Lorenzo Ruiz

For the municipality in the Philippines, see San LorenzoRuiz, Camarines Norte. For the school in the Philip-pines, see Lorenzo Ruiz de Manila School.

Saint Lorenzo Ruiz (ca. 1600 – 29 September 1637),also known as Laurentius Ruiz de Manila or SanLorenzo Ruiz de Manila, is the first Filipino saint ven-erated in the Roman Catholic Church; he is thus theprotomartyr of the Philippines. He had gone to Japanwith three missionaries and was killed for refusing to re-nounce his RomanCatholic beliefs during the persecutionof Japanese Christians under the Tokugawa Shogunate inthe 17th century.Saint Lorenzo is patron saint of, among others, the Philip-pines and the Filipino people.

1 Early life

Binondo Church, the main shrine of St. Lorenzo Ruiz

Lorenzo Ruiz was born in Binondo, Manila to a Chinesefather and a Filipino mother who were both Catholic. Hisfather taught him Chinese while his mother taught himTagalog.[1][2]

Ruiz served as an altar boy at the convent of Binondochurch. After being educated by the Dominican fri-ars for a few years, Ruiz earned the title of escribano(calligrapher) because of his skillful penmanship. He be-came a member of the Cofradia del Santissimo Rosario(Confraternity of the Most Holy Rosary). He marriedRosario, a native, and they had two sons and a daughter.[3]The Ruiz family lead a generally peaceful, religious andcontent life.

In 1636, whilst working as a clerk for Binondo Church,Ruiz was falsely accused of killing a Spaniard. Ruizsought asylum on board a ship with three Dominicanpriests: Saint Antonio Gonzalez; Saint GuillermoCourtet; Saint Miguel de Aozaraza, a Japanese priest;Saint Vicente Shiwozuka de la Cruz; and a lay leperSaint Lazaro of Kyoto. Ruiz and his companions left forOkinawa on 10 June 1636, with the aid of the Dominicanfathers and Fr Giovanni Yago.[1][2][4]

2 Martyrdom

Image of Ruiz, Convent of St James the Apostle Parish, Plaridel,Bulacan.

The Tokugawa shogunate was persecuting Christians bythe timeRuiz had arrived in Japan. Themissionaries werearrested and thrown into prison, and after two year, theywere transferred to Nagasaki to face trial by torture. Heand his companions faced different types of torture.[3]

On 27 September 1637, Ruiz and his companions weretaken to the Nishizaka Hill, where they were tortured bybeing hung upside down a pit. This form of torture wasknown as tsurushi ( ) in Japanese or horca y hoyain Spanish. The method was supposed to be extremelypainful: though the victim was bound, one hand was al-ways left free so that victims may signal their desire torecant, leading to their release. Ruiz refused to renounceChristianity and died from blood loss and suffocation.His body was cremated and his ashes thrown into thesea.[1][2][4]

According to Latin missionary accounts sent back toManila, Ruiz declared these words upon his death:

1

2 5 OTHER TRIBUTES TO SAINT LORENZO

"Ego Catholicus sum et animo prompto paratoque pro Deomortem obibo. Si mille vitas haberem, cunctas ei offer-rem." {I am a Catholic and wholeheartedly do acceptdeath for the Lord; Had I a thousand lives, all these I shalloffer to Him.}[3]

3 Path to sainthood

3.1 Cause of beatification and canoniza-tion

A painting of Ruiz in the stairway of San Carlos Seminary,Makati City.

The Positio Super Introductione Causae or the cause ofbeatification of St. Lorenzo Ruiz was written by re-spected historian, Fr. Fidel Villarroel, O.P. Ruiz wasbeatified during Pope John Paul II's papal visit to thePhilippines.[5][6][7] It was the first beatification ceremonyto be held outside the Vatican in history. San LorenzoRuiz was canonized by the same pope in Vatican Cityon 18 October 1987, making him the first Filipinosaint.[1][2][4]

3.2 Miracle

His canonization was based on a miracle that took placein 1983, when Cecilia Alegria Policarpio, a 2-year-oldgirl suffering brain atrophy (hydrocephalus), was curedthrough the intercession of the family and supporters to

Lorenzo Ruiz. She was diagnosed shortly after her birthand was treated at Magsaysay Medical Center.[8]

