Month of Saints - Day 4
Since our first three Saints this month were European, I think it is time to cross the pond. Today I remember my friend Luis, who moved back to PR a few months ago -- this one is for you Lu.
When he is canonized, Blessed Carlos Manuel Rodriguez Santiago will be Puerto Rico's first native saint. Carlos Manuel (Charlie) was born less than 100 years ago on Nov. 22, 1918. He was the second of five brothers and sisters. Two of his sisters married, while another is a Carmelite nun. His only brother, José (Pepe) Rodriguez is a Benedictine monk and the first Puerto Rican to become abbot of his monastery.
Charlie lived a profound Christian life as a lay person. He himself was enlightened, and he passed on the light of the Paschal Vigil to many others. He zealously promoted a renewal of the Catholic liturgy among bishops, clergy and laymen. He professed extreme devotion to the liturgy and worked to repair the loss of liturgical customs that had been abandoned over generations. He advocated for active participation of the laity in prayer, the use of the vernacular and – most especially – the observance of his much loved Paschal Vigil in its proper nighttime setting. His physical strength declined gradually, but his spirit never failed. Rodríguez died at the age of 44 of colorectal cancer on July 13, 1963.
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