Pedro Calungsod was born in the Philippines in 1654. He worked as a religious leader. He died in Guam in April 1672 aged 17 or 18 years old. The cause of his death was murder.The Biography of Pedro Calungsod

PEDRO CALUNGSOD was a young native of the Visayas region of the Philippines. Very little is known about him. He was just one of the boy catechists who went with some Spanish Jesuit missionaries from the Philippines to the Ladrones Islands in the western Pacific in 1668 to evangelize the Chamorros.

Life in the Ladrones was hard. The provisions for the Mission did not arrive regularly; the jungles were too thick to cross; the cliffs were very stiff to climb, and the islands were frequently visited by devastating typhoons. Despite all these, the missionaries persevered, and the Mission was blessed with many conversions. Subsequently, the islands were renamed “Marianas” by the missionaries in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary and of the Queen Regent of Spain, María Ana, who was the benefactress of that Mission.

But very soon, a Chinese quack, named Choco, envious of the prestige that the missionaries were gaining among the Chamorros, started to spread the talk that the baptismal water of the missionaries was poisonous. And since some sickly Chamorro infants who were baptized died, many believed the calumniator and eventually apostatized. The evil campaign of Choco was readily supported by the Macanjas (sorcerers) and the Urritaos (young male prostitutes) who, along with the apostates, began persecuting the missionaries.

The most unforgettable assault happened on 2 April 1672, the Saturday just before the Passion Sunday of that year. At around seven o’clock in the morning, Pedro—by then already about 17 years old—and the superior of the mission, named Padre Diego Luís de San Vitores, came to the village of Tomhom, in the Island of Guam. There, they were told that a baby girl was recently born in the village, so they went to ask the child’s father, named Matapang, to bring out the infant for baptism. Matapang was a Christian and a friend of the missionaries, but having apostatized, he angrily refused to have his baby baptized.

To give Matapang some time to cool down, Padre Diego and Pedro gathered the children and some adults of the village at the nearby shore and started chanting with them the truths of the Catholic Faith. They invited Matapang to join them, but the apostate shouted back that he was angry with God and was already fed up with the Christian teachings.

Determined to kill the missionaries, Matapang went away and tried to enlist in his cause another villager, named Hirao, who was not a Christian. At first, Hirao refused, mindful of the kindness of the missionaries towards the natives; but when Matapang branded him a coward, he got piqued and so he consented. Meanwhile, during that brief absence of Matapang from his hut, Padre Diego and Pedro took the chance of baptizing the infant, with the consent of the Christian mother.

When Matapang learned of the baptism, he became even more furious. He violently hurled spears first at Pedro. The lad skirted the darting spears with remarkable dexterity. The witnesses said that Pedro had all the chances to escape because he was very agile, but he did not want to leave Padre Diego alone. Those who knew Pedro personally believed that he would have defeated his fierce aggressors and would have freed both himself and Padre Diego if only he had some weapons because he was a very valiant boy; but Padre Diego never allowed his companions to carry arms. Finally, Pedro got hit by a spear at the chest and he fell to the ground. Hirao immediately charged towards him and finished him off with a blow of a cutlass on the head. Padre Diego gave Pedro the sacramental absolution. After that, the assassins also killed Padre Diego.

Matapang took the crucifix of Padre Diego and pounded it with a stone while blaspheming God. Then, both assassins denuded the bodies of Pedro and Padre Diego, dragged them to the edge of the shore, tied large stones to the feet of these, brought them on a proa to sea and threw them into the deep. Those remains of the martyrs were never to be found again.

When the companion missionaries of Pedro learned of his death, they exclaimed, “Fortunate youth! How well rewarded his four years of persevering service to God in the difficult Mission are: he has become the precursor of our superior, Padre Diego, in Heaven!” They remembered Pedro to be a boy with very good dispositions, a virtuous catechist, a faithful assistant, and a good Catholic whose perseverance in the Faith even to the point of martyrdom proved him to be a good soldier of Christ (cf. II Tim 2:3).

Padre Diego Luís de San Vitores was beatified in 1985. It was his beatification that brought the memory of Pedro Calungsod to our day. On 5 March 2000, Pope John Paul II beatified Pedro Calungsod at Saint Peter's Square in Rome.

