St. Lorenzo Ruiz de Manila
Our Patron Saint
1594-1637
Lorenzo Ruiz was born on November 28, 1594 in Binondo, Manila. His father was a Chinese and his mother was a Filipina. At a young age, he served as an altar serve at the Holy Rosary Church in Binondo which was founded by the Dominican Fathers. When he grew up, he became a escribano and became a member of the Confraternity of the Most Holy Rosary. He had 3 children (two sons and a daughter). Rosario was the name of his wife and the whole family was raised as good Catholics.
It was only in 1636 that Lorenzo was accused of murder. He was blamed to have killed a Spaniard that eventually led him to hide and escape. To rid the Spanish authorities that time as well as to save his life and family, he joined the Dominican Missionaries who were bound for Japan for their mission. He sought asylum with the aid of Fr. Antonio Gonzalez, Fr. Guillermo Courtet, Fr. Miguel Aozaraza, Fr. Vicente Shiwozuka de la Cruz, and Lazaro of Kyoto who was ill of leprosy. They were all bound for Okinawa, Japan on June 10, 1636.
While in Japan, they have to face their ordeal because of the persecutions against the Christians there that did not break off but was tremendously intensified. We are told that the Tokugawa Shogunate was persecuting the Christians because they about the kind of conquest that were done by the Spaniards which they numbered the Church among the persecutors. This happened because it was assumed by them that the government of Spain and the Church were just one.
The Japanese were known to have imprisoned or tortured Christians to death. On September 27, 1637 Lorenzo Ruiz and companions were brought to Nishizaka Hill and there they were tortured to death. They were hung upside down and being drown into a pit and this kind of torture was called tsurushi. Once done to a person he would die with extreme pain, blood loss, suffocation, and drowning. Lorenzo Ruiz died on September 29, 1637. He was beatified by John Paul II on February 18,1981 in Manila. He was canonized on October 18, 1987 by John Paul II.
St. Lorenzo Ruiz is an inspiration for all of us to live a life of fidelity to the faith even when so difficult to express and difficult to live in unfriendly conditions. John Paul II’s message during his beatification in Luneta Park, Philippines on February 18, 1981 was inspiring. He said: “The example of Lorenzo Ruiz, the son of a Chinese father and Tagala mother, reminds us that everyone’s life and the whole of one’s life must be at Christ’s disposal. Christianity means daily giving, in response to the gift of Christ who came into the world so that all might have life and have it to the full. Or, as so aptly expressed in the theme of my visit to this country: To die for the faith is a gift to some; to live the faith is a call for all.”
The canonization of St. Lorenzo Ruiz has also brought missionary enthusiasm to the Filipinos at they received the gift of the first Filipino saint. The local church in the Philippines becomes inspired not only to live the faith but also to share the faith to Asia and the world. The Church in the Philippines becomes blessed to have witnessed in St. Lorenzo Ruiz the ability to live the faith even to the point of giving up one’s life totally for God. The canonization of Lorenzo Ruiz has a divine message for the church in the Philippines as John Paul II said in his homily in Rome on October 18, 1987: “it speaks to the Philippines, which was the place of immediate preparation and strengthening in faith for eleven of the new Saints – the Philippines which, as I remarked on the occasion of the martyrs’ Beatification in Manila in 1981, from being evangelized is called to become an evangelizer in the great work of bringing the Gospel to the peoples of Asia. May this task of evangelization begin in Philippine families, following the example of Lorenzo Ruiz, husband and father of three children, who first collaborated with the Dominican Fathers in Manila, and then shared their martyrdom in Nagasaki, and who is now the first canonized Filipino saint. The Holy martyrs speak to the Church in Japan, particularly to the Archdiocese of Nagasaki, to the Church in Taiwan and in Macao and to all Christ’s followers in Asia: may the example and intercession of the new Saints help to extend Christian truth and love throughout the length and breadth of this vast continent!
LORENZO RUIZ MISSION MONTH
Daily Mission Intentions for the Month of September
September 1- Lorenzo Ruiz as a Filipino-Chinese
-We pray that Filipino-Chinese and Chinese-Filipino communities and organizations be ardent evangelizers by keeping the traditional meaningful values they inherited from their ancestors. May they be true "heirs" of the richness of those values present and practiced in their families. May those values that constitute the Asian soul like "love of silence and contemplation, simplicity, harmony, detachment, non-violence, the spirit of hard work, discipline, frugal living, the thirst for learning and philosophical enquiry" (EA6) remain meaningful to the following generations to come. Amen.
