The Philippines, while composed of diverse cultures and religions, but it is still the only predominantly Roman Catholic country in the entire Southeast Asia. And now, it is among the few countries of the Catholic world that has produced saints. Yes, not one, but two saints. Blessed Pedro Calungsod will be the second Filipino saint with his canonization at the Vatican on 21 October 2012.
There are a number of important dates in the life of soon-to-be Saint Calungsod, as outlined by Msgr. Ildebrando Jesus Aliño Leyson. Born in 1655 in the Visayas, Calungsod departed from the Philippines in 1667 for Ladrones (now Guam), with a stop-over in Acapulco, Mexico. He addrived in the island of in 1668. He died, also considered his martyrdom, in 1672 in the village of Tumhon, Guam.
Blessed Calungsod would have been forgotten. In 6 October 1985, Fr. Diego Luis de San Vitores was beatified. The priest was the head of the religious mission which also included Blessed Calungsod, whose named appeared in the documents on the martyrdom of Bl. Diego Luis de San Vitores.
The Diocesan Process for the Cause for the Beatification of Pedro Calungsod in Cebu was initiated in 1994, recognized by the Vatican in 1997. The authenticity of the documents and martyrdom of Calungsod went through the official process from 1998 to 2000.
On 27 January 2000, Pope John Paul II promulgated of the Decree on the Martyrdom of Pedro Calungsod, with the formal beatification on 5 March 2000.
To become a saint, there must be at least two miracles that occurred through the intercession of the candidate. Calungsod needed only one miracle, as his martyrdom is considered a miracle by itself. This miracle was the rapid recovery of a 49-year-old patient from Glasgow, who was in a deep coma.
The process of documenting and evaluating the presumed miracle attributed to Bl. Pedro Calungsod started right after his beatification, ending in 2011, with the Vatican physicians, as affirmed by Vatican theologians, giving affirmative votes that the presumed miracle attributed to Bl. Pedro Calungsod was indeed supernatural or beyond scientific explanation. In the same year, 2011, Pope Benedict XVI promulgated the Decree on the Miracle of Bl. Pedro Calungsod.
Blessed Calungsod will officially become a Saint with his canonization at the Vatican, the seat of the Roman Catholic Church, on 21 October 2012. He is the second Filipino saint, after San Lorenzo Ruiz, who was canonized by Pope John Paul II in 1987. San Pedro Calungsod will serve as the role model of the youth.
