St.Pedro-Calungsod

Pedro Calungsod Lay Catechist by Msgr. Ildebrando Jesus Aliño Leyson Pedro Calungsod, Lay Catechist and Martyr – this is the official title given by the Vatican to the next Filipino Saint. The title gives us the reason why he is going to be counted among the Saints of the Universal Church. The role of a Catholic Catechist is to teach the Faith of the Catholic Church both by word and example. The Vatican underlines the relevance of Blessed Pedro in our day to the point that the canonization of this teenage Visayan lay catechist and martyr this coming October 2012 will highlight the 20th anniversary of the publication of the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the Synod of Bishops on the New Evangelization for the Transmission of the Christian Faith. Blessed John Paul II himself said in his homily to catechists on December 10, 2000, “Your work, dear catechists and religion teach- ers, is more necessary than ever and requires on your part constant fidelity to Christ and to the Church. For all the faithful have a right to receive from those who, by office or mandate, are responsible for catechesis and preaching answers that are not subjective, but cor- respond with the Church’s constant Magisterium, with the faith that has always been taught authoritatively by those appointed teachers and lived exemplarily by the saints. […] An intellectual knowledge of Christ and his Gospel is not enough. For believing in him means following him. Therefore we must learn from the Apostles, from the confessors of the faith, from the saints of every age who helped to spread Christ’s name and to make it loved by the witness of a life generously and joyously spent for him and for their brethren” Even though he was only a teenager, Blessed Pedro Calungsod already knew the Christian Faith by heart; he lived the Faith; he shared the Faith to others and he died in witness to the Faith. Fran- cisco Antonio de Castro, a Spanish poet, wrote in 1723 about the immediate reason for the death of Blessed Pedro saying that it was 51

because he was preaching the Faith that the assassins hurled spears at him: obstinaronse los dos indios al ver al indio cristiano predicar y le tiraron muchas lanzas. No wonder he was referred to as a ver- tueux catechiste, a virtuous catechist, in a book about the Mariana Mission written in French by Charles le Gobien, S.J. in 1700. But how did a boy from the Visayas become a catechist in the far flung Mariana Islands? It was the strategy of the Jesuits who were evangelizing the Visayas in the 1600’s to train young boys as assistants or catechists to help them in their missions. The training was done in Jesuit-run boarding schools for boys. The missionaries chose boys because these were children of happy and affection- ate disposition, not at all bashful or shy, well affected towards the missionary priests, lively and intelligent. By winning the boys, the missionary priests would also win the parents, brothers and sisters, relatives and friends so as to get them to catechism lessons, confes- sion, communion and spiritual conferences. The boys would learn the alphabet, language, culture, civil and Christian usages, and spread them in their villages afterward. Majority of the boys were below 18 years old. They usually started training at the age of 12. The boys were taught not only the catechism but also writing, Spanish and liturgical music. They soon were able to act as Mass servers and choristers. They were sent in pairs to outlying villages of the mission. The young catechists would gather the villagers together in the chapel and catechize them in their own native language. Life in the boarding schools is very similar to that of the semi- nary. The boys would rise at the sound of the bell every morning. After a visit to the Blessed Sacrament and a short meditation in the chapel, they would form the customary procession and go through the town chanting the catechism. The townspeople would fall in line behind them and follow them to the mission church for Mass. Classes were held morning and afternoon on weekdays. They also had to learn painting to enable themselves to decorate village chap- els and provide themselves with drawings as visual aids to catechet- ical instruction. They also learned how to present stage plays on the lives of saints to attract and better instruct the people. 52

