A boy kisses the statue of Pedro Calungsod at Saint Gregory the Great parish in Cebu, Philippines on Oct. 20, 2012, just before he was made a saint by Pope Benedict XVI. (Photo: AFP)
A lay Catholic religious association in the central Philippines, whose official recognition was recently withdrawn through a suppression order, has expressed disappointment but said it would abide by the decision.
“I’m a diocesan priest and bound to obey the bishop, I will not question further,” Father Noel Froilan Maravillas, a leader of the Society of San Pedro Calungsod (SSPC) named after the second Filipino saint Pedro Calungsod (1654-1672), told UCA News on June 17.
This came after Bishop Gerardo Alminaza of San Carlos City in Negros Island of the central Philippines issued a circular ordering suppression of SSPC on June 10.
The suppression meant lifting the "official recognition ‘ad experimentum’ of the group,” said Alminaza.
He said the society was entitled to an opportunity to establish itself and demonstrate its charism and mission, but it failed.
The trial period was intended to ensure that their presence would contribute positively to the holiness of their members and the mission of the diocese, Catholic bishops-run CBCP News reported.
The bishop said the group was tasked, among other things, with fulfilling foundational requirements, including developing a written constitution detailing their nature, purpose, spirit, governance, and discipline.
They were also to demonstrate financial viability and the ability to support their members and mission.
“It has become clear that continuing to recognize the SSPC would not serve the best interests of our faithful or the unity and pastoral care of our diocese,” Alminaza said, adding that it is now “prohibited from conducting any activities or presenting itself as a legitimate ecclesiastical entity within the diocese” after its suppression.
Maravillas admitted that “at first, there were lots of questions, ill feelings” when they learned about the circular. “But it was only a feeling,” he said.
According to Maravillas, the diocese has “their own way of looking at us and weighing things according to what they observed, but I am okay,” he said.
“Ad experimentum is only a try but there was nothing to suppress because we were not yet officially approved. It was somewhat like a withdrawal of allowing us to exist and experiment with our charism and way of life,” he added.
He, however, regretted that the pastoral letter was published on social media, not sent to parishes.
“The impact is quite big. Many from all over the world called me and asked me what had happened and what I had done...We were deeply saddened and hurt,” the priest said.
The SSPC was founded on Jan. 25, 2012, in Boni, in the capital region of Manila, with just six members and grew to 17 members.
Maravillas said the group started “to live the charism inspired by the life and example of St. Pedro Calungsod.”
He admitted that “we failed to live up to the expectations.”
Pope Benedict XVI canonized Pedro Calungsodas, the second Filipino saint, on Oct. 21, 2012.
Calungsod, a lay Catholic sacristan and missionary catechist, was persecuted and martyred along with a Jesuit missionary priest in Guam in 1672 at the age of 17.
Earlier, Pope John Paul II canonized Lorenzo Ruiz on Oct. 18, 1987.
