Saint of the Month - April 2019: Saint Pedro Calungsod

St. Pedro Calungsod

Youthful Catechist & Martyr

Feast: April 2nd

Today the Church is celebrating the heroic life of a young lay-martyr - St. Pedro Calungsod - who hails from my homeland of the Philippines.  Usually, I blog about Saints and Blesseds whose relics are in my ministry's custody - to promote devotion to them - but there are no relics of this particular Saint.  However, being Filipino, myself, I have to admit I'm being a bit partial in selecting St. Pedro for my featured Saint of the Month.  This is his story of faith... and unfailing loyalty to God and friendship.

Our protagonist was born in one of the Visayas region of the Philippines on July 21, 1654.  According to biographies, Pedro was educated by Spanish Jesuit missionaries who taught the boy to read and write, not just in his native Visayan dialect, but also in their language.  He also learned to speak Chamorro and, because he was so intelligent and proficient in the other languages, the Jesuits further trained him as a lay-catechist and brought him with them to evangelize the Chamorros of Guam (then called the Mariana Islands) in 1668.  Pedro was just 14-years-old at the time he left the Philippines never to return.

Despite the danger and uncertainty that was involved in missionary fieldwork among the native populations, Pedro proved himself to be enthusiastic and loyal to his friends and spiritual mentors, in particular to the zealous Fr. Diego Luis de San Vitores.

The missionary party was at first welcomed on Guam where they made many converts among the Chamorros, including the ruling class.  In early 1669, Fr. Diego Luis was able to build the first Catholic church in Guam, on land in the village of Hagatna, donated by a local chief; four other churches in other hamlets were soon constructed within a few years.  Without a doubt, Pedro was an instrumental participant in the establishment of the Catholic Faith on the small island, where his ability to speak the native tongue was put to good use, along with his skills in carpentry and artwork.

Bl. Diego Luis de San Vitores,

missionary to Guam.

The success of the missionaries was soon followed by strife instigated by a group of jealous and resentful non-Christians, among whom were the proud warrior class and village shamans.  Their influence and meddling caused a growing strain between the foreigners and the locals, due mainly to conflicts between Christian teachings and the long-standing pagan practices and traditions of the Chamorro natives. Furthermore, an exiled criminal from the Philippines named Choco had spread a damaging rumor that the missionaries were killing children using poisoned baptismal water.

Things came to a head on April 2, 1672.  On that fateful day, Pedro accompanied Fr. Diego Luis to the village of Tumon where the priest baptised the newborn daughter of the local chieftain, Mata'pang. The chief was a lapsed believer who objected to the baptism, but his consort was a faithful convert who wanted the sacrament administered to her child.  Upon learning the baptism was performed while he was briefly away, Chief Mata'pang flew into a rage and attacked the two missionaries.

The chief first hurled a spear at Pedro but the agile youth dodged the weapon; he could have easily fled, at that point, but instead chose to remain with his priest in an effort to defend him.  A second spear hit the valiant teen in the chest and he fell mortally wounded at the side of Fr. Diego Luis, who hurriedly absolved him before falling to a spear, himself.  Pedro was only 17-years-old at the time of his death.

The bodies of the murdered missionaries were weighted with stones then cast into the shark-filled ocean where they were never recovered; hence, no relics.  Both men were eventually raised to the glory of the altar, as Martyrs - Fr. Diego Luis de San Vitores reached Beatification in October 1985, while Pedro successfully reached Canonization on October 21, 2012.

Filipinos have a special pride and love for

their young Saint... and rightfully so.

The miracle recognized for the Canonization of St. Pedro was reported to have been the 2003 healing of a dying comatose woman who was oxygen-deprived for an extended period of time.  It was actually the patient's doctor who said a short prayer to Pedro before the unconscious woman unexpectedly revived within a few hours with no brain damage whatsoever - astounding!  May St. Pedro Calungsod pray for our individual needs, as well as, the needs of the entire Church.

A Prayer to Obtain

St. Pedro Calungsod's Help

   

   Saint Pedro Calungsod, young migrant, student, catechist, missionary, faithful friend, and martyr, you inspire us by your fidelity in time of trial and adversity; by your courage in teaching the Faith in the midst of hostility; by your love in shedding your blood for the sake of the Gospel of Jesus.

   We beg you, make our cares and troubles your own [here mention the special intention you are asking him to bring to the Lord] and intercede for us before the throne of Mercy and Grace, so that as we experience the help of Heaven, we may be encouraged and strengthened to proclaim and live the Gospel here on earth.  Amen.

* * * UPDATE: MAY 14th, 2019 * * *

Praise the Lord!  Through the help of a friend in Guam - Josephine - I was blessed to acquire a few stones gathered from the site of the martyrdom of both St. Pedro Calungsod and Bl. Diego Luis de San Vitores.  A gated, fence-enclosed chapel now stands at the exact location where the two holy individuals met their deaths near the Tumon beach... but my friend was able to gain entry into the locked complex after providentially running into a cooperative security guard who let her in.

The chapel constructed at the site of St.

Pedro's death... and the decorated frame

(r) I created in which I mounted a stone

souvenir taken from the site.

Josephine took several photos to share with me before hand-picking the souvenir stones from within the shrine grounds.  In anticipation of their arrival I purchased a wooden shadow box with a stand, and decorated it with red velvet and a drawing I made of St. Pedro. I mounted one of the stones in the frame upon receiving the package from Guam.  It's not a relic... but it's the closest I'm gonna get to one of this Saint since his corpse was disposed of in the ocean.  Still, it's amazing how one small stone can make me feel so closely connected to the Saint.

The stone will be shared with the Filipino group at my parish who I hope will begin yearly novenas to St. Pedro Calungsod as they currently do for St. Lorenzo Ruiz during his September Feast Day.