Afternoon classes over, the boys would proceed to the church to pray the Rosary and sing the “Salve Regina”, and then, on to their games till suppertime. They would sit down to meals at long refectory tables, European-fashion and listen to spiritual readings. After evening recreation, they would meet in what might be called a workshop or practice session, during which one of them would give a catechetical instruction or tell an exemplary tale as he would when the time would come for him to take part in active missionary work. An examination of conscience and night prayers in the chapel would end the busy day. Blessed Pedro Calungsod may have attended one of the board- ing schools of the Jesuits in the Visayas that is why he was one of those young boys brought by Blessed Diego Luís de San Vitores to the Marianas. It was in the Mariana Mission that he applied all that he learned at the boarding school. He must have helped build and embellish chapels with the available materials they had and prepared visual aids for the catechism classes. He must have taught catechism in Chamorro, the language of the natives in the Marianas, and chanted the catechism as was the vogue in those days. Today, Blessed Pedro Calungsod may not be considered among the professional catechists who have undergone adequate profes- sional training and are certified as such. He may be considered only among the volunteer catechists who in one form or another help in the catechetical ministry. Yet, there is something Blessed Pedro surely possessed as a catechist which professional or volunteer catechists of today still have to prove they possess – that of being a good catechist. Pope Benedict XVI says that “the secret of a good catechist is to live what you preach. […] Unite the transmission of right doctrine with personal testimony, with the firm commitment to live according to the commandments of the Lord and with the lived experience of being faithful and active members of the Church. This example of life is necessary so that your instruction does not stay in a mere transmission of theoretical knowledge about the mysteries of God, but that it leads to embracing a Christian way of life.” (Ben- edict XVI, To the Bishops of Costa Rica, February 8, 2008) 53

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The Life and Glorification of St. Pedro Calungsod by Msgr. Ildebrando Jesus Aliño Leyson Pedro Calungsod was a teenage native of the Visayas region of the Philippines. Very little is known about him. We do not even know where exactly in the Visayas he came from or who his par- ents were. He was just one of the boy catechists who went with some Spanish Jesuit missionaries from the Philippines to the Ladro- nes Islands in the western North Pacific Ocean in 1668 to evangelize the Chamorros. In that century, the Jesuits in the Philippines used to train and employ young boys as competent catechists and versatile assistants in their missions. The Ladrones at that time was part of the old Diocese of Cebu. 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 steep to climb, and the islands were frequently visited by devastating typhoons. 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 Hagåtña [Agadña; Agaña; Agana] in the island of Guam. Subse- quently, 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. 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 missionar- ies 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 who were superstitious local herbal medicine men, and by the Urritaos, the young native men who were given into some immoral practices. These, along with the apostates, began to persecute the missionaries, many of whom were killed. 56

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 seven- teen years old, as can be gleaned from the written testimonies of his companion missionaries – and the superior of the Mission, named Padre Diego Luís de San Vitores, came to the village of Tomhom [Tumhon; Tumon], in 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. Mata- pang was a Christian and a friend of the missionaries, but having 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 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, dur- ing 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. 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 fierce aggressors and would have freed both himself and Padre Diego if only he had some weapon because he was a 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 could not do anything except to raise a crucifix and give Pedro the final sacramental absolution. After that, the assassins also killed Padre Diego. 57

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 their feet, 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 Heav- en!” They remembered Pedro to be a boy with a very good disposi- tion, a virtuous catechist, a faithful assistant, a good Catholic whose perseverance in the Faith even to the point of martyrdom proved him to be a good soldier of Christ. “Martyrdom is the supreme wit- ness given to the truth of the faith: it means bearing witness even unto death. The martyr bears witness to Christ who died and rose, to whom he is united by charity. He bears witness to the truth of the faith and of Christian doctrine. He endures death through an act of fortitude.” – Catechism of the Catholic Church n. 2473 The Mariana Mission continued amid turmoil. Meanwhile, the surviving Jesuit missionaries managed to start the process for the beatification of their Mission superior Padre Diego on 9 January 1673. Beatification is the act by which the Church, through papal decree, permits a specified diocese, region, nation, or religious in- stitute to honor with public cult under the title “Blessed” a Christian person who has died with a reputation for holiness. Written testimo- nies of the missionaries and of the Mariana natives were gathered to document the martyrdom of Padre Diego. Naturally, the documenta- tion could not but mention also his lone companion in martyrdom, the boy from the Visayas, Pedro Calungsod. However, due to the difficult situation at that time and the eventual suppression of the Jesuits in the 18th century, the cause for the beatification of Padre Diego fell into oblivion and, together with it, the memory of Pedro which went hidden for centuries in the long-forgotten manuscripts of his companion missionaries. But the Faith that was planted in the Marianas in 1668 did not die with Padre Diego, Pedro and the first missionaries. It remained. It survived. It grew, thanks to the blood of the martyrs and the per- 58

