By Leslie Ann Aquino The faithful on Monday witnessed the historic raising of the "Galero" hat of the first Filipino Cardinal, the late Manila Archbishop Rufino Cardinal Santos, atop the ceiling of the Manila Cathedral in Intramuros. Manila Archbishop Rufino Cardinal Santos (Photo via Wikipedia / MANILA BULLETIN) The raising of the Galero was led by Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle who presided the Eucharistic celebration preceding the ceremony. During the Mass, His Eminence thanked God for the gift of Cardinal Santos. "We want to thank God for entrusting to us Rufino Cardinal Santos," said Tagle. He also thanked the family of the late cardinal who was present for the occasion. "We thank his family...thank you for sharing Cardinal Rufino to the wide family of the Church," Tagle said. Father Reginald Malicdem, rector of the Manila Cathedral, said the raising of the Galero was done to honor the memory of the cardinal in recognition of his tireless efforts for the rebuilding of the cathedral in 1958. "This is also a call for the Church at present to continue this legacy and mission of rebuilding lives, and of strengthening one another in faith and charity," he said in a statement. The Galero is a red hat decorated with tassels that was formerly given to cardinals as a symbol of the responsibility given to them in the hierarchy of the church. It is red in color to symbolize a person's readiness to shed his blood for the Gospel in imitation of our Lord Jesus. Although the use of the Galero was abolished in 1969, the tradition of suspending a Galero in the cathedral church to honor a Cardinal who passed away continued. When Cardinal Jaime Sin died in 2005, a Galero was acquired and has since been hanging from the dome of the Manila Cathedral. Santos' Galero used to hang in the cathedral but it fell some years back. It was just recently that his Galero was discovered in the stock room of the Archdiocese of Manila. Cardinal Santos served as Archbishop of Manila from 1953, when the country was still recovering from the horrors of war. In the midst of the destruction brought about by the war, his leadership focused on rebuilding and fortifying structures to address the urgent needs of the Church in the Philippines during those crucial times. He established Catholic Charities, the predecessor of Caritas Manila, the social arm of the Catholic Church. Radio Veritas also started during his time. He founded the Asian Social Institute. He built the Pope Pius XII Catholic Center, Our Lady of Guadalupe Minor Seminary, the Pontificio Collegio Filippino in Rome, rebuilt St. Paul's Hospital (now Cardinal Santos Medical Center), and the rebuilding of the Manila Cathedral in Intramuros. It seemed the greatness of Cardinal Santos did not start only when he assumed the See of Manila because when he was a young priest he also saved the life of then Manila Archbishop Michael O’Doherty during the Japanese occupation. According to the Manila Cathedral, then Fr. Santos saved the life of the old and ailing prelate by volunteering to be imprisoned on the Archbishop’s behalf. "For one whole year, from February 4, 1944 to February 5, 1945, Fr. Santos was jailed at Fort Santiago and endured severe tortures from the Japanese. Fortunately the Liberation of Manila begun a few days before he was scheduled to be executed. Even then, the red color of sacrifice and martyrdom was already manifested in his life," said the cathedral in a statement. Monday's celebration was also in memory of the 45th death anniversary of Cardinal Santos. Families, groups, and institutions that contributed to the rebuilding efforts of the church were also given recognition in the event.