A Saint among us

CEBU, Philippines - Cebuanos can proudly claim that a saint once walked among them. Cebu was one of the places visited by Pope John Paul II, whom Pope Francis will canonize today as a saint along with Pope John XXIII.

As documented by The FREEMAN in its Feb. 19, 1981 issue, Pope John Paul II arrived at the Mactan International Airport at 11 a.m. The day before, he was in Manila to beatify then Blessed Lorenzo Ruiz, who became later on the first Filipino saint.

Pope John Paul II was welcomed by then Julio Cardinal Rosales and church and government officials. A papal motorcade, where Pope John Paul II rode an open “Pope-mobile,” a vehicle specifically made for the visit, was held while a fluvial parade was also made at the Mactan Channel, particularly under the Mactan-Mandaue Bridge.

From the airport, Pope John Paul II went to the Sacred Heart School for Boys (now the Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu) in Cebu City and spoke to around 1,000 Archdiocese of Cebu clergy, nuns, religious, and seminarians.

He then went to the Archbishop’s Residence, had lunch, and then joined a parade along Jones Ave. (now part of Osmeña Blvd., starting from the Fuente Osmeña rotunda to downtown) that stopped at the Basilica del Sto. Niño before proceeding to the “templete” at the old Lahug Airport (now the Asiatown IT Park).

More than one million people gathered in the 45,000-hectare site to hear the pope’s mass, where he spoke on the sanctity of human life. According to the same The FREEMAN report, 10,000 policemen were deployed to ensure the safety of the pope.

After the mass, Pope John Paul II went back to the Archbishop’s Residence, where he slept before leaving at 7 a.m. for Davao, his third stop in his six-day visit to the country.  Summed up, his Cebu took 21 hours.

Over three decades later, or 33 years after, the holiness and charisma of Pope John Paul II remained fresh in the hearts of the Cebuanos. Just like any other pope, Pope John Paul II had the whole humanity‘s welfare in his heart.

The Cebu Cathedral Museum, together with the University of San Carlos, has relived the Pontiff’s Cebu visit with a month-long special exhibit, dubbed “A Saint Among Us.” 

The Cathedral Museum is a repository of ecclesiastical treasures of the Archdiocese. It keeps old artifacts that are mostly used in the practice of the Catholic faith for years.

The “Saint Among Us” exhibit officially opened yesterday in honor of Pope John Paul II.  Its main attraction is the Papal chair Pope John Paul II used when celebrated mass at the Lahug Airport.

The wooden ceremonial chair was made by A.G. Adriano Furniture, the oldest furniture maker in Manila.

Ricardo Adriano, eldest of the Adriano children, personally designed the Papal chair that he made from narra, a hardwood declared as the Philippine’s official tree.

The chair’s upholstery, which was made with gold leaf designs, was colored white, which is the papal color. The chair’s backseat was upright, with the arm rests made functionally low to support the pope’s arms.

The backseat had the Papal seal carved on top. Beneath the emblem were the Philippine flag and map. Underneath them was a mini-mural of the three places Pope John Paul II visited, scenes symbolizing Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.

The mini-mural included rice terraces and tinikling dancers that represented Luzon, Ferdinand Magellan planting the cross on Cebu’s shores to stand for Visayas, and singkil dancers and a vinta to symbolize Mindanao.

Louella Alix, Cebu Cathedral Museum curator, said the Papal chair could be considered as a first-class relic since the sweat of Pope John Paul II remains on it.

“It has never been cleaned since he last sat on it. Gisandigan ug gihikapan ni niya kaniadto. Nasingtan na niya katong nainitan siya didto sa (He sat back and touched this chair. His dried up sweat would still be there after he got exposed to the sun at the) templete. This chair says it all,” she said.

The exhibit also features the white chasuble or liturgical vestment that Pope John Paul II wore during a Mass he celebrated at the Manila Cathedral before he visited Cebu.

Commemorative medals, newspaper clippings about Pope John Paul II, and photos during his visit to Cebu are also on display at the museum.

Alix said that the exhibit should remind the public that the pope, who will now be a saint, has visited Cebu and touched the lives of the Cebuanos.

“It was a big privilege not given to all nations. We are indeed blessed,” she said.

She said the charismatic pope was loved by many, especially the Filipinos. She recalled that when she saw the pope in his motorcade in Manila, she truly felt that a holy man indeed passed by.

She described Pope John Paul II as having a gentle face, with that serene look and always big smile that he is known for. 

Alix said that the Pope showed the people how to be a good Christian and how to live a life like Christ’s. — /RHM (FREEMAN)