severance of the succeeding missionaries. On 17 September 1902, the Marianas became an Apostolic Prefecture and was separated from the old Diocese of Cebu. On 14 October 1965, Guam became a diocese by the name of “Diocese of Agaña”. On 8 March 1984, Agaña became an archdiocese. In 1981, when Agaña was preparing for its 20th anniversary as a diocese, the 1673 beatification cause of Padre Diego Luís de San Vitores was rediscovered in the old manuscripts and taken up anew until Padre Diego was finally beatified on 6 October 1985. It was his beatification that brought the memory of Pedro to our day. The Archdiocese of Cebu, where Pedro belonged by ecclesias- tical jurisdiction, also started to process his beatification cause in 1994. The endeavor was rewarded when, on 5 March 2000, Pe- dro Calungsod was beatified by Pope John Paul II at Saint Peter’s Square in Rome. In his homily during the beatification, the Pope 59

said, “From his childhood, Pedro Calungsod declared himself un- waveringly 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 fam- ily and friends behind, Pedro willingly accepted the challenge put to him by Fr. Diego Luís 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 native Philippines, and he challenges them. Young friends, do not hesitate to follow the example of Pedro, who ‘pleased God and was loved by him’ and who, having come to perfection in so short a time, lived a full life.” The feast of Blessed Pedro is celebrated every 2 April, the anniversary of his martyr- dom. If the date falls within Holy Week or Easter Week, the feast is observed on the Saturday before Passion Sunday as was 2 April in 1672. On 21 October 2012, Pope Benedict XVI, in a solemn ceremony at Saint Peter’s Basilica, will inscribe the name of Blessed Pedro Calungsod in the Canon or list of Saints and from then on, the teen- age Visayan martyr will be invoked as Saint Pedro Calungsod or San Pedro Calungsod. “By canonizing some of the faithful, i.e., by solemnly proclaiming that they practiced heroic virtue and lived in fidelity to God’s grace, the Church recognizes the power of the Spirit of holiness within her and sustains the hope of believers by proposing the saints to them as models and intercessors. The saints have always been the source and origin of renewal in the most difficult moments in the Church’s history. Indeed, holiness is the hidden source and infallible measure of her apostolic activity and missionary zeal.” – Catechism of the Catholic Church n. 828. A more detailed account on Blessed Pedro Calungsod is provided in the manual I. Leyson, Pedro Calonsor Bissaya: Prospects of a Teenage Filippino, The Archdiocese of Cebu, 2000. 60

The Miracle that God Performed through the Intercession of St. Pedro Calungsod Part 1 by Msgr. Ildebrando Jesus Aliño Leyson Canonization is the solemn act by which the Pope, with defini- tive sentence, inscribes in the canon or catalogue of saints a Chris- tian person who has been previously beatified. By this act, he de- clares that the person placed on the altar now reigns in eternal glory and decrees that the Universal Church show him honor due to a saint. The solemn canonization of a saint is an infallible and irrevo- cable decision of the Pope. For the Pope to decide for the canoniza- tion, he needs a divine sign of approval which we call a miracle. A miracle may be defined as an extraordinary religious occur- rence that came about through a special and gratuitous intervention of God. It is contemporaneously a sign or a manifestation of a di- vine message to man and a call to conversion. A miracle is a super- natural occurrence, and so, it cannot be explained scientifically. A major miracle is required for the canonization. After the beatification of Pedro Calungsod on 5 March 2000, many different divine favors were reported by people who asked for his inter- cessory aid. Choosing a major miracle from among these favors was not an easy task. There had to be sufficient objective documentation. Such a criterion was met in a medical case that happened on 26 March 2003 at a hospital in Cebu City. The supernatural occurrence was reported by the doctor himself who was the one who invoked Blessed Pedro Calungsod. The presumed miracle is about the rapid recovery of a 49-year-old patient from Glasgow Coma Scale score 3 and the absence of motor and sensory deficits thereof. 61

