A lone red rose stands out among the white colored flowers
offered on the tomb of the late Ricardo Cardinal Vidal while a woman lovingly touches the framed photo of Cebu’s beloved prelate inside the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral Mausoleum.
Yesterday, October 18, was the first death anniversary of Cardinal Vidal.
Masses, book launch mark beloved prelate’s 1st death anniversary
Two Masses, a book launch, and a crowd who lovingly remembers summed up the commemoration of the first death anniversary of Cebu’s longest serving Archbishop, the late Ricardo Cardinal Vidal.
“We all miss him,” said Cebu Auxiliary Bishop Oscar Florencio upon remembering Vidal, a year after his death.
“Yet we need to transcend from missing him personally. We need to continue to live up to his expectations that he left us as his flock. His teachings should go on and we have to continue the learnings,” Florencio added.
Florencio offered a Mass on the morning of October 18, at the mausoleum where Vidal’s body was laid and recounted his personal memories of the cardinal who was well loved by Cebuanos.
He remembered how the cardinal always told him to love his fellow priests, a reminder he practices in his daily encounters with various clergy of different personalities.
“Cardinal Vidal taught us that when you give yourself, you have to give everything. Even up to his retirement and death he is teaching us something,” said Florencio in his homily.
Another Mass was offered in the afternoon by Cebu Auxiliary Bishop Dennis Villarojo at the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral together with a number of clergy and the public who joined the commemoration of Vidal’s life and memories.
These memories would soon be immortalized in a book entitled, Ricardo Cardinal Vidal: He Walked the Way of Truth, which was launched after the Holy Mass.
The project was spearheaded by Congressman Raul Del Mar, Cebu City North District Representative.
It aims to gather stories and anecdotes of people’s encounters with the cardinal.
The story-gathering will run for a year until October 18, 2019 when it will be collated and will be published by 2021.
Del Mar encouraged everyone to send their stories to cardinal.vidal.stories@gmail.com. People can also send pictures and photographs of encounters with the prelate.
Cardinal Vidal served as the Archbishop of Cebu for 29 years from 1982 to 2010 and became an influential figure both in the Catholic Church and in the entire nation.
Vidal died at the age of 86 on October 18, 2017 due to septic shock after suffering from blood infection.