0 A Chapel for San Pedro Calungsod

Since it opened last May, SM Aura Premier has been synonymous with luxury and global brands. Yet it still believes in enriching the community’s spiritual needs with the recent launching of the San Pedro Calungsod Chapel at the mall’s top level.

Surrounded by the Skypark with its lush greens and water features, the Chapel is the perfect place to stop, rest, and reflect. It is named in honor of San Pedro Calungsod, the first Visayan saint, who is considered a role model for the youth. Martyred in Guam for his missionary work in 1672, he was beatified by Blessed Pope John Paul II on March 5, 2000 and canonized by Pope Benedict XVI at Saint Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican City on October 21, 2012.

Located at the mall’s top level, it gives worshippers a top of the world, closer-to-God feeling with its unorthodox yet highly aesthetic and tubular design. Shaped like an abstract cave, it has a semi-circular opening that evokes images of the cave of the Resurrection. Gracefully designed ribs lead to the backlit altar-front, inviting the faithful inside for reflection and prayer. The wood and marble finishes give the Chapel a simple natural feel. It also has 12 stations of the Cross, a statue of San Pedro Calungsod and the Virgin Mary.

The Chapel of San Pedro Calungsod’s dedication ceremony began with the unveiling of the marker took place, by   SM chairman Henry Sy Sr., Mrs. Felicidad T. Sy and their family with Taguig City Mayor Lani Cayetano. Bishop Mylo Hubert Vergara, Dd. led the dedication ceremony and concelebrated Mass with members of the Sy family and their guests. The bishop later presided the chapel’s ceremonial turn over to its chaplain Fr.  Romy Samaniego.

Capping the event was a MOA signing by SM Prime Holdings president Hans T. Sy and SM Hotels and Convention Corporations President Elizabeth T. Sy with Rev. Father Mariano Baranda, Chancellor of the Diocese of Pasig.

Quietly elegant, the Chapel of San Pedro Calungsod can seat almost 300 people. Masses schedule are Mondays to Saturdays 12 noon and 5 p.m. and on Sundays, 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. .

The Chapel of San Pedro Calungsod is located at the 7th level of SM Aura Premier, 26th Street Corner McKinley Parkway in Taguig City.

0 Pedro image to tour Cebu, Leyte parishes

To celebrate the first year since Pedro Calungsod became a saint, the Archdiocese of Cebu plans to bring his image to different parishes in Cebu and in Naval, Leyte starting tomorrow.

After a 10 a.m. mass at the St. Pedro Calungsod Parish in the South Road Properties today, the image of the young Cebuano saint will start its “Duaw Lungsod 2013” leg at the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral, then would proceed to the Sto. Tomas Villanueva Parish in Danao City tomorrow.

The mass at the chapel will be celebrated by Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma and would serve as formal kick-off for the Duaw Lungsod.

The Duaw Lungsod starts today until Nov. 30, said Margarita Matheu, a member of the Archdiocese’s Secretariat.

From Danao City, the Cebuano saint’s image will be brought to the parishes in the towns of Daanbantayan, San Remegio, Balamban, Barili, Ginatilan, Samboan, Boljoon, Dalaguete, and Argao.

Cities

The image of St. Pedro Calungsod will also be visiting the cities of Carcar, Lapu-Lapu and Cebu City, particularly the Sto. Rosario and San Nicolas parishes.

The image will also travel to its namesake parish in Barangay Cantabaco in Toledo City on Nov. 2.

While on Nov. 16 to 18, the image will be brought to the parishes belonging to the Diocese of Naval in Leyte.

On Nov. 30, the image will be brought to the Templete at the SRP for a pontifical mass.

On Oct. 21 last year, then Pope Benedict XVI formally canonized St. Pedro Calungsod along with six new saints at the Vatican City.

Postponement

While the Archdiocese of Cebu postponed the 9th Visayas Pastoral Assembly in Consolacion, Cebu today due to the effects of the earthquake that hit Cebu and Bohol last week.

Matheu told Sun.Star Cebu yesterday that due to earthquake and the series of aftershocks that had rocked Cebu and Bohol, Palma decided to postponed the event with respect to the Diocese of Talibon and Tagbilaran in Bohol.

Both dioceses were severely hit by the earthquake, Matheu said.

Attending bishops and clerics from the dioceses of Tagbilaran, Talibon, Dumaguete and Maasin were supposed to join Palma in celebrating the first feast anniversary of St. Pedro Calungsod.

This year’s assembly was supposed to tackle the pastoral plans set by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the PhilipP) for next year.

By Justin K. Vestil
SunStar Cebu

0 St. Pedrito Dolls for quake-ruined churches

Pedrito Dolls! This iconic toy is great for gifts to your siblings,
children and godchildren OR even to yourself!
Place your orders now because this is for a limited time only!
Each doll costs P650/each and are only available in the Philippines.

The public will again have a chance to own a limited edition of the “Pedrito Doll” of San Pedro Calungsod.

Youth Pinoy is relaunching the Pedrito Dolls in a bid to raise funds to help restore the churches ruined by the recent earthquake in Bohol and Cebu as well as help aid victims of the calamity.

