bigyan ng karapatang maging mga kristiyano.

Nilasong Tubig?

Isang maimpluwensyang chino na nagngangalang Choco na nauna nang napadpad sa isla mula sa isang lumubog na barko, ang nainggit sa katanyagan ng mga misyonero sa mga chamorro, at nagsimulang maghasik ng paninira na ang tubig na ginagamit daw ng mga misyonero sa pambinyag ay may lason. At dahil ang ilang masakiting sanggol na nabinyagan ay nagkataong namatay, marami ang naniwala sa kasinungalingan at di naglao’y  ganap na tumalikod sa pananampalataya. Ang masamang adhikain ni Choco ay kinatigan ng mga matua, macanja at mga urritao kasama ng mga nagsitalikod sa pananampalataya at sinimulan nilang usigin ang mga misyonero.

Ang Pagkamatay ni Pedro Calungsod

Ang pinaka-hindi makakalimutang pangyayari ay naganap noong ika-2 ng Abril 1672, Sabado bago ang Linggo ng Pagpapakasakit ng Panginoon nang taong iyon. Bandang ika-7:00 ng umaga, si Pedro—na noo’y 17 taong gulang—at ang superyor ng misyon, si Padre Diego, ay nagpunta sa nayon ng Tomhom sa isla ng Guam. Doon, nabalitaan nila na isang sanggol na babae ang kapapanganak pa lamang, kaya’t nagpunta sila sa ama ng sanggol na si Matapang, upang ipagpaalam na bibinyagan ang sanggol. Si Matapang ay isang kristiyano at kaibigan ng mga misyonero, subalit dahil isa siya sa mga tumalikod sa pananampalataya, pagalit siyang tumanggi na binyagan ang kanyang anak.

Upang bigyan ng panahon si Matapang na mahimasmasan, tinipon muna nina Padre Diego at Pedro ang mga bata at ilang may sapat na gulang ng nayon malapit sa dalampasigan at nagsimula silang umawit tungkol sa katotohanan ng pananampalatayang katoliko. Inanyayahan nila si Matapang na samahan sila, subalit pasigaw siyang tumugon na galit siya sa Diyos at punung-puno na talaga siya.

Nakatalagang patayin ang mga misyonero, umalis si Matapang at nakahanap ng kasapakat sa katauhan ni Hirao na hindi kristyano. Sa una’y tumanggi si Hirao dahil sa kabutihan ng mga misyonero sa mga katutubo; subalit ng tawagin siyang duwag ni Matapang, siya ay napikon at sumang-ayon. Habang wala si Matapang sa kanilang kubo, sinamantala nina Padre Diego at Pedro ang pagkakataong mabinyagan ang sanggol na may kapahintulutan ng kristyanong ina ng sanggol.

Nang malaman ni Matapang ang pangyayari, lalo siyang nag-apoy sa galit. Una niyang inihagis ang sibat kay Pedro. Nakailag si Pedro dahil mas mabilis ang kanyang pagkilos at pag-iisip kaysa sa bumubulusok na sibat. Ang mga saksi ay nagpatotoo na maari namang makatakas si Pedro dahil sa kanyang kaliksihan, subalit hindi niya ninais na maiwang mag-isa si Padre Diego. Sa mga nakakakilala kay Pedro, naniniwala silang kayang-kaya niyang talunin ang mabagsik niyang mga kalaban at mapalaya si Padre Diego at ang kanyang sarili kung mayroon lamang armas ang magiting na binata; subalit hindi pinahihintulutan ni Padre Diego ang kanyang mga kasamahan na magdala ng armas. Sa huli, tinamaan ng sibat si Pedro sa dibdib at siya’y humandusay sa lupa. Dali-dali namang sinugod ni Hirao si Pedro at tinapos ang kanyang buhay sa pamamagitan ng espadang tumama sa kanyang ulo. Nabigyan pa siya ni Padre Diego ng pagpapatawad o absolution bago mamatay at matapos noo’y, sinunod naman nilang paslangin ang pari. 

