Here is some good news that might have gone unheeded amid the deluge of not so good ones; Archbishop Teofilo Camomot is now one step closer to sainthood.
According to the Vatican, only two more miracles attributed to Archbishop Camomot are needed before he can be considered a saint. As such the Vatican has also seen it fit to grant the late Cebuano prelate the title of “Venerable”. If his case for sainthood is down to one last miracle then he can be called “Blessed”.
If everything goes well and Archbishop Camomot reaches sainthood, that not only brings to three the number of Filipino saints, but also gives Cebu the distinction of having been home to two of them.
The other we refer to is the second Filipino saint, St. Pedro Calungsod, who is officially listed by historians as being born in Ginatilan town, Cebu, on July 21, 1654, although it should be mentioned that another province, Leyte, is also named as his birthplace.
Archbishop Camomot was born in what is now Carcar City on March 3, 1914.
In mentioning this, we are not saying Cebu is better than other provinces or that having these two individuals sets it apart from the others. We are just pointing out that it seems fitting that the place that is considered the Cradle of Christianity in the Far East may soon become home to two Filipino saints.
Of course, we may be jumping the gun here, already predicting Archbishop Camomot’s impending sainthood in a world where absolutely nothing is certain but death and taxes. However, it does not hurt to hope for things that can give people or places a certain renown.
If anything, this should at least spur Cebuanos to become better versions of themselves, given that they live in a place that birthed two people considered a cut above the rest when it comes to God’s favor.