The initiative is part of the Year of the Laity, organized by the Bishops' Conference for 2014. Tajanlangit M. Amador, from the Ilonggo group, promoted the "Dawn Rosary" and screenings of films and documentaries about the saints and apparitions of the Virgin. Over 10 thousand people gathered for a final farewell at his funeral in the Jaro cathedral.

Manila ( AsiaNews / CBCP ) - In the year dedicated to the laity, a group of Filipino Catholics have launched a formal petition for the canonization of a lay man from the Ilonggo ethnic group; The initiative kicked off on April 30 in the auditorium of the University of St. Augustine in Iloilo City, Western Visayas region. 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 provinces of Iloilo and Guimaras).

Taking a cue from the Philippine Bishops Conference ( CBCP ), declaring 2014 the "Year of the Laity" on the theme "Called to be Saints, Sent Forth as Heroes", the petitioners hope to "fulfill our mission". FAMTSr president Nerissa P. Pamplona, ​​said that many of the older faithful remember the figure of Tay Amador well, for his enthusiastic witness and creative works of the apostolate.

Witnesses say that when he was a boy, Tajanglangit (born April 30, 1911) set up a small cinema where friends and acquaintances gathered to show their religious films and documentaries, dedicated to the life of the saints or the apparitions of the Virgin Mary. A staunch devotee of the Virgin Mary, he first started the traditional "Dawn Rosary", broadcast on national radio on a daily basis from 4 to 5 in the morning. He also promoted the distribution of prayer books and rosaries in the more remote areas of the region.

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. On the day of his death, March 9, 1977 at the age of 65, about 10 thousand people from the provinces of Antique, Capiz, Aklan and Negros Occidental packed the Jaro cathedral for a final farewell.

Meanwhile the first testimonies are emerging of miracles and graces obtained through the intercession of Tay Amado. Jeremiah Vardeleon told the Augustinian newspaper of the University of St. Augustine, the story of JulieAnn Aniñon . On 2 March 2013, 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".

In the document that declared 2014 the "Year of the laity" the Filipino bishops had strong words on the responsibilities and duties of Christians in public life, from the fight against corruption to the defense of life. In this year the prelates want to focus on "coherence between faith and daily life" of Catholics, indicating a methodology that provides a greater sharing of faith experiences among the laity.

 

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