Special feature: Images of Blessed Pedro

CEBU, Philippines - This is Blessed Pedro Calungsod. He has distinct Filipino features – brown skin, black hair.

He is wearing a white long-sleeved shirt, black pants and a pair of sandals. He is holding the Doctrina Christiana, a book on catechism, and a palm, a symbol of martyrdom. He is portrayed to be on the move, being a missionary.

A sculptor from Paete in Laguna was commissioned to create the official statue of the soon-to-be saint, which will be brought to Rome for the canonization rites on October 21. Archbishop Emeritus Ricardo Cardinal Vidal approved the statue as the perfect representation of the young martyr, a 17-year-old Bisaya.

As the October 21 canonization nears, Blessed Pedro’s popularity has also increased. One manifestation are the many memorabilia now being sold in stores selling religious items.

Estampitas (a small religious picture that comes with a prayer and biography), keyholders, cellphone accessories, necklaces, comics, books, pins, t-shirts, fans, table frames, and statues made of ceramic, fiberglass and brass are available in different religious shops for devotees.

The Blessed Pedro Cathedral Shoppe at the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral, run by the Society of the Angel of Peace, Inc. (SAP), is one of the distribution centers where one could find such Pedro Calungsod memorabilia.

Among the items sold there are key chains (P47), keyholders with rosary and necklaces (P125), pins (P50), and t-shirts in different sizes and colors (P270 to P320).

Literature on Pedro Calungsod are also sold at the shop. There is also the Word of Life Publications comics entitled “Pedro Calungsod, A Youth for Christ” (P45) and the “Pedro Calonsor Bisaya, Prospects of a Teenage Filipino” written by Msgr. Ildebrando Leyson of the Commission on Blessed Pedro Calungsod (P500).

Sister Mary Gerard, SAP told The FREEMAN that the P10-estampitas are their bestsellers. Sales of these items range from 15 to 20 pieces daily since the date of Blessed Pedro’s canonization was announced. Most of the buyers of the prayer leaflets, she added, are local devotees and those who are going to Rome to attend the canonization. T-shirts and novena prayer booklets are also popular items that pilgrims buy in bulk to be brought to Rome.

Statues of Calungsod are also available. Ceramic statues standing at 11 inches cost P650 while statues made of fiberglass with or without a book clipped under his arm are sold at P750.

The official icon of Calungsod (one that has the Doctrina Christiana), made of fiberglass, measuring almost 4 inches costs P850 while a brass statue costs P875. There are also life-size statues that range from P1,700 to P20, 000.

Sister Mary Gerard said the Blessed Pedro Shoppe sold t-shirts, statues and estampitas since the beatification of Calungsod and has added more items to its product line now that the canonization is in the offing. 

Catholic Trade Cebu, Inc. located along P. Del Rosario and Pelaez streets, is another source for Calungsod items. The items sold here are, however, priced differently from the Blessed Pedro Shoppe. The comics version of the Catechist life of Pedro Calungsod, for example, is sold at P35 while the post beatification edition of the Pedro Calonsor Bisaya book is sold at P364. Ceramic frames of Calungsod are priced at P525, the 3-inch brass statue at P850 and the frequently sold-out estampita at P7.

Statues that are made of fiberglass are available at P22, 500 for the 3-feet official icon, P4, 500 for the 2-feet official and beatified images and P650 to P750 for the 11-inch statues.

Nena Camaymayan of the Catholic Trade said the shops gets these items from local and Manila suppliers on consignment basis. Their customers are mostly lay ministers, nuns, those who are traveling to Rome, those who will join the Thanksgiving Mass on November 30 here in Cebu and devotees of the soon-to-be saint.

The Archdiocesan Book Center – Cebu at the Santo Niño de Cebu Building along P. Burgos Streets also among the supply centers for various Calungsod items.

Statues made of fiberglass are sold at P500 and P780 for the 12-inch beatified and official icons, respectively; P3,000 for the 2-feet beatified image and P18,000 for the 3-feet official icon statue. There are also brass statues available at P645 that measures 4 to 5 inches, table stones at P125 and table frames at P350. The shop also sells t-shirts for kids at P95 and for adults at P150 to P170 depending on the size of the shirt.

The shop has foldable fans at P20, necklace at P55, cellphone accessories at P20, keyholders at P30, P35 and P75.

It sells books and pamphlets such as the “Pedro Calungsod, Patron for the Filipino Youth” at P125 and the “Pedro Calonsor Bisaya, Prospects of a Teenage Filipino” at P325, “Katesismo” pamphlet at P50 and the Word of Life Publication English version comics at P30.

Susan Manda of the Archdiocesan Book Center said that a Visayan version of the comics and other new items such as estampitas and prayer books are expected to be available before the canonization.

She added that after the beatification and the announcement of canonization, the shop experienced a growth of demand from Calungsod devotees, tourists, church and chapel members and Filipinos nationwide.

The Catholics’ use of images and other religious items in the practice of their faith has long been criticized by other religious denominations. But www.catholic.com explains that “Catholics use statues, paintings, and other artistic devices to recall the person or thing depicted. Just as it helps to remember one’s mother by looking at her photograph, so it helps to recall the example of the saints by looking at pictures of them. Catholics also use statues as teaching tools.”

Manda, a Calungsod devotee herself, said that beyond these religious items being sold and distributed as representation of the young Visayan martyr, the truest essence lies in the devotion of the Cebuanos and Filipinos to the soon-to-be saint.

“We actually need it as a representation. It would not matter what’s the color of the pants, what it is made of and how it is made. You cannot perfectly imitate the real person so we should not be limited to the physical attributes. Instead, we should go beyond what is seen. Faith goes beyond that,” she concluded. — /QSB (FREEMAN)