Who was Pedro Calungsod
"Calungsod" is a very native and descriptive Visayan family name. His family name is variously spelled in the different documents as "Calonsor," "Calongsor," "Calangsor," or "Calansor". His real family name must have been Calungsod . The variations of the spelling of Pedro's family name in the documents may have been due to the Spanish authors' inability
to accurately hear a Filipino name.
Today, it is not easy to trace the place of origin of the "Calungsod" families. The name can be
found in different parts of the Philippines. However, the "Calungsod" families are most numerious in the Visayan towns of Ginatilan in Cebu, Hinundayan and Hinunangan in southern Leyte, and in the Molo district of Iloilo City in Panay.
His baptismal record cannot be found. Most, if not all the baptismal records of the 17th century in the Visayas have been destroyed by fires, typhoons or termites.
The only source of information about him are found in the documents on the martyrdom of Padre Diego Luis San Vitores, SJ.
In these documents we know for sure that Calungsod was Padre Diego's faithful assistant in the mission, a "catechist".
He was praised because "he merited the happiness of accompanying the Venerable Padre in his death" ("merecio la dicha de acompanar al Venerable Padre en su muerte").
We do not know how Pedro Calungsod looked like. However historical documents describe the Bisayan Indios as people with light brown skin, round faces, flat noses, black hair and eyes. Based on this we can imagine how Pedro
Calungsod might have looked like.
to accurately hear a Filipino name.
Today, it is not easy to trace the place of origin of the "Calungsod" families. The name can be
found in different parts of the Philippines. However, the "Calungsod" families are most numerious in the Visayan towns of Ginatilan in Cebu, Hinundayan and Hinunangan in southern Leyte, and in the Molo district of Iloilo City in Panay.
His baptismal record cannot be found. Most, if not all the baptismal records of the 17th century in the Visayas have been destroyed by fires, typhoons or termites.
The only source of information about him are found in the documents on the martyrdom of Padre Diego Luis San Vitores, SJ.
In these documents we know for sure that Calungsod was Padre Diego's faithful assistant in the mission, a "catechist".
He was praised because "he merited the happiness of accompanying the Venerable Padre in his death" ("merecio la dicha de acompanar al Venerable Padre en su muerte").
We do not know how Pedro Calungsod looked like. However historical documents describe the Bisayan Indios as people with light brown skin, round faces, flat noses, black hair and eyes. Based on this we can imagine how Pedro
Calungsod might have looked like.
Where exactly he might have been born, or what he might have looked like, God had a special plan for his life. This is what really matters.
In God's plan he would live and die for his faith and become a saint.
The canonical process towards sainthood is a long and complicated one.
In God's plan he would live and die for his faith and become a saint.
The canonical process towards sainthood is a long and complicated one.
The Martyrdom
Pedro Calungsod may only have been in his early teens (between 12 and 15 years old) when he went with Padre Diego to Guam in 1668. He was one of the young catechists who went with some Spanish Jesuit missionaries to the Ladrones Islands to evangelize the Chamorros. At that time, the Ladrones
Islands were part of the Diocese of Cebu.
Life in the Ladrones was hard. Despite the hardships, the missionaries persevered, and the Mission was blessed with many conversions. The first mission residence and church were built in the town of Hagatña [Agadña; Agaña; Agana] in the island of Guam. Subsequently, the islands were renamed "Marianas" by the missionaries in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary and of the then queen regent of Spain, Maria Ana, who was the benefactress of that Mission.
A man named Choco became envious of
the prestige that the missionaries were gaining among the Chamorros. He started to spread rumors that the baptismal water of the missionaries was poisonous. Because some sickly Chamorro infants who had been baptized died, many believed Choco and eventually apostatized. Choco found an ally in the local medicine man, Macanjas, and the Urritaos, young native men who were given to some immoral practices. These, along with the apostates, began to persecute the missionaries,
many of whom were killed.
Martyrdom came to Padre Diego and Pedro Calungsod on April 2, 1672 which was the Saturday before Passion Sunday of that year.
At around seven o'clock that morning, Padre Diego and Pedro Calungsod went to the
village of Tomhon in Guam because they were told that a baby girl was just born in the village. They went to ask Matapang, the child's father, to bring the baby out for baptism. Matapang had been a Christian and a friend of the
missionaries but had apostatized. He angrily refused to have his baby christened.
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 out to ask for the help of another villager, named Hirao, who was not a Christian. At first, Hirao refused. He knew of the kindness of the missionaries towards the natives. But Matapang chided him for being a coward. Hirao changed his mind and decided to join Matapang.
While Matapang was away, Padre Diego
and Pedro obtained to permission of Matapang's Christian mother and baptized the
baby girl.
Matapang was enraged when he found out. He attacked the missionaries with spears. He first went after Pedro who presumably tried to defend the priest. Pedro was able to dodge the spears with remarkable dexterity. 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 personally knew Pedro
believed that he would have defeated his aggressors and would have freed both
himself and Padre Diego if only he had some weapon. But Padre Diego never allowed his companions to carry arms.