Kinuha ni Matapang ang krusipiho ni Padre Diego at dinurog ito nang bato habang umuusal ng kalapastanganan sa Diyos. Pagkatapos, hinubaran nina Matapang at Hirao sina Padre Diego at Pedro, kiladkad sa may dalampasigan, tinalian ng malalaking bato sa kanilang mga paa, dinala sa karagatan at hinulog sa kalaliman. Hindi na natagpuan pa ang mga labi ng mga martir.

Nang malaman ng mga kasamahang misyonero ang kamatayan ni Pedro, napabulalas sila, “Mapalad na kabataan! Tunay na ginantimpalaan ang kanyang apat na taong matiyagang paglilingkod sa Diyos sa napakahirap na misyon. Siya pa ang nauna sa aming superyor sa langit!” Naalala nila si Pedro bilang isang kabataang may magandang pananaw sa buhay, isang banal na katekista, tapat na kaagapay, at mabuting katoliko na masigasig sa pananampalataya kahit umabot pa sa pag-aalay ng buhay para sa Diyos na nagpapatunay na siya ay isang mabuting kawal ni Kristo (cf. 2 Tim 2:3).

Ang Pagtatanghal bilang isang Banal

Si Padre Diego Luís de San Vitores ay itinanghal na beato (banal) noong 1985. Noong ika-5 ng Marso 2000 naman itinanghal na beato si Pedro Calungsod sa Roma. Narito ang bahagi ng homilya ni Papa Juan Pablo II noong araw ng kanyang beatipikasyon kasama ng 43 pang iba:

"Ang sinumang kumilala sa akin sa harapan ng mga tao ay kikilalanin ko rin naman sa harapan ng aking Amang nasa langit.” (Mt 10:32) Mula sa kanyang kabataan, walang maliw na itinalaga ni Pedro Calungsod  ang kanyang sarili kay Kristo at bukas-palad na tumugon sa Kanyang tawag. Ang mga kabataan ngayon ay maaring humugot ng lakas at pag-asa sa halimbawa ni Pedro na ang pag-ibig kay Kristo ang pumukaw sa kanyang sarili upang ilaan ang kanyang kabataan sa pagtuturo ng pananampalataya bilang isang katekistang layko.

Iniwan ang kanyang pamilya at mga kaibigan, taos-pusong tinangggap ni Pedro ang hamong ibinigay ni Padre Diego de San Vitore na samahan siya sa misyon sa mga chamorro. Sa lakas ng pananampalataya, na tinatampukan ng matinding debosyong Eukaristiko at debosyon sa Mahal na Birhen, ginampanan ni Pedro ang mabigat na gawaing iniatang sa kanya at matapang na hinarap ang mga balakid at paghihirap. Sa harap ng napipintong panganib, hindi niya tinalikdan si Padre Diego, datapwat bilang isang “mabuting kawal ni Krsito” ay piniling mamatay sa tabi ng misyonero. Ngayon, namamagitan si Beato Pedro Calungsod para sa mga kabataan, lalung-lalo na ng kanyang bayang Pilipinas, at hinahamon niya sila. Mga kaibigang kabataan, huwag kayong mag-alinlangang sundan ang halimbawa ni Pedro, na "naging kalugud-lugod sa Diyos at minahal Niya " (Karunungan 4:10) at siya, na sa maikling panahon ay narating ang lubos na kabanalan, ay nagtamo ng kaganapan ng buhay. (cf. ibid., v. 13). 

Ang Pagtatanghal bilang isang Santo

Noong taong 2008, ipinahayag ng lubhang kagalang-galang Ricardo Cardinal Vidal ang pag-asang si Beato Pedro Calungsod ay magiging isang ganap na santo na. Ang isang beato ay maitatanghal na santo matapos na mapatunayan ang mga himala sa kanyang pamamagitan. Ilang mga tao na ang humiling ng kanyang pamamagitan at nakapagpatotoo sa mga himala: ang kagalingan ng isang binata na may kanser sa buto at ang pagkakaligtas sa isang biktima ng kidnap ay ilan lamang sa mga ito. Lahat ng ito ay dahil sa pamamagitan ni Beato Pedro Calungsod.

