ANTIPOLO City, Rizal, Oct. 26, 2014—An online campaign that is
making waves in social media aims to raise awareness about the lives of
yet to be recognized saintly Filipinos, including foreign saints who had
lived in the country at some point.
Started by Jovi Atanacio, the Facebook group “Wanted: Filipino
Saints” introduces to netizens ordinary men and women—some well-known,
others not so—who led lives of extraordinary virtues and holiness.
Devotees of Filipino saints may become part of the Facebook group “Wanted: Filipino Saints”.
‘Tidal wave of immorality’
“By this Facebook page on ‘Filipino’ saints, I hope to propagate
holiness and earnestly pray that in God’s time [Filipino saints may] be
recognized by the Church and be raised to the altars for our emulation,”
he said.
According to Atanacio, it has been his long-time dream to create a
group that would research, showcase, and promote holiness as exemplified
by lives of known and unknown Filipinos.
“In this time of societal decay, when we see officials clamoring to
pass RH Bill—and soon legalize the murder of the unborn through
abortion—I pray to God to raise more saints from our beloved country to
counter the tidal wave of immorality,” he explained.
Atanacio said the late Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo was one of his inspirations in creating the group in 2012.
“When Sec. Robredo died, there were news that he lived a holy life,
his confessor related he confessed regularly and attended daily mass. He
lived his faith and worked honestly and with integrity,” he said.
There is a need for Catholic role models, he said, especially of those who have lived in modern times and in the country.
“It greatly helps when we can identify with them and their experiences,” Atanacio explained.
Robredo’s example
Raised in a devoutly Catholic household, Atanacio told CBCPNews that
saints have always fascinated him due mostly to his parents’ influence
who taught him and his siblings to be familiar with them.
“Our father especially acquired many books about them. This
collection I continued when I had my own earnings. The internet also
helped me in my research on saints. Others were contributed by the group
members … Since the 90s (in my early 20s) I’ve been looking and
collecting news clippings on possible candidates for sainthood..” he
shared.
And Robredo provided this needed impetus.
“Like a ray of sunshine, DILG Sec. Jesse Robredo came. He is the sign
and hope that saints still live among us Filipinos. It is high time
that we know them and be inspired by their examples,” said Atanacio, who
is also a member of the “Work of the Saints”, an apostolate which
propagates holiness by holding expositions of saints’ relics in parishes
and schools in Metro Manila and the provinces.
In “Wanted: Filipino Saints”, Atanacio invites his over 2,000 fellow
saint-lovers to post biographical information of and anecdotes on
saints, blesseds, venerables, martyrs or servants of God who were
Filipino-born as well as foreign ones with links to the Philippines
either as missionaries, visitors, or “bilocators”.
He also encourages members to promote the lives of as yet obscure
Filipinos who may have possessed heroic virtues, and are potential
candidates for sainthood.
To visit the page, interested parties may like the Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/394440117276318/?fref=ts. (Raymond A. Sebastián)
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