Philippine modern day Saint

Title

Creator

Herbst, Winifrid

Language

English

Year

1947

Rights

In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Abstract

Adapted from real life stories.

Fulltext

Philippine Modern Day Saint Adapted from REAL LIFE STORIES Edited by Father Winifrid Herbst, S.D.S. //k J OTHER,” I am almost, conIVI vinced she is a saint, and I do hope the Philippines will soon have one.” These are the beautiful words that were written by a friend of Arceli Tanedo soon after her death. Arceli, whom we shall cal! Lily, was born in Manila on May 16, 1920, and died in Baguio on March 18, 1938. So she really lived during your own time. She was the oldest of four children and her father was a Lieutenant Colonel in the Philippine Army. Lily first studied at the Cebu Normal School, and from there she went to the public school in Batangas, where she was found to be. such a bright girl that she "skipped” a grade. From the pub lic school she went to the Mis sionary Belgian Sisters at the high school of St. Louis College in Baguio, where she was grad uated in only three years with the highest honors a student could get. She was then only 14 years old. “A Quiet Girl’’ One incident occurred during her second year which serves to point out the remarkable bril liance of the girl. For her com position on the life and writings of Dr. Jose Rizal she was award ed a prize of twenty pesos. And to shew her kindntss of heart, she gave half of it to her bro thers and the other half to a charitable institution. Lily’s first year in college was spent at the Junior College of Cebu, a branch of the University of the Philippines, where she be came known for her quiet nature and great intelligence^ However, she missed the Sisters and her re ligion very much; so she asked her mother if she could study with the Benedictine Sisters at St. Scholastica’s College in Manila. She was given permission and one year later, at the age of 16, she graduated as valedictorian again. One of her companion-: on-e said of her, “Lily would never act 49 50 THE CROSS smart even though she was the brighest girl in all her classes. When there was a hard problem to be solved, she was never anx ious to raise her hand, but would wait until the teacher called upon her, and then she would give the answer slowly and surely. An instructor in advanced mat hematics said of her, too: “I never saw her downcast or in a bad humor or excited, for instance ... She seemed to understand how to get'joy out of little troubles and crosses. Surely she had, Jesus as a personal Friend... If one saw her at prayer one could not doubt that she was near and dear to Him.” Her piano teacher described her as a girl “with a fine sense of the beautiful.” “When I saw her in the church paying a visit to Jesus, she knelt as immoveable as if she ‘saw’ something.” She continued going to St. Scholastica’s and would surely have received greater honors had she not become sick and* died at the age of 18. For the Lord was to take her, as little more than a child, into His kingdom. Lily may have been a very quiet girl, but when there was something funny, she would laugh as hard as the rest of her class mates. All the while Lily was at school, her mother could hardly wait until vacation when her beloved daugh ter would be home again. But Li ly was kept too busy that she scarcely had time to get her own. work done. She spent several hours each day in the church, teaching religion and holy songs to the little children, and when that was over she would visit the sick and the poor who were al ways sure to welcome her with open arms. During her days in school, Lily told one of the teaching Sisters her secret. It happened while all the children were having a picnic at the seashore. Lily departed from the group and took a walk with the Sister. After they had walked a little way, Lily said: “I am so anxious to finish my studies in order to enter the con vent!" Those few words were all she said; yet they showed a whole life’s ambition. Little did she know that hei- wish was to be granted sooner than she expected. In October, 1937, Lily suffered so much from back pains and high fever that she was forced to go to the school doctor. It was about this time, too, that her father, at the school on business, found out that his daughter was ailing and rushed her to another doctor. The diagnosis was brief: Lily was suffering from tubercu losis. The next month was spent in a hospital; then she was AUGUST, 1947 31 brought to Baguio where, it was hoped, the climate would effect a rapid cure. And so Lily and her mother moved to a cabin among the mountains. A servant arrived from Cebu to attend to the sick girl; then she got sick herself and the mother had to care for two patients instead of one. A short stay in Baguio’s more tem perate climate worked wonders and Lily was soon well and on her feet. Then complications set in and she was forced to go back to a hospital. But even here, sick as she was, her missionary spirit remained restless and she converted a Pro testant nurse who was attending her. A few days before she died, Li ly begged that, should death ac tually overtake her, she would prefer that her face remain un painted. She also requested to be buried in the habit of Our Lady of Lourdes. A blessed blue ■ belt was dispatched from Manila and arrived on. the morning on which Lily breathed her last. On the day of her death, a cer tain widow in Cebu, who had been a close friend of Lily’s during life, prayed to her. While she knelt thus, she saw a beautiful bouquet of white flowers and in the center, a rose. She was a bit frightened at first; then she tried to take them in her hands and they dis appeared. She told everyone that, the flowers were radiant with light and extremely fragrant. Lily’s brothers and sisters could not be immediately notified of her death since their parents were with Lily at that time. So they never knew that their sister had worn the habit of Lourdes when she died. Yet, when one of the servants came home from the Ce bu carnival late that night, a girl in that same habit, with fea tures exactly like those of Lour des, appeared and walked in front of him. Then she walked away towards the stairs and descended, just as had been Lily’s wont in life. The servant tried to touch the beautiful vision, but it disap peared. A Belgian Sister who had been Lily’s teacher believes that Lily went straight to Heaven. She told her pupils that for many years she had been praying for a cer tain favor but that it had never been granted. However, a week aftei- she had prayed to Lily, she obtained the grace. Here is another wonderful thing that happened after Lily’s death. All her life she had suffered be cause her father had never been .promoted in the army, despite the fact that many of his con temporaries had long outranked him. Soon after Lily’s death her THE CROSS mother prayed to her, asking that justice be done. A short time later, when General S. (Lily’s fa ther’s superior) came to Cebu on a visit, Mr. Tanedo went to meet him as the. boat docked. As soon as the general got off the steamer, he greeted Mr. Tanedo with a “How do you do, Colonel”, a rank which Lily’s fa ther had never had. The Philippines has never as yel had the honor of having given birth to a canonized saint. Who knows? Simple Lily Tanedo may yet give her country that honor. SMART GUY The keeper of the seals for Louis XIII one day asked a little boy, “Where is God? Tell me and I’ll give you an orange." “You tell me where He isn’t and I’ll give you two oranges," re plied the little fellow. Said of a mentally lazy man: "He had one thought once. But it soon died of loneliness.” ON LEADERSHIP “The leader for the time being whoever he may be, is but an in strument, to be used until broken and then to be cast aside; and if he is worth his salt, h» will Care no more than a soldier cares when he is sent where his life is forfeit in order that victory may be won. In the long fight for righteousness the watchword for all of us is — spentT and be spent. It is of little matter whether any one-man fails or suc ceeds; but the cause shall not fail, for it is the cause of mankind.” Pres. Roosevelt

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