Birth Centennial of first Filipino cardinal celebrated tomorrow

MANILA, Philippines – The centennial celebration of the birth of Rufino Cardinal Santos, the first Filipino cardinal and 29th archbishop of Manila, will be held in his hometown of Guagua in Pampanga tomorrow, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) said yesterday.

President Arroyo will lead fellow Kapampangans in the celebration by unveiling a historical marker donated by the Holy Angel University (HAU) and a six-foot statue of Cardinal Santos sculpted by Kapampangan artist Edillardo Paras.

Dr. Arlyn Sicangco-Villanueva, HAU president, will join the President in the unveiling ceremony.

A report posted on the CBCP website said Manila Archbishop Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales will be the main celebrant at a Mass to be held at the Immaculate Conception Parish Church at 10 a.m.

Cardinal’s red hat

Santos was the first Filipino to become a prince of the Church. Pope John XXIII gave him the red hat of the cardinal during a public consistory on March 31, 1960, the CBCP said.

Santos was installed as archbishop of Manila on March 25, 1953. He was only 45 years old then. He served for two decades until his death in 1973 at age 65.

On the 35th anniversary of Santos’ death this Sept. 3, Rosales will celebrate Mass at the Manila Cathedral at 8 a.m.

The sixth of nine children of Gaudencio Santos and Rosalia Jiao, Cardinal Santos was born in Barrio Santo Niño, Guagua town. He entered San Carlos Seminary on July 25, 1921.

Santos pursued higher priestly studies at the Pontificia Universita Gregoriana and obtained a Baccalaureate in Canon Law in 1929 and a Doctorate in Sacred Theology in July 1931.

He was ordained priest on Oct. 25, 1931 and served as assistant parish priest in Imus, Cavite and then as parish priest in Marilao, Bulacan.

During World War II, he was arrested and sentenced to die by firing squad, but was rescued by Liberation forces on the eve of his execution.

During his work as a priest and before being ordained as a bishop, Santos worked closely with Archbishop Michael O’Doherty and Archbishop Gabriel Reyes, his immediate predecessor. His intelligence and capability were widely acknowledged.

He is credited for having defended the Church against modernism and radicalism in the 1950s and 1960s and for establishing the Catholic Charities, now called Caritas Manila, and Radio Veritas.

He supervised the implementation of the Second Vatican Council reforms in Manila and the first papal visit to the Philippines.

As archbishop of Manila, he undertook the rebuilding of the Manila Cathedral which was razed during the American bombardment of Intramuros.

He was also responsible for the building of several important structures in the archdiocese, among them Our Lady of Guadalupe Minor Seminary on EDSA, Makati City, the Pius XII Catholic Center in Paco, Villa San Miguel in Mandaluyong, and St. Paul’s Hospital, now known as the Cardinal Santos Medical Center. – With Ding Cervantes