St. Expeditus: Patron Saint of Speedy Causes

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St. Expeditus:  Patron Saint of Speedy Causes The venerated image of St. Expeditus in  the Lipa Cathedral In the Metropolitan Cathedral of St. Sebastian in Lipa City is a venerated image of a young Roman Centurion saint named Expeditus. Every month of April, a nine day novena in his honor is held in the cathedral that culminates in the celebration of his feast day on the 19th of the month. Who is this saint whose intercession was also invoked in the Oratio Imperata  to avert a catastrophic eruption of Taal Volcano prepared by the Archdiocese of Lipa when the volcano exhibited extra-ordinary activity early  in January, 2020?  St. Expeditus could have found affinity with the Lipenos since the martyr shares a lot of commonality with St. Sebastian, the city’s patron. St. Expeditus, like St. Sebastian was also a young Roman soldier who converted to Christianity and was also martyred as a consequence, during the period of Diocletian persecution.  Hence, a devo...
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Filipino Saints 12: Servant of God Fr. George Willmann, SJ

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Servant of God Fr. George Willmann, SJ (1887 - 1977): Fr. McGivney ng Pilipinas

Hunyo 29, 1897, kapistahan ng mga Apostol San Pedro at San Pablo, nang ang pagtataling puso nina William G. WIllman at Julia Corcoran Willmann ay magbigay buhay sa isang sanggol na lalaki sa Brooklyn, New York. Bininyagan ang bata sa pangalang “George”. Mayroong siyang isang kapatid na lalaki, si William, Jr. at apat na kapatid na babae na sina Miriam, Dorothy, at sina Sr. Ruth at Sr. Agnes ng Franciscan Missionaries of Mary.

Taong 1902 nang simulan niya ang pag-aaral sa Our Lady of Good Counsel Grammar School at nagpatuloy ng High School sa Brooklyn Preparatory High School. Pagkatapos, pumasok sa Seminaryo ng Kapisanan ni Hesus sa Andrew-on-Hudson, Poughkeepsie, New York kung saan niya natapos ang kanyang Novitiate at Juniorate noong 1922. 

Noong taong 1922, unang dumating habang seminarista pa lamang at nagturo sa Ateneo de Manila pagkatapos ay nagbalik sa Estados Unidos upang tapusin ang kanyang pag-aaral sa pagpapari.

Agosto 14, 1915 nang maordinahang pari si Fr. Willmann sa Woodstock College sa Maryland sa pamamagitan ng pagpapatong ng kamay ni Archbishop Curley. Noong Hunyo 20, 1928, natapos niya ang kanyang tertianship (huling taon ng pormal na paghuhubog spiritwal) at magsimulang manungkulan bilang direktor ng Jesuit Mission Bureau on behalf of the Philippines mula 1930 hanggang 1936 sa New York.

Muli siyang nagbalik sa Pilipinas taong 1938 kung saan niya gugugulin ang halos kabuuan ng kanyang buhay bilang isang pari. Muli siyang nagturo, naging prefect of studies at nagsagawa ng social apostolate. Sa taon ding ito, naglingkod siya sa Knights of Columbus. 

Bagamat naitatag ang first Council ng Knights sa Pilipinas  noong April 23, 1905 sa Intramuros, Maynila  at ang ikalawa naman ay noong 1918 sa San Pablo, Laguna, sa Fr. Willmann ang naging tagapagtatag ng Knights of Columbus Fraternal Association of the Philippines at itinuturing na Fr. McGivney ng Pilipinas.  

Naatasan siya sa iba’t ibang katungkulan sa Knights of Columbus at noong 1962, bilang Philippine deputy, katungkulan na hinawakan niya hanggang sa kanyang kamatayan noong 1977. 

Bukod sa kanyang pamumuno sa Knights of Columbus, isinagkot rin ni Fr. Willmann ang kanyang sarili sa paghuhubog ng kabataan. Nagsilbi siyang chaplain sa Unibersidad ng Pilipinas kung saan sinimulan niya ang Catholic Youth Organization.

Noong ikalawang digmaang pandaigdig, ikinulong siya ng mga Hapon kasama pa ang ibang mga Amerikanong misyonero sa internment camp sa Los Banos mula 1944 – 1945. Nang mapalaya ang Pilipinas noong Pebrero 23, 1945 kabilang si Fr. Willmann sa 2,100 na madre, pari, pastor at ministro ng iba’t ibang denominasyon na naiwan sa Los Banos Internment Camp. 

Nang magbalik ang kapayaan, ipinagpatuloy niya ang paglilingkod sa Knights of Columbus at ang pagtupad sa iba pa niyang tungkulin bilang isang pari. Sa pamumuno ni Fr. Willmann, naitayo ang ang Manila Council Clubhouse Building at ito ay pinasinayaan at binendisyunan noong Abril 24, 1955 sa pangunguna ng Arsobispo ng Maynila, Rufino Cardinal Santos.

Taong 1975 ng siya ay gawaran ng Filipino Citizenship sa pamamagitan ng Presidential Decree no. 740 na nilagdaan ni Pangulong Ferdinand E. Marcos at sa okasyon ng pagdiriwang ng kanyang kaarawan noong Hunyo 29, 1977 ay ginawaran siya ni Papa Pablo VI ng papal award na “Pro Ecclesia Et Pontifice.”  Sa taong ito rin pinasimulan ang Father Willmann Fund for Seminarians na naglalayong magbigay suporta sa pag-aaral at paghuhubog ng mga mahihirap na seminarista. 

Noong Setyembre 14, 1977, habang bumibisita sa Estados Unidos, siya ay pumanaw sa atake sa puso ilang araw matapos ang isang operasyon upang isaayos ang kanyang buto sa balakang. Siya ay inilibing sa Sacred Heart Novitiate sa Novaliches, Quezon City kung saan din nakalibing ang kanyang mga kapatid na Heswita. 

Bilang pagkilala sa malaking papel na ginampanan ni Fr. George Willmann sa pagkabuo at patuloy na paglago ng Knights of Columbus sa Pilipinas, isang kwarto na naglalaman ng iba’t ibang memorabilia, mga larawan at sinulat ng Servant of God Fr. George Willmann ang inilaan sa Knights of Columbus Fraternal Association of the Philippines Center sa Intramuros.

Noong Disyembre 7, 2015, sinimulan ang Diocesan Process for the Cause of Beatification and Canonization ng Servant of God George Willmann, SJ sa Manila Cathedral. Si Monsignor Pedro Quitorio ang naatasang postulator ng Cause. 


Pinagsanggunian:

Cruz, Roberto. “Sainthood bid opens for Fr. George J. Willmann, SJ.” retrieved from http://www.kofc.org.ph/?q=node/2561. January 11, 2019.

Ocampo, Justina. “A History of the Knights of Columbus in the Philippines (1905 – 1990”). Retrieved from http://frgeorgewillmann.org/ph/?page_id=145. January 12, 2019. 

“Synopsis of Fr. Willmann’s Biograpy” retrieved from https://www.facebook.com/pg/frgeorgewillmann/about/?ref=page_internal on April 23, 2020.

“Willmann” retrieved from https://www.manresa-sj.org/stamps/1_Willmann.htm on April 23, 2020. 

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