YouthPinoy officer-in-charge April Frances “Sky” Ortigas said it is just fitting for Calungsod, who is considered a native son of the Visayas, to “help” in the restoration of the centuries-old churches damanged by the 7.2-magnitude earthquake.

“We are relaunching the Pedrito Dolls as proceeds of the sale will go to the victims of the earthquake in Cebu and Bohol. We in YouthPinoy believe that St. Pedro Calungsod is telling us to help his ‘kababayans’ by helping rebuild the Church there, by which we mean not only the structures but the hearts of the people and their faith in God,” she said in an article posted on the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Phippines (CBCP) website.

Ortigas added that the Pedrito Dolls also remind Filipinos that they can be “little saints” themselves by helping the needy, especially those who are displaced and left homeless by the calamity.

“We can be little saints in our own ways. Through these Pedrito Dolls, we are helping propagate the life and example of St. Pedro and also help rebuild the Church in the Visayas,” she said.

For every Pedrito Doll sold, Ortigas said, P100 will be donated to Church-led relief and restoration operations in Bohol and Cebu.

Each doll costs P650, the same price it was sold for a year ago during the October 21 canonization of Pedro Calungsod.

Those who are interested to buy Pedrito Dolls, log on to http://youthpinoy.com/home/order-your-own-pedrito-doll/ to make a reservation. Buyers will receive further instructions regarding payment and pick up or shipment in an email confirming receipt of their reservation.

The Pedrito Dolls were originally launched in 2012 to help promote awareness about the second Filipino saint. The “travelling and embraceable” image of the martyr has already been to the Vatican City during the canonization of Pedro Calungsod and in Rio de Janeiro for the recent World Youth Day in Brazil.

by Leslie Ann Aquino
Manila Bulletin

0 Church kicks off Pedro’s anniversary

Novena prayers marking the nine-day preparations for the first anniversary of the canonization of St. Pedro Calungsod started last Saturday.

The church celebrations on Oct. 21 will focus on four sites – the new San Pedro Calungsod Chapel in SM Seaside City, the Calungsod Archdiocesan Shrine in D. Jakosalesm Street, the San Pedro Calungsod parish in barangay Cantabaco, Toledo City as well as the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral.

Msgr. Vicente Tupas, rector of the Calungsod Chapel, whose modern design features 100 walls of different heights and widths, presided over the 6 p.m. Mass yesterday.

Oct. 21 is the day Calungsod, the teenage Visayan martyr, was officially declared a saint in Rome a year ago.

His feast day is celebrated on April 2, marking his death in Guam where he was part of a Jesuit mission and was killed by native Chamorro people in 1672.
On Oct. 21, Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma will lead a concelebrated Mass at 4 p.m. at the cathedral, seat of the Cebu Archdiocese.

Margie Mattheu, executive secretary of the Pastoral Planning Board, said three archbishops and 14 bishops are expected to attend the Mass which will also open the 9th Visayas Regional Pastoral Assembly in Cebu City.

The Mass will also kick off the Duaw Lungsud/Nasud where Calungsod’s image will be brought to different places in Cebu and in Naval, Leyte
Also on Oct. 21, a procession will be held inside the Archbishop’s Residence compound where the Calungsod shrine is located.

The Rosary will be prayed every 5 p.m. followed by daily novena Mass at the shrine presided by Msgr. Ildebrando Leyson.

The Cebu celebration is led by the Commission for the Promotion of the Devotion to San Pedro Calungsod headed by Msgr. Cayetano Gelbolinogo with Msgr. Marnel Mejia and Fr. Charles Louis Jayme.

By Ador Vincent S. Mayol
Cebu Daily News

0 San Pedro Calungsod Movie

Francis O. Villacorta’s film “San Pedro Calungsod: Batang Martir”

“Hopefully by mid-November we have a complete film. We will also have a shoot in Cebu,” Villacorta said.

Villacorta also said this is not the typical MMFF film because this will give the audience a glimpse at what and how far Christianity has gone since 1668 during the mission of San Pedro Calungsod.

Effect to the young

He believes that the film will have a positive effect on the youth citing that life doesn’t have to be long to be able to make something of it.

“Just like San Pedro Calungsod, it was a short life but a meaningful one. That’s why we are celebrating him in this film. There should be a celebration of Christianity which is our aim and hope of this film,” Villacorta added.

When asked how would they draw the attention of Filipinos to watch the movie, he stressed that the audience will appreciate the adventure, fears and tensions in the film.

“I hope the youngsters will watch the film because the story telling is great and they will realize that the saint had done something admirable that should be a model [for all]. We want to tell the youth to be like San Pedro Calungsod wherein the sacrifices he did in the name of Jesus Christ and the Christian faith was very admirable,” he added.

His advocacy as a film maker is to affect people’s lives thus doing works on the lives of saints in film and theater.

“Hopefully this will be a hit but if now, we will still be happy because what we really want is that this will have an effect in the lives of the audience in a small positive Christian way,” Villacorta furthered.

Meanwhile, Ina Tiongson from the HPI Synergy Group, the producer of the film emphasized they are doing the film not for the money.

“This is something different and not your typical commercial film. So we think that this is something that we should do,” she added.

The film is slated for a nationwide theatrical release on December 2013.