Blessed Pedro Calungsod

Blessed Pedro Calungsod (1654 – April 2, 1672) was a 17-year old Roman Catholic Filipino young migrant, sacristan, and missionary catechist who (along with Blessed Diego Luis de San Vitores) suffered religious persecution and martyrdom in Guam for their missionary work in the Marianas Islands in 1672.

Through Calungsod's and San Vitores' missionary efforts, many native catechumens converted to the Roman Catholic Church through the Sacrament of Baptism. Calungsod was beatified on 5 March 2000 by Blessed Pope John Paul II and is scheduled to be canonized by Pope Benedict XVI in October 2012.

Pedro was born in Molo, a Chinese district of Iloilo City. He came to Cebu to preach Christianity using the missionary text (Doctrina Christiana) as propagated by the Dominican priests. He then studied at the Jesuit town of Loboc in Bohol before sailing on to Guam.

Calungsod travelled with Spanish Jesuit missionaries in 1668 to the Marianas Islands, named in honour of both the Blessed Virgin Mary and of the Queen Regent of  Spain, María Ana of Austria, who funded their voyage. Calungsod and San Vitores went to Guam to catechise the native Chamorros.

While in Guam, a Chinese merchant named Choco began spreading rumours that the baptismal water used by missionaries was poisonous. As some sickly Chamorro infants who were baptized eventually died, many believed the rumour and held the missionaries responsible. Choco was readily supported by the macanjas (medicine men) and the urritaos (young males) who despised the missionaries.

On April 2, 1672, Calungsod and San Vitores came to the village of Tumon, Guam to baptise the infant daughter of Chief Mata'pang, who strongly refused. They proceeded with the rites anyway with the consent of the infant's mother. Native assassins, led by Mata'pang and Chief Hurao pursued Calungsod and San Vitores down to the beach and then captured them. They murdered Calungsod with a spear, while they killed San Vitores with a bolo. The killers then stripped and mutilated the bodies by a katana sword before tying them to rocks and throwing them into the sea.

 In the Roman Catholic Church, Calungsod's death and Christian martyrdom is also called In Odium Fidei or In Hatred of the Faith, signifying the religious persecution endured by the martyr in evangelizing his or her faith.


Blessed Pope John Paul II beatified Calungsod on 5 March 2000 at Saint Peter's Square in Rome. Calungsod's first alleged miracle was the healing of a man with bone cancer, which assisted his beatification process though not necessarily due to his martyrdom In Odium Fidei ("In Hatred of the Faith") in accordance to the canonisation reforms of 1983. Calungsod was beatified with other 43 individuals who were declared Servants of God.

Pope John Paul II declared:

“

...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.

The Holy See officially approved on December 19, 2011, the miracle qualifying Calungsod for sainthood by the Roman Catholic Church. The recognized miracle dates from 2002, when a Leyte woman who was pronounced clinically dead by accredited physicians two hours after a coronary heart attack was allegedly brought back to life when a doctor prayed for Calungsod's intercession.

Cardinal Angelo Amato presided over the declaration ceremony on behalf of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. He later revealed that Pope Benedict XVI approved and signed the official promulgation decrees recognising the miracles as authentic and worthy of belief.

While the miracle for Calungsod's sainthood has been signed by Pope Benedict XVI and approved by the Holy See, Filipino Catholics are waiting for the Pope to recite the official Latin formula, which will declare Calungsod a saint. It is necessary for the Pope to recite the Latin formula of canonisation after a formal consistory is completed with the cardinals present in Rome.

After Saint Lorenzo Ruiz, Calungsod will be the second Filipino declared a saint by the Roman Catholic Church. The Roman Catholic calendar of Martyrology celebrates Calungsod's feast along with Blessed Diego Luis de San Vitores every 2 April.