5 Points on Blessed Pedro Calungsod

On October 21, 2012, together with six other religious men and women, Blessed Pedro Calungsod will be canonized as Saint. Let us look at how this young man brought glory to God through his mission, which eventually led to his canonization.

1. Pedro Calungsod, a teenage native of the Visayas region was one of the boy catechists who went with some Spanish Jesuit missionaries to the Ladrones Islands in the western North Pacific Ocean in 1668 to evangelize the Chamorros (indigenous peoples of the Mariana Islands, which include the American territory of Guam). In that century, the Jesuits in the Philippines used to train and employ young boys as competent catechists and versatile assistants in their missions.  
2. Calungsod, together with companion Blessed Diego San Vitores, was killed while doing missionary work in Guam in April 2, 1672. A plot to murder Calungsod and San Vitores started through false accusations that the missionaries were spreading poison through the ritual of the pouring of water or baptism. They were both caught and murdered after baptizing a mother and her child. He was 17 years old then. Through their missionary efforts, many were converted to the Roman Catholic Church through the Sacrament of Baptism. 
3. The authorized miracle of Blessed Pedro Calungsod reportedly happened in 2003 at a Cebu hospital when a woman who was clinically pronounced dead for two hours was allegedly brought back to life through the intercession of Calungsod. 
4. Because of his association with the Chamorro natives of Guam, Calungsod is often portrayed with a crucifix and a palm leaf.  
5. Calungsod, who was described by Vatican as a lay catechist and a martyr, was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 5 March 2000. The feast of Blessed Pedro is celebrated every 2 April, the anniversary of his martyrdom.