Finally, Pedro got hit by a spear in the chest and fell to the ground, Hirao immediately charged towards him and finished him off with a blow of a cutlass to the head. Padre Diego could not do anything except to raise a crucifix and give Pedro the final sacramental absolution. After that, the assassins killed Padre Diego.
Matapang took the crucifix of Padre Diego and crushed it with a stone while blaspheming God. Then, both assassins ripped the clothes off Pedro and Padre Diego. They dragged them to the shore, tied large stones to their feet. They brought their bodies out to sea on a proa and threw them into the deep. The remains of the martyrs were never to be found.
The faith that was planted in the Marianas in 1668 did not die with Padre Diego, Pedro Calungsod and the first missionaries. It grew, thanks to the blood of the martyrs and the
perseverance of the succeeding missionaries.
Islands were part of the Diocese of Cebu.
Life in the Ladrones was hard. Despite the hardships, the missionaries persevered, and the Mission was blessed with many conversions. The first mission residence and church were built in the town of Hagatña [Agadña; Agaña; Agana] in the island of Guam. Subsequently, the islands were renamed "Marianas" by the missionaries in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary and of the then queen regent of Spain, Maria Ana, who was the benefactress of that Mission.
A man named Choco became envious of
the prestige that the missionaries were gaining among the Chamorros. He started to spread rumors that the baptismal water of the missionaries was poisonous. Because some sickly Chamorro infants who had been baptized died, many believed Choco and eventually apostatized. Choco found an ally in the local medicine man, Macanjas, and the Urritaos, young native men who were given to some immoral practices. These, along with the apostates, began to persecute the missionaries,
many of whom were killed.
Martyrdom came to Padre Diego and Pedro Calungsod on April 2, 1672 which was the Saturday before Passion Sunday of that year.
At around seven o'clock that morning, Padre Diego and Pedro Calungsod went to the
village of Tomhon in Guam because they were told that a baby girl was just born in the village. They went to ask Matapang, the child's father, to bring the baby out for baptism. Matapang had been a Christian and a friend of the
missionaries but had apostatized. He angrily refused to have his baby christened.
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 out to ask for the help of another villager, named Hirao, who was not a Christian. At first, Hirao refused. He knew of the kindness of the missionaries towards the natives. But Matapang chided him for being a coward. Hirao changed his mind and decided to join Matapang.
While Matapang was away, Padre Diego
and Pedro obtained to permission of Matapang's Christian mother and baptized the
baby girl.
Matapang was enraged when he found out. He attacked the missionaries with spears. He first went after Pedro who presumably tried to defend the priest. Pedro was able to dodge the spears with remarkable dexterity. 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 personally knew Pedro
believed that he would have defeated his aggressors and would have freed both
himself and Padre Diego if only he had some weapon. But Padre Diego never allowed his companions to carry arms.
Finally, Pedro got hit by a spear in the chest and fell to the ground, Hirao immediately charged towards him and finished him off with a blow of a cutlass to the head. Padre Diego could not do anything except to raise a crucifix and give Pedro the final sacramental absolution. After that, the assassins killed Padre Diego.
Matapang took the crucifix of Padre Diego and crushed it with a stone while blaspheming God. Then, both assassins ripped the clothes off Pedro and Padre Diego. They dragged them to the shore, tied large stones to their feet. They brought their bodies out to sea on a proa and threw them into the deep. The remains of the martyrs were never to be found.
The faith that was planted in the Marianas in 1668 did not die with Padre Diego, Pedro Calungsod and the first missionaries. It grew, thanks to the blood of the martyrs and the
perseverance of the succeeding missionaries.
The Journey to Sainthood
On May 2, 1672, one month after the death of Pedro Calungsod and Padre Diego, the ship San Diego made its first return to Guam only find that the missionaries that it had brought there four years back, were no more.
When news of Padre Diego's death reached Manila, there was a great celebration, with
the ringing of churchbells and general rejoicing - a case, says an early chronicle, of "faith overcoming grief." The College of the Society of Jesus went to the Manila Cathedral to sing the Te Deum, even as in Spain, at a later
date, there would be fireworks, the ringing of bells, and the singing of Solemn High Masses.
Meanwhile, in the Visayas, there was no ringing of churchbells, no Te Deums for Pedro Calungsod. The people merely continued with their day-to-day chores. Were the family of Pedro informed about his death, which had taken place while he was faithfully assisting the
Jesuit superior of the Mariana Mission? We do not know. Does the fact that no Jesuit ever bothered to write down anything about Pedro Calungsod reflect a certain indifference of the Jesuits towards their layman assistant? Not
necessarily. Perhaps it was not the custom
then.
On January 9, 1673, ten months after the death of Pedro and Padre Diego, the first Process of the Cause for the Beatification of Padre Diego took place in Guam. Other successive Processes of Padre Diego's Cause were held in Mexico, Manila, and Toledo. But due to the
suppression of the Society of Jesus in the 18thcentury, the Cause fell into oblivion, to be taken up again only in the recent past until, on 6 October, 1985 Padre Diego was finally beatified by John Paul II.
