Homily during the Funeral Mass of Fr Andres Cervantes SDB

By Fr. Favie Faldas, SDB

Manila, the Philippines, 24 November 2018 -- ‘When there's no one left in the living world who remembers you, you disappear from this world. We call it the "Final Death”. Our memories, they have to be passed down by those who knew us in life – in the stories they tell about us.’ These were the words Hector told his unknowing great-great-grandson, Miguel Rivera, in the Mexican-inspired animated film; Coco!

Likewise, as we lay Fr Andres Palomino Cervantes SDB to his final resting place, we take time to reminisce over his life as a tribute and thanksgiving to God for giving us such a confrere, who despite his shortcomings has shown fidelity and dedication as a Salesian priest.

On 31 October, Fr Andres was brought to Makati Med because of a bloated bladder. At first, his eyes were full of wonder as he exclaimed: “This is the best hospital in the world.” But as the hospital days dragged on, he wanted to go home and expressed that he wanted to die. Even when he returned to Zatti Clinic on 6 November, it always took a lot coaxing from the nurses for him to eat and do the daily routine. And yet, his wish was caught by our nurse in video, when he said: “I want to go to heaven. I want to die.” This was not because of desperation but he was very, very tired and he knew that his time had come.

On 21 November, Wednesday, Dr Ramos made his rounds in Zatti Clinic and wanted Fr Andres to go to the hospital to have a catheter put on, but Fr Andres refused to go to the hospital. Instead, another doctor would come later in the day to do the procedure in our clinic. Our nurses prepared him despite the usual protests. By 2:00 p.m., he ate lunch with Fred. By 3 p.m. he asked to be brought to his cell and even while he was in his wheelchair he was already starting to feel a certain stiffness. A few minutes after, the nurses observed that he just lay there on his bed straight as a log and with a whimper sighed his last. After trying to revive him, he was declared dead at 3:26 p.m. Within the day, his sister, a nun, upon learning the news of his passing, wrote this email: “My brother is already enjoying the true life, how happy he is! Without a doubt, he already rests in peace.”

Fr Andres was born in Mexico City to an architect, Fernando Cervantes, and Elena Palomino on 2 February 1932. There were six in the family: Fernando, an engineer, the eldest; Juan, the youngest; while in between were Manuel, Fr Rafael, a Jesuit who died around two years ago, Fr Andres, and Sr Lourdes RJM (Religious of Jesus and Mary).

The young Andres grew up in a very religious environment not only at home but also in school as he studied with the Marist Fathers in his elementary days and with the Jesuits in his secondary education. Thus, the seed of a vocation thrived, but it had to undergo clarity.

Fr Donnie Duchin Duya in his On a Pensive Mood blog, wrote about this part of Fr Andres’ journey of faith. Fr Andres entered the two-year Jesuit novitiate (probably following the footsteps of his elder brother, Rafael) but in the end, the novice master told him that as long as he was the novice master, he could not allow him to profess as a Jesuit. And so, he was told to go home, get married and live a normal life.

He obeyed the novice master. He left the Jesuits, studied architecture for two years and met Sofia, whom he was seeing for some time. Then in 1954, he visited a Salesian youth centre in Mexico City and liked what he saw. They were playing with the poor kids and since it was the birthday of the Salesian Provincial at that time of his visit, he got to be invited to eat with the Salesians. God’s call in him was rekindled and so he bid good-bye to the beautiful Sofia and he was “perfectly sure” that he wanted to become a Salesian priest: “My vocation was to be a priest – not to get married!”

Andres entered the Salesian novitiate in Coacalco, Mexico and made his first profession on August 16, 1956. He donned his cassock at the presence of Bishop Guglielmo Piani SDB, DD, a seeming portent of things to come. He proceeded to Crocetta in Turin for his theology and was ordained to the priesthood on 11 February, 1963 in the Basilica of Mary Help of Christians in Valdocco.

Fr Andres did not go to the missions right after his ordination. It was only twelve years later that he received his missionary obedience in Thailand, where he worked in different settings for three years: 1975-1978. Then he was sent back to Mexico for a year, only to be sent this time to the Philippines in 1979 where he first arrived in Don Bosco Makati as confessor for two months. Fr Jose Carbonel, then provincial, transferred him to Don Bosco Bacolor to teach Latin to the aspirants. Fr Gerry Battad in his homily last night recounted the bocce wars he had had with Fr Peter Garbero. He also worked for some time in Tarlac and Tondo. People would see him often going places with his bike, even carrying them in the LRT.

