Saint Pedro Calungsod: Gift of God to Filipinos

The Catholic Church celebrates the Year of Faith from October 2012 to November 2013 to strengthen the faith of Catholics, and by doing so draw the world to our faith by our own example of Christian living.

In this Year of Faith, Filipinos are blessed to have the second youthful saint, Pedro Calungsod, as God's blessing to our nation and to the world.

The word "saint" literally means "holy" and generally refers to all who follow Jesus Christ and live their lives according to his teachings. For Catholics, the word "saint" is especially applied to such people who are venerated after their death, usually by the members of their local church or the Christians in the region, where they lived, because they are familiar with their good deeds. They are declared "saints" through the canonization process of the Church.

Most of the saints have gone through the canonization process by the Pope. Others, such as Saint Peter and Saint Paul, received the title of "saint" through acclamation, or the universal recognition of their holiness.

Saints are venerated and prayed to publicly by the universal Church and their lives are held up to Christians still struggling here on earth as examples of holiness to be imitated.

On October 21, 2012 Pope Benedict XVI is to elevate our very own Pedro Calungsod to the altar of sainthood. He is the second Filipino saint after Saint Lorenzo Ruiz.

Pedro Calungsod was a 17th century Filipino teenage catechist of the Jesuit Mission in the Marianas. On April 2, 1672 he was killed for his faith together with the Jesuit priest Diego San Luis Vitoris in Guam. The canonization process started on June 25, 1998, and on March 5, 2000 he was declared a "beatus" or blessed. Then on December 9, 2011 a miracle through his intercession was reported and approved. This completes the requirements for his sainthood.

Saint Pedro Calungsod is an inspiration, especially for Filipino youth and those working abroad on how to live Christian life. Perhaps Saint Pedro Calungsod was the very first overseas Filipino worker (or OFW), since he was a youthful missionary to Guam. He may as well be the Patron Saint of our Filipino OFWs.

In a world that seems to be so much obsessed with materialism and secularism, the examples of Saint Pedro Calungsod draw us back to our Christian faith. It reminds us that God's kingdom is not some far away place, some distant land that we might hope to reach one day. It is the active presence of God within us, calling us to love Him always through service to others, especially the poor. Because a person who genuinely loves God also loves his fellows. For we are all children of the same Father, redeemed by the same Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.

With joyful heart, let us offer this beautiful devotion to our new Filipino Saint Pedro Calungsod:

Saint Pedro Calungsod,

student, catechist,

young migrant, missionary,

faithful friend, and martyr,

you inspire us by your fidelity

in time 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 prayers your own.... 

(here say our own personal intentions)

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, and in our own time.

Amen.

Deo Optimo Maximo!