Pedro Calungsod

Who they were

Pedro Calungsod was a young man from the Visayas, in the archdiocese of Cebu, Philippines, born around 1654; little is known of him. He went as a catechist with the Jesuit missionary Diego Luis de San Vitores to the Chamorros.

A Chinese healer spread the lie that the missionaries' baptismal water was poison. On 2 April 1672 Pedro and Father Diego were cruelly killed in hatred of the faith and thrown into the sea; their remains were never recovered. He was remembered as a good-natured youth, a virtuous catechist and a faithful assistant.

The miracles

The Dicastery's biography does not describe the miracles approved in the cause.

Why that counted as sanctity

A teenage catechist who stayed beside his priest and died with him for Christ.

Connected on this site

• Kateri Tekakwitha Saint
  “She was beatified in 1980 by Pope John Paul II, and canonized by Pope Benedict XVI at Saint Peter's Basilica on 21 October 2012, along with six others: Jacques Berthieu, Pedro Calungsod, Giovanni Battista Piamarta, Maria of Mt Carmel Salles y Barangueras, Marianne of Molokaʻi, and Anna Schäffer.” — Wikipedia
• Diego Luis de San Vitores Blessed
  “He and his right-hand man Pedro Calungsod are controversial figures in some circles due to their role in the Spanish–Chamorro Wars, as well as the colonization and genocide of the Chamorro people.” — Wikipedia
• Giovanni Battista Piamarta Blessed
  “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, alongside six others, including Kateri Tekakwitha, Giovanni Battista Piamarta, and Marianne of Molokaʻi.” — Wikipedia