Obligatory and Optional Memorials of Saints
- Lawrence Ruiz, martyr;
- Wenceslaus, martyr;
- Exsuperius, bishop;
- Eustochium, virgin;
- Faustus of Riez, bishop;
- Annemund, bishop;
- Lioba, virgin
St. Lawrence Ruiz, a.k.a. Lorenzo Ruiz (d. ca. 1637 A.D.) is the first Filipino saint. Lorenzo went to Japan to avoid the false charges against him in the Philippines. However, Japan at that time was under severe anti-Christian rule. Lorenzo was arrested and made to undergo a horrible torture and death. He is one of the fifteen martyrs cruelly put to death in Japan between 1633 A.D. and 1637 A.D. They were all canonized in 1987 A.D.
The Philippines is the only Christian country in Asia where the majority of its population are Catholics. Catholicism was introduced into the country by the Catholic missionaries who were part of the colonization of the people in the early 16th century. The Catholic faith of the people developed alongside its local regional cultures. As a result folk religiosity also developed together with the mainline Catholic faith.
Learn more about folk Catholicism or popular religiosity in the Philippines. The term folk Catholicism is attributed to Jesuit author Frank Lynch, SJ.
Related blog post: A Book on Cistercian Spirituality and Trappists of Guimaras in the Philippines, Learn More
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