TWO holy persons passed and walked in the island of Negros Occidental. We are blessed by their presence in our province. One came to be healed by the renowned healer and Augustinian Recollect missionary, Padre Fernando Cuenca, and the other recently visited with fearless hope and great faith. I am referring to St. Ezekiel Moreno and Pope St. John Paul II.
This August 19, the Catholic world celebrates the feast of St. Ezekiel, the patron saint of cancer patients, and of the Order of Augustinian Recollects (OAR) Province consisting of Philippines, Sierra Leone, and Taiwan.
St. Ezekiel Moreno was a member of the Order of Augustinian Recollects and was sent for the mission in the Philippines as a seminarian. He finished his formation was ordained in the Philippines. He was assigned in Palawan, Mindoro, and Luzon. He visited Padre Cuenca in Talisay to avail of his healing. Fr. Ezekiel was transferred to Columbia and was made Bishop of Pasto.
There his cancer of the palate became advanced and soon he succumbed to it. He is a man of deep prayer and a man of sacrifice for others. He was an ordinary missionary with a heart for the poor. Contrary to what has written about the friars, the recollects were really loved by the people but they suffered the stigma brought about by early missionaries and pseudo-missionaries from other congregations and other faiths. St. Ezekiel was a holy man and continues to pray for us to God.
This month, we are also celebrating two solemnities of the Blessed Virgin Mary – her assumption (August 15) and her Queenship (August 22).
Assumption means that we, Catholics, believe that God opened the heavens for the Blessed Mother both body and soul. The apostles and some disciples saw that the body of the Blessed Mother was brought by the Angels to Heaven.
Meanwhile, The Queenship of Mary was declared after the title of Mary, Mother of God. The doctrine tells us that the Blessed Mother is the queen of Heaven and Earth. These are some doctrines and dogmas that strengthen our relationship with God. The Blessed Mother with all her titles become our mediatrix to God.
Other feasts this month are those of St. Augustine (August 28) and his mother, St. Monica (August 27). St. Augustine was born in Tagaste, Africa professing a non-Christian faith. St. Monica, on the other hand, was a Christian. She prayed very hard for the conversion of St. Augustine.
After his conversion, he founded a group of friends and submitted themselves to the virtues of being communitarian, apostolic, ascetic, contemplative and propagated the love for the Blessed Mother. This was known as the spirit of Monasticism. Soon, these small communities became one of the major religious orders in the Catholic Church, the Order of St. Augustine. The Order of Augustinian Recollects also sprung out from the spirituality of St. Augustine.
A great man was born in Negros Oriental in August 11 – the third Bishop of Bacolod, Bishop Antonio Fortich. “Ka Tony” as he was fondly called steered well the Diocese of Bacolod and paved the way for the birth of the Dioceses of Kabankalan and San Carlos. He lived his life for the poor and the oppressed. He became a holy person by standing for the rights of the people (poor). He was often misinterpreted, but he did not mind what other people are saying. He continued his work and insisted to work for the kingdom of God here on earth.
Rev. Fr. Pedro Escanillas, OAR joined his creator on August 9, 2017. Like St. Ezekiel, he was a pious member of the Order of Augustinian Recollects. He served University of Negros Occidental-Recoletos by being its Dean of Student Affairs during the violent years, but his compassion and heart for the poor made him a well-loved administrator. He was indeed a man of prayer for even in the times where he was already weak, he never missed to attend community masses.
These men are men of holiness, prayer, and sacrifices. They are our models and they are not gods. They are persons like us.
Our blessed Mother, St. Augustine, St. Monica, St. Ezekiel Moreno, Bishop Antonio Fortich, and Fr. Escanillas, pray for us.
Pope John Paul II ,Mons. John Liu and Su, Fr. Cornelio Moral, OAR and Fr. Loreto Dacanay, OAR, Manoy Bill and Engr. Faraon Lopez, pray for us always.
