Pedro Calungsod
SaintPedroCalungsodPublicationPaulinesManila


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

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