Filipino Saints

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            Hello everyone! Kumusta ka! Welcome to today’s episode. And okay, I had another odd idea for an episode on this feed. So take that as hard confirmation that there will be content here after the new year. Schedule to be determined, but none of that is new information, is it?

            Here is some new information, though. The Twitter account for Hugot Podcasting will likely have a cover reveal soon for its first series, so yeah, there’s that. But that is not today. Today is an episode of vignettes, I guess you would call it. I don’t know for sure. Terminology escapes me sometimes.

                        For today’s episode… well, you know how I keep pointing out that the Philippines is super Catholic? And how that maybe doesn’t need to be said because it’s the sort of fact that comes up a lot. Well, there is a lot more to talk about within this umbrella of a subject. Like the saints: an aspect of Roman Catholicism that is unique to this branch of Christianity but is immediately present in the day to day. Especially in the Philippines where people, families and communities have their patrons and the names of the saints come up a lot.

            In fact, I’ve encountered a few Filipino-specific saints in this way, as images in people’s homes. They are either the patrons of the islands or saints from the islands. And this is the sort of discussion or profiling that can be done relatively quickly and easily. I mean these stories get processed for easy and quick distribution all the time. Like for prayer cards or quick lessons for small children.

And then it becomes a matter of bringing it to you and filling in a couple gaps.

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            But perhaps I should open up with some clarifications before anything else. Because if you are not raised in the Catholic faith or didn’t pay attention in catechism class, then you might not understand what the saints are meant to be. Which is a roundabout of point out that some people think Catholics worship the saints. And okay, to be fair, we do (quote) “pray” to them, right? So it’s not that much of a stretch, but it is the kind of stretch reaches around a nuance that is actually kind of important.

            So to clarify some things. First, Catholics don’t worship the saints. They venerate them. Venerate as in hold in high regard and respect because they achieved a sense of holiness that--while beneath that of God--is above what most people can achieve or hope for. And second asking a saint to pray for you is kind of like asking a well-connected friend to get your foot in the door at their office for a job interview. The saint is known for their achievements, has a sense of status that yields what could be called an advantage, and understands your circumstances better than the person in HR.

            But even that is not a perfect analogy. Basically, if I ask a saint to pray for me, it’s because I know that saint has the sense of wisdom and grace, is familiar with my plights and those of the living, and most of all is friendly.

And that could have made everything worse, so maybe I should stop now.

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            So the first saint I want to feature is probably an unexpected one. I mean, not so unexpected if you are familiar with the saints, but as a general principle, this might be a bit of a surprise.

            She is St. Rose of Lima, one of the patron saints of the Philippines. And yes, that “of Lima” refers to Lima, Peru, to preempt a question. Look, Peru was also a Spanish colony at the time, and you can thank Pope Clement X for making that connection or a connection. Okay, sometimes the need for a patron saint precedes the canonization of an appropriate one, so there’s an awkward few years when you’re just making due.

            But it’s not like St. Rose of Lima is someone people would not gather around or that bad of a fit if you stop thinking about the geography. I mean, she was the first saint born in the Western Hemisphere, but I promise it does go beyond that.

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            Born in 1586, St Rose of Lima, originally named Isabel Flores de Oliva, was the daughter of Spanish colonists. The name “Rosa” was given to her because of her beauty. With that beauty, she was born onto this trajectory of wealth and privilege, but she was not so thrilled. After all, she was drawn to a life of penance, fasting, and prayer, none of which her mom was exactly thrilled with.

            Her mother wanted her to get married and live as a noblewoman and not a nun. Given that Rosa has already personally undertaken a vow of chastity in the manner of St. Catherine of Siena, this was going to lead to conflict, which it did. And it turned out both women were pretty set in their convictions. After her mom kept pushing suitors at her, Rosa just cut her hair to make herself more unattractive.

            It led to this back and forth that lasted ten years. Until Rosa’s parents did permit her to become a Dominican of the Third Order, meaning she wasn’t a full clergy member, but she was still a committed member of the order. However, their blessing came on the condition that she not live in the convent and instead in a small hut in the family garden. Despite living on the family estate, St Rose was still able to live quite a reclusive life, continuing her practices of severe austerity, fasting, and prayer. Though she could be persuaded to step away if it meant caring for the sick and hungry. And she still practiced her skills of embroidery and lace-making because it was a great way to raise for the money for the poor.

            All of her efforts earned her the love of those around her, and when she passed, her funeral was a public event. Grief for her was a very public affair, and likely because of this, many miracles followed. I mean, people knew to ask her, they knew she had found grace and cared deeply for them. Especially for those whose families are a little less than eager to get behind their plans. I mean, that was a story she knew all too well.

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            There is another patron saint of the Philippines, of course. Someone who was actually born on the islands. It’s been a long time, after all, and there was something inevitable about it.

The first Filipino venerated in the Roman Catholic church is St. Lorenzo Ruiz. He was actually born in 1600, so he and St. Rose of Lima actually stand as contemporaries, almost. Lorenzo was born in Manila to a Chinese father and a Filipino mother, both practicing Catholics.

            Lorenzo studied under Dominican friars and ended up working for them because his calligraphy was a pretty valuable skill. It led to a good life for him, especially once he married a woman named Rosario and they began their family, consisting of two sons and a daughter. It was a peaceful life until Lorenzo was accused of murdering a Spaniard. And that was never going to go well for him.

            Two Dominican priests mentioned this crime in their journals, but that’s about the extent of any records we have about it, which is most inconvenient because there’s a few different ways things could have gone down, if they did at all. What I mean is that an accusation in this context might not have been rooted in truth or guilt, per say. But it could have been a matter of convenience. Like a crime did happen, and they needed a guilty party, so they just grabbed a body who can’t successfully fight off the charge. Colonies aren’t a great place to be for most people. For a Filipino or any colonized person to be accused of a crime against a colonizer… well, there’s not going to be a fair trial. The nature of the accusation alone is going to make you or render a verdict of guilty.

            To avoid an almost guaranteed arrest and likely execution, Lorenzo joined the Dominican priests on their mission to Japan, which also meant following them on their immediate arrest, two year imprisonment and trial by torture. Trial by torture is the sort of trial where the accused kind of decides the verdict. Not to diminish the terrible situation they have been put in. The accused can renounce their faith and beliefs to save their lives or hold firm to their convictions and die. Lorenzo did the latter and died in 1637.

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            But building off of that slightly depressing momentum, and hey at least I left the execution method out, is another Filipino martyr: St. Pedro Calungsod who was born 17 years after St. Lorenzo was martyred. His image is actually one I saw quite a bit in the churches I visited when I was last in the Philippines, as a needless FYI. Needless because I don’t really have anything to follow it up with.

            St. Pedro started off as a young man educated by the Jesuits who quickly noticed his talents and capabilities. He proved himself to be a skilled sacristan and teacher of catechism. So they invited him along when they went to do their missionary work in the Marianas Islands. But his mission didn’t end there. In time, he and his troop of Jesuit missionaries found their way to Guam where they were not immediately rejected like St. Lorenzo and the Dominicans were in Japan. However, there was a certain unease surrounding their presence, and when a rumor began circulating that the baptismal water they used was poisoned, well, it wasn’t so hard for that rumor to take hold.

            Even though martyrdom was an increasing possibility, the missionaries continued on with their work, and that including baptizing young children.

            One day as they were baptizing a child, with the Catholic mother’s permission, a spark was ignited. After all, this child was that of a local chief’s as well,a chief who was one of their many antagonists. The chief became thoroughly enraged rather than suspicious and gathered some men and attacked the missionaries.

            Now it is said that Pedro--as a young and agile man of seventeen--could have escaped this particular attack, though his fate with such a powerful enemy would be unclear. However, he did not want to leave his companion. And so, just as some would not renounce their faith to save their lives, Pedro died by not renouncing those who made up his church, who shared in his faith and fate.

            Having been martyred so young, St. Pedro is offered as an example for young people. And that’s one of the groups he stands as patron over. It is fitting then that he was beatified by Saint John Paul II who inspired the younger generation, though Pope Benedict XVI had to finish the process. And well, it’s kind of like comparing the cool TA with the tenured professor. The material they offer might be the same but the personalities…. Not so much.

            But that’s a conversation for a different, definitely not this podcast.

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            This has been a production of Miscellany Media Studios with music licensed from Sounds like an Earful. Thank you for listening. And don’t forget that there’s an entire spin-off podcast network in development.

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