Milagro ni San Vicente Ferrer, Pitalo

The Miracle of Light – St. Vincent Ferrer, Pitalo

Every July 26, devotees of St. Vincent Ferrer in Pitalo, a tiny barrio in San Fernando, in the island of Cebu Philippines, celebrate the feast of the Miracle of Light. It was on the eve of the Japanese occupation in the Philippine when electricity was rationed to residential homes, public buildings and churches in the country side of the island. During this period, till even when I was 5 or 6 years of age, electricity was only available at night time. The chapel of St. Vincent in Pitalo, however, had its own electric generator installed in the facility to power up special religious events…..and behind the current chapel building, there was a power generator locked up inside the old shack. One day, the Power generator mysteriously started up and lit up the entire chapel. According to eye witnesses, electric current was felt flowing through concrete walls of the chapel and had caused electric shocks. Witnessed by the thousands, this supernatural event had lasted several hours. The Keykeeper who at that time working in the nearby town had to be called in to shut down the engine, but authorities decided to let the generator continue running, and as mysterious as the way it started, the generator stopped by itself. Thereafter, thousands of believers flock to St. Vincent Ferrer of Pitalo to invoke various petitions to their beloved saint.

Stories of angels and saints intercede earthly human activities, such as like this, can be traced throughout the Holy scripture, mentioning only two: (1). the angel told Joseph in a dream to flee to Egypt and to take Mary and the child away from Herod’s brutality. (2). the angel helped St. Paul get out of prison.

Rome was then the prime city of the world like our modern day New York. Two thousand years ago, Jesus sent Peter out to evangelize, “You revealed me in Jerusalem, reveal me also in Rome.” As evidence of Peter’s presence in the Eternal city, his mortal remains (his bones) can be found two floors below St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. During excavation, independent archeologists from around the globe had confirmed that the place was an old cemetery where St. Peter was laid to rest after his execution. On the Wall that surrounds St. Peter burial ground are writings (graffiti) of the first Christians, saying “St. Peter, Pray for us!”…. and in Pitalo today, exactly the same petition of the faithful echoes continuously inside the beautiful chapel - “St. Vincent Ferrer, pray for us!”

The Chapel of St. Vincent Ferrer of Pitalo is located in San Fernando, 26 kilometers south of Cebu City, Philippines.

Send comment to Nick Siarza
Lives in Albuquerque, NM, USA
From San Isidro, San Fernando, Cebu, Philippines