Name: Ferdinand Angelo A.

Ibañez Subject: UCSP

Year and Section: 12-Gauss Date: June 18, 2018

Benedictine Cross

Alice Morse Earle, an American historian once said, “Yesterday is a history,

tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift, that is why it is called the present.” We
would have not reached our current state if not because of our ancestors’ doings. We
can’t deny that our past builds up our current self and without the past and the present,
future would not be established.
The photo placed above this text is a photo of a Benedictine Cross. It is a
Christian sacramental cross containing symbols and text related to the life of Saint
Benedict of Nursia, used by Roman Catholics, as well as Anglicans, Lutherans,
Methodists and the Western Orthodox, in the Benedictine Christian tradition, especially
votarists and oblates. According to the story of my mother, three generations of our

Submitted to:

Rubell M. Macaraeg, LPT, LREB

Name: Ferdinand Angelo A. Ibañez Subject: UCSP
Year and Section: 12-Gauss Date: June 18, 2018

family, specifically on my mother’s side, held and took care of this precious Benedictine
Cross for such a long time. Starting from my great grandfather who obtained this item
from his travel across an antique shop in Spain. According to my mother, this cross do
not have any color at the first place. It was only pure metal. My great grandfather’s
identity is unknown to us because my mother was born after my great grandfather
broke up with my great grandmother and my mother never dared to ask about it. This
Benedictine Cross was the only thing left to my great grandmother who is Apolinaria
Mauricio after the incident. My great grandmother kept this cross for a long time
because she is a believer of religious items that can protect her from bad spirits and
bring wealth to her lonely life. My great grandmother and my great grandfather had a
baby before they broke up and that is my grandmother who I call Lola Choleng. Lola
Choleng grew up as a fish vendor and wife of a former bus driver in a former
american’s base here in Subic which is now called SBMA. My grandmother inherited this
Benedictine Cross and keep it with her all the time for the protection of her family. The
family of my mother’s side is very religious up until now. They gave it to my mom who
was Shirley Almonte as a gift when she was about to be married to my father who is
Fernando Ibañez. We have a gallery for religious items and we clean it all the time. Our
family believes that this items bring wealth and protection to us that is why we can live
comfortably with luxurious items.
A great philosopher once said, “Faith is all about believing. You don’t know how
it will happen, but you know it will.” The importance of this Benedictine Cross to our
family is mainly for wealth and protection. Three generations of our family kept and
took care of this cross believing that someday there will be hope, prosperity, and
safety. This Benedictine cross is a gift from history that we will cherish so that we can
live in tomorrow’s mystery.

Submitted to:

Rubell M. Macaraeg, LPT, LREB