Did you know that San Lorenzo Ruiz was the first Filipino saint? Right here stands a chapel named in his honor. It reminds us of his extraordinary life.
San Lorenzo Ruiz was born in Binondo Manila around 1600. His father was Chinese. His mother was Filipino. They raised him Catholic.
He served as an altar boy in the Binondo church. He became a calligrapher. Lorenzo transcribed important church documents. He was known as an “escribano”. He joined the Dominican Confraternity of the Holy Rosary.
Lorenzo married a woman named Rosario. They had three children two sons and one daughter. They seemed to live a normal happy life.
Then in 1636 Lorenzo was accused of murder. He sought refuge on a ship with Dominican priests. The ship sailed for Okinawa Japan.
Japan was persecuting Christians then. The Tokugawa Shogunate wanted to stop Christianity’s spread. Lorenzo and his companions were arrested. They were imprisoned for their Christian faith.
For two years Lorenzo refused to renounce his beliefs. The authorities tortured him. They promised death if he did not recant. Lorenzo declared “I will never do it. I am a Catholic and happy to die for God.” He said he would offer a thousand lives to God if he had them.
The Japanese officials tortured Lorenzo and his companions. They forced water into their mouths throats noses and ears. Still the men refused to renounce their faith.
The authorities hanged Lorenzo upside down. This torture was called tsurushi or “gallows and pit”. They cut a gash in his forehead to prevent too much blood from gathering in his head. This caused him to bleed to death slowly.
Victims could offer a symbol to recant their faith. Recanting would spare their lives. Few ever did. Lorenzo refused. His last words were clear. “I am a Catholic and wholeheartedly do accept death for God. Had I a thousand lives all these to Him I shall offer. Do with me as you please.”
Pope John Paul II beatified Lorenzo Ruiz in Manila on February 18 1981. It was the first beatification ceremony outside the Vatican. He was canonized in Rome on October 18 1987.
Saint Lorenzo Ruiz is the patron saint of Filipino youth the Philippines people working overseas and altar servers. His feast day is September 28.
This chapel dedicated to San Lorenzo Ruiz is a reminder. It reminds us of his unwavering faith and ultimate sacrifice. His story continues to inspire Filipinos around the world.