Coma (from Greek “koma” = deep sleep) is a deep state of unconsciousness in which individuals do not consciously respond to stimuli in their environment. The Glasgow Coma Scale is used to measure the depth of coma based upon observations of eye opening, speech, and movement. When we say that the Glas- gow Coma Scale score is 3, it means that the patient is in the deepest level of coma. The patient does not respond with any body movement to pain, does not have any speech, and does not open his eyes. The coma of the patient concerned started the day before, that is, on 25 March. It was caused by hypoxic encephalopathy which means a lack of oxygen supply to the brain (hypo = less + oxia = oxygen; encephalo = brain + pathy = disorder). In turn, the patient’s hypoxic encephalopathy was caused by a cardiac ar- rest which happened on 24 March. The heart stopped pumping blood that carries oxygen to the brain. Three days earlier, on 21 March, the patient under- went a heart surgery which was a mitral valve re- placement and coronary artery bypass grafting. Both procedures went remarkably well. But, three days later the patient became so restless and had hard time breathing that led to the cardiac arrest and, eventu- ally, to hypoxic encephalopathy. Brain cells are extremely sensitive to oxygen depriva- tion. Some brain cells actually start dying less than five minutes after their oxygen supply disappears. As a result, hypoxic encephalopathy can rapidly cause death or severe brain damage. The longer the patient is unconscious, the higher risk for death or brain death, and the lower chances for a meaningful recov- ery. Complications of hypoxic encephalopathy include prolonged vegetative state – basic life functions such as breathing, blood pressure, sleep-wake cycle, and eye opening may be preserved, but the patient is not alert and does not respond to his surroundings. Such a patient usually dies within a year, although some may survive longer while having neurological deficits. 62

And so, on 26 March, knowing that the patient could die at any moment, the attending physician, who is an internist and cardiologist at the same time, in- voked the aid of the Visayan teenage martyr saying, “Blessed Pedro Calungsod, please save the life of this patient! Perform a miracle!” At 2 PM of the same day, the patient was subjected to an electroencephalogram (EEG), a test that measures and records brain waves representing electrical activ- ity in the brain. It was done to find out if the patient in coma was brain dead or not. The EEG result was bad. According to the neurologist who interpreted the EEG, “There are some instances where there is a flat line. You hardly see any waves. This indicates the absence of electrical activity in that part of the brain. There are other areas where the waves become faster. The fact that there are instances where the tracing becomes flat or that there is the absence of electri- cal activity means that there are several parts of the brain that are not functioning anymore. The tracing is of poor prognosis. The chance of recovery is actu- ally very small.” And if ever there was going to be any recovery, the patient would be in a vegetative state. Nevertheless, at around 6 PM, just four hours after the EEG test, the patient started to gain consciousness. In his testimony, the attending physician said, “It was rather a rapid recovery. Patients in such a situation would normally recover only after some weeks – that if they ever recover; but, in the case of this patient, it was in less than 48 hours. It was a definitive recovery from Glasgow Coma score 3 to normal mental status and no motor and sensory deficits upon discharge. The patient survived and is still alive today.” The resident physician on his part said, “The recovery was gradual but not ordinary. It was gradual in the sense that, first, there was eye blinking; then there 63