The Virtues of Pedro Calungsod

Fortitude.Of the cardinal virtues which Pedro Calungsod possessed, fortitude shines out clearly in his courage and perseverance to teach the Christian Faith to the Chamorros even in the midst of hostility, in his resolve to stay with and assist the superior of the Mission, Fr. de San Vitores, even in the time of adversity. Fortitude finally made him face a violent death on account of the Faith.

Spiritual Poverty.Pedro Calungsod was poor in spirit for he was able to leave everything behind at a tender age—beloved family and homeland and a convenient life—all in order to proclaim the Gospel to the Chamorros.

Chastity.Pedro Calungsod never gave in to the immoral practice of the young male prostitutes in the Marianas at that time, as some of his acquaintances did. Prayerfulness. Despite the difficult life and tight schedule in the Mission, Pedro Calungsod never neglected his prayers which kept him faithful to Christ.

Strong devotion to the Eucharist.Pedro Calungsod never went out into a missionary journey without first receiving Holy communion which made him fearless in the face of dangers.

Frequent Confession.Pedro Calungsod never went out into a missionary journey without first confessing his sins to the priest and receiving the absolution. That made him always ready to face death anytime.

Faith.It was because of his faith that Pedro Calungsod studied the truths of the Catholic Faith. At the same time, it was his knowledge of the truths of the Faith that helped deepen his faith. Fr. de San Vitores chose men of deep faith as his companion missionaries in the Marianas who would evangelize the Chamorros more by example than by words, that is, through faith translated into good works. Pedro Calungsod must have deeply possessed and lived the Christian Faith because he was among those chosen by Fr. de San Vitores to be his companion missionaries in the Marianas. Even more, Pedro Calungsod must have lived this virtue in a very remarkable way so much so that perhaps he must have been one of Fr. de San Vitores’ best, most trusted and closest collaborators because it is said that he was a long-time companion of the said Father, meaning to say, that he was always working side by side with Fr. de San Vitores. This becomes plainly seen when, out of the several missionaries, Pedro Calungsod was chosen by Fr. de San Vitores to be his lone companion during that critical moment of the Mission and in that fateful journey to Tomhom where they both gave their final witness to the Christian Faith.

Putting aside these considerations, we can still say that Pedro Calungsod had a deep faith in God by the mere fact that he spent his young life in and for the Christian Faith through teaching catechism in the Mission despite difficulties and dangers.

Finally, Pedro Calungsod was killed by the enemies of the Faith. Indeed, he professed his faith until death, a fact which gave more courage to Fr. de San Vitores to die also for the same Faith.

Hope.It may be said that Pedro Calungsod’s perseverance in the difficult and troubled Mariana Mission was sustained by his Christian hope for eternal salvation and happiness after such earthly trials. He himself must have communicated this hope to others more by example than by words. In a particular way, if his death gave more courage to Fr. de San Vitores to die also for the Faith, it can be said that Pedro Calungsod demonstrated this hope through his willing acceptance of martyrdom.

Charity.The foundation of all the goodness of Pedro Calungsod cannot be but his great love for God and love for his fellowmen as manifested in the following facts which also reveal his other virtues: —in his zeal to join and help the foreign Mission in the Marianas, a zeal which must have been inspired also by the example of Fr. de San Vitores; —in his dedicated service in the Mission —a quality that may have even edified the Superior of the Mission, Fr. de San Vitores;

—in his selflessness in risking his young life in a troubled far-from-home Mission; —in his perseverance in serving the difficult Mission right from the start in 1668 up to his violent death in 1672; —in living what he taught, so much so that he was remembered to be a virtuous catechist; —in his heroic obedience to Fr. de San Vitores, accompanying the latter in an apostolic task even in the time of imminent danger when he ought to have taken refuge immediately in the fortified Residence; and in not carrying any weapon for self protection as willed by Fr. de San Vitores; —in his courage to teach the Christian Faith to the Chamorros even in the midst of hostility; —in his faithfulness to Fr. de San Vitores whose mission he always supported and whom he never abandoned even in the time of adversity, thereby imitating Jesus Christ who showed the greatest love in laying down his life for his friends (cf. Jn. 15:13); —in his humility in not using his physical prowess to defend himself or to defeat his aggressors; —in his non-violent response to his aggressors; —in shedding his blood for the Christian Faith, thereby proving himself to be a good soldier of Christ; —in being an edifying Christian, for his death even gave new courage to Fr. de San Vitores to die also for the Christian Faith.