Parañaque bishop blesses drafts of Calungsod’s painting

PARAÑAQUE Bishop Jesse Mercado blessed the drafts of Pedro Calungsod’s painting as well as the artists from Angono town of Rizal province, who were commissioned to paint the life and martyrdom of the would-be second Filipino saint, as part of the national preparation for his upcoming canonization in October.

In a news report posted on the news and information website, Rizal News Online, the bishop had commended the artists from the country’s Art Capital, Angono, and said the painting was “a reflection of the Filipino

life, that is characterized by hope and joy, as well as the pains and sorrows.”

“Ang mga ito rin ang tuwa at pag-asa, pighati at hapis ng mga alagad ni Kristo. Higit pa rito ang mga likhang sining na nakatalaga sa panalangin at pagpaparangal sa Maykapal ay mistulang bintana kung saan dumudungaw ang kagandahang loob at katarungan ng Diyos,” the bishop said. On Blessed Pedro Calungsod’s official proclamation as the second Filipino saint on October 21, Mercado said that the new saint would be part of the life of the ordinary Filipino and that this is a grace “that cannot be measured”. However, the Angono-based artists had also sacrificed some of their precious time and talent just to enliven on immaculate white canvases the life and suffering of the Cebuano saint.

The project is a joint effort of the Programs and Events Cluster of the Commission on National Celebration of Pedro Calungsod’s canonization, which is chaired by Mercado; by the Neo-Angono Artist Collective, Angono Ateliers Association, Angono Artists Association, independent artists, and fine art students from the University of Rizal System-Angono.