1 San Miguel Arcangel: A Symbol of Enduring Faith in an Age of Contending Religions Murvyn Rodriguez Callo ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ This paper is dedicated to the memory of my mother Doña Maria Rosa Socorro Miguela Montilla Rodriguez y Callo September 29, 1932 – February 1, 2008 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ St. Michael the Archangel in Philippine Art in Ivory In his book, Power+Faith+Image, Jose (2004) describes an ivory image of San Miguel Arcangel (St. Michael the Archangel) in the Jorge Collection as an inspiration of conversion during the Age of Discovery which he describes as an “[An epoch] of contending powers and faiths” (p. 152). That description is apt once again as the world is wracked with Muslim insurrections from Mindanao and suicide bombers from the Middle East. This day and age can once again be described as an age of “contending powers and faiths.” And there can be no greater symbol of our steadfast Catholic faith than the image of San Miguel vanquishing Satan particularly those rendered in ivory carved by Philippine artisans in the 17th and 18th centuries. _________________ See Figure 1 _________________