MANILA, Philippines – Follow that person’s example. That, in effect, is what the Pope declares whenever he names a new saint.

On Sunday, October 21, Pope Benedict XVI will canonize Pedro Calungsod as the second Filipino saint. What can people learn from a 17th century Visayan martyr in the social media age?

An official of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), who helped in pushing for Calungsod’s sainthood, referred to “eternal” values that are “relevant at all times, in all places, in every culture.” CBCP assistant secretary general Fr Marvin Mejia cited, in particular, Calungsod’s connectedness with others that led to his martyrdom on April 2, 1672.

“There are important things in life beyond technology and beyond scientific accomplishments or developments. Now of course, Pedro lived at a time when there were no gadgets like what we have now. But he related with the people at that time in a personal way,” Mejia told Rappler in an interview.

Calungsod, likely a 17-year-old missionary, helped preach to Mariana Island natives in the 17th century. He died after persecution due to gossip against him and his fellow missionaries, led by the Jesuit priest Diego Luis de San Vitores.

“He became a missionary, and you can never be a missionary unless you are connected, you have that connection with people. He became an evangelizer. Although his role may not be the same as the Fathers’, still, in his own little ways, he tried to connect with the people at that time when the only way was to face them, personally,” Mejia explained.

“He died remaining a faithful companion of the priest, Diego de San Vitores,” the CBCP official added. “In that sense, he was still true to that spirit of, first, being a faithful companion, a coworker, and being connected with God and the people who believed in this God.”

Internet ‘isolation’

Mejia said Calungsod’s example can help fight the “isolation” that social media may lead to.

“The more we have all these so-called social media, the more we are isolated somehow, because we forget one important thing, and that is the person that we have to meet and to see and encounter directly, because there are certain realities there that cannot be replaced by media. You cannot take care of the sick, for example, using just all these things,” said Mejia, a Facebook user.

“Don’t get me wrong,” he added. “I’m not saying it’s bad. What I’m saying is that there are still important realities in life, in this present age, that Pedro represents, like faith, for example.” (Watch more in the video below.)

This the same tendency that other netizens have warned about.

Ateneo de Zamboanga University president Fr Antonio Moreno, for example, made a similar statement at Rappler’s #MoveZambo event in September. “As you know very well, social networks have a two-edged purpose. They can bring those who are far, close. But it can also make people who are close, distant,” Moreno said.

Youth model

The Church is proposing to make Calungsod a model for the youth.

In an interview with Rappler, CBCP media director Msgr Pedro Quitorio said Calungsod’s sainthood comes at a time when the youth want persons to emulate. “The search for models, matagal nang nasa mga bata. Nakita nila dito, sa kanya,” Quitorio said, referring to Calungsod. (The search for models, it has long been in the youth. They saw it in him.)

In cyberspace alone, Facebook groups have sprouted to honor Calungsod.

In Cebu, for example, a youth group has created an online prayer network for people who need spiritual guidance through Calungsod’s intercession. This network is called “Barkada ni Pedro.”

“In a barkada, you will find a sense of belongingness, where you can find people to inspire, affirm and help you, not only in times of happiness but also during loneliness,” said the group’s official Facebook page. It now has 7,000 “likes.”

Incidentally, too, Calungsod will be declared a saint on Sunday as part of the Catholic Church’s Year of Faith, which it marks for the first time in 45 years. This is the Church’s attempt to rekindle the faith amid rising secularism. – with reports from Ryan Christopher J Sorote/Rappler.com

For more, read:

• INFOGRAPHIC: Life of Pedro Calungsod, Visayan teenage saint
• Calungsod declared 2nd Filipino saint
• What history says about Pedro Calungsod
• FAQs: When the Pope declares Calungsod a saint
• Pedro Calungsod everywhere, in everyone