Filipinos Excitement Looms on Pedro Calunsod’s Canonization

October 18, 2012 · Posted in Philippine Religious Symbols

This coming Sunday (October 21, 2012) would be very significant to thousands of Filipinos and the Roman Catholics in general. It is scheduled date for the Canonization or Sainthood of Blessed Pedro Calungsod and that, he will then become the 2nd Filipino Saint next to Lorenzo Ruiz de Manila that Filipinos have proud of.

All necessary preparations for Sunday’s big ceremony have already been set and we are now ready to go, said Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma.

He (Palma) urges all parishes to join the grand procession that will happen before the national thanksgiving mass on Nov. 30, 2012 which will be held at Cebu’s South Roads Properties (SRP).

Meanwhile, there were at least 20,000 people who gathered on the streets of Cebu City waving some palm leaves, flaglets, and images of Blessed Pedro Calungsod to glimpse his glass-encased statue during last Tuesday’s motorcade with over 100 convoyed vehicles. The route was from Cebu Metrpolitan Cathedral in Cebu City to Mandaue City and then to Lapu-lapu City.

With only few days are left before the actual sainthood of Blessed Pedro Calungsod de Cebu, an approximately 5,000 Filipinos are flying to Rome, Italy in witnessing the canonization of soon to be the second Filipino Saint which will be led by Pope Benedict XVI together with the Roman Catholic Archbishops and Priests all around the world. These include 30 cardinals and bishops from the Philippines.

Two of Pedro Calungsod’s pilgrimages will be brought by Manila delegates to Rome, one will be given to Pope Benedict XVI and the other one goes to the school of Filipino priests in Rome called the Pontificio Collegio Filippino.

The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) confirms some Philippines politicians are attending the canonization of Pedro Calungsod with few to mentions the Vice-President Jejomar Binay and Sen. Jinggoy Estrada. We also expect thousands more Filipinos living in the US and other countries are joining this historic event too.

Life of Pedro Calungsod

A young Roman Catholic Filipino migrant and sacristan with a missionary catechism was born in 1654 and died the 2nd day of April in 1672 by suffering life and death on religious persecution and martyrdom at Guam.

Based on the historical records, there was no enough information given about Pedro Calunsod’s place of origin in the Philippines. It was only stated that he came from the Visayas area of the Philippines. Visayan regions like Hinunangan and Hinundayan in Southern Leyte, Molo district of Ilo-ilo and Loboc in Bohol have also claimed on Pedro Calunsod’s origin. But majority of the historians believed that Pedro Calungsod was a native and came from Ginatilan Cebu, Philippines.