San Pedro
Bautista was born in Spain in 1542, from a well-to-do family. He was an unusual child. While his young friends played in the
streets, he preferred to assist in Church and serve at Mass. He grew from a conscientious
student who excelled in Latin, Church music and playing the organ to a master
of Philosophy, Theology and the Arts.
In 1566, he
joined the Franciscans and was ordained a priest a few years later, and had been dedicated to preaching and
teaching. At the age of 40, he was renowned as orator from the pulpit of the
Cathedral in Toledo, Spain. He also taught Philosophy and with passion in
music.
When he joined the Order of Friars Minor or Franciscans in Spain, he
began a life of total dedication as a representative of Christ, an ambassador,
who set foot on roads between old worlds and new, between love and the absence
of love.
He is known as the Patron Saint of Ambassadors.
2 Corinthian 5:20 “So we are Ambassadors for Christ, as if God were
appealing through us. We implore you on
behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God
In 1581, he sailed
for the Philippines with a group of friars. He and his companions stopped over
in Mexico and evangelized to the native people for three years. He arrived in Manila in 1584 with the fourth group of
Franciscan engaging in the construction of churches, convents and hospitals, and
preaching the teachings of Christ.
Pedro Bautista
was part of the fourth group of Franciscan missionaries who arrived in the
newly colonized islands of the Philippines.
On his arrival, he assured that the Franciscans already established the
Custody (prior to development of a Franciscan Province) in the islands. His first assignment was within the walls of
Intramuros. After a year of teaching the children and
adults in music and chants, he was elected as Superior of Franciscans in the
Philippines in 1586. Out of humility, he
begged not to be elected to such a post although he was persuaded to take it as he was the only man
fitted for the job.
He performed his
role to the best of his ability enkindling his religious brothers to live out
their profession and to take care of the conversions of the people. He
established several towns stone churches wherein he was the first to build such
outside of Manila. He asked the King of
Spain and the Pope for more missionaries in the Philippines. He spoke at the pulpit of Manila Cathedral and in the streets of Manila "Does anyone
want to be a soldier of this band? The
Captain is Christ. The Lieutenant is St.
Francis (of Assisi). The War is Hell and the wages – Glory," which aroused the spirits of the men and
soldiers in Manila, who were invited to join the religious life. Even the Governor General was stunned at his
eloquence when someone in his own household entered the Franciscans who then
became the first Chronicler of the Order.
He defended the
native settlers from the Archbishop's request to collect tributes from the
natives, telling them that it is not right to collect from them the full amount
that they do not have, and that the tributes should come from the wealthy.
In 1590, he
found that Manila was getting congested and looked for a place of solitude and
rest. Bestowed with 250 hectares of
forest land outside Manila, (which is
currently known as San Francisco del Monte, he constructed a bamboo chapel and
a place to retire to find solitude with the Creator. He also founded the springs of Los Baños to
be valuable to the people’s health.
Known for being a man of prayer, with a vigorous
interior life, San Pedro Bautista built a retreat house and novitiate in 1590
in San Francisco del Monte, Quezon City. This marked the beginnings of the community in this area which to date
remains the center of the parish of which San Pedro Bautista is the Patron Saint.
Likewise, he
assisted in building other churches and schools in different places. He lived a
simple life in his residence and chapel in San Francisco del Monte, which was
developed into a church and friary built of rock between 1696
and 1699. Today, Franciscan friars still inhabit the parts of this rough stone
structure. Pedro Bautista was only familiar with the earlier version of the
area which was made out of simpler materials like bamboo and thatch in the
early 1590s. With his significant contribution, he is well thought out as the
founder of San Francisco del Monte and the patron of the church and friary now
recognized as San Pedro Bautista. He is also the patron of the Franciscan
Province of San Pedro Bautista with its provincial house situated on the same
property.
Among his significant accomplishments was organizing
of communities. He travelled to Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, Quezon, and Bicol. In Lumban he built the
first church made of stone and he also built hospitals in Los Banos and
Cavite. He formed choirs for small
chapels to improve the worship life of the faithful. He was the first music instructor of the Tagalogs. He also discovered the medicinal value of the hot
springs in Los Banos.
San Pedro sails
to Japan
After nine years
of working with the Filipino people, Pedro Bautista was appointed as Spain’s ambassador
to Japan under the authority of Philip II of Spain in 1592.
At the time, The
Emperor of Japan had threatened an invasion of the Philippine Islands. Trusted as he was, the Governor General sent
Pedro Bautista as his ambassador to make peace with the Emperor. The first ambassador died by a thunderstorm
while on his voyage, so Pedro Bautista went to Japan to intercede for the
Spanish Crown and the natives of the islands, which turned out to be successful. To optimize the opportunity, he evangelized
to the Land of the Rising Sun, Japan.
He had been
successful in his mission and won favor with the Japanese authorities. He had
been authorized to stay on in Japan and to build a church and friary in Kyoto. Together with
five other friars, they had zealously and successfully converted many to the Faith, established churches and hospitals which turned them to be a threat to
the regional leader named Hideyoshi who eventually
persecuted the Catholic Christians.
Years after, the
local High Priests became envious of the Christians as it was multiplying in
the land like wild fire so they advised the Emperor about this and how the
Christians were taking away from his High Priests the people that regularly
paid him tribute.
Martyrdom
The wreckage of a Spanish galleon in Tosa Bay was used in hostilities with the Franciscans.
Pedro Bautista tried to rescue the ship`s goods and to help the passengers.
They presented false charges to Hideoshi, who believed them.
On December 8,
1596 Hideyoshi ordered the house arrest of Pedro Bautista and his friars in
Japan. The furious Emperor had all the Christian leaders captured and imprisoned. Pedro
Bautista led this small group of Christians.
He and 25 companions (five Franciscan priests, 17 Secular
Franciscans and three Jesuits) were forced a long and dreadful march from Kyoto
to Nagasaki suffering the mockery of the bystanders and the winter cold. While
enduring their "way to the cross", their ears were cut off. Christians who saw them lined up and wept as
they witness them and their fellow Japanese counterparts in the march of
disgrace. These martyrs reassured their
mourners and besought them to continue praying for strength to move on with
this life. Among the 26 martyrs, 3 were
teenagers (13-15). On a hill in
Nagasaki, on Feb. 5, 1597, they were crucified and speared. They were martyred
by fixing them each to a cross (each cross had their names on them and was
created for their size). They were canonized in 1862. Pedro Bautista
led the singing of "Te Deum" as the martyrs were pierced one by one with a lance on both sides crossing
their hearts. Many Japanese and
Europeans witnessed the last moments of the heroism of these men. Pedro Bautista was the last man to
pierced.
Franciscans celebrate the feast day of San Pedro and his companion martyrs on Feb. 6.
References:
- http://stjosephcathedraltriplev.weebly.com/, St. Pedro Bautista, OFM: Ordinary man with an Extraordinary Life - one of the celebrated 26 Martyrs of Nagasaki
- Fr. Andres B. Rañoa, OFM, Life of San Pedro Bautista, http://ofmphil.org/
- Friar Jack Wintz, O.F.M., Philippine Diary: In the Footsteps of San Pedro Bautista, http://www.americancatholic.org/
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