While scrolling through her Facebook newsfeed one day, an image of a tiny Santo Niño de Cebu caught the eye of Karen Fontillas. She instantly wanted one for her brother who collected sacred images of the Child Jesus. Little did she know that other saints depicted as childlike would soon earn a special space in her own home.
Fontillas, who hails from Zambales, is just one of the many collectors of chibi saints. She currently has over 100 chibi saints inside her room. No doubt that they’re cute, but she says they also help her pray and meditate.
For her, each chibi saint represents her family history—a way to recall the religious sites she and her family visited when her mother was still alive.
“My reason for collecting them isn’t to show them off, but it’s my way of expressing devotion,” she says.
Because certain Catholic traditions and practices are either limited or modified due to the pandemic, Fontillas has turned to her chibi saints as a visual reminder of her faith and devotion to these holy men and women.
“These saints are humans who did something miraculous. The stories behind the life of each saint really interest me,” she beams.
Chibi saints can be found online and in physical stores such as Chibi Maria, Pious Creations, Saintly Inspirations, and Vela Chibis. They’re made of fiber resin, stand a little over three inches, and sell between ₱200 and ₱300. The term chibi is a Japanese term for “small” or “short.”
Collectors are bound to find the popular saints like the four evangelists—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—in the stores, but may also be pleasantly surprised to see lesser-known intercessors in there.
Childlike versions of the many titles of the Virgin Mary, such as Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Our Lady of Fatima, Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, and Our Lady Manaoag, are also much sought-after.
These sacred images, which are sometimes kept in retablos—a shelf behind the altar—are often designated for veneration.
Visual reminders
Just as people remember their loved ones by looking at their photographs, the Catholic Church has long been using sacred images such as paintings and statues to recall and represent models of the Catholic faith.
To Fr. Michell Joe “Jojo” Zerrudo, parish priest at the St. Joseph the Worker Parish and minister at the Catechetical Ministry of the Diocese of Cubao, the faithful also need to be constantly reminded of their “spiritual family.”
“If we see the need to surround ourselves with pictures of family and friends then also we see our need to surround ourselves with the pictures of our Lord, our Lady, the pictures of the saints because they are family to us,” says Fr. Zerrudo.
Sacred images are also used as teaching tools to commemorate certain people and events.
Jasper Lu, co-founder of Pious Creations, recalls a 10-year-old boy who once came up to their booth, naming all the chibi saints on display.
“Mas kabisado niya pa yung name ng mga saints kaysa sa amin (He knows the names of the saints better than we do),” he recounts.
The Church condemns the sin of idolatry. According to Fr. Zerrudo, however, there is a distinction between worshipping statues and desiring to visually remember Christ, the Virgin Mary, and the saints in heaven by making statues in their honor.
“Catechism is a form of imparting knowledge. As human beings, we know only what passes through the senses. That is why the best way to teach the faith is to show children pictures. Adults nga kailangan ng picture, e di lalo na yung bata (If adults need pictures, how much more children),” he adds.
Serving hearts
Patricia Gail Patawaran, who hails from Pampanga, has 16 chibi versions of the Virgin Mary’s many titles in her collection as well as those of the Holy Family.
Her father, Roberto Patawaran Jr., even built her a house-shaped wooden display shelf to make sure all of them had a chance to shine.
“Yun po bahay ng chibi, ang gumawa po father ko. Tuwing Christmas, gumagawa po siya nung higaan ni Baby Jesus (My father built a house for my chibi saints. Every Christmas, he would also be tapped to make the crib of Baby Jesus),” she says.
Apart from strengthening her faith, the younger Patawaran says her chibi Marian collection has spurred in her a desire to serve at church and support businesses producing them.
Among these businesses is Pious Creations, which started producing and selling chibi saints as a way to earn extra iAmong these businesses is Pious Creations, which started producing and selling chibi saints as a way to earn extra income. These childlike figures inspire some of them to make it their personal mission to promote the Catholic faith.
“Nung napunta ako sa line of business na ‘to na-realize ko bigla yung impact nila sa life of every Christian (When I ventured into this line of business, I suddenly realized their impact in the lives of every Christian). Sobrang (I feel so) blessed to have this as not just a source of income but also para makapag-inspire at makapagpromote ng (but also to inspire and promote) Catholic faith,” says the Pious Creations proprietor.
Childlike humility
As if taking their cue from the curly-haired statue of the Child Jesus, the trend of making childlike versions of saints emerged during the pandemic but it looks like they’re here to stay.
Baguio City-based Elizabeth Rasalan, 68, says the chibi saints keep her feeling “youthful” because they spark so much joy in her heart.
“Natutuwa lang ako ma makita sila dahil buhay na buhay sila (It makes me so happy seeing them because they look so animated),” beams Rasalan.
Although she only started collecting them in April last year, she now has 37 chibi saints. She is looking forward to adding more to her collection.
‘If they remind you of the words of Christ that “Unless you become like little children, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven,” then I think the chibi saints have achieved also a purpose in evangelization.’
Saints may not have been perfect people, but, as Fr. Zerrudo pointed out, all saints share a common attribute—childlike humility.
“For one, the saints were once children. No saint even skipped childhood. If they remind you of the words of Christ that ‘Unless you become like little children, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven,’ then I think the chibi saints have achieved also a purpose in evangelization,” he says. (PNA)