Pedro Calungsod, known as Peter Calungsod and Pedro Calonsor, was a Catholic Filipino-Visayan migrant, sacristan and missionary catechist who, along with the Spanish Jesuit missionary Diego Luis de San Vitores, suffered religious persecution and martyrdom on Guam for their missionary work in 1672.
17 Facts About Pedro Calungsod
1.
2.
Pedro 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.
3.
In Cebu, Pedro Calungsod received primary education at a Jesuit boarding school, mastering the Catechism and learning to communicate in Spanish.
4.
Pedro Calungsod likely honed his drawing, painting, singing, acting, and carpentry skills, as these were necessary for missionary work.
5.
Pedro Calungsod accompanied the priest Diego San Vitores to Guam to catechize the native Chamorros.
6.
In January 2000, he approved the decree super martyrio of Pedro Calungsod, scheduling his beatification for March 5 of that year at Saint Peter's Square in Rome.
7.
From his childhood, Pedro Calungsod declared himself unwaveringly for Christ and responded generously to his call.
8.
Pedro Calungsod later revealed that Pope Benedict XVI had approved and signed the official promulgation decrees recognizing the miracles as authentic and worthy of belief.
9.
At his canonization Mass, Pedro Calungsod was the only saint without a first class relic exposed for veneration, as his body had been thrown into the sea and lost.
10.
Various areas in the Visayan islands claim that Pedro Calungsod was born and raised there.
11.
Not surprisingly when Pedro Calungsod's canonization became official, Catholic bishops from the nearby provinces of Cebu, Bohol, Leyte, Samar, Iloilo and various Mindanao provinces suddenly came out of the woodwork, all laying claim to be the "official birthplace" of the newly minted saint.
12.
Pedro Calungsod is often depicted as a teenaged young man wearing a camisa de chino that is sometimes bloodied and usually dark, loose trousers.
13.
Pedro Calungsod is depicted in mid-stride, occasionally bearing a rosary or crucifix to indicate his missionary status.
14.
In some early statues, Pedro Calungsod is shown with a spear and catana, the instruments of his death.
15.
The first portrayals stated to be of Pedro Calungsod were drawings made by Eduardo Castrillo in 1994 for the Heritage of Cebu Monument in Parian.
16.
Several statues representing Pedro Calungsod were commissioned for the beatification, with one brought to Rome and blessed by John Paul II.
17.
Pedro Calungsod: Batang Martir is a Filipino film with Rocco Nacino in the title role released on December 25,2013, as an official entry to the 2013 Metro Manila Film Festival.