4 Places and things named afterLorenzo Ruiz

• Chapel of San Lorenzo Ruiz, a Catholic church inNew York City, opened in 2005

• Colegio de San Lorenzo, a Catholic college inQuezon City, founded in 1988

• Escuela de San Lorenzo Ruiz Paranaque, SanchezAve, Greenheights Subd, Sucat, Paranaqque City,founded in 1988

• Lorenzo Ruiz de Manila School, a Catholic schoolin Cainta, Rizal, founded in 1990

• Plaza San Lorenzo Ruiz, a plaza in front of BinondoChurch, Manila

• San Lorenzo Ruiz, Camarines Norte, a municipalityin the province of Camarines Norte

• San Lorenzo Ruiz, Taytay, Rizal

• San Lorenzo Ruiz de Manila Parish Church, aCatholic church in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan

• San Lorenzo Ruiz Diocesan Church, a Catholicchurch in Bayugan City, Agusan del Sur

• San Lorenzo Ruiz Elementary School, a Catholicschool in Mississauga, Ontario

• St. Lorenzo Ruiz Catholic Church, a Catholicchurch in Walnut, California[9]

• San Lorenzo Ruiz de Manila Community Center, acommunity center in Sugar Land, Texas

• San Lorenzo Ruiz Montessori, Inc. inBulakan,Bulacan

• San Lorenzo School, a non-sectarian school in SanPedro, Laguna

• San Lorenzo Ruiz Chapel, Imnajbu, Batanes

5 Other tributes to Saint Lorenzo

Lorenzo Ruiz is included in American painter JohnNava's Communion of Saints Tapestries, a depiction of135 saints and beati which hangs inside the Cathedral ofOur Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles, California.[10]

On 28 September 2007, the Catholic Church celebratedthe 20th anniversary of Ruiz’s canonisation. Then-Archbishop of Manila Cardinal Gaudencio Rosales said:“Kahit saan nandoon ang mga Pilipino, ang katapatan saDiyos ay dala-dala ng Pinoy.”[11]

3

6 In popular culture

6.1 Film

• Ang Buhay ni Lorenzo Ruiz a 1970 Philippine film

• Lorenzo Ruiz... The Saint... A Filipino!, a 1988Philippine film

• In September 2013, LORENZO, a musical about thelife of St. Lorenzo Ruiz, was staged by GreenWingsEntertainment, with music by Ryan Cayabyab, bookand lyric by Juan Ekis and Paul Dumol with thecollaboration of Joem Antonio, direction by NononPadilla, and production by Christopher de Leon.

6.2 Books

• Carunungan, Celso Al. To Die a Thousand Deaths:A Novel on the Life and Times of Lorenzo Ruiz,Social Studies Publications, Metro Manila, Philip-pines, 1980

• Delgado, Antonio C. The Making of The First Fil-ipino Saint, The Ala-Ala Foundation, 1982

7 See also

• Ignacia del Espiritu Santo

• Jerónima de la Asunción

• Kakure Kirishitan

• Martha de San Bernardo, the first Filipino nun

• Martyrs of Japan

• Pedro Calungsod, the second Filipino saint

8 References[1] “Visit of Her Excellency President Gloria Macapagal Ar-

royo to Participate in the 2005 World Summit - HighLevel plenary session of the 60th Session of the UnitedNations General Assembly, New York, United States ofAmerica, 12–15 September 2005”, Press Kit, Office ofthe President, Government Mass Media Group, Bureauof Communications Services, Manila, September, 2005.

[2] Religion-Cults.com Dominguez, J, M.D., September 28:Saints of the Day, Saint Lorenzo Ruiz and Companions,1600-1637, Religion-Cults.com, retrieved on: 10 June2007

[3] Foley O.F.M., Leonard. Saint of the Day, Lives, Lessonsand Feast, (revised by Pat McCloskey O.F.M), FranciscanMedia

[4] Filipino Apostolate/Archdiocese of New York, Chapelof San Lorenzo Ruiz, ChapelofSanLorenzoRuiz.org, re-trieved on: 9 June 2007

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8] thepinoycatholic.blogspot.com on St. Lorenzo Ruiz

[9] Saint Lorenzo Parish Community

[10] image of St. Lorenzo Ruiz in the Communion of SaintsTapestries

[11] “Church marks 20th anniversary of Lorenzo Ruiz saint-hood”

9 External links• Cause for Beatification

• Mosaic in Saint Peter’s Basilica

• St. Lorenzo Ruiz in the Communion of SaintsTapestries

• St. Lorenzo Ruiz Prayer in times of adversity.Translated into Spanish by José Tlatelpas, tradi-tional version in English and Tagalog. Published inthe Canadian Hispanic webzine “La Guirnalda Po-lar”.

