In Rome, St. Peter's Basilica was host to nearly 30,000 devotees as part of its very large Thanksgiving Mass. 250 Filipino priests celebrated the sainting of Pedro Calungsod, a Visayan matyr. The mass was also used to challenge the faithful to emulate the behavior of the newly made saints.

"Emulate Pedro Calunsgod."

That was the theme of the Thanksgiving Mass held at the St. Peter’s Basilica a day after Visayan martyr Pedro Calungsod joined the ranks of saints in  rites held at Rome, Italy and televised around the world.

With the sonorous voices of the Mandaue Children and Youth Chorus filling the hallowed halls of St. Peter’s Basilica, the Filipino Catholic faithful in Rome attended a Thanksgiving Mass to celebrate Calungsod’s sainthood.

Estimated at 30,000 the devotees gathered around the altar on the northern part of the basilica for the liturgy that capped the celebrations in Rome yesterday.

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