PATRON
SAINTS -
ALPHABETICALLY
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| St. Lorenzo Ruis |
BIOGRAPHY OF LORENZO RUIZ
Lorenzo Ruiz was a Filipino, Although his father was a
Chinese and his mother, a Filipina. He was born in Binondo, Manila between 1600
and 1610.
According to the documents cited to proclaim him "Blessed",
his parents were devout Catholics. He was a christened "Lorenzo" after a martyr
during the 3rd century persecution of Christians. his surname "Ruiz" was taken
from the last name of his godfather.
In his younger years, Lorenzo served at the convent of
Binondo church as a sacristan. Since he lived there together with Dominican
priest, he learn from them not just Spanish but also catechism.
After several years, Lorenzo Ruiz earned the title of "escribano"
or notary. He became an active member of the Confraternity of the Holy Rosary,
an organization devoted to the Blessed Virgin. This group was organized in the
Philippines in 1587.
Lorenzo got married but the name of his wife was not
mentioned in the documents. He confess before he was convicted that he was a
family man - having a wife with three kids, two boys and a girl.
In 1636, a grave crime was committed in Manila. Authorities
conducted a manhunt for Lorenzo because they believed he knew something about it
or was himself involved in it. When Lorenzo learn of some missionary priest
leaving for Japan, he asked if he could be allowed to join them. And he was
allowed aboard the ship bound for Japan, along with the Dominicans, safe from
fear of being implicated in a crime.
At that time, there was a wide scale persecution of
Christians in Japan. All those who professed faith in God and served as
missionaries were jailed and even up to death. Their lives were even up to
death. Their lives were to be spared if they would renounce their Christians
faith. But thousands of those Christians chose death rather than renouncing
their belief in God. And Lorenzo Ruiz was among those who underwent excruciating
forms of persecution.
One of the forms of punishments imposed on Christians was
"hanging n the pit" on the hills of Nagasaki. The victims feet were tied to a
beam, his body hanged upside down and his head occupying the amount of the pit.
Lorenzo Ruiz went through this agonizing punishment when he refused to renounce
his faith.
When he was investigate as a Christian, he answered: "I'm a
Christian and I will remain a Christian even to the point of death. Only to God
will I offer my life. Even if I had a thousands lives, I would still offer them
to him. This is the reason why I came here in Japan, to leave my native land as
a Christian, offering my life to God alone.
He was told that he would be put to death if he did not
renounce his faith, but his stuck to his belief. He said he will never disown
his identity as a Christian. It was on September 23, 1637 that he begun to
undergo "hanging in the pit".
Lorenzo Ruiz was proclaim " Blessed" in February 1981 at
Luneta, together with 16 other companions, in connection with Pope John Paul
II's papal visit to the Philippines. He was canonized and declared a "Saint'on
October 18, 1987 in Rome. As such, he is now worthy of being venerated and
honoured in the church altar. His feast day falls on September 28.
http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/saintl17.htm
Blessed Pedro Calungsod
By Emy Loriega / The Pacific Voice
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| Blessed Pedro Calungsod (1645-1672)
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Pedro Calungsod, a 17 year old Filipino Visayan
martyred in Guam in 1672, together with the Spanish Jesuit priest now Blesse
Diego Luis de San Vitores. Blessed Pedro, a native of Cebu, Philippines and a
lay Chatechist, left for Guam in 1668 with Spanish Jesuit missionaries at the
tender age of 13 to evangelize the native Chamorros. Pedro was known to do
frequent confession and always went to confession and always went to Mass and
communion before he went out on his missions with Fr. Diego Luis de San Vitores
who had now chosen him as a personal assistant.
The necessary permission from the Most Rev. Anthony Sablan Apuron, O.F.M.
Cap,Archbishop of Hagatna, Guam to instruct the cause for the beatification
process of Pedron Calungsod was granted January 6, 1994. All existing
information about Pedro Calungsod is contained within the accounts of the last
day and hours of Fr. Diego Luis de San Vitores, his mentor prost, his tandem
martyr-the day of their martyrdom, April 2, 162. Pedro Calungsod, teenaged
martyr and catechist, was beatified in Rome in March 5, 2000 by Pope Paul II 15
years after Blessed Diego was beatified. Blessed Diego was beatified in October
6, 1985.
