Penshoppe boss, Bernie Liu, son of the late Leo Lim Liu, founding patriarch of Matimco Inc. and fashion retailer Golden ABC Inc., fondly recalls the Liu family’s long-running friendship with Cebu Archbishop Emeritus Ricardo Cardinal Vidal in a touching eulogy delivered last Tuesday.
CDN PHOTO/Lito Tecson
REMEMBERING VIDAL
It was a relationship borne out of mutual love and respect that spanned more than 30 years — that of Cebu Archbishop Emeritus Ricardo Cardinal Vidal and the family of Cebuano business mogul, the late Leo Lim Liu, founding patriarch of Matimco Inc. and Golden ABC Inc.
Lim Liu’s son, businessman Bernie Liu, founder and chief executive officer of fashion retailer Golden ABC Inc., which owns clothing brands Penshoppe, Oxygen and Regatta, said Vidal, who was one of his father’s best friends, inspired them to nurture a deeply rooted faith that worked around their business ventures.
“His Eminence gave us the opportunity to aid the church in various, countless and silent ways, and we will always be grateful for his trust,” said Liu as he spoke at the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral as a representative of the business sector during a eulogy for Vidal, Tuesday.
“I remember him most for his burning desire to spread the love of the Lord and his encouraging words for everyone who could be instruments of conversion in the secular world. He inspired stewardship among the members of the business community, and it was because of his pastoral urging that our group of companies became staunch advocates of the church,” Liu added.
According to Liu, Vidal was not only well-respected by the community he served but was also genuinely loved by the people around him.
“He was kind to everyone regardless of stature. He was never too busy or inconvenienced to console anyone who needed to be consoled. He hated inconveniencing anyone, and was always prompt and on most occasions, early for appointments,” said Liu as he narrated his parents’ long-standing deep friendship with the prelate, one of their family’s “most influential figures.”
“Not once have I seen him lose his temper, nor have heard stories about him getting angry. Instead, he was always very fatherly to his priests and to his flock. Visiting him at home meant getting treated like little children and being fed with mamon and all kinds of treats, and he wouldn’t take no for an answer,” Liu added.
The cardinal’s life, said Liu, was far from easy especially when his body began to weaken.
“He traveled a lot to fulfill his duties, and he always had with him his special pillow to ease the pain on his back. But despite that, he silently bore the physical agony just so he could be present for others and share whatever he could, be it his food, his warm hug or his precious time,” added Liu.
“He believed that the promotion of the faith was not constrained within the confines of the pulpit; rather, it had to be lived anywhere and everywhere by ordinary people, even in the most secular environment of work,” Liu said.
Liu recalled that Vidal fondly shared with members of their family his apprehension when he was appointed Archbishop of Cebu by Pope John Paul II in 1982.
He said Vidal was worried that the Cebuano people would not take kindly to an outsider, especially someone from Luzon, and felt that he would not be able to lead the flock and serve the church’s purpose if he did not speak a word in Cebuano.
“St. John Paul the Great understood his fears. But his response to Cardinal Vidal could not be countered. The saint said, and this is paraphrased from His Eminence’s story, ‘I am a Polish pope living in Italy. I did not ask for it, but I am here,’” recounted Liu.
The pope’s words did not diminish Vidal’s fears, but the prelate nonetheless bravely accepted his new assignment.
“The story goes that on his first few Masses, he (Vidal) tried to pray in the vernacular. He intended to say ‘Ginoo, pamatia kami’ (Lord, hear us). But with his Tagalog accent, he instead would say ‘Ginoo, pamatya kami (Lord, kill us),” Liu recalled fondly.
“Thank goodness that accents did not matter to the Lord and that He was able to decipher the cardinal’s true intentions. His Eminence did not need to speak Bisaya fluently to communicate his heart to us, for instead it spoke in a language more powerful — that of peace, compassion and love,” Liu added.
According to Liu, his father Lim Liu and mother Norma converted to Catholicism when he was young, but it was only after meeting Vidal that their faith intensified, paving the way for the couple’s active participation in apostolic works.
“Dad dedicated his retirement years helping the sick and the needy, while mom focused on helping the poor. They wholeheartedly aided His Eminence in his own advocacies including his work for the canonization of San Pedro Calungsod. Their devotion to these worthy causes became their life, so much so that on separate years, they were eventually knighted in the Pontifical Order of St. Sylvester Pope,” said Liu.
Today, the Liu family’s LH Foundation actively supports advocacies in community building, education, health and the church.
“Our commitment to the Mother Church and her works will remain strong. Such was the good cardinal’s effect in our family life. His Eminence has forever changed our lives for the better,” said Liu.
“His Eminence was a prince of the church, but never did he invoke that privilege. He was a true servant of the Lord who happily, patiently served his people. His Eminence held one of the most prominent positions in the society, but he was always, first and foremost, a decent human being amongst all of us,” added Liu.