• Lorenzo Ruiz at Find a Grave

• LORENZO, a musical on the life of Lorenzo Ruiz

•

4 10 TEXT AND IMAGE SOURCES, CONTRIBUTORS, AND LICENSES

10 Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

10.1 Text• Lorenzo Ruiz Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lorenzo_Ruiz?oldid=630350575 Contributors: JeLuF, Seav, Charles Matthews, Van-ished user 5zariu3jisj0j4irj, Joshk, Christopher Sundita, Jamesday, Dimadick, AlexPlank, Mirv, Jondel, BigBen212, Andycjp, Jonel,Necrothesp, Sam Hocevar, Ukexpat, Klemen Kocjancic, Man vyi, Caeruleancentaur, Patsw, Arthena, TheCoffee, FeanorStar7, Mr Tan,Cuchullain, Nanami Kamimura, Sky Harbor, YurikBot, RussBot, Gaius Cornelius, Circa 1900, Veledan, Korny O'Near, Martinwilke1980,Katieh5584, SmackBot, Lagalag, Pinoy916, Gilliam, Hmains, Ludi, JonHarder, Dreadstar, WayKurat, Ser Amantio di Nicolao, Rod-san18, Bwpach, Joseph Solis in Australia, Angeldeb82, CmdrObot, MAlanH, Namayan, Troilan, Cydebot, Chemicalist, Pinoy Pride,Nasugbu batangas, Ianlopez1115, Thijs!bot, Andyjsmith, Marek69, Antique Rose, Kbthompson, Fayenatic london, Mack2, Bongwarrior,Rich257, Nasugbu Batangas, Pbroks13, Johnpacklambert, Kguirnela, Katharineamy, Plasticup, Pdcook, Meiskam, TXiKiBoT, Rizalni-noynapoleon, Dodger209, Steven J. Anderson, Vbyssey, SieBot, StAnselm, Noveltyghost, Flyer22, Barangaw, Jc3schmi, Mk32, Kumioko(renamed), Hanchie, Wilbertyl, Latics, Florentino floro, Lloydbaltazar, Gr8opinionater, ImageRemovalBot, ClueBot, Parkwells, Hinicome,PixelBot, Eeekster, Kamistrike, CardinalGR, Riccardo Riccioni, Vivafilipinas, Joyson Prabhu, EstherLois, RogDel, MystBot, Addbot,Chrs aquino, Boac marinduque, Lightbot, Zorrobot, Innapoy, Reinnier, Luckas-bot, Yobot, Ningauble, AnakngAraw, Roltz, AnomieBOT,Xqbot, Nash16, Vancouverguy223, Joaquin008, TerraHikaru, FrescoBot, Nakakapagpabagabag, Athenapyros, Mcard1, Gerald Troy, Tom-cat7, Jschnur, Russel Sleeper, Full-date unlinking bot, TobeBot, Jc Altura, DARTH SIDIOUS 2, Obsidian Soul, Esoglou, EmausBot,Immunize, Ramon FVelasquez, CharCharOverOver11, Roypeter347, ClueBot NG, Mannanan51, Helpful Pixie Bot, MarkJezrylle, Ele-mento 23, Camerero, The Illusive Man, Khazar2, Swifteer, Kuya kyon, Mogism, HeartyBowl1989, Philipandrew, Joloimpat, Nimetapoeg,Equilibrium Allure, DavidLeighEllis, Unixbytes90, OccultZone, UTpB.IaN, Carlojoseph14 and Anonymous: 167

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Facade of Binondo Church, released for use in Wikipedia.

Original artist: Adinemb• File:046CupolaSPietro.jpg Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5a/046CupolaSPietro.jpg License: CC-BY-SA-3.0 Contributors: Own work Original artist: MarkusMark

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• Bruno Bernhard Heim, Heraldry in the Catholic Church: Its Origin, Customs and Laws (Van Duren 1978 ISBN 9780391008731), p. 54;Original artist: F l a n k e r

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