Pedro calungsod short biography

Second Filipino saint and Martyr

Pedro Calungsod (Spanish: Pedro Calúñgsod or archaically Pedro Calonsor; July 21, 1654 – April 2, 1672), also known as Peter Calungsod and Pedro Calonsor, was a CatholicFilipino-Visayan migrant, sacristan and missionarycatechist who, along with the Spanish Jesuit missionary Diego Luis de San Vitores, suffered religious persecution and martyrdom in Guam for their missionary work in 1672.

While in Guam, Calungsod preached Christianity to the Chamorros through catechesis, while baptizing infants, children, and adults at the risk and expense of being persecuted and eventually murdered. Through Calungsod and San Vitores's missionary efforts, many native Chamorros converted to Catholicism.

Calungsod was beatified on March 5, 2000, by Pope John Paul II, and canonized by Pope Benedict XVI at Saint Peter's Basilica in Vatican City on October 21, 2012.^[7]

Saint Pedro Calungsod (Latin: Petrus Calungsod, Italian: Pietro Calungsod; (July 21, 1654 – April 2, 1672), also known as Peter Calungsod or Pedro Calonsor, is a Roman Catholic young Filipino Saint and was a migrant, sacristan and missionary catechist, who along with the Spanish Jesuit missionary, Diego Luis de San Vitores, suffered religious persecution and martyrdom in Guam for their missionary work in 1672.

While in Guam, Calungsod preached Christianity to the Chamorro people through catechism, while baptizing infants, children and adults at the risk and expense of being persecuted and eventually murdered. Through Calungsod and San Vitores' missionary efforts, many native Chamorros converted to Roman Catholicism.

Calungsod was formally beatified on March 5, 2000 by Pope John Paul II. Calungsod was officially canonized by Pope Benedict XVI at Saint Peter's Basilica in Vatican City on October 21, 2012.

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Originally Collected and edited by: Tom Rochford, SJ

Few details of the early life of St. Pedro Calungsod are known. Historical research identifies Ginatilan in Cebu, Hinunangan and Hinudayan in Southern Leyte, and the Molo district of Iloilo City, as possible places of origin. Regardless of his precise birthplace, all four locations were within the territory of the Diocese of Cebu at the time of Calungsod’s martyrdom. 

In 1668, Calungsod, then around age 14, was amongst the exemplary young catechists chosen to accompany Spanish Jesuit missionaries to the Islas de los Ladrones (“Isles of Thieves”), which have since been renamed the Marianas Islands the year before to honor both the Virgin Mary and the mission’s benefactress, Maria Ana of Austria, Queen Regent of Spain.

Calungsod accompanied the priest Diego San Vitores to Guam to catechize the native Chamorros. Shortly after their arrival, a Chinese man named Choco, a criminal from Manila who was exiled in Guam, began spreading rumors that the baptismal water used by missionaries was poisonous. As some sickly Chamorro infants who were baptized died, many believed the story and held the missionaries responsible. 

Calungsod and San Vitores went to the village of Tumon, Guam on April 2, 1672. They offered the village ruler, Chief Matapang, an invitation to join the Christian faith. However, influenced by Choco, Chief Matapang refused the invitation and was determined to kill the missionaries. Matapang searched for an accomplice and found another villager, a pagan named Hirao, who eventually acceded when Matapang branded him a coward.

While Matapang was away from his house, Calungsod and San Vitores baptized his baby girls, with the consent of his wife, a Christian. This made Matapang even more furious and led to the violent killing of Calungsod and San Vitores. Matapang and Hirao undressed the bodies of Calungsod and San Vitores, tied large stones to their feet, and brought to Tumon Bay, dumping

Feast Day: April 2
Venerated: January 27, 2000
Beatified: March 5, 2000
Canonized: October 21, 2012

The story of Pedro Calungsod shows us that young people can do great things. Born in the Philippines, Pedro was only 13 when he joined a group of Spanish missionaries who were going to travel to the Marianas Islands to teach the native people about God.

Pedro loved the Church, and he received the Sacraments whenever he could. He was eager to share what he knew about Jesus with others. He did well, and many people were baptized into the faith because of his efforts.

But some people did not trust the missionary priests. Often the medicine men in the village viewed the missionaries as a threat to their power. One night, when Pedro and a priest arrived in a village to baptize the chief’s daughter—at the request of the chief’s wife—they were killed by assassins led by the chief. Pedro died for his faith in 1672, when he was only 17.

In 2000, Pope John Paul II beatified Pedro, telling the crowds that gathered for the ceremony, “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.”

Pedro Calungsod was canonized on October 21, 2012, by Pope Benedict XVI.

Connecting to Be My Disciples
Grade 2, chapter 18