A PRAYER TO BLESSED PEDRO CALUNGSOD
Young, migrant, student, catechist, missionary, faithful friend, martyr, you
inspire us by your fidelity, by your courage in teaching the faith in the midst
of hostility, and by your love in shedding your blood for the sake of the
Gospelmake our troubles your own.
(Here mention your request)
And intercede for us before the throne of mercyand Grace so that as we
experience the help of heaven we may be encourages to live and proclaim the
Gospel here on earth. Amen.
Mother Ignacia del
Espíritu Santo
Mother Ignacia del Espiritu Santo was born, lived
and died during the Spanish colonial era in the Philippines . The precise date
of her birth is not known. Her baptismal record mentions only the date of her
baptism, March 4, 1663 . This confirms the statement of Pedro Murillo Velarde
that Ignacia was 21 years old in 1684. Ignacia was the eldest and the sole
surviving child of Maria Jeronima, an yndia, and Jusepe Iuco, a pure Chinese
immigrant from Amoy , China , who was converted to the Catholic faith in 1652
and resided in Binondo, Manila.
When Ignacia was 21 years old, her parents wanted her to marry. Heeding a call
deep within but not wanting to disappoint her parents, Ignacia sought counsel
from Fr. Paul Klein, a Jesuit priest from Bohemia who arrived in Manila in 1682.
The priest gave her the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. After this period
of solitude and prayer, Ignacia decided to 'remain in the service of the Divine
Majesty- and to 'live by the sweat of her face.- She left home and brought with
her only a needle and a pair of scissors. She started to live alone in the house
located at the back of the Jesuit College of Manila. Her life of prayer and
labor attracted yndias who also felt called to the religious life but could not
be admitted into the existing congregation at that time. Mother Ignacia accepted
these women into her company and the first community was born. They became known
as the Beatas de la Compania de Jesus because they frequently received the
sacraments at the Church of St. Ignatius , performed many acts of devotion there
and had the Jesuit fathers for their spiritual directors and confessors.
Mother Ignacia centered her life on the suffering Christ and tried to imitate him
through a life of service and humility. She prayed earnestly to God and
performed penances to move God to have mercy on them. Her spirituality of humble
service was expressed in her capacity to forgive, to bear wrongs patiently and
to correct with gentleness and meekness. This spirituality was manifest in peace
and harmony in the community, mutual love and union of wills, witnessing to the
love of Christ and the maternal care of the Blessed Mother.
This spirituality sustained the beatas in their moments of difficulties
especially during times of extreme poverty, when they even had to beg for rice
and salt and scour the streets for firewood. The beatas continued to support
themselves by the labor of their hands and sometimes received some financial
help from pious people. In all these, they did not cease to thank God and to
trust in divine providence.
The growing number of beatas called for a more stable lifestyle and a set of
rules. A daily schedule was drawn up and community practices were defined.
Following the spirit of St. Ignatius, Mother Ignacia exhorted her beatas to live
always in the presence of God and to develop great purity of heart. She also
emphasized charity in the community which was dedicated to the Blessed Mother.
The spirit of Mary runs through the rules which were written for the guidance of
the beatas. In defining her style of leadership, Mother Ignacia drew inspiration
from the Blessed Virgin Mary. She strove to be the living image of Mary to her
companions and exhorted them to take Mary as their model in following Jesus.
Mother Ignacia gradually realized that the beaterio was called by God not only to a
life of prayer and penance but also to apostolic service. The beaterio admitted
young girls as boarders who were taught Christian doctrine as well as works
proper to them. Mother Ignacia did not make any distinction of color or race but
accepted yndias, mestizas and Spaniards as recogidas. The beatas were also
involved in retreat work and helped the Jesuit Fathers by preparing the
retreatants to be disposed to the Spiritual Exercises.
Mother Ignacia submitted the 1726 Constitutions to the Archdiocesan office for
approval. After the approval was given in 1732 by the Fiscal Provisor of Manila,
Mother Ignacia decided to give up her responsibility as superior of the house. She
lived as an ordinary member until her death on September 10, 1748 . Murillo
Velarde saw this as a great sign of her humility. She had no desire to command
and control. In his estimation, she was a 'true valiant woman- who overcame the
great difficulties which she met in the foundation from the beginning to the
end. She was 'mortified, patient, devout, spiritual, zealous for the good of
souls.-
A few months before her death, the Archbishop initiated a process of securing
royal protection for the Beaterio. Mother Ignacia died without knowing the response
of the Spanish king but her long life in the beaterio must have taught her to
trust in the providence of God. Little did she expect that the beaterio would
become a congregation and continue to exist until today, more than 300 years
after her death. This congregation, now known as the Religious of the Virgin
Mary, is a living testimony to her life as God's handmaid who opened the door of
religious life to native women in the Philippines . She proved that God is the
God of all peoples, of whatever color or race.