Noong ika-24 ng Marso 2011, ang mga kasangguning doktor ng Vatican ang nagpahayag na mayroong hindi pagkaraniwang kagalingan ang naganap. Noong ika-2 ng Hulyo, ang mga kasangguning teologo naman ang nagpatunay na ang paggaling na ito ay sa pamamagitan ni Pedro Calungsod. Pagkatapos, noong ika-11 ng Oktubre, ang mga kasangguning kardinal, arsobispo at obispo ay nagkaisa upang pagtibayin ang ipinahayag ng mga doktor at teologo na magtatanghal kay Beato Pedro bilang isang ganap na santo.

Noong ika-19 ng Disyembre 2011, tinanggap ni Papa Benito XVI si Angelo Cardinal Amato, ang Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, at nagbigay ng kapangyarihan upang ipahayag ang himalang naganap. Sa wakas ay pormal na pinahintulutan na ang pagtatanghal kay Beato Pedro Calungsod bilang ganap na santo kasama ang anim pang iba. Ang atas na ito ang nagtatapos sa mga kinakailangan para sa isang kanonisasyon. 


Noong ika-18 ng Pebrero 2012, ipinahayag ni Papa Benito XVI na sa darating na ika-21 ng Oktubre 2012. na ang petsa ng kanyang kanonisasyon.

Panalangin para sa Kanonisasyon ni Beato Pedro Calungsod

O Diyos, sa pamamagitan ng Mahal na Birheng Maria, magiliw po ninyong ipagkaloob ang pagtatanghal bilang isang ganap na santo kay Beato Pedro Calungsod, kung ito ay sa lalong ikapupuri ng Inyong Ngalan at para sa kapakanan ng mga kaluluwa. Amen.

Ama Namin... Aba Ginoong Maria... Luwalhati.

o-o-O-o-o

O Dios, pinaagi sa pangama sa Mahal nga Birhen Maria, mapuangurong itugot ang Kanonisasyon ni Beato Pedro Calungsod, kung ugaling kini alang sa labaw'ng kahimayaan sa Imong Ngalan ug alang sa kaayohan sa among mga kalag. AMEN.

Amahan Namo.... Maghimaya ka Maria... Himaya sa Amahan....

Pangwakas

Kahit na hindi pa opisyal na itinatanghal si Beato Pedro Calungsod bilang isang ganap na santo, alam nating siya ay nasa walang hanggang kaharian na ng Diyos sa langit.  Ito ay higit sa sapat na dahilan upang atin siyang gawing huwaran. Tulad ni Beato Pedro Calungsod, nawa’y manatili tayong matatag sa pananampalataya, maalab sa pag-asa at  walang pag-iimbot sa pagmamahal. 

Habang nag-aantabay tayo sa landas patungo sa kanyang ganap na pagiging santo, umaasa ang Arsobispo ng Cebu, lubhang kagalang-galang Jose Palma na ang Mabuting Balita ang magbibigay lakas sa mga tao na mamuhay sa kabanalan: “Nawa’y magkaroon ng kamalayan ang mga tao sa pagtawag sa mga mananampalatayang layko sa kabanalan... Lahat tayo ay tinatawag sa buhay kasama ng Diyos at sa buhay ng misyon.”

Si Beato Pedro ay malapit nang maging santo at matatawag na natin siyang San Pedro Calungsod. Ito ang hangarin natin dahil lahat tayo ay tinatawag din upang maging santo.

San Pedro Calungsod, ipanalangin mo kami!

Sources:

http://pedrocalungsod.page.tl/Biography.htm

Augusto V. de Vian, “The Pampangos in the Mariana Mission 1668-1684” in Micronesian, Journal of the Humanities and Social Science, dry season issue, June 2005, vol. 4, no.1.

Emy Loriega, “Blessed Pedro Calungsod”, in The Pacific Voice

Homily of Pope John Paul II, Beatification of 44 Servants of God, Sunday, 5 March 2000

Jessica Ann R. Pareja, The Freeman, December 21, 2011

Louie Jon A. Sanchez, The Varsitarian, October 20, 1999, Vol. LXXI No. 6

The Archdiocese of Manila , Pedro Calungsod, Young Visayan Proto-Martyr, Manila, 2000.

The Hagiography Circle: 1672, No. 2: "Pedro Calungsod". Cite: born: ca. 1654 in Ginatilan, Cebu, Philippines.