"Fitting gift" as school founder joins Hall of Saints
After 60 years, the founder of the Sacred Heart School-Hijas de Cebu now stands at the Hall of Saints at the Archdiocesan Shrine of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus in Cebu City.
Through the effort of the alumni association, the statue of Saint Candida Maria de Jesus was enshrined at the parish, a first for the venerable saint in the whole country.
Arleen Lee, president of Sacred Heart School- Hijas de Jesus alumni association, said the main purpose of the project is to make Saint Candida be known to people beyond the boundaries of the school.
“This is her (Saint Candida) first parish enshrinement at the church in the entire country. This would be the first time that she would be publicly venerated,” she told reporters on the sidelines after the ceremonial unveiling of the image.
The formal unveiling was purposely set on August 9, in time for the feast of Saint Candida, to mark the culmination of the school’s yearlong celebration of its 60th founding anniversary.
The closing activity kicked off with a Holy Mass after which the alumni, students and faculty witnessed the unveiling and blessing of the image at the Hall of Saints of the Archdiocesan Shrine of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus along D. Jakosalem Street, Cebu City.
Still caught up in glee, Lee shared that the alumni had been in awe for sponsoring the project which makes the school’s anniversary more memorable and meaningful.
The alumni funded the sculpturing of the cement-made statue which costs more than P60,000.
Sister Joji Silorio from the Catholic congregation of Daughters of Jesus (Hijas de Jesús) said the school has chosen the archdiocesan shrine since both has been closely linked historically.
She said the spirituality or charism of Saint Candida was inspired by the spirituality of St. Ignatius of Loyola, the Spanish Basque priest and theologian, who founded the religious order called the Society of Jesus or Jesuits.
The local Jesuit community has administered the 65-year-old Archdiocesan Shrine of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus in Cebu City.
“This is a fitting gift to the school because we are celebrating our 60th anniversary since we have become independent from the Jesuits,” said Sister Silorio.
She, too, claimed that this event would be the first time that St. Candida’s statue is enshrined inside a parish church that can now be openly venerated by the Catholic faithful so that they may emulate her virtuous traits of “humility, love for the poor and faith in God.”