was the head movement. It was not ordinary in the sense that it was too soon; the patient was back to normal in about two days; was already moving, re- sponding and would understand us talk. The patient had been in the lowest coma score. With that, one could not expect a big chance for recovery, and a very soon, rapid recovery at that.” Another neurologist commented, “The recovery was quite rapid. I have seen a lot of hypoxic encepha- lopatic patients and they did not improve that fast, taking into account the fact that the examination showed a very markedly impaired brain stem func- tion.” After that incident, the attending physician made some consultations and discussions with other doc- tors for almost two years to verify if there could be some scientific explanations to the fact. One neurolo- gist said, “If the patient was only like drowsy, the EEG waves would have shown movement artifacts and the patient could be awake in a few moments. If the pa- tient was just sedated, most likely these reflexes should have been present; but, because of cerebral anoxia, there were no brain stem reflexes in the patient.” Finding out that there could have been a supernatu- ral occurrence, the attending physician reported the case to the postulation of the Cause for the Canoniza- tion of Blessed Pedro Calungsod. Subsequently, an Archdiocesan Canonical Process which involved phy- sicians was instituted in Cebu to verify the presumed supernatural occurrence. The Process went through nine sessions from 15 December 2004 until 6 June 2005. Its positive result was presented to the Vatican which in turn recognized the validity of the Process on 25 November 2005. The Positio Super Miro which is a systematic presentation of documents and argu- ments on the presumed miracle was then prepared and submitted to the Vatican on 18 May 2006. 64

During the following years, the Vatican made a series of clarifi- cations to which the postulation in Cebu also made precise and ex- haustive responses. Six Vatican consultor physicians had to gather three times to discuss and clarify some details of the reported case, first on 29 May 2008, then, on 30 September 2010, and finally on 24 March 2011 when they unanimously pronounced that the reported case was beyond natural or scientific explanation. On 2 July 2011, six Vatican consultor theologians authenticated that the supernatural healing was due solely to the intercession of Blessed Pedro. Then, on the following 11 October, fifteen Vatican consultors, among which were 7 cardinals, 5 archbishops and 3 bishops, unanimously affirmed that what the consultor physicians and theologians declared could point to an authentic major miracle and that it is opportune to declare Blessed Pedro a saint. A Decree on the authentic major miracle was then drawn up by the Vatican. On 19 December 2011, Pope Benedict XVI received in audience His Eminence Angelo Cardinal Amato, the Prefect of the Congre- gation for the Causes of Saints, and authorized the promulgation of the Decree concerning the miracle attributed to Blessed Pedro Calungsod. By that decree, the Pope has made known to everyone that there is indeed an authentic major miracle performed by God through the intercession of Blessed Pedro. On 18 February 2012, during the Consistory in Rome, Pope Ben- edict XVI formally announced that Blessed Pedro Calungsod will be canonized a saint on 21 October 2012. It must be noted that the miracle performed by God through the intercession of Blessed Pedro Calungsod has been meant for the en- tire Church and not exclusively for the individual persons involved in the fact. Thus, the postulation has not disclosed as of the moment the names of the patient and the doctors. This is also to protect as much as possible the privacy of these persons and to help us direct our attention to the miracle itself which is a special and gratuitous intervention of God; a sign or a manifestation of a divine message to us and a call to conversion. Let us then be assiduous in preparing ourselves spiritually so that we may be able to receive God’s abundant graces that come with the canonization of Blessed Pedro Calungsod. 65

Testimonials If Pedro Calungsod has, in one way or another, touched your lives, you can share your experiences here. Just fill-in the form below. Please take note that we reserve the right to publish or not to publish the submitted testimonials. Thanks! ________________________________________________________ I have prayed to Blessed Pedro Calungsod to ask assistance during my preparation for NCLEX exam. I took the exam and very thankful that He indeed helped me. Thank you Lord, Moth- er of Perpetual Help & Blessed Pedro Calungsod. Date of Posting: 7 Aug 2012 Posted by: Ria Atienza When asked to raise funds for BPC”s canonization, our parish thought twas almost impossible to come up with 50thou in 5mos but we tried and prayed for miracle thru BPC, and he did interceded, n less than 3 mos-funds exceeded what was required and funds is still pouring in, thanks BPC for hearing our prayers. we considered it still a great miracle in this modern times. may we learn to trust your intercession. AMEN Date of Posting: 4 Aug 2012 Posted by: marina p. villaflores I suffered from chest tightness and high blood pressure few months ago. I asked Pedro Calungsod to help me pray to God that I may be relieved from my symptoms and my blood pres- sure to be normal. God gave me grace. Now my blood pressure is normal and i have less symptoms felt. Thank you very much Blessed Pedro Calungsod. Please continue praying for me that God may heal all my diseases and other sick people too. Date of Posting: 25 Jul 2012 Posted by: Rosebeth Chin I am always praying that me with my kids will be united again with my family.. I know that “masama ang loob nila sa akin” coz I disappointed them coz i know that they only want the best for me and my kids.. please help me Blessed Pedro 66

