“Had I a thousand lives, all these to Him shall I offer.”
Faith isn’t just a quiet feeling or a private prayer. It echoes through time, seeking a heart willing to listen, and when it finds one, it transforms legacy into a living testament. For the Cabangon Family and The Eternal Group, inspired by San Lorenzo Ruiz, the first Filipino saint, their response is a symphony of devotion cast in bronze and built on a promise.
Before he was a saint, he was an ordinary man—a husband, a father of three, an altar boy from Binondo. His deep faith in God was his constant guide. Falsely accused of a crime, he sought refuge on a ship bound for Japan, where unimaginable suffering awaited, paving the path to his ultimate glory and sainthood.
In 17th-century Japan, professing the Christian faith meant embracing the certainty of death. Lorenzo and his companions were seized and subjected to unspeakable tortures, each designed to crush their bodies and extinguish their spirits. Yet what their persecutors could not comprehend was that Lorenzo’s spirit was not his own to yield—it belonged to God. Amidst the agony, his faith did not waver; it was purified and made steadfast. His final words were not an admission of defeat, but a solemn proclamation of victory: “I am a Catholic and wholeheartedly accept death for God. Had I a thousand lives, all these I would offer to Him.”
In that moment, a martyr was born. But his story did not end with his death; it was only the beginning.
A Sacred Encounter, A Mission Bestowed
Centuries later, in 1981, that same triumphant faith echoed across the world and found a home in the heart of one man: the late Amb. Antonio L. Cabangon Chua. Witnessing the beatification of San Lorenzo Ruiz by Pope John Paul II in Manila was not just a historical event for the Ambassador; it was a profound, personal encounter with the divine. He saw in Lorenzo not just a figure of history, but a reflection of the Filipino soul—resilient and capable of supreme sacrifice for what is held most dear.
This, what he considered a spiritual awakening, was deepened by a sacred trust bestowed upon him by his dear friend, the late Jaime Cardinal Sin. The Cardinal entrusted Amb. ALC with a vital mission: to propagate the devotion to then-Beato Lorenzo, to make his story known so that the entire nation could rally in prayer for his canonization.
The Ambassador embraced this mission with the full force of his being. In his zeal, he discovered a sorrowful void: there were no statues to honor the first Filipino to be raised to the altars. How could one be inspired by a face that could not be seen? He believed this Filipino hero of faith deserved to be immortalized by Filipino hands. Thus, he commissioned the renowned sculptor Florante “Boy” Caedo. From this vision rose the Eternal Group’s first statue of San Lorenzo Ruiz, unveiled on September 26, 1981, at Eternal Gardens–Baesa in Caloocan City, just months after the day of beatification.
The Ambassador also commissioned smaller versions of the statue to be donated to churches and communities across the nation, each serving as a vessel of faith and a bearer of stories that needed to be told. In 2023, one of the three-foot bronze statues, originally gifted by the Ambassador to Cardinal Sin and later entrusted to the Blessed Lorenzo Ruiz Movement in America, was permanently enthroned at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York—a proud moment for the Filipino Catholic faithful.
The Cabangon Family and the Eternal Group: Keepers of a Lasting Legacy
This profound devotion was not simply a project; it became the spiritual cornerstone of the Cabangon family. It is a legacy not of inheritance, but of shared spirit. Today, led by the Amb. ALC’s son, D. Edgard A. Cabangon, Chairman of the ALC Group, carries the torch of this sacred duty. He continues his father’s work with the same quiet conviction, ensuring that the saint’s story is not relegated to the past.
By donating statues, such as the one given to the Knights of Columbus Council in Binondo last 2024—the very parish where San Lorenzo once served—he reaffirms a promise made across generations: that the Cabangon family would forever be custodians of the saint’s legacy.
Continuing this devotion, The Eternal Group unveiled on February 18, 2025, coinciding with the anniversary of the saint’s beatification, a three-storey columbarium named in honor of San Lorenzo Ruiz. It is the first of its kind in the company’s portfolio and a landmark in dignified memorial care.
Today, Eternal Gardens memorial parks in Baesa, Caloocan City; Biñan City, Laguna; Balagtas, Batangas City; Lipa City; and Dagupan City have each built a plaza in his honor, some complemented by beautifully designed columbaria.
Each year, his feast day is observed not as a corporate obligation but as a family’s heartfelt renewal of their pledge, marked by Mass and prayer that strengthen their enduring commitment.
The continuous devotion of the Cabangon family and The Eternal Group has created a strong and lasting impact. It is meant to be shared, built upon, and given a home where it can comfort and inspire others. From a martyr’s defiant cry in a foreign land to the quiet prayer of a family in a serene memorial park, the message remains the same: a life given to God is never lost. It is transformed, it inspires, and like the gardens that bear its name, it becomes eternal.