The royal protection granted in 1755 guaranteed the safety of the beatas but it
did not recognize the beaterio as a community of religious women. It was
ordained to remain as a pious association. The beatas, faithful to the spirit of
their foundress, Mother Ignacia, continued to live the religious life even without
being officially recognized as such. The expulsion of the Jesuits in 1768 was
another blow to the beatas. They lost their spiritual guides but they continued
to enjoy the solicitude of the Archbishop of Manila and other Churchmen. In the
spirit of Mother Ignacia, the beatas lived by the sweat of their faces and
persevered in their service of God through education and retreat work. Despite
attempts by the Governor-general to change the nature of the beaterio, the
beatas remained true to the vision and charism of Mother Ignacia and survived the
dark years.
The growth of the beaterio into a Congregation and its response to the apostolic
challenges of the times show the vitality of the spirit of Mother Ignacia. Indeed,
her lamp continues to shine as her daughters courageously strive to respond with
zeal to the call of mission in different contexts.
The Story of the Congregation that has grown from the small Beaterio of Mother Ignacia
continues to unfold. It bears witness to the enduring vitality and strength of
the foundation, the spirituality of Mother Ignacia. The lamp she lit to
guide the path of native women aspiring to the religious life and the maturity
of faith continues to shine. It remains undimmed. The life of this lowly yndia
and the fruits of her spirituality proclaim the immense goodness of God whose
generosity is unbounded. Mother Ignacia trusted in the loving providence of God and
she was never disappointed.
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| St.Teresa of Avila |
Teresa de Avila; Teresa of Jesus; Teresa
Sanchez Cepeda Davila y Ahumada; The Roving Nun; Theresa of Avila
- Memorial
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15 October;
27 August (Transverberation of her Heart)
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Profile
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Spanish noble, the daughter of Don Alonso Sanchez de Cepeda and Dońa
Beatriz. She grew up reading the lives of the
saints, and playing at "hermit"
in the garden.
Crippled by disease in her youth, which led to her being well educated at
home, she was cured after prayer to
Saint
Joseph. Her
mother
died when Teresa was 12, and she prayed to
Our Lady to be her replacement. Her
father opposed her entry to religious life, so she left home without
telling anyone, and entered a
Carmelite house at 17. Seeing her conviction to her call, her
father and family consented.
Soon after taking her vows, Teresa became gravely ill, and her condition was
aggravated by the inadquate medical help she received; she never fully
recovered her health. She began receiving visions, and was examined by
Dominicans and Jesuits, including Saint
Francis Borgia, who pronounced the visions to be holy and true.
She considered her original house too lax in its rule, so she founded a
reformed
convent of Saint
John of Avila. Founded several houses, often against fierce opposition
from local authorities.
Mystical
writer. Proclaimed a
Doctor of the Church on
27 September
1970 by
Pope
Paul VI.
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Born
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28 March
1515 as Teresa Sanchez Cepeda Davila y Ahumada at Avila,
Castile,
Spain
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Died
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4 October 1582 at Alba de Tormes in the arms of her secretary and close
friend Blessed
Anne of Saint Bartholomew; body incorrupt;
relics preserved at Alba; her heart shows signs of Transverberation
(piercing of the heart), and is displayed, too
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Beatified
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24 April
1614 by
Pope
Paul V
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Canonized
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12 March
1622 by
Pope
Gregory XV
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Patronage
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bodily ills;
headaches;
lacemakers;
laceworkers;
loss of parents;
people in need of grace;
people in religious orders;
people ridiculed for their piety;
Pozega, Croatia;
sick people;
sickness;
Spain
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Prayers
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Prayer to...,
Prayer by...
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Representation
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nun wearing the
habit of a
Discalced Carmelite;
Carmelite nun with her heart pierced by an
arrow held by an
angel;
Carmelite nun holding a pierced heart, book and
crucifix;
Carmelite nun with book and quill;
Carmelite nun receiving a message from a
dove
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Images
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Gallery of images of
Saint Teresa
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Works
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Interior Castle [
microsoft reader
version /
mobipocket version ]
Letters
http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/saintl17.htm
