ILOILO CITY, May 5, 2014 – The ‘Year of the Laity’ sees the formal launching of a prayer for a cause for the canonization of an Ilonggo layman in the University of San Agustin Auditorium in Iloilo City on April 30.
Called “A Prayer for the Cause of an Ilonggo Saint: Amador M. Tajanlangit, Sr., an exemplary Devotee of the Blessed Virgin Mother”, the launching was spearheaded by the Friends of Amador M. Tajanlangit Sr. (FAMTSr) with the acknowledgement of Fr. Joenick Territorio, Director of the Jaro Archdiocesan Commission on the Laity.
“The Prayer for the Cause of an Ilonggo Saint”, Fr. Territorio said, “is a private initiative of the FAMTSr. Thus, from the point of view of the Archdiocese, there is no official cause yet, not even a petition; only a prayer for a cause.”
“The group is advised to secure proofs and testimonies while direct living witnesses are still available in case the cause advances to the next stage, As per instruction from the Archbishop, everything related to this project, insofar as it involves the diocese, shall be referred to our office up until the Archbishop has officially accepted this cause as a diocesan endeavour.” Territorio explained.
Creative apostolate
“We are hoping to accomplish our mission since the Catholic Bishop Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has declared this year 2014, the Year of the Laity with the theme, ‘Called to be Saints, Sent Forth as Heroes,’” said FAMTSr chairman Nerissa P. Pamplona.
Pamplona said many of the elderly witnesses remember Tay Amador — as Tajanglangit was fondly called — for his eagerness in bringing many people back to God through his creative apostolic activities.
Witnesses recall that when Tajanglangit was still a teenager, he organized a makeshift movie housewhere he gathered people to watch religious films such as the lives of the saints and accounts of apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
As a Marian devotee, Tajanglangit initiated the “Dawn Rosary,” which was aired daily over the radio from 4:00 to 5:00 a.m. He also organized people to mass-produce and distribute religious materials such as Catholic prayer books and rosaries to far-flung areas within the region. He also made use of his ventriloquist skills by imitating the sounds of animals, birds, and insects to gather people for catechism sessions.
As the elders recall, the people loved Tay Amador so much that many volunteered to carry him, in spite of his heavy weight, in a cart (karosa) or hammock (duyan), so he could cross rivers and reach the remote parts of the mountains where townsfolk could hear him speak.
Powerful intercession
When Tajanglangit died on March 9, 1977, at the age of 65 about ten thousand people from the provinces of Antique, Capiz, Aklan, and Negros Occidental converged at the Jaro Cathedral grounds for the funeral.
An account written by Jeremiah Vardeleon published in the “Augustinian”, a magazine of the University of San Agustin, Iloilo, tells of the experience of Julie Ann Aninon.
On March 2, 2013, Aninon’s 12-year old niece was accidentally hit by a public utility vehicle and was left comatose. Feeling very helpless, Aninon grabbed a picture of Tay Amador and prayed ceaselessly for her niece’s survival.
Three months after the incident, her niece was able to recover and Aninon thanks Tay Amador for “obtaining a miracle.”
Aninon believes that Tajanlangit is a saint who could effectively intercede for those who in need.
Aninon’s testimony is just one among the many witnesses recorded by FAMTSr that attest to the intercessory power of Tay Amador.
Pamplona pointed out the timeliness of launching the movement to petition the canonization of Tajanlangit on the 103th anniversary of his birth since it falls on the ‘Year of the Laity.’
“I pray and hope that Tay Amador will help us in this movement to unite everyone to work for the accomplishment of our great mission for God, our country and our families.” Pamplona added. (Fr. Mickey Cardenas)