The Silent Martyrs of Charity - The Martyrs of the Hospitaller Order in the Philippines

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Ven. Juan Antonio Guamez, Ven. Lorenzo Gomez and Ven. Antonio Santiago

The word "Martyr" as per the famed Merriam-Webster dictionary defines it as a "person who voluntarily suffers death as the penalty of witnessing to and refusing to renounce a religion" and "a person who sacrifices something of great value and especially life itself for the sake of principle." Our Holy Mother Church honored her several martyrs all over the world by raising them to her altars and we are fortunate that two of the country's canonized saints were in fact martyrs.

However, if we are going to look on our vast and colorful history, there were also some notable martyrs in our country that are worth emulating yet they were hidden in obscurity for centuries, like in the case of Servant of God Francesco Paliola, SJ who was martyred by the Moros in Mindanao. For this blog post, we are going to retell the stories of obscure Martyrs of Charity that are worth emulating and admiration, the three Spanish Martyrs of the Hospitaller Order of San Juan de Dios of our land, namely Venerable Lorenzo Gomez, OH, VenerablenAntonio de Santiago, OH and Venerable Juan Antonio Guemez, OH, religious brothers of the Order of the Hospitaliers of St. John of God who was martyred in Ilocos region and in San Rafael, Bulacan while performing their apostolate to take care of the sick.

The Hospitallers in the Philippines

The protagonists of our story three solemn professed brothers of the Brothers Hospitallers of Saint John of God. The Hospitaller Order of the Brothers of Saint John of God, abbreviated as O.H., was founded in 1572 by St. John of God. The Order carries out a wide range of health and social service activities in 389 centres and services in 51 countries as of this writing.

The Hospitaller Brothers arrived in our shores in 1611 and established their first foundation in Manila, today known as Hospicio de San Jose, was a convalescent house close to the Archdiocesan Shrine of Nuestra Señora de Guia in Ermita, Manila in old Bagumbayan but later transferred near to the banks of Pasig River. Their second community in Manila was established in Intramuros with the erection of San Juan de Dios Hospital which they supervised from 1656 - 1866. The Brothers later established foundations in San Rafael, Bulacan and in Ilocos region. It is interesting to note that it was the Hospitaliers who first accepted the natives as members. One of it's native members is the renowned Philippine hero Apolinario de la Cruz or more popularly known as "Hermano Pull".

Venerable Lorenzo Gomez
The Life and Martyrdom of Bro. Lorenzo Gomez, OH

History is silent on the early life of our martyr due to the scant records available to shed some light his early life yet some accounts of his life were found in the archives in Italy and in Spain. According to these records, Brother Lorenzo was assigned to the Hospital in Intramuros three centuries ago.

Brother Lorenzo was very charitable with the poor that were confined in the Hospital and was always ready to extend his care even to those who were outside the hospital. For this reason, the Superior of the Order annually entrust him a health mission as far as Ilocos Region, where no hospitals existed in that area during his time. During the month of October, Brother Lorenzo would leave Manila bringing with him the necessary medicines needed for the people in Ilocos region, doing home visitations to the sick until the month of March especially in the areas of Balaoan, Tagudin and
Pedic.

On January 7, 1702, during his tenth mission in Ilocos, the Tinguians ambushed him and died as a martyr while performing his apostolate. Inside the parish Churches of Tagudin and Balaoan, La Union there were plaques installed to commemorate the heroic Martyrdom of Brother Lorenzo Gomez. Soon afterwards, the locals began to ask for his intercession, most especially on healing their sickness and miracles continue to happen and duly recorded up to this day.

Venerables Antonio de Santiago
And Juan Antonio Guemez
The Life and Martyrdom of Br. Antonio de Santiago, OH and Br. Juan Antonio Guemez, OH

History was also silent on the early life of these martyrs due to the scant records available to have some peek on the lives of these martyrs of Bulacan province. Fortunately, some accounts of their lives were also found in the archives in Italy and in Spain. According to these records, just like Brother Lorenzo, Brother Antonio and Brother Juan were also assigned in the Hospital in Intramuros to take care of the sick.

In different years, both were transferred to "Hacienda Buenavista" in San Rafael, Bulacan, a land donated by the City Counselor of Manila, Don Pedro Gomez de Canete in 1649 in gratitude of his recovery from sickness through the help of these brothers when he was confinement in their Convalescent House. The Hacienda was the main support for their Hospitals in Luzon. When the two Brothers reached San Rafael, no hosptial existed and they set up a Charity clinic and also made home visitations to take care of the sick in the area.

While the two Brothers doing their apostolate, the Holy Brothers were killed by savages from the mountains: Bro. Antonio de Santiago was killed on April 14, 1665 while Bro. Juan Antonio Guamez was martyred on May 13, 1731. Soon afterwards, people began to seek their intercession, especially for healing.

Ven. Juan Antonio Guemez
The Legacy

Since there were no images of the three Martyrs of the Hospitaller Order, the order commissioned some portraits, monuments and plaques to honor these Martyrs of Charity. The painting of Venerable Lorenzo Gomez was painted by Hilario Santos of Ermita, Manila and it is currently venerated in the chapel of the Brothers in Manila. The Parish Church of San Rafael in Bulacan built a monument of the Ven. Bro. Antonio Santiago, OH and Ven. Juan Antonio Guamez, OH as the town's homage to the Brothers who took care of their people centuries ago.

The stories of these martyrs of the Hospitaller Order in our county showed us that what Charity really means, the willingness to serve God by serving others at all cost, even if their lives are at stake. As of this writing, the cause for their beatification and canonization are still ongoing and let us hope that these holy men of charity will be raised to the altars and honored as saints in the future.

Before we conclude this blogpost, here are the prayers to ask for the intercession of our Hospitalier martyrs whose cause for beatification and canonization are still ongoing as of this writing.

Ven. Lorenzo Gomez
Prayer of Petition to Venerable Lorenzo Gomez, OH

 Venerable Lorenzo Gomez, you always had sympathy to the poor and those who were suffering. We need your help and now we ask for it with great confidence in your goodness and power. The favors you received from God encourage as now to ask your intercession. 

 We ask you most humbly to befriend us and assist us from heaven. When you were here on earth you spent your life loving God and your neighbor. Now that you live in the presence of God intercede for us and beg the divine physician to give us health of soul and body. Amen.

 Our Father...... Hail Mary..... Glory be.....

Ven. Antonio Santiago
Prayer to Ven. Bro. Antonio Santiago, OH and Ven. Juan Antonio Guamez, OH

Venerables Antionio de Santiago and Juan Antonio, you always had sympathy to the poor and those who were suffering. We need your help and now we ask for it with great confidence in your goodness and power. The favors you recieved