VATICAN City, Oct 20, 2012—The Superior General of the Society of Jesus, Fr. Adolfo Nicolas, expressed his and his Jesuit brothers’ joy over the canonization of the second Filipino saint, Blessed Pedro Calungsod, who was a product of Jesuit formation and mentoring.
In his message, which was read at the end of the second Triduum mass, Fr. Nicolas said, “Jesuits are … happy, because Pedro was also a member of the Ignatian family, truly a son of St. Ignatius.”
Fr. Nicolas, who spent more than ten years in the Philippines, was said to be very interested to be present at the mass, if not for his attendance at the ongoing Synod on New Evangelization.
Fr. Daniel Patrick Huang SJ, Regional Assistant for Asia-Pacific, read Fr.Nicolas’ message on his behalf.
?In his message, Fr. Nicolas stressed the importance of the partnership of lay people and priests and religious in the work of evangelization, asking “could this canonization be an invitation for clergy and laity to work towards relationships of greater mutual respect, trust, listening, partnership in mission, [and] friendship in the Lord?”
He emphasized his point further by mentioning the youth when he said, “the fact that Blessed Pedro Calungsod was a young man of faith reminds us too that we must have special concern for nurturing the faith of young people.”
Meanwhile, the Society of Jesus is asking for permission to include the feast of the soon-to-be Saint Pedro Calungsod in the liturgical calendar of the Society.
In an interview with Fr. Marc Lindeijer SJ, Assistant Postulator General of the Society of Jesus, the liturgical commission of the General Curia already asked permission from the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments to insert the memorial of Blessed Pedro Calungsod in their calendar.
Calungsod’s feast day will most probably be celebrated in the Jesuit calendar on the same day as the feast of Blessed Diego Luis de San Vitores.
The second of the triduum masses was held yesterday at the Chiesa del Gesù in Rome, which is the Mother Church of the Society of Jesus.
Blessed Pedro Calungsod was a catechist in the Marianas Mission with Blessed Diego Luis de San Vitores, a Jesuit priest. [Aaron James R. Veloso]
