At
Large
By Rina
Jimenez-David
It’s
only fitting that the life and martyrdom of San Pedro Calungsod, who
was canonized at the Vatican last Sunday, should be popularized in a
“rap” number by performers clad in casual jeans and tees, wearing
dark shades and “gangsta” bling-bling.
Some
conservative members of the Catholic Church may have frowned on the
performers’ get-ups, not to mention their attempt at popularizing
the nation’s newest saint through a medium that’s been known to
promote gang culture and demeaning images of women. But if the goal
was to reach young people and, more important, get them to pay
attention, then rap was indeed the ideal medium.
They
were, after all, talking about a teenage saint, one who left family
and all that was familiar to go on an adventure, travelling by ship
to an alien land, there to teach catechism and assist Spanish Jesuits
in converting the natives to Christianity.
Young
people today would certainly identify with Calungsod’s sense of
adventure and daring, his willingness to abandon what’s now known
as his “comfort zone” to explore life outside the country. Just
like thousands of today’s young Filipinos who—with the world of
employment at their fingertips, thanks to the Internet—have no
qualms about seeking work abroad, wherever that may be, in a search
for better wages, fulfilling jobs and the challenge to prove
themselves “world class.”
Maybe
that’s why some folk have proposed that San Pedro be promoted not
just as the “Patron Saint of the Youth,” but also as the “Patron
Saint of OFWs,” or overseas Filipino workers, the politically
correct and inclusive term promoted by former President Fidel V.
Ramos.
No
one knows precisely what drove San Pedro to join his Jesuit mentors
on their mission. Was his decision to confront the angry Chamorro
chieftain and shield a Spanish missionary borne out of heroism and
faith, or just the instinct of a young person protecting an older,
respected figure? The only thing we know for sure is that his death
lent an extraordinary dimension to his adventure, elevating it to one
wrapped in legend and sanctity.
*
* *
Also
truly apt was the presence of many migrant Filipinos at the rites
marking San Pedro Calungsod’s canonization. They are indeed real
heirs to the Filipino wayfarer tradition of which the new saint is a
vital part. Our migrant history began, so we are told by historians,
even before the arrival of Spanish conquistadors on our shores, with
groups of Filipinos reaching as far as South America in their great
boats known as “balanghai.”
For
decades now, Filipino migrants have also acted as modern-day
missionaries, reviving Catholic traditions even in Europe, where the
great cathedrals and churches used to stand empty, serving mainly as
tourist attractions. That is, until the arrival of Filipinos in great
numbers, providing parishes not just with their numbers but also with
their spirit of community and camaraderie, building up communities of
believers.
In
Europe and the United States, I am told, parishes have begun holding
“Misa de Gallo” or dawn Masses during the Christmas season at the
behest of their Filipino parishioners. This brings a tradition, begun
by Spanish missionaries to accommodate early-rising Filipino farmers,
full circle back to the “Old World,” re-evangelizing among waning
Catholic populations.
*
* *
It
has also been said that Filipino nannies and domestics, particularly
in the Middle East, have been doing their own share to “evangelize”
a new generation among the Muslim population.
Some
nannies have been known to teach their Muslim wards to say the Rosary
or even learn Catholic prayers. While others are content to simply
teach, by their presence and example, what the Church describes as
“witnessing” to the faith, not needing to preach or proselytize
but setting an example of Christian life by doing, being and
accepting.
So
we can see that the work of evangelization continues even long after
the age of colonization, with Filipinos called to be missionaries
even if their motive for moving abroad has been economic, and while
working as domestics, nurses, doctors, construction workers, teachers
or executives.
Not
all of them will have rap songs prepared in their honor, or have
documentation of their good deeds, or perhaps miraculous
accomplishments. Perhaps in this age of cyber-communications and
social media, there’s no longer any need for saints or martyrs. But
we are all called to sanctity, whatever form that may take, and
thinking about the sainthood of a young catechist who chose to hitch
his fortune with that of his Jesuit mentors could give us an idea of
what makes a saint, and what sainthood means in the here and now.
*
* *
San
Pedro Calungsod was one of seven saints proclaimed at Sunday’s
rites in the Vatican. One of San Pedro’s more remarkable companions
in sainthood was Kateri Tekakwitha, the first Native American saint
who lived in an area that straddles northern United States and
Canada.
Known
as the “Lily of the Mohawks,” St. Kateri was about the age of San
Pedro Calungsod, dying at the age of 24 after fleeing her settlement
due to the hostility of her Mohawk tribal folk to her Catholic faith
and her work with missionaries.
“This
is validation for the Mohawk people and native people in general that
one of ours is now counted among the saints,” Joe Delaronde, an
organizer of events surrounding the sainthood of St. Kateri, was
quoted by the Winnipeg Free Press. “For us, she’s always been
kind of a patron saint anyway,” he added. “When you had trouble,
you were always encouraged to pray to Kateri and that is something
that has gone on throughout my entire life.”
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