September 2- Lorenzo Ruiz as a Christian
-We pray that the Christians in Asia who are living under the scourge of war, effects of climate change, and unfriendly response in migrations may be able to live out their faith in spite their difficult living conditions. May they feel that our prayers show our solidarity with them and may our concern for their safety be a manifestation of the catholicity of our faith. Amen.
September 3- Lorenzo Ruiz as a Father
-We pray that Catholic Filipino-Chinese and Chinese-Filipino parents and spouses be signs of God's love in their families. May they be true Christian witnesses of their irreplaceable and unique roles as God's instruments of care and the first educators of the Christian faith to their children. Amen.
September 4- Lorenzo Ruiz as a Husband
September 5- Lorenzo Ruiz as a Calligrapher
September 6- Lorenzo Ruiz as a Devotee
September 7- Lorenzo Ruiz as a Servant
September 8- Lorenzo Ruiz as a Missionary
September 9- Lorenzo Ruiz as a Brother
September 10- Lorenzo Ruiz as an Accused
September 11- Lorenzo Ruiz as a Witness
September 12- Lorenzo Ruiz as Faithful
September 13- Lorenzo Ruiz as a Saint
September 14- Lorenzo Ruiz as a Brother
September 15- Lorenzo Ruiz as a Sign
September 16- Lorenzo Ruiz as Persecuted
September 17- Lorenzo Ruiz as Protomartyr
September 18- Lorenzo Ruiz as an Intercessor
September 19- Lorenzo Ruiz as a Prisoner
September 20- Lorenzo Ruiz as a Layman
September 21- Lorenzo Ruiz as an Altar Server
September 22- Lorenzo Ruiz as Patron Saint
September 23- Lorenzo Ruiz as a Catholic
September 24- Lorenzo Ruiz as a Confessor
September 25- Lorenzo Ruiz as a Believer
September 26- Lorenzo Ruiz as a Student
September 27- Lorenzo Ruiz as a Helper
Lorenzo Ruiz was a devoted Catholic who loved the Church. He did not only served during Masses but he helped at the parish office as a clerk and as a personnel in the parish office. He helped the Church in a practical way and the best way he could. Today, he is now a helper in a wider and more encompassing way. He now helps us through his intercessions. We pray for those who help in the Church in many practical and simple ways. May they be rewarded for their generosity and undying love for the Church. Amen.
September 28- Lorenzo Ruiz as a Guardian
Lorenzo Ruiz was a true guardian of his family. It was inevitable for him to leave his wife Rosario and his three children and proceed to Japan with the Dominican Friars out of fear in order to spare his family from impending death and possible collateral damages. His fear was turned into an oasis of love through his martyrdom in Nagasaki Japan. We pray for all parents that they may be true guardians of the family God entrusted to them. May they always seek the common good and safeguard their families from all forms of harm especially moral and spiritual. Amen.
September 29- Lorenzo Ruiz as a Migrant
The fear Lorenzo Ruiz had was part of his weak humanity. He feared death but it was his faith that made him freely submit himself to martyrdom. By leaving home, there was an initial step towards migration but this migration did not remain geographical. It was a migration from fear to fortitude and a migration from simple humanity to sainthood. We pray for all migrants that as they make San Lorenzo Ruiz their patron, they may value the true form of migration which is from death to life, from sin to grace, and from humanity to the Kingdom of God. Amen.
September 30- Lorenzo Ruiz as a Simple Man
Lorenzo Ruiz was just a simple man, married and with a simple family. Yet God chose him to bring the strength of simplicity in the eyes of God. St. Paul said: "God chose the weak to shame the strong." (1 Cor 1:27) St. John Paul II said in his homily during the beatification of Lorenzo Ruiz in 1981 at the Luneta Park: "The example of Lorenzo Ruiz, the son of a Chinese father and Tagala mother, reminds us that everyone's life and the whole of one's life must be at Christ's disposal." We pray for all those who suffer because of the arrogance of the proud. May they find consolation and joy in the Lord who began His earthly life in the manger. May those who are vulnerable to the disdain of the rich and the proud find in Jesus their refuge and may their cry and tears be a source of their motivation to seek the intercession of St. Lorenzo Ruiz who experienced what is to be simple and vulnerable in this life. Amen.