‘Pedrito’ in Rome, too

MANILA, Philippines - The National Commission for the Canonization of Blessed Pedro Calungsod (NCCBPC) came up with a 15-inch doll called “Pedrito, the “lakwatserong misyonero,” that went to Rome to meet pilgrims and have his pictures taken with them.

Aside from the bishops and laity, Pedrito will witness the canonization of Pedro Calungsod, the second Filipino saint, today.

CBCPNews, the official news service provider of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), said Pedrito has already visited the Basilica Sant Agostino during the first of the Triduum Masses offered for Calungsod’s canonization.

Pedrito, a miniature version of Calungsod in white camisa de chino, short brown pants, and black sandals, is a project of the new media committee under the NCCBPC.

He carries a “missionary” sling bag and to give him a more techie look, they added a small version of an iPad that supposedly contains the Doctrina Christiana. A palm leaf is also visible on his chest.

The makers of Pedrito said the doll personifies a missionary youth or the “lakwatserong misyonero” with an “on-the-go attitude” to talk to people about their lives and stories, specifically during the pilgrimage before the Oct. 21 canonization.

Part of its job is to make “interviews,” with the help of a human assistant, and to tell the stories of pilgrims and share updates on the canonization.

Upon meeting Pedrito the doll, Emeritus Manila Archbishop Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales remarked that he was a good medium for the new evangelization.

Pedrito made his first appearance at the Fumicino airport in Rome and “interviewed” Willy Layug, an ecclesiastical artist from Betis, Pampanga, who is currently working on a bas relief of the young martyr at the Pontificio Collegio Filipino.

New Media Committee head Eilleen Esteban explained how Pedrito is meant to adapt the very Filipino culture of being fond of picture-taking.

Pedrito would be meeting pilgrims and have his picture taken with them. These photographs would be posted on social media as part of the geo-tagging tracking on him. The “mini Pedro” has been going around Rome in Italian metro trains and buses.

Meeting Pedrito for the first time yesterday afternoon, NCCBPC chairman and Emeritus Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal blessed the doll which after visiting Rome, would be returning to the Philippines for the “Duaw Nasud” and the visit of the new saint’s image to several dioceses in the country.

Meanwhile, parents whose babies are born today may name the child after the Blessed Pedro Calungsod.

Fr. Conegundo Garganta, executive secretary of the CBCP’s Episcopal Commission on Youth, said yesterday that since Calungsod would be proclaimed today as the second Filipino saint, Catholics could commemorate his canonization by naming newborn babies “Pedro.”

“They (parents) can do that especially if the birth of their child happens to fall on the day of the canonization (today) or it can also be the couple’s way of thanking the saint for answering their prayer,” Garganta said.

Garganta, himself named after St. Kunegunda of Hungary, however, admitted that Filipino families seldom observe the tradition of naming their children after saints. Nowadays, parents prefer to name their babies after famous people.

“The Church’s influence on the people before was strong especially in naming children. But when we became more Western in our ways and practices, people started naming children after popular personalities,” he said.

The CBCP official added that there are also instances when parents would give their child a saint’s name, but with slight variation. Such was the case when the first Filipino saint Lorenzo Ruiz was canonized in 1987.

“There was not much following on the use of the name (Lorenzo) for newborns baptized during that time... Maybe because instead of using Lorenzo they opted for a foreign sounding name like Laurence or Lawrence,” he said.

But more than just naming children after Pedro Calungsod or any other saint, Garganta reminded parents of the importance of helping their child grow in the faith.

“More than using the name of Pedro Calungsod, I would prefer that parents know their responsibility to their children that as witnesses to the Christian faith they should help them grow in the faith,”