Did you know there are some holy people living amongst us? I haven't encountered anyone but apparently there were several from our country, the Philippines!
Most people aren't aware of holy individuals until they become saints. Even here in Southeast Asia, we don't notice religious stuff because it doesn't get much fanfare unless there's some controversy or scandal, right? Well then, let's change that! Be in the know now!
First we gotta learn about the stories of the lives of people who strived and lived holy lives! Like me, I'm sure you haven't met any holy people yet. Unfortunate but blessed are those who have!
The Philippines: The First Catholic Country in Southeast Asia
Yes, yes, there are people hyping this up online and such but let's focus on a certain social media page's question. Why do Filipinos only have 2 recognized saints to this day? We've been a Catholic country for more than 500 years already so what's going on???
Here's my answer:
These days, despite our country being more than 80% Catholic, most people don't practice the faith. This is the harsh reality. It's the reason various sects and Christian denominations have been created left and right or are crawling into our streets from abroad, etc.
As they say, many Catholics are sacramentalized but not evangelized. And as I always say: Ignorance of Catholicism is not bliss. Why? Because we are the ones who suffer for our religious indifference and lukewarmness in the faith. However, I can say I've "been there, done that".
Let's not lose hope because if I can be zealous for God for a few yrs now despite my worldly past, you can be changed too! Yes folks, times are changing. The Lord is moving in mysterious ways!
All over the world people are choosing to convert and become Christians and practicing Catholics. A great number of individuals are becoming aware of the teachings of the Church! Thanks to the pandemic more and more priests and lay people are becoming popular and known as digital evangelizers! Woohooo!!!
Better late than never, right? Let's get in on it and work on our sanctification now! Remember, our number one goal in life is to become saints! (1 Thessalonians 4:3) And this is why I decided to write about this topic.
How to be Declared a Saint by the Catholic Church
First, who can be called a saint? In Catholicism, once someone is canonized it becomes official. A saint is a holy person and worthy to be emulated by everyone.
Indeed, how does one become recognized by the Catholic Church? Before anyone is declared truly holy there needs to be an approved cause from the local bishop. A postulator is put in charge of everything too.
There are 4 stages a "candidate" needs to go through. At each stage of the investigation they are given a title:
- Servant of God - this is where it all begins. The Church looks into their entire life.
- Venerable
- Blessed (beatification)
- Saint (canonization)- this is where the person ends up eventually if God wills it.
Basically if a devout and practicing Catholic has done two miracles even after how many years since they died, then upon investigating everything, the person can be canonized to make sainthood official. You can search online for the complete process because now I will share info on the 5 remarkable people most of us don't know about.
The 5 "Secret" Future Filipino Saints
I'm sure you haven't heard of these people. Wherever you are in the world, if you don't know these devout Filipino Catholics then you are in for a ride.
Let's start from the top down shall we. Yes we Filipinos have several declared Blesseds already but I will only share with you mostly Servants of God and a Venerable person.
So as to not make this post too long I will put the other four in the Part 2 section. Hehe. First up is already a firecracker!!!
The Bilocating Venerable Archbishop Teofilo "Lolong" Camomot
Ah yes... If Americans have the Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen, we Filipinos have our own too! Alas the date of our "candidate's" beatification is still unavailable as of now, unlike the former who will be beatified by Sept 2026.
Well, who is this clergyman I didn't know about until January 2024? He was a native of the island of Cebu, a province in the Visayas region of the Philippines.
How did he become a Venerable person? Aside from living as holy a life as he could, there were reports that he could levitate, bilocate and heal the sick just like other saints. Whoa right??? Upon a thorough investigation by the Catholic Church he was eventually declared such by Pope Francis in 2022.
Here's a short documentary on some miracles by this priest back when he was called a Servant of God.
If you want to know more about him, there's actually an official biography book being sold. It even won a local literary award. And last year a director announced they're making a movie about his life! Who's excited? 😆
There's actually a church dedicated to him in Cebu. Here's Fr. Jerry Orbos inside the shrine itself.
So, what do you think of him? Do you know anyone who's like this person? Personally I haven't met any saintly individual yet afaik! Such people are really hard to find!
If you need a miracle, ask for the intercession of Venerable Archbishop Teofilo Camomot! In case you're striving to be part of history, then why not make it a religious one?! Be one of the people who will make someone a saint!
If you're curious about the upcoming movie and more stories about this person, watch the press release here.
What Should Anyone Do if a Miracle Happened Thru His Intercession?
For favors received through Venerable Archbishop Teofilo Camomot, kindly inform or write to:
Daughters of Saint Teresa
Valladolid, Carcar City Cebu, 6019
Philippines
Telephone No.: +6332 487-9233
Mobile No.: +63 919-995-9350
Who's Next?
Can you guess who are the next 4 people I will share? haha. The clues are already in this post. Stay tuned for more stories of exemplary practicing Catholics in my next post!
