CAMOMOT’S CAUSE OF SAINTHOOD GETS UNANIMOUS NOD FROM VATICAN CONGREGATION OF THEOLOGIANS

CEBU City – Cebu will have its second saint soon. This came after the Theological Commission of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints in the Vatican stamped their unified consent to the Cause of Beatification and Canonization of Archbishop Teofilo Camomot, on Nov, 10, 2021.

The cause got 9-of-9 affirmative votes to the heroic virtues of the Archbishop Camomot, which is the first step towards sainthood.

The announcement was made by the Facebook page dedicated to the late Archbishop, Servant of God, Archbishop Teofilo Bastida Camomot last night.

“THANKS BE TO GOD! The Archdiocese of Cebu has been notified that the Theological Commission of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints in the Vatican gave a unanimous affirmative vote (9 out of 9) to the HEROIC VIRTUES of the Servant of God, Archbishop Teofilo Camomot.

With this favorable outcome, the Cause of Beatification and Canonization of Bishop Camomot will be forwarded for further examination to the Commission of Bishops and Cardinals of the said Congregation. Upon completion of their study, the cause will be presented to the Holy Father for his approval. Then Bishop Camomot will be considered “Venerable,” the page announced.

Thanks giving mass was celebrated at the Archbishop Camomot Shrine Chapel at Villadolid, Carcar City, right after the Vatican announced the outcome of the meeting of Theologians.

On Tuesday, the faithful and the Daughters of St. Therese had a vigil to pray for a favorable result of the Cause of Archbishop Camomot’s Beatification and Canonization.

Bishop Camomot was revered by his parishioners as an eloquent preacher and a convincing speaker. His simplicity, selflessness, numerous charity works – and most of all – his spiritual gifts of healing, reading hearts, levitation, and bilocation.

Until this moment people whom he touched cannot forget his simplicity, his personal holiness, and his apostolic works especially among the poor, the sick, the homeless, and the suffering.

Camomot was born on March 3, 1994 and was ordained as a priest in on December 14, 1941 – during the outbreak of the Second World War. He died in a car accident in Sitio Magtalisay, Barangay Sangat in the municipality of San Fernando. The Bishop died immediately because of his injury but his chauffer escaped death.

Thousands of flocked to his funeral at Carcar Municipal Cemetery, but in 2009 his body was exhumed and was transferred to the Daughters of Santa Teresa convent in Valladolid.

The Daughters of Saint Teresa formally petitioned for a cause for beatification and canonization of Camomot and on October 15, 2010, the late Ricardo Cardinal Vidal announced that the Holy See has approved the opening of the cause for beatification and canonization.

Two months later, Vidal formed a commission to look into the possibility of beatification. The commission includes Bishop Antonio Ranola (Instructor and Episcopal Delegate), Dennis Villarojo (Postulator), Raul Go (Promoter of Justice), Jasper John Petralba (Notary), and Trinidad Calleno (Adjunct Notary) while Guillermo Gorre, Marnell Mejia and Patricio Ornopia were designated as Theological Censors to study the writings of Camomot.

The historical researchers were Marvin Mejia, Ramon Ofredo, and Cayetano Gelbolingo.

Camomot served as curé of Santa Teresa de Ávila Parish in Talisay for 12 years. On March 1955, he was appointed auxiliary bishop of Jaro, Iloilo until 1959, and got his Episcopal ordination on May 1955. After masses, he kept himself busy by visiting the poor especially those who are sick. In 1959, he was sent to the Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro as coadjutor archbishop with right of succession. It was in his years in Cagayan de Oro where he formed Paulinian Faith Defenders and Carmelite Tertiaries of the Blessed Eucharists, which was the forerunners of the Daughters of Saint Teresa, to assist the church in the work of evangelization.

Between 1962 and 1965, he attended several sessions of Second Vatican Council.

But due to kidney problems, he had to resign his position as coadjutor archbishop in 1970.

He came back to Cebu and was assigned in Santo Tomás de Villanueva Parish in Barangay Poblacion Pardo, Cebu City. He brought with him some sisters from the congregation he founded in Mindanao. While serving Pardo, he also frequently visited his former Parish in Talisay.

In 1976, he was assigned to his native town in Carcar. Aside from being the pastor of the parish, he was also auxiliary bishop to Julio Cardinal Rosales.

His generosity became widely popular that rectory workers began complaining about the number of poor people lining up to ask for food. His brothers and sisters would often remind him to be more cautious of the people whom he was helping because his generosity might be abused, but he always saw the goodness in every person he met. RCM