Portal:Catholic Church/Patron Archive/April 2

Pedro Calungsod (Spanish: Pedro Calúñgsod or archaically Pedro Calonsor; July 21, 1654 – April 2, 1672), also known as Peter Calungsod and Pedro Calonsor, was a Catholic Filipino-Visayan migrant, sacristan and missionary catechist who, along with the Spanish Jesuit missionary Diego Luis de San Vitores, proselytized and forcefully converted the indigenous people of Guam, in many cases without consent, which led to them being martyred in 1672.

While in Guam, Calungsod preached Christianity to the Chamorros through catechesis, while baptizing infants, children, and adults through colonization. Through Calungsod and San Vitores's missionary efforts, many native Chamorros were forced to convert to Catholicism. He remains a contentious figure in Chamorro history and scholarly research for his involvement in the Spanish–Chamorro Wars, where the indigenous Chamorro peoples were brutally decimated through colonization and genocide. (Full article...)
Attributes: Martyr's palm, spear, bolo, Catechism book, Rosary, Christogram, Crucifix
Patronage: Filipino youth, Catechumens, altar boys, the Philippines, Overseas Filipino Workers, Guam, Cebuanos, Visayans, Archdiocese of Cebu, Pury, San Antonio, Quezon Province
See also: Mary of Egypt; Abundius; Francis of Paola; John Payne, England