Cebuanos welcome St. Clare’s relic

Thursday, February 23, 2012

CEBU CITY (Updated) -- For the first time in more than 800 years, the relic of St. Clare of Assisi was shown to the public, with the Philippines as its first destination.

Over a hundred years since her death and canonization, the relic of the saintly nun — a bone fragment from the saint’s cranium — was flown in from Manila to Cebu in its first tour outside of Italy.

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The relic of St. Clare arrived in Cebu at 3 p.m. Wednesday, Ash Wednesday.

CEBU. The pilgrim relic of St. Clare of Assisi was flown in from Manila to Cebu in its first tour outside of Italy. (Sunnex)

CEBU. Devotees mob the pilgrim relic of St. Clare of Assisi at the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral Wednesday. (Sunnex)

Greeted by devotees, government and church officials, the relic was shortly displayed in the Most Important Persons lounge before a motorcade delivered the relic to the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral, where it will be kept until today, Thursday.

Nida Ruiz, part of the visit’s working committee, said that after its overnight stay in Cebu City, the relic will be taken to the Poor Clare Monastery in Barangay Tayud, Consolacion town, where it would remain until Saturday morning.

Msgr. Cristobal Garcia, the Cebu Archdiocese’s chairman of the Commission on Worship, told reporters the relic’s visit in Cebu would serve as a source of insights for Catholic Cebuanos as they prepare for the canonization of Blessed Pedro Calungsod.

Cebu Archbishop Emeritus Ricardo Cardinal Vidal told reporters that Cebu is “totally blessed” that of all the places in the world, the Philippines was chosen as the first destination for the relic’s visit.

After Cebu, the relic will be flown to Davao City.

St. Clare founded the Order of Poor Ladies, a monastic order for women in the Franciscan tradition. In St. Clare’s life, many miracles were said to have been documented, one of which was the defense of the Italian city of Assisi from invaders.

In 1958, Pope Pius XII designated the nun as the patron saint of television, because when she was too ill to attend mass, she reportedly saw and heard the service as a projection on the wall of her room.

Also Wednesday, Cardinal Vidal revealed preparations for the canonization of Blessed Pedro Calungsod are underway.

Vidal, who recently traveled to Rome to witness the confirmation of Calungsod as a saint by Pope Benedict XVI, said the soon-to-be saint was the youngest in the list of seven blessed persons confirmed by the pope. (JKV of Sun.Star Cebu)