Thursday, July 03, 2008 San Antonio de Padua and his love for kids By Luci Lizares
JUNE 13 is the feast of San Antonio de Padua or more popularly known as St. Anthony since we have been “Americanized.”
St. Anthony was born to a noble family in Lisbon, Portugal and was named as Ferdinand. Despite being reared in a refined family, he decided to enter the monastery. To honor San Antonio Abad who was the protector of a hermitage where he went as a friar, he changed his name to Antonio.
My fascination with San Antonio de Padua started when I would open my mom’s side table and see many novenas in his honor. My mom, Louisa “Isang” Lizares, is a faithful devotee of Our Lady of Perpetual Help and would wear the blue “abito” with the red and blue cord every Wednesday and Sunday when she offers mass. So, why all the novenas? Apparently, her mom, Andrea Sarmiento Armstrong, an Ilocana who married an American, John Lou Armstrong from Georgia, had a devotion to San Antonio de Padua.
During the rectorship of Fr. Rolly Escobido, I approached him and asked if we could have novenas to the Saint who occupies the right side altar of the Sacred Heart Shrine donated by Tomas Garrucho when the shrine was erected. With his gracious approval, at the start of the millennium, the Sacred Heart Shrine dedicated Tuesday novenas to the San Antonio de Padua, popularly known as the patron of all lost items but most importantly a wonder worker who has not failed anyone (most especially me) who come to him for assistance in petition and supplication.
In 2005, inspired by the image of St. Anthony carrying the Child Jesus who appeared to him one evening, a team of devotees added a children’s party during the celebration of the feast of the beloved saint. First, it was a party of Sped special students. How we were able to bring the blind and the deaf to play games and have loads of fun, is a choreography that only the good Lord can orchestrate. Even the seminarians enjoyed this interaction.
We are always told that despite all, we must rejoice. Seeing the joy in the faces of the children encouraged us to continue this children’s party. The following year, it was for the children of Barangay 39 which is an adopted barangay of the Shrine and the Seminary. In 2007, we were confronted with the sad reality of battered and abused children. So we wanted to give these scarred children a short respite from life’s harsh realities and rejoice and be children.
This year, we had as our special guests 25 children of Haven Children’s Home of Phil and Cecilia Seckler. How we come to choose the guests each year is purely a shower of impulses directed by the Almighty and St. Anthony.
My good friend, Anna Balcells, founded Kalipay Negrense Foundation Inc. with her friend John Gayoso last year. With a donation of P2 million from generous friends in Manila, they were able to buy a home for these children and its guardians, Phil and Cecilia, who were facing immediate eviction. These children were abandoned, battered or sexually abused. In fact, one child who came to the Haven had no home since birth, no name and only assumed his older sister’s name, Inday. One child was rescued from a tree which was her sanctuary after repeated and sustained beatings and rapes from a family member. To say that the stories of these children are sad is an understatement really and it is disgusting how people can be cruel to God’s most beloved creation: the children.
A party is just a few hours of games, merriment, food and some giveaways when they go home. But a few moments of rejoicing must be instilled in the hearts of the scarred and special children. These kids have known and grown up in a world encased in nails and thorns - horrors which most of us can only envision in our most dreadful dreams. Whether in a small, insignificant way like honoring them with a party or the physical, emotional, spiritual taking care of them, we all have our stake in restoring hope and faith and love to these precious creations.
San Antonio de Padua must be looking down from heaven and thanking people like Phil and Cecilia and many more like them. Anna and John too, the members of the Legion of Mary and really - the many donors who have been most faithful. Your donations have brought light and joyous moments to a sad and scary world. Thank you all.
Kalipay Negrense Foundation is likewise accepting donations to achieve its goal that no child should be in the street (Bacolod, by the way, has the highest number of street children next to Manila); that no child should be hungry; that every disadvantaged child should have access to education; and that every disadvantaged child’s rights be upheld and protected. There are many ways we can help bring kalipay to disadvantaged children. Pray to St. Anthony. He can make you most innovative with your help.
