Death of a dear friend of the Deaf

Please pray for the soul of Mrs Salvacion Valderrama Tinsay of Bacolod City who died peacefully early this morning at her home. She turned 76 on 3 April.

For more than twenty years Tita Salving, as she was widely known, devoted her life to the Deaf. She had worked with the late Columban Father Joseph Coyle who died on 18 December 1991. After his death she not only continued his work with the Deaf but expanded it.

Tita Salving will be buried on Monday 11 August after Mass at 8am in the Carmelite Monastery in Bacolod where her sister, Sister Kathleen, is one of the out-sisters.

You may read more about Salving here.

I had a special post on Salving for her 76th birthday on 3 April. That was the last time I had a real conversation with her. She was well enough to come down for a celebratory breakfast with her family and some close friends. I gave her the Sacrament of the Sick on 31 July. She woke up during the celebration and at the end spoke a few words to some of her family and to me. for quite some time she and her family knew that she was slowly dying but they were all very much at peace with this, trusting in God's loving mercy.

Salving was a latter-day Lydia:

Setting sail therefore from Troas, we made a direct voyage to Samothrace, and the following day to Ne-apolis, and from there to Philippi, which is the leading city of the district of Macedonia, and a Roman colony. We remained in this city some days; and on the sabbath day we went outside the gate to the riverside, where we supposed there was a place of prayer; and we sat down and spoke to the women who had come together. One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to give heed to what was said by Paul. And when she was baptized, with her household, she besought us, saying, "If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay." And she prevailed upon us (Act 16:11-15).

Many, including myself, who got involved with the Deaf and many Deaf people here in Bacolod and in other places could say of Salving as St Luke says of Lydia, 'She prevailed upon us'. Thanks be to God for that. May she rest in peace.