1988 gave him a third lease of missionary life as confreres were being sent to Indonesia and Timor. Just this summer, while getting treatment and convalescing, Fr Rolando Fernandez shared happy memories with Fr Andres in Timor while they were both in the Zatti Clinic. This was probably his longest missionary stint aside from the Philippines as he stayed for eleven years there.

In 1999 he was back to Makati again for a transitory period until he was assigned to Don Bosco Mandaluyong from 2000 to 2006 as confessor to the College as well as to the Salesian Sisters and their students at Sta. Mesa.

Probably thanks to his kababayan, the Rector Major, Fr Pascual Chavez Villanueva, Fr. Andres had his wish to return to Thailand finally come true. And so, in 2006, he was assigned as assistant parish priest and chaplain to the Capuchin Sisters in Ban Saeng Arun. It was a short stint however, as he was 'returned to sender' back to the FIN Province in 2009. In his farewell note for Fr Andres, Fr Pascual Chavez wrote: “I think I knew him well and can attest that he was a good man, a faithful Salesian priest, a missionary with a missionary idea perhaps not so much in tune with the Second Vatican Council, which caused him problems like his transfer from Thailand to the Philippines, with a return to Thailand, but convinced that a missionary is forever and that he must die in the land where the Lord sent him.” Indeed, the one thing we cannot take away from Fr Andres is his missionary zeal even if it may have gone overboard at times. While scouring through the very few things he had in his room, I saw a piece of paper which read: the Impossible Dream: to go to China from Thailand (My mission). It seems after all Fr Andres had grander plans than just Thailand, however time and age had caught up with him.

Thus, when Fr. Andres returned to DBTC Mandaluyong after his second Thailand stint in 2009, Fr Marty Macasaet, in his homily during the first night of the wake, admitted that he masterminded Fr Andres’ transfer to the Zatti Clinic against the latter’s wishes. He had become more frail than ever and he had been having accidents more than usual. In a small notebook, a nurse recorded for him that he had his first Sunday Mass at the Zatti Clinic on July 18, 2010. He was then diagnosed to have both Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s which meant more and more medical care.

For many confreres who had been with Fr Andres, he may have seemed to be different, with his unconventional ways. You may have your own little stories to tell. Like at the height of Undoy, he swam the dirty Pasig River from DB Manda to the FMA Sisters in Sta. Mesa. They say he started at 2 a.m. and reached the convent at 8 a.m. just to fulfill his task of saying Mass. But since his clothes and sutana got wet, the morning Mass of the Sisters became an evening Mass as they had to wait for all his clothes to be washed and dried, while he stayed in the parlour the whole time. You can just imagine how he looked in that parlour where no Sister could go in. And yet, you cannot doubt his zeal, enthusiasm and the willingness to work for the Kingdom of God.

Again citing Fr Duya’s interview with him for his 60th anniversary of profession in 2016, he was asked about the secret to his fidelity through the years, and he motioned with his fingers, “I have two.” “First, have a great devotion to the Blessed Mother… Mary Help of Christians!” Indeed, as a true Mexican, the Marian touch of Our Lady of Guadalupe remains in the figure of Don Bosco’s Madonna. Thus, it is but fitting that we hold his funeral at this diocesan Shrine of Mary Help of Christians just as he was ordained at the very Basilica in Valdocco on the very feast of Our Lady of Lourdes. And his second secret is his love for Don Bosco. He was not meant to be like his older brother, a Jesuit, but rather to be a proud son of Don Bosco.

Fr Andres, we thank you for your 55 years of fidelity as a priest and 62 years as a Salesian. You set for us an example as we bring to a close the year of the clergy and the consecrated. As you were born during the Presentation of our Lord and died on the Presentation of Our Blessed Mother, you were indeed a sacrificial offering to the Lord by your missionary life.

As we continue this Eucharist, we resonate with St Paul when he spoke to the Philippians: “I thank my God every time I remember you constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, because of your sharing in the Gospel from the first day until now. I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work in you will bring it to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Phil. 1: 3-6).

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