MANILA, Nov. 5, 2012 ?News on the country’s new saint may have died down a bit, but it seems like online shout outs and prayer requests to St. Pedro Calungsod are here to stay, revealing a very Filipino faith.
Pinoy devotion
“It’s a very Filipino way of devotion,” Cebu Archbishop Emeritus Ricardo Cardinal Vidal said in an interview.
Even before St. Pedro’s canonization last October 21, his official Facebook
fan page, www.facebook.com/FilipinoSaintPedroCalungsod, has countless requests, mostly for intercession for family concerns, healing, and guidance.
The fact that promotions were made on social media for St. Pedro’s canonization has made him not just a truly viral and recognizable saint for a lot of Filipinos, but an approachable agent of divine assistance.
“More than praying like adoration…we keep on asking,” Cardinal Vidal explained.
The approachable saint
In some ways, the saint’s undeniable online presence has made him seem more like a family member than a saint cast in plaster.
A post made by Alvin S. Martinez posted last October 28 reads: “Kuya Saint Pedro Calungsod, naka 1 week ka nang santo. Magpa-burjer ka naman! (Big brother St. Pedro Calungsod, you’ve been a saint for a week now. Treat us to a burger!)”
It was posted together with a photo of a jumbo-sized burger.
Other posts seem to simply revel in the introduction of the St. Pedro as the newest divine hall of famer, as seen in Crystal Catalan’s post a mere 5 hours ago, “Our St. Pedro Calungsod as a Happy Saint. Pray for us!”
Updates and tweets can also be followed on St. Pedro’s official Twitter account, www.twitter.com/spcalungsod. [Nirva’ana Ella Delacruz]
