Camacho: Catholicism more alive today than ever

Twenty years after being raised in the episcopacy, Bishop Tomas A. Camacho, D.D. believes that Catholicism is even more alive today than ever before.

“Definitely,” replied Camacho, when asked if Catholicism continues to play a dominant role in the Marianas, saying that Catholics today play a significant part in the governance of the Commonwealth.

“Now our people [who are Catholics] are in leadership [positions],” he said. “People before did not have an opportunity to better the lives of our people.”

He also said that Catholic practices before, when people followed traditions out of forced habit, are different when compared with the present, when people actually understand why they practice the religion.

He further observed that the new generation has more access to education, which makes people better equipped at identifying their duties as Catholics and applying these practices rather than just knowing them.

Camacho made the remarks yesterday during the opening of the “The Influence of Catholicism in the Marianas” exhibit held in his honor at the NMI Museum of History and Culture.

Guests headed by officials from the Governor’s Office led by press secretary Pete Callaghan, Board of Education member Herman T. Guererro and other priests serving Saipan and Guam communities attended the opening of the exhibit.

Camacho thanked everyone in the museum who worked on the exhibit, which according to him, truly depicted the history of Catholicism in the Marianas, from the Spanish era, to his first years in the episcopacy, to the present.

“The Influence of Catholicism in the Marianas” exhibit features not only the history of Catholicism on the islands during the Spanish period but also the German, Japanese, and American eras as well.

A collage of photographs and matte illustrations are mounted on each room depicting a particular period. Several antiques were also on display.

Aside from the oldest baptismal record book found on the island, the museum also showcased an early 20th century chair made of narra wood carved and upholstered in crimson velvet.

This chair was the seat of Archbishop D. Don Giardini in 1927 and believed to be a hundred years old, according to Camacho.

During his speech, the bishop pointed out an old bell he had found in a decrepit car when he first moved to Saipan. The bell eventually turned out to be an antique and had the inscriptions “Luis de Medina y Santa Maria 1898” and is now part of the exhibit.

Carmen C. Gaskins, chair of NMI Museum of History and Culture, led the program proper. Staff and management of the museum led by Maggie Sablan introduced her team to the audience who helped made the exhibit and tribute a success.

The exhibit will run for three months. The museum charges a minimal admission fee per person to cover some of the museum’s maintenance and operation expenses. (Marconi Calindas)