Calungsod they will trust me again coz i love them and they are the only family i have in this world. Please give me a chance to be with them again thru your grace and prayers. Thank you.. Date of Posting: 24 Jul 2012 Posted by: Maria R. Rañola I just arrived in Iloilo City early morning of Dec. 28, 2012 for my vacation in my hometown in San Pedro, San Jose An- tique. I dropped by Molo Church and prayed. I remembered Blessed Pedro and I prayed to ask his prayer and blessing, but I had a hard time remembering his last name. I even prayed that God will remind me his last name. As I went out the church, I saw his monument, with life story at the side of the Molo Church’s gate. I was surprised by God’s power. God bless Pedro Calungsod and us Date of Posting: 24 Jul 2012 Posted by: RICHARD SOBRINO i just found out about this site and i want to share this to everyone..i was diagnosed with a liver cancer last june 2011 and i had a TACE done but it wasn’t succesfull..i was staying that time in ramos st.where my daughter is staying..and be- cause the shrine is near my place i used to go there and ask for the Blessed Pedro Calungsod for his mercy..last april 21,2012 was my last check up and the cancer is completely gone..Thank you Lord,Mama Mary and Blessed Pedro Calungsod for the gift of life.. Date of Posting: 3 Jul 2012 Posted by: melda p.rodriguez Pridefulness has always made my life difficult,made me wear a certain persona,to earn people’s acknowledgement & praise,i never knew why,i even choose to be w/ lesser capable people so that i will be the queen,it was hard/taxing,so i ask blessed calungsod to impart w/ me his humility,incredibly,i’m healed,i love people w/o pretension,am so happy being me now,i learned to do things for the dignity of working & serving.Thank you God,Thank you Blessed Pedro Calungsod.Thanks for the gift of humility Date of Posting: 28 Jun 2012Posted by: Carina dela Cruz Mamaril 67

My son had been a cosistent honor student since Grade 1. But on his Gr7th year, he was not able to make it in the honor roll since from the 1st quarter to the 3rd. Was kind of worried especially he is graduating and that he might not be able to have one. I prayed unceasingly to Blessed Pedro that my son could get excellent scores in their final exams so as to catch up with his grades in the last 3 quarters. And he really did and thus, in his graduation, he was able to achieve 3rd honors. Thanks Date of Posting: 17 Apr 2012 Posted by: Ursula Cabigon im at Bulacan now,im just came home from my work in Cavite and since yesterday i just sleep about 4 hours. nothing special really happens to me but the fact that when i see a post of my former teacher in an social site that a person named Perdro Calungsod will be a Saint on Oct,21 and his a Filipino i cant help myself not to search about his story until i get here and making a comment.. his dedication and love for our God and to Christianity ws amazing and above all.. i admire him for that Date of Posting: 14 Apr 2012 Posted by: Ace Neil L. Lajom For the past days,I had severe pain on my R wrist even with slight movement.Started praying for Blessed Pedro Calungsod the other night & after my first prayer, I was able to move my R wrist without difficulty and almost 100% pain free! What a speedy answer to my prayer.Thank you so much! Date of Posting: 30 Mar 2012 Posted by: Bebot Baguia My son Angelo is a hemophiliac. His congenital condition had caused so much pain for him. For us,it is a tremendous emotional burden. Right now, he has a bleeding. Blessed Pedro, I am begging for your intercession for my son to be healed at this very moment. In our behalf, please ask for the Lord’s great mercy. Lord, I pray to you also to please heal my son. Thank you Blessed Pedro, thank you my Lord. Date of Posting: 8 Mar 2012 Posted by: Senen Sarmiento Last night, I experienced chest pain - my second time since 68

