Lorenzo Ruiz

Saint Lorenzo Ruiz
Isa akong Katoliko at buong pusong tinatanggap ang kamatayan para sa Panginoon, kung ako man ay may sanlibong buhay, lahat ng iyon ay iaalay ko sa Kanya. (I am a Catholic and I wholeheartedly accept to die for God. If I have a thousand lives to offer, I will offer them all up to Him.)
First Filipino Saint
Born	1600s Binondo, Manila, Philippines
Died	29 September 1637 Nishizaka, Nagasaki, Japan
Venerated in	Roman Catholic Church
Beatified	18 February 1981, Manila, Philippines by Pope John Paul II
Canonized	18 October 1987, St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City by Pope John Paul II
Major shrine	Basilica of San Lorenzo Ruiz, Binondo, Manila, Philippines
Feast	29 September
Attributes	rosary in clasped hands
Patronage	Filipino youth, Chinese-Filipinos, the Philippines, Overseas Filipino Workers, people living in poverty.

For the municipality in the Philippines, see San Lorenzo Ruiz, Camarines Norte.

Saint Lorenzo Ruiz, aka San Lorenzo de Manila (1600 – September 29, 1637) is the first Filipino saint (protomartyr) venerated in the Roman Catholic Church. He was martyred during persecution of Japanese Christians under the Tokugawa Shogunate in the 17th century.

Early life

Born in Binondo, Manila, Lorenzo Santos was of mixed Chinese and Filipino descent (chinito). His Chinese father taught him Chinese, and his Filipino mother taught him Tagalog. Both of his parents were Catholic.

Ruiz served as an altar boy at the convent of Binondo church. After being educated by the Dominican friars for a few years, Ruiz earned the title of escribano (stenographer) because of his skillful hand and unsurpassed penmanship. He became a member of the Confraternity of the Rosary. In 1636, while working as a clerk at the Binondo Church, Ruiz was falsely accused of killing a Spaniard. Prior to this incident, his life with his Filipino wife, two sons and a daughter was peaceful, religious and full of contentment. But after the allegation, Ruiz sought asylum on board a ship with three Dominican priests: Saint Antonio Gonzalez, Saint Guillermo Courtet, and Saint Miguel de Aozaraza, a Japanese priest, Saint Vicente Shiwozuka de la Cruz, and a layman named Saint Lazaro of Kyoto, a leper. Ruiz and his companions left for Japan on June 10, 1636 with the aid of the Dominican fathers and Sr. Domingo Gonzales.

Exile to Japan

The boat landed at Okinawa and the group was arrested and persecuted based on their Christian religion. They were brought to Nagasaki on July 10, 1636. They were tortured through hanging by their feet, by submerging in water until near death, and by water torture. Needles were also inserted under their finger nails and they were beaten until unconscious. These methods made some of Ruiz's companions recant their faith, but Ruiz never did. On September 27, 1637, Ruiz and his companions were taken to the "Mountain of Martyrs", where they were hung upside down into a pit known as horca y hoya. This mode of torture was considered as the most painful way to die at the time because it involved the use of rocks to add weight to the person being punished. The individual being tortured suffocated quickly while being crushed by his own weight. Two days after, Ruiz died from hemorrhage and suffocation. His body was cremated and his ashes were thrown into the sea.

Path to sainthood

Lorenzo Ruiz was beatified in Manila on February 18, 1981 by Pope John Paul II during his Papal visit to Manila, the first beatification ceremony held outside the Vatican. San Lorenzo Ruiz was elevated to Sainthood and canonized by Pope John Paul II in the Vatican City, Rome on October 18, 1987 making him the first Filipino saint and a martyr.

20th anniversary

On September 29, 2007, the Catholic Church celebrated the 20th anniversary of Ruiz’ canonization in 1987. Manila Archbishop Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales said: “Kahit saan nandoon ang mga Pilipino, ang katapatan sa Diyos ay dala-dala ng Pinoy (Wherever the Filipino may go, he carries his faith in God).”

See also

• Chapel of San Lorenzo Ruiz,New York
• Twenty-six Martyrs of Japan
• Jeronima de la Asuncion
• Pontificio Collegio Filippino
• Three Fertility Saints of Obando, Bulacan, Philippines
• Martha de San Bernardo, the first Filipino nun

Books about San Lorenzo Ruiz

• Carunungan, Celso Al. To Die a Thousand Deaths: A Novel on the Life and Times of Lorenzo Ruiz, Social Studies Publications, Metro Manila, Philippines, 1980, 198 pages and Amazon.co.uk - ASIN B0000EE1BX

External links

• Saint Lorenzo Parish Community, Walnut, California, StLorenzo.org
• Cause for Beatification

References

patron of t]e philippines