Two accounts of believers are rife with possibilities and deep significance to church works on the cause for beatification of Venerable Teofilo Camomot, former archbishop of Cebu.

During Venerable Camomot’s 110^th birth anniversary on March 3, 2024 which was marked with a Pontifical Mass celebrated by Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma, GMA Regional TV Balitang Bisdak learned further of works to establish as valid and genuine the narratives about miracles seen to support his beatification.

A church volunteer-worker at the Archdiocesan Shrine of Teofilo Camomot or “Domos Teofilo” (House of Teofilo) in Barangay Valladolid, City of Carcar, south Cebu holds a story about a miracle on his life that involved Camomot.

Kenter Sato is a volunteer for two decades. He narrated he was financially burdened years back and that he came to the shrine emotionally tormented. He said he lay prone before Camomot’s tomb.

While he was invoking divine help, he said he felt a man hand out to him a piece of paper. He found out that it was a plain envelope. When he opened the envelope, there was money in it worth P10,000.

He would have wanted to thank the person outright, he said, but there was no one around.

He also noticed that the throbbing pain in his feet which he endured for quite some time because of polio has slowly dissipated.

In his firm belief that the Venerable Camomot helped him, he was encouraged to serve the Church and the Domos.

Meanwhile, Mother Superior Louela Buscato of Daughters of St. Teresa de Avila congregation said she knew of a patient who was set for a heart bypass, but dreamt of Camomot.

The patient was cured miraculously after starting a devotion to Venerable Camomot, Mother Louela said.

Medical records of the patient, she added, will be attached to files required by Vatican.

Archbishop Palma is set to visit Vatican on March 11, 2024.

To prove the authenticity of miracles takes a long process, that is why the Archdiocese of Cebu, as part of the work on the beatification of Camomot, is gathering testimonies from different persons. 

CAUSE FOR BEATIFICATION

According to the Daughters of St. Teresa of Avila congregration, it was Cebu archbishop emeritus Ricardo Vidal who announced on October 15, 2010 of Vatican’s approval on opening for the cause of beatification and will pave the way for the examination of the life of Archbishop Camomot. 

Vidal is said to have formed a commission to look into the possibility of beatification last December 27, 2010.

Initially, there were several testimonies about Camomot’s bilocation or there were people who would see him present in two places at the same time.

Vidal himself, according to the congregation, has signed an affidavit in relation to a witness’ account on this phenomenon where Camomot was sleeping beside him at a meeting of the College of Consultors.

“I have already authenticated his presence at a meeting. But a woman said at that time he was on a mountain (in Carcar) giving the last sacrament to a dying person,” Vidal reportedly wrote in an account.

The works on the cause were handed over to Vidal’s successor, Archbishop Palma.

It was established as a fact that Camomot remained incorrupt 20 years after his death.