3 months ago. The pain was so bad and I couldnt breath. Then I remembered Blessed Pedro Calungsod, and I started praying to him while clutching my rosary , to help me breath and take the pain away. Suddenly, the pain started to subside as I went back to sleep. Thank you God and Mama Mary and thank you Blessed Pedro Calungsod ! Date of Posting: 8 Mar 2012 Posted by: Jiji Bautista Last April 10, 2011 upon carrying heavy battery I happened to slip my shoulders joint, it was so painful. Daily I have to passed by at Zamboanga’s Metropolitan Cathedral to visit Saint Vincent Ferrer statue before I go to work. Upon going out of the Cathedral at the right door there stands the statue of Blessed Pedro Calungsod, of which I touched my lefthand then place my palm at my right painful shoulder. Lo and behold after a day the pain was gone. Thank God and thank you Blessed Pedro Calungs Date of Posting: 16 Apr 2011 Posted by: Jose Journal A. Pangan 69

Important Dates of St. Pedro Calungsod by Msgr. Ildebrando Jesus Aliño Leyson 1655 ? birth in the Visayas 1667 August 7 departure from the Philippines for the Ladrones 1668 January 6 stop-over in Acapulco, Mexico 1668 March 23 departure from Acapulco to the Ladrones 1668 June 16 arrival in the island of Guam, Ladrones 1672 April 2 martyrdom in the village of Tumhon, Guam, Marianas (formerly known as Ladrones) 1985 October 6 beatfication of Fr. Diego Luis de San Vitores; Rediscovery of Pedro Calungsod whose name and manner of death appears in the docu- ments on the martyrdom of Bl. Diego Luis de San Vitores 1994 November 21 opening of the Diocesan Pro- cess for the Cause for the Beatification of Pedro Calungsod in Cebu 1994 December 28 conclusion of the Diocesan Process for the Cause of the Beatification of Pedro Calungsod 1997 March 21 the Vatican recognizes the validity of the Diocesan Process 1998 June 25 submission of the Positio Super Mar- tyrio to the Vatican’s Congregation for the Causes of Saints 70

1999 October 5 Vatican Historians give a unanimous affirmative vote on the authenticity of the historical documents about Pedro Calungsod 2000 January 4 Vatican Theologians give a unani- mous affirmative vote on the authenticity of the mar- tyrdom of Pedro Calungsod 2000 January 11 Vatican Cardinals, Archbishops and Bishops give unanimous affirmative vote for the beati- fication of Pedro Calungsod 2000 January 27 Pope John Paul II promulgates of the Decree on the Martyrdom of Pedro Calungsod 2000 March 5 Beatification of Pedro Calungsod by Pope John Paul II at St. Peter’s Square 2004 December 15 start of the Diocesan Process on a presumed miracle of Bl. Pedro Calungsod 2005 June 6 conclusion of the Diocesan Process on a presumed miracle of Bl. Pedro Calungsod 2005 November 25 the Vatican recognizes of the va- lidity of the Diocesan Process on a presumed miracle of Bl. Pedro Calungsod 2006 May 18 submission of the Positio Super Miro of Bl. Pedro Calungsod to the Vatican 2011 March 24 Vatican physicians give affirma- tive votes that the presumed miracle attributed to Bl. Pedro Calungsod was indeed supernatural or beyond scientific explanation 2011 July 2 Vatican theologians give a unanimous affirmative vote that the presumed miracle has indeed been wrought about through the intercession of Bl. Pedro Calungsod 2011 October 11 Vatican Cardinals, Archbishops and Bishops give a unanimous affirmative vote that the presumed supernatural occurrence could indeed be miraculous and that it is opportune to canonize Bl. Pedro Calungsod 71

2011 December 19 Pope Benedict XVI promulgates the Decree on the Miracle of Bl. Pedro Calungsod 2012 February 18 Pope Benedict XVI receives the assent of the Cardinals gathered in a Consistory in favor of the Canonization of Bl. Pedro Calungsod and announces the date of the Canonization 2012 October 21 Canonization of Bl. Pedro Calung- sod at St. Peter’s Square in Rome 2012 November 30 National Thanksgiving Mass in Cebu for the Canonization 72

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