The face behind Saint Pedro Calungsod

A Cebuano will officially be canonized as the second Filipino Saint this coming October 21 in Rome.

Catholic cardinals have approved in Rome the canonization of Blessed Pedro Calungsod of Cebu, that will make him the second Filipino to be recognized a saint by the Catholic Church after San Lorenzo Ruiz of Manila.

Here's some info I found via Wikepedia:  very little is known about Calungsod except that he was an Ilonggo and was born and raised in Iloilo City. In the register for the process of beatification, he was born in Molo, a Chinese district in Iloilo City. He just came to Cebu to preach Christianity then move to Guam.

It is known that he was just one of the boy catechists who went with some Spanish Jesuit missionaries from the Philippines to the to evangelize the Chamorros in the Ladrones Islands in the western Pacific in 1668.

Pope John Paul II beatified both Father Diego Luis de San Vitores (October 6, 1985) and Pedro Calungsod (March 5, 2000) at Saint Peter's Square in Rome.

Pedro was beatified along with other 43 servants of God. About Pedro, the Pope said:

    (...) 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. Leaving family and friends behind, Pedro willingly accepted the challenge put to him by Fr Diego de San Vitores to join him on the Mission to the Chamorros. In a spirit of faith, marked by strong Eucharistic and Marian devotion, Pedro undertook the demanding work asked of him and bravely faced the many obstacles and difficulties he met. In the face of imminent danger, Pedro would not forsake Fr Diego, but as a "good soldier of Christ" preferred to die at the missionary's side (...)

Now, here's some trivia so we won't get confused which one is San Pedro Calungsod and San Lorenzo Ruiz when their holy images are place beside each other. Calungsod doesn’t look Chinese, while Lorenzo Ruiz has Chinese distinction. Second, he is holding the ‘Doctrina Christiana’ and palm leaves while Ruiz holds a rosary.  Lastly, notice that Calungsod’s feet are not positioned firmly on the ground. One foot is slightly raised because it shows his being a missionary, a young man on the move. It shows his dynamism.

Astig316 meets Mr. Fearless

Now, do you want to know about the man who was tapped to be the face of Pedro Calungsod, here's the post The Legend of the Saint that I have written two years ago about my favorite athlete Ronald Tubid, a PBA All-Star who once donned a Brgy Ginebra Kings jersey before he was traded to the Barako Bull Energy early this year. I am just delighted about this news because I'm sure my idol will be more popular in the coming days.

Read on and share your thoughts.