Gratis et amore — Giving back by giving thanks

Many people are quite familiar with the title of this piece and can easily identify with it, given the personal meanings it may have in their own lives. And that is the reason why I chose the phrase as title for this small account I wish to share with people. I want to be part of that vast throng of humanity who have so much to thank God for, especially for a life well lived.

My life was by no means easy and breezy. I too had my own share of great challenges. Reviving in 1965 The Freeman, a newspaper founded by my late uncle Paulino Gullas in 1919, was particularly difficult. Reviving the UV Chorale founded by my mother, Inday Pining Rivera Gullas, also required much dedication and patience.

Then there were the personal medical concerns I encountered. Recently too I suffered the painful and terrible loss of my 13-year-old grandson who I dearly loved to a tragic accident. But in all of these challenges, I have never wavered in my belief that God, through honest prayer, will always be there to help, even in the most seemingly impossible situations.

This brings to mind the great challenge I faced in sending the UV Chorale to Europe, not only as part of their personal and professional development, but more importantly as my own humble contribution to the great celebration that was the canonization of the second Filipino and first Cebuano Saint- San Pedro Calungsod.

The very first time I learned that the then Blessed Pedro Calungsod was among those to be elevated to sainthood in Rome on October 21 was when my wife Nena and I were hearing mass at, of all places the Blessed Pedro Calungsod Shrine inside the Cebu Archbishop’s Palace grounds. I interpreted the coincidence as a subtle calling for my involvement.

Indeed, Msgr. Ildebrando Leyson, who was deeply involved in the canonization efforts for the then Blessed Pedro, soon informed Nena and me that it would be great if we can arrange for the UV Chorale to be in Rome in time for the canonization. If that happens, he said he is sure he can arrange for the choir to sing in one of the Triduum Masses leading to the canonization itself. Moreover, Msgr. Ilde said he can arrange for the choir to perform at a luncheon for dignitaries on the day of the canonization.

Nena and I thought of the proposal when we got home. Clearly this was going to be a great challenge for us. Thoughts of where to source the money needed to send a 32-member choir to Europe felt like wet blankets draped over our shoulders. The task was simply very daunting. But then the words of my late father, Don Vicente Gullas came back to me: “The most painful words in the English language are ‘it might have been’.”

In short, while the challenge did indeed seem insurmountable, I nevertheless could not imagine myself having to live the remainder of my life regretting over “what might have been”. On the other hand, if Dodong can raise the needed amount and send the group to Rome, that would be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for the UV Chorale-to perform in connection with the making of the first Cebuano saint. More importantly, they will be bringing the voice of the Cebuanos and the entire Filipino nation to a very significant global religious event. Thus Nena and I had to say yes to the challenge.

Later I was invited by Msgr. Roberto Alesna, the parish priest of the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral and one of the leading Church officials trying to put things together for the canonization, to join a special finance committee tasked to raise the funds for such a huge celebration.

So, aside from raising funds for the UV Chorale, here I was, called to duty to perform a similar task but for an entirely different purpose — for the Pedro Calungsod canonization itself. Clearly it seemed my hands were full. But when I remembered Cardinal Ricardo Vidal saying that Blessed Pedro was among more than 400 nominees, I realized how difficult it must have been for him to make it through such a huge number of who I believe were equally capable of candidates for sainthood.

That Pedro made it out of many led Nena and me to decide, yet again, to lend our efforts to such a worthy endeavor. Yet believe it or not, that despite these two huge burdens resting squarely on my shoulders, I had really no one to count on for help and guidance other than the Holy Spirit.

I just could not let both the choir and the Cebuanos down. The UV Chorale already had a wealth of international experience, bringing home top honors in their first ever foray into international competition in Busan, South Korea, as well as in Tomohon, Indonesia. They also got invited to the World Youth Day in Sydney, Australia in 2008 and got to perform before bishops and members of the College of Cardinals. So stirring was their performance that they got an invitation by no less than the Cardinal of Vienna that if they find themselves in Austria, he will see to it that they get to perform side by side with the world famous Vienna Boys Choir. Clearly a performance in Rome for the canonization of the then Blessed Pedro Calungsod would be a fitting addition to the evolving story of the UV Chorale.

With this in mind, Nena and I started the ball rolling. And to do that, what could be more appropriate than to give meaning to the saying “charity begins at home”. And so we let the choir serenade the entire UV community in a kick-off fund-raiser.

Nena and myself decided to pass up the chance to be at the canonization rites, correctly deciding that it was far more important for the UV Chorale to represent Cebu and the Cebuanos in spirit and in song on behalf of those who could not be physically there. Had Nena and I gone there instead, we would just be two people in their private capacities witnessing the grand event. But having the UV Chorale there, singing for a saint on behalf of an entire nation-that was simply priceless.

That behind me, I can now say that despite the difficult challenges that came my way, I still can consider myself to be, in all honesty, very very lucky. And to be around at a time when a saint from among our midst was made is, to me, the best bonus that God could have given this, his humble servant.

It is for this reason that Nena and I have set a by invitation get-together dinner reception for the UV Chorale, with them performing of course, in the bosom of close friends and family, and those who made all of this possible. Like the title of this piece, I call the miniconcert and reception “Gratis et Amore, giving Thanks by Giving Back”.

So, to those who touched my life in one way or another and made me a better person in the eyes of God and my fellow men — daghan kaayong salamat ug maayong pasko.