Pinoys in Australia gather for Mass for Saint Pedro Calungsod

Filipinos in Australia recently attended a thanksgiving Mass in honor of San Pedro Calungsod, the Philippines' second saint who was canonized only last October.

Parramatta Bishop Anthony Fisher led the Mass at the St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Parramatta in New South Wales, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said.

Joining the crowd of 300 Filipinos and Australians at the Mass were the staff of the Philippine Consulate General in Sydney, including Rosemarie Calderon, Veronidia Morales, Rachel Calisin, Erlinda Albay, Alexander Riosa, Annalie Galang, Jessie Llaneta, and Fidel Simeon.

"The Mass was welcomed by Saint Pedro Calungsod’s Filipino devotees who had faithfully commemorated the date of his beatification prior to his canonization in Rome in October of last year," the DFA said in a news release.

In his homily, Fisher recounted the life and heroic faith of Calungsod, who he described “as a model of intense love of God expressed in missionary zeal.”

Fisher also acknowledged the participation of Catholic Filipinos in the life of the diocese and likened the Parramatta diocese to a “southernmost diocese of Metro Manila or Cebu,” because of its many Filipino parishioners.

Parramatta City is a sister city of Cebu City, which last year celebrated the canonization of Calungsod.

Assisting Fisher were Father Andrew Baas and 10 Filipino priests, Fathers Raning Creta (Filipino Chaplain), John Jatking, Larry Tolentino, Jojo Eloja, Ruben Elago, Roy Cabradilla, Flor Apallas, Renato Paras, Dado Haber, and Mike Gimena.

Before the final blessing at the Mass, Father Renato Paras, the first Filipino chaplain in Australia, thanked Fisher for celebrating the Mass in honor of Saint Pedro Calungsod. - VVP, GMA News

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