Again, the martyrdom of Pedro Calungsod did not receive the same attention as that of the Jesuit Superior of the Mariana Mission, not even in Cebu where Pedro was repeatedly mentioned by witnesses during the Rogatorial Process for Padre Diego's Beatification on 12
November, 1676 and 25 January, 1677
And thus the memory of Pedro Calungsod died together with those who knew him personally: family, friends, and fellow missionaries. Centuries passed until no one in the Philippines or in Guam- not even the Calungsod clan - knew anymore that there once lived a boy from the Visayas named Pedro Calungsod who
heroically died for his faith in Christ. Could this be the desire of Pedro Calungsod himself, to be forgotten, so that all glory and honor may be given to God alone?
Nevertheless, the recurrent mention of
Pedro Calungsod in the documentation for the Cause of Padre Diego did finally bring the memory of that Filipino lay catechist and martyr to our own day. After the Beatification of Padre Diego in 1985, interest for the Beatification of
Pedro Calungsod started to grow at home, especially in Cebu, in the Visayas, to which region the young martyr belonged, at least by ecclesiastical jurisdiction.
The Archbishop of Cebu, Cardinal Vidal, gave the formal order for the Process of Pedro's Beatification in the Archdiocese of Cebu. The meticulous Process went through 18 sessions through 7 weeks before its findings were finally put in order by this writer and submitted to the experts at the Vatican for their own study.
On January 27, 2000 the Decree of Authentic Martyrdom was promulgated by Pope John Paul II at the Clementine Hall of the Papal Palace. On March 5, 2000 at the steps of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, Pedro Calungsod was declared “Blessed” by Pope John Paul II.
“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.
Today, Blessed Pedro Calungsod intercedes for the young, in particular those of his nativePhilippines, and he challenges
them. Young friends, do not hesitate to follow the example of Pedro, who "pleased God and was loved by him" (Wisdom 4:10) and who, having come to perfection in so short a time, lived a full life.
When news of Padre Diego's death reached Manila, there was a great celebration, with
the ringing of churchbells and general rejoicing - a case, says an early chronicle, of "faith overcoming grief." The College of the Society of Jesus went to the Manila Cathedral to sing the Te Deum, even as in Spain, at a later
date, there would be fireworks, the ringing of bells, and the singing of Solemn High Masses.
Meanwhile, in the Visayas, there was no ringing of churchbells, no Te Deums for Pedro Calungsod. The people merely continued with their day-to-day chores. Were the family of Pedro informed about his death, which had taken place while he was faithfully assisting the
Jesuit superior of the Mariana Mission? We do not know. Does the fact that no Jesuit ever bothered to write down anything about Pedro Calungsod reflect a certain indifference of the Jesuits towards their layman assistant? Not
necessarily. Perhaps it was not the custom
then.
On January 9, 1673, ten months after the death of Pedro and Padre Diego, the first Process of the Cause for the Beatification of Padre Diego took place in Guam. Other successive Processes of Padre Diego's Cause were held in Mexico, Manila, and Toledo. But due to the
suppression of the Society of Jesus in the 18thcentury, the Cause fell into oblivion, to be taken up again only in the recent past until, on 6 October, 1985 Padre Diego was finally beatified by John Paul II.
Again, the martyrdom of Pedro Calungsod did not receive the same attention as that of the Jesuit Superior of the Mariana Mission, not even in Cebu where Pedro was repeatedly mentioned by witnesses during the Rogatorial Process for Padre Diego's Beatification on 12
November, 1676 and 25 January, 1677
And thus the memory of Pedro Calungsod died together with those who knew him personally: family, friends, and fellow missionaries. Centuries passed until no one in the Philippines or in Guam- not even the Calungsod clan - knew anymore that there once lived a boy from the Visayas named Pedro Calungsod who
heroically died for his faith in Christ. Could this be the desire of Pedro Calungsod himself, to be forgotten, so that all glory and honor may be given to God alone?
Nevertheless, the recurrent mention of
Pedro Calungsod in the documentation for the Cause of Padre Diego did finally bring the memory of that Filipino lay catechist and martyr to our own day. After the Beatification of Padre Diego in 1985, interest for the Beatification of
Pedro Calungsod started to grow at home, especially in Cebu, in the Visayas, to which region the young martyr belonged, at least by ecclesiastical jurisdiction.
The Archbishop of Cebu, Cardinal Vidal, gave the formal order for the Process of Pedro's Beatification in the Archdiocese of Cebu. The meticulous Process went through 18 sessions through 7 weeks before its findings were finally put in order by this writer and submitted to the experts at the Vatican for their own study.
On January 27, 2000 the Decree of Authentic Martyrdom was promulgated by Pope John Paul II at the Clementine Hall of the Papal Palace. On March 5, 2000 at the steps of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, Pedro Calungsod was declared “Blessed” by Pope John Paul II.
“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.
Today, Blessed Pedro Calungsod intercedes for the young, in particular those of his nativePhilippines, and he challenges
them. Young friends, do not hesitate to follow the example of Pedro, who "pleased God and was loved by him" (Wisdom 4:10) and who, having come to perfection in so short a time, lived a full life.
http://www.pedrocalungsod.net/
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