Birthday of Saint Pedro Calungsod, Philippines National Hero, 2nd Philipino Saint & Martyr

Saint Pedro Calungsod (July 21, 1654 – April 2, 1672), 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 in Guam for their missionary work in 1672.


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.
At his beatification, Pope St. John Paul II told the crowds gathered for the celebration, “From his childhood, Pedro Calungsod declared himself unwaveringly for Christ and responded generously to his call.

The miracle attributed to Saint Pedro Calungsod, which led to his canonization, involved a woman from Leyte who was revived two hours after being pronounced clinically dead after a heart attack, after an attending physician invoked his intercession on March 26, 2003

After Lorenzo Ruíz of Manila, Calungsod is the second Filipino to be declared a saint by the Roman Catholic Church. Since 2025, his feast has been celebrated on October 21, the day of his canonization, to avoid conflict with Holy Week or Eastertide.

Eventually, a spear pierced Pedro's chest, and he collapsed to the ground. Before his own death, Padre Diego provided him with absolution. The naked bodies of the martyrs were dragged to the sea and, after stones were tied to their feet, were disposed of in the water.

Saint Pedro is patron saint of Filipino youth, catechumens, altar servers, and the Philippines, as well as being a patron for those in the Visayan region and the Archdiocese of Cebu.

In Cebu, Calungsod received primary education at a Jesuit boarding school, mastering the Catechism and learning to communicate in Spanish. He also likely honed his drawing, painting, singing, acting, and carpentry skills, as these were necessary for missionary work.

In 1668, Calungsod, then around 14, was amongst the young catechists chosen to accompany Spanish Jesuit missionaries to the Islas de Los Ladrones ("Isles of Thieves"), which had been renamed the Mariana Islands the year before to honor both the Virgin Mary and the mission's benefactress, María Ana of Austria, Queen Regent of Spain. Calungsod accompanied the priest Diego San Vitores to Guam to catechize the native Chamorros. Missionary life on the island was difficult as provisions did not arrive regularly, the jungles and terrain were difficult to traverse, and the Marianas were frequently devastated by typhoons. The mission nevertheless persevered, and a significant number of locals were baptized

While in Guam, Calungsod preached to the Chamorros through catechesis, while baptizing infants, children, and adults at the risk and expense of being persecuted and eventually murdered. Through Calungsod and San Vitores's missionary efforts, many native Chamorros converted to Catholicism.