25 years ago, Philippines was blessed to have San Lorenzo Ruiz de Manila as its first Filipino saint. This year, we are being blessed again as the Pope Benedict XVI is about to canonize another saint from our homeland. On October 21, 2012, in line with the World Mission Sunday, Blessed Pedro Calungsod will became the second Filipino declared a saint. This is a perfect day for his canonization as the saint dedicated his life in being a young catechist and lay missionary. Sharing herewith is the account of our saint's life from http://sanpedrocalungsod.com/
Early years and Missionary work
Calungsod (spelled Calonsor in Spanish records) was born ca. 1655. Historical records never mentioned his exact place of origin and merely identified him as “Bisaya.” Historical research, however, identifies Cebu as his birthplace.
Few details of his early life prior to missionary work and death are known. It is probable that he received basic education at a Jesuit boarding school, mastering the Catechism and learning to communicate in Spanish. He likely honed his skills in drawing, painting, singing, acting, and carpentry as these were necessary in missionary work. Calungsod would have been expected to have some aptitude in serving in the Tridentine Mass (now known as theExtraordinary form of the Roman Rite).
Calungsod, then around 14, was among the exemplary young catechists chosen to accompany the Jesuits in their mission to the Ladrones Islands (Islas de los Ladrones or “Isles of Thieves”). In 1668, Calungsod travelled with Spanish Jesuit missionaries to these islands, renamed the Marianas Islands (Las Islas de Mariana) the year before in honour of both the Blessed Virgin Mary and of the Queen Regent of Spain, María Ana of Austria, who funded their voyage. Calungsod and San Vitores went to Guam to catechise the native Chamorros.
Missionary life was difficult as provisions did not arrive regularly, the jungles and terrain was difficult to traverse, and the islands were frequently devastated by typhoons. Despite all these, the mission persevered, and was able to convert a significant number of locals.
Martyrdom
A Chinese merchant named Choco began spreading rumours that the baptismal water used by missionaries was poisonous. As some sickly Chamorro infants who were baptised eventually died, many believed the story and held the missionaries responsible. Choco was readily supported by the macanjas (medicine men) and the urritaos (young males) who despised the missionaries.
In their search for a runaway companion named Esteban, Calungsod and San Vitores came to the village of Tumon, Guam on 2 April 1672. There they learnt that the wife of the village chief Mata’pang gave birth to a daughter, and they immediately went to baptise the child. Influenced by the calumnies of Choco, the chief strongly opposed; to give Mata’pang some time to calm down, the missionaries gathered the children and some adults of the village at the nearby shore and started chanting with them the tenets of the Catholic religion. They invited Mata’pang to join them, but he shouted back that he was angry with God and was fed up with Christian teachings.
Determined to kill the missionaries, Mata’pang went away and tried to enlist another villager, named Hirao, who was not a Christian. Hirao initially refused, mindful of the missionaries’ kindness towards the natives, but when Mata’pang branded him a coward, he became piqued and capitulated. Meanwhile, during that brief absence of Mata’pang from his hut, San Vitores and Calungsod baptised the baby girl, with the consent of her Christian mother.
When Mata’pang learnt of his daughter’s baptism, he became even more furious. He violently hurled spears first at Pedro, who was able to dodge the spears. Witnesses claim that Calungsod could have escaped the attack, but did not want to leave San Vitores alone. Those who knew Calungsod personally meanwhile believed that he could have defeated the aggressors with weapons; San Vitores however banned his companions to carry arms. Calungsod was hit in the chest by a spear and he fell to the ground, then Hirao immediately charged towards him and finished him off with machete blow to the head. San Vitores absolved Calungsod before he too was killed..
Mata’pang took San Vitores’ crucifix and pounded it with a stone whilst blaspheming God. Both assassins then denuded the corpses of Calungsod and San Vitroes, tied large stones to their feet, brought them out to sea on their proas and threw them into the water.
In the Roman Catholic Church, Calungsod’s martyrdom is called In Odium Fidei or In Hatred of the Faith, referring to the religious persecution endured by the person in evangelisation.
Beatification
A year after the martyrdom of San Vitores and Calungsod, a process for beatification was initiated but only for San Vitores. Political and religious turmoil, however, delayed and halted the process. When Hagåtña was preparing for its 20th anniversary as a diocese in 1981, the 1673 beatification cause of Padre Diego Luís de San Vitores was rediscovered in old manuscripts and revived until San Vitores was finally beatified on 6 October 1985. This gave recognition to Calungsod, paving the way for his own beatification.
In 1994, then-Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal asked permission from the Vatican to initiate the beatification and canonisation cause of Pedro Calungsod. In March 1997, the Sacred Congregation for the Causes of Saints approved the acta of the diocesan beatification process. That same year, Cardinal Vidal appointed Fr Ildebrando Leyson as vice-postulator for the cause, tasked with compiling a Positio Super Martyrio (position regarding the martyrdom) to be scrutinised by the Congregation. The positio, which relied heavily on the documentation of San Vitores’ beatification, was completed in 1999.
Blessed John Paul II, wanting to include young Asian laypersons in his first beatification for the Jubilee Year 2000, paid particular attention to the cause of Calungsod. In January 2000, he approved the decree super martyrio (concerning the martyrdom) of Calungsod, setting his beatification for 5 March 2000 at Saint Peter’s Square in Rome.
Regarding Calungsod’s charitable works and virtuous deeds, Pope John Paul II declared:
…From his childhood, Pedro Calungsod declared himself unwaveringly for Christ and responded generously to his call. Young people today can draw encouragement and strength from the example of Pedro, whose love of Jesus inspired him to devote his teenage years to teaching the faith as a lay catechist. Leaving family and friends behind, Pedro willingly accepted the challenge put to him by Fr. Diego de San Vitores to join him on the Mission to the Chamorros. In a spirit of faith, marked by strong Eucharistic and Marian devotion, Pedro undertook the demanding work asked of him and bravely faced the many obstacles and difficulties he met. In the face of imminent danger, Pedro would not forsake Fr. Diego, but as a “good soldier of Christ” preferred to die at the missionary’s side.
Sainthood
On 19 December 2011, the Holy See officially approved the miracle qualifying Calungsod for sainthood by the Roman Catholic Church. The recognised miracle dates from 2002, when a Leyte woman who was pronounced clinically dead by accredited physicians two hours after a heart attack was revived when a doctor prayed for Calungsod’s intercession.
Cardinal Angelo Amato presided over the declaration ceremony on behalf of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. He later revealed that Pope Benedict XVI approved and signed the official promulgation decrees recognising the miracles as authentic and worthy of belief. The College of Cardinals were then sent a dossier on the new saints, and they were asked to indicate their approval. On 18 February 2012, after the Consistory for the Creation of Cardinals, Cardinal Amato formally petitioned Pope Benedict XVI to announce the canonization of the new saints. The Pope set the date for 21 October 2012 (World Mission Sunday).
After Saint Lorenzo Ruiz, Calungsod will be the second Filipino declared a saint by the Roman Catholic Church. The Roman Martyrology celebrates Calungsod’s feast along with Blessed Diego Luis de San Vitores every 2 April.
Other online sources on the life of San Pedro Calungsod are as follows:
Official San Pedro Calungsod Statue
Photo credits to: www.facebook.com/FilipinoSaintPedroCalungsod
The official statue of Saint Pedro Calungsod shows himself in a camisa de chino and black pants same like San Lorenzo Ruiz. What sets him apart is that Calungsod holds a palm leaf, which symbolizes his martyrdom and the Book of Christian Doctrines that shows he is a catechist. Lastly, Calungsod’s feet are not positioned firmly on the ground as his right foot is placed forward. “This was (retired) Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal’s idea and some priests (that) Pedro Calungsod should be presented as somebody who is dynamic… He is on the move because he is a missionary,” according to Fr. Marvin Mejia, assistant secretary-general of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).
Elements of the Official logo:
1. Title of the Event in red color
- Prominence and Visibility
2. Converted image of Blessed Pedro
- Timeless image
- Contemporary comic art form
3. The ten green leaves of the palm of martyrdom
- Ten themes in the life of Blessed Pedro
4. The islands of Guam and Cebu inserted in the palm
- Place of origin and martyrdom
5. The Cross in red color at the tip of the palm
- Sharing in the supreme sacrifice of the Lord
6. The years 1672 and 2012
- Year of Martyrdom
- Year of Canonization
Credits to: www.facebook.com/FilipinoSaintPedroCalungsod
PANALANGIN Kay San Pedro Calungsod
San Pedro Calungsod
batang mandarayuhan, magaaral, katekista,
misyonero, tapat na kaibigan, martir,
pinukaw mo kami
ng iyong katapatan sa oras ng kagipitan,
sa pamamagitan ng iyong tapang
sa pagtuturo ng pananamanpalataya sa gitna ng poot
at sa dalisay mong pagibig para sa kapakanan ng ebanghelyo
dumanak man ang iyong dugo.
lingapin mo at kupkupin ang aming kahinaan
(dito banggitin ang iyong kahilingan),
at mamagitan sa amin sa trono ng kahabagan at biyaya
upang aming makamtan ang biyayang dulot ng langit
at mahikayat ang sarili
na ipahayag at maisabuhay ang ebanghelyo dito sa lupa.
Amen.
1 ama namin, 3 aba ginoong maria 1 luwalhati
SAN PEDRO CALUNGSOD IPANALANGIN MO ANG SAMBAYANANG PILIPINO
Prayer to Blessed Pedro Calungsod
Blessed Pedro Calungsod,
student, catechist, young migrant,
missionary, faithful friend, martyr,
you inspire us
by your fidelity in times of adversity;
by your courage in teaching the faith
in the midst of hostility;
and by your love in shedding your blood
for the sake of the Gospel.
Make our troubles your own
(here mention your request)
and intercede for us
before the throne of Mercy and Grace
so that,
as we experience the help of heaven,
we may be encouraged to live
and proclaim the Gospel here on earth.
Amen.
Prayer for the Beatification of the Servant of God
Lord God,
through your Son Jesus Christ,
You taught us that there can be
no greater love than to lay down
one’s life for one’s friends.
Your servant, Pedro Calungsod,
inspires us by his fidelity
in times of adversity,
by his courage in teaching the Faith
in the midst of hostility,
and by his love in shedding his blood
for the sake of the Gospel.
We humbly ask you to raise him
to the honor of the altar,
so that we may count him
among our intercessors in heaven
for the glory of your name.
We ask this
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Prayer for Special Intentions to Blessed Pedro Calungsod
My Lord,
In your grace,
you have shown through your
servant,
Beato Pedro Calungsod,
the sublime prize of following
you;
Through his martyrdom, you
have shown us that age and
race will not hinder us from
serving and loving you;
His youthful fervor in
defending the faith earned him
the title to be called Blessed;
Thus in confidence,
I humbly call unto him to pray
with me, and to intercede for
this urgent favor
(make a request) and that through
his glorious life, I may try
to emulate him, together
with Mother Mary, who
have without reserve said
yes to your will.
Amen.
Credits to: http://myonlineprayerbook.blogspot.com/2012/10/saint-pedro-calungsod-second-filipino.html
No comments:
Post a Comment