May 3, 20223 min read

The Exemplary Holiness of Archbishop Teofilo Camomot, Servant of God

Updated: May 5, 2022

by Margaux Salcedo

Testimonies mentioned below quoted

from the book of Jose Maria de Nazareno

'Lolong's Ascent to the Mountain'

This May 3, 2022, the commission of bishops and cardinals in Rome decide on the positio of the Archdiocese of Cebu for Archbishop Teofilo Camomot.

Last November, 9 theologians unanimously approved the positio that proved Archbishop Camomot lived a life of heroic virtues. The next step is to declare him Venerable.

In this light, let us take a look at the extraordinary life of Servant of God Abp. Camomot.

First of all, he was exemplary in his holiness. Fr. Enrico Emmanuel Ayo, Dean of Studies of the Theology Department of San Carlos Seminary in Makati, shares: "By his intimate and obedient union with God, Archbishop Camomot exemplified the joyful humility of Christ's disciples. He turned hearts to the one true God and helped them transcend their histories of pain. Witnessing his simplicity, many crossed the threshold of grace to creative vigor and renewed faithfulness."

But beyond this, he was also known for bilocation, levitation, and even walking on water!

Bilocation, Levitating, Walking on Water

Among several stories, one is from Zenaida Paninsoro, a member of the Legion of Mary in Carcar, who recalled that Archbishop Camomot, fondly called Nyor Lolong (Nyor is short for Monsignor), one morning at 10 am officiated a wedding and so the next day she was surprised to receive gifts from two women who said that they were also with him at 10 am the previous day, as he was with them praying for the healing of their mother!

She also shares the time when she accompanied Nyor Lolong to visit to a sick person who lived in the mountains, which required crossing a river, that she saw him walk on water to cross the river to get to the mountain.

Meanwhile, Fr. Fulton Varga, his assistant, says that he witnessed him levitating while in prayer for more than 15 minutes.

Painful Death

One would normally pray for a quiet and peaceful death but Archbishop Camomot instead prayed for a painful death.

On September 25, 1988, two days before met an accident, Nyor Lolong is said to have told his assistant, Fr. Fulton Varga, that he prayed for a quick and painful death for two reasons: quick so that no one would have to sacrifice and suffer for him but painful for the conversion of sinners and forgiveness of sins.

When Cardinal Vidal went to the site where Archbishop Camomot met his accident immediately after it happened, he asked the people there why they did not bring him to a hospital. They replied, 'We were scared. There was a white thing, cloud-like, coming out of him.'

Positio

These are just some of the many testimonies on the holiness of Archbishop Camomot. In the shrine for him in Carcar, you will see letters from people also testifying to his intercession for their healing or for the healing of those they were praying for with him.

Archbishop Camomot was a native of Carcar in the province of Cebu in the Philippines. He was ordained a diocesan priest of the Archdiocese of Cebu on 14 December 1941, appointed auxiliary bishop on March 23, 1955, coadjutor archbishop of the Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro on June 10, 1958 and then resigned for health reasons on June 17, 1970. He was killed in a vehicular accident in San Fernando on September 27, 1988 at the age of 74.