Wednesday, March 4, 2020

... A Bogus Patron Saint

Catmon beguiled with a bogus Patron Saint

First posted in FB on February 11, 2020, Catmon, Cebu
Below, the original Sr. San Guillermo brought by the Augustinian Recollects
From Balaanong Bahandi: Catmon's Patron Saint is St. William the Hermit 
 vs.
From the Catmon Jubilee Year Souvenir Program: Catmon's Patron Saint is St. William of Aquitaine (St. William of Gellone)?
Is Aquitania a person or a place?

There is one St. William associated with the place Aquitaine and He is St. William of Gellone. St. William of Gellone is the proper name for St. William died in the Monastery he founded situated in a place called Gellone, he died a Monk and revered by the Benedictines.

In the middle ages Saints were named after the place of their death or the place of their penitent life NOT the place of their birth. Literally, St. William of Aquitaine does not exist, is a bogus name. It should be St. William of Gellone.

In the Catmon Fiesta souvenir program, the written life story of our Patron Saint is one of dubious origin. For it consists of three different lives, the life of St. William of Gellone, the life of St. William of Maleval/the Hermit, and the life of William X Duke of Aquitaine rolled into one. The writer likened him to God with three coeternal consubstantial persons - the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit—as "one God in three Divine persons". While William of Aquitaine is coeternal with William of Gellone, William of Maleval, and William X. How lucky Catmon is, having a Patron Saint in three Great persons. Bogus so to say.

If the place and date of birth of our Patron Saint are unknown, how in God's name the author of the story came up with the name St. William of Aquitaine?

Who is St. William of Aquitaine? Please include him in your research and enlighten me if I am mistaken.

Our Patron Saint is venerated and revered by the Augustinians. The Augustinians were responsible for the construction of our Church in honor of a Saint in their order. They named our parish after Sr. San Guillermo de Ermitanyo, the only soldier turned Hermit among the Augustinian Saints.

Is it not nonsensical to install a Saint not in your ecclesiastical order?

Nothing's gonna stay the same forever, change is obviously here. Political landscape in the fifth district has swiftly favored a newbie in Congress, first time in history.

Catmon Fiesta Celebration is no exception to these changes. Kabog Festival was not in the menu this year and other yearly events has also abruptly shifted, to some it's an upgrade, to others a downgrade. Struggle in the political leadership is very obvious, lack of coordination resulted to lack of preparation and unpopular decisions.

Our fiesta celebration is a celebration of our faith the feast day of our Patron Saint and also the celebration of our municipality's existence and identity.

The most important part is the celebration of our faith, the celebration of our Patron Saint's death the day of his birth into heaven, and the celebration of his penitent life in a cave in the valley of Maleval. This is a tradition that should never waiver for any reason, nothing is equal and beyond.

Strengthen your Faith through knowing him personally; don't bank on hearsay and myth. This way you can adore and revere him in appropriate and most sacred manner for you know who you’re talking to. Don't talk to a myth, revering the moon, the sun, and the trees, those days are gone... don't go back to paganism. Blind and empty faith begets dark and empty promises.

Instead revere what is real and true. Help yourself in finding the truth. Do some research heartily and don't give up until you nurtured your Faith. Those who are spreading False & Blind Faith are like fallen angels ever eager looking for lost souls.

Start doing the right thing. Secure your place by defending, fighting for, and advocating the truth. You can't be wrong with the truth and it's not hard to find it. Hungry and thirst yourself with the truth, start looking for it today, begin with my references or the Balaanong Bahandi, and then go from here. Knowing Him personally is vital to your earthly and heavenly existence; his intercession is not far a reach for he dwell in you and you in him, for he is real not born out of your imagination.

There are many San Guillermo, and our Patron Saint is your burden to identify among the many. Otherwise, you're one of those fallen angels aka hypocrites injecting twisted ideas to the innocent faithful for whatever gain. Those evil intentions will not last forever, change is obviously coming and it will come for goodness sake. Truth will keep us... forever.