Against All odds

CEBU, Philippines - I am writing this article on board a Cathay Pacific flight from Cebu to Hong Kong, en route to Rome for the canonization of the second Filipino saint, San Pedro Calungsod. I am on my way, against all odds. I am not supposed to be on board this flight.

My usual answer to queries about whether I was going to attend the canonization of Dodong Pedro had been: “I really would like to but I guess Blessed Pedro would also be happy that I use my limited resources to reach out to poor young men and women.” There was no hidden agenda in this, just a simple statement of facts.

Then it happened. While waiting for my flight inside the PAL lounge in Cebu last August 17, I met two elderly women, one of whom is a friend of my mother, Elena. They were attending the Circus du Soleil in Manila. After some brief pleasantries, we parted ways. Upon reaching Manila, I proceeded to St. Peter’s parish in Commonwealth Ave. to prepare for a dawn trip to La Union for some talks on good governance with Atty. Alex Lacson and Monsignor Tony Labiao.

The date for the gathering turned out to be a fateful one. Heading for supper with Fr. Leo Nedic and his team, I received a text from Monsignor Labiao informing me of the missing plane of Sec. Jess Robredo. He had died while we were wrapping up our day-long seminar on good governance.

Upon my return to Cebu two days later, my paths again crossed unexpectedly with the same two ladies on the PAL lounge in Manila. “Are you attending the canonization, Father?” one of them asked me. I responded with my standard reply. “You should go. I will get you a ticket,” she answered.

So here I am on my way to the Eternal City with 40 of the 5,000 expected Filipino pilgrims.

* * *

One can only imagine what must have gone through the mind of young Pedro Calungsod as he boarded the ship that would take him and Padre Diego De San Vitores to an island known today as Guam. Today’s youth would probably say, “Mom, Dad, I will Skype you upon my arrival” or “Will connect with you through FB.” How about, “See you next year when I visit you during our vacation” knowing how air and sea transportation have revolutionized travelling?

But Dodong Pedro had none of these conveniences. When he said goodbye, it had the ring of utter finality. It was against all odds that he would see his family again. This 17-year-old teenage catechist-martyr was indeed bold and brave. He had deep faith and is a model of the virtue of fortitude. How he weighed his options about joining the team of Padre Diego was an exercise in prudence while only a teenager with temperance could have survived the lonely nights of Guam.

We really do not know much about this lad from the Visayas. As far as I could tell, there is no recorded dialogue attributed to him. He plays second fiddle to the missionary-priest. Pedro is a silent worker.

It was by divine design that Ricardo J. Cardinal Vidal first got to know about Pedro Calungsod through the erstwhile Archbishop of Guam sometime in 1985. “Attend the beatification of Padre Diego De San Vitores in Rome and I will share with you a book that mentions a lad-companion of the martyred priest who was himself martyred,” came the invitation. He attended and in addition got the book. This was the start of the process leading to the beatification in 2000 and canonization in 2012. If one considers the formation of the Archdiocesan team for Calungsod’s cause in 1994, this is a mere 18 years.

Against all odds, Pedro makes it.

* * *

After some awkward beginnings in promoting Pedro Calungsod’s cause – after all it is not every day that a local church promotes someone for beatification - Cardinal Vidal finally made some headway with the appointment of Fr. Ilde Leyson in 1996. But the odds were stacked up against Pedro with more than 3,000 other candidates for beatification. Nevertheless, Pedro unexpectedly made it in 2000.

Pedro’s recent canonization comes 12 years later. This time more than 400 causes were on the line, some already on the list for 25 years or more. Cardinal Vidal was ready to wait for some more time when a fellow Cardinal informed him that Benedict XVI was looking for a youth who is a catechist to be a model for the year of faith that began in 11 October, the 50th anniversary of the start of the very historic Vatican II.

With a healing miracle attributed to the intercession of San Pedro Calungsod and the martyred lad fitting the attributes Benedict XVI was looking for, Pedro’s canonization was in itself a miracle of sorts.

“Magaling sa timing si San Pedro,” says Cardinal Vidal with an impish smile.

* * *

San Pedro Calungsod’s timing and “fast-tracking” deserves a closer look. His inspiration had led to the formation in 1995 of the Pundok ni Pedro Calungsod and the celebration of the Sinulog in Rome. A copy of a Cebuano Catholic Study Bible – starting with the four gospels – will be given by Cardinal Vidal to Benedict XVI as a tangible gift of faith. The initial phase of the project – also

against all odds - is a 12-year effort by Cebuano-speaking exegetes translating directly from the Greek into Cebuano.

While these efforts have a regional dimension that contributes to the rich tapestry of the Filipino Christian faith, San Pedro also speaks to our dream of a better nation. Like him, our desire for development can be fast tracked only when we get our acts together to change ourselves and the Philippines one step at a time – starting with replacing the cycle of vice and egotism with that of virtue. By committing to live virtuous lives, we shall have begun the cycle of Christian solidarity and development.

And with God we shall prevail – against all odds. Viva, San Pedro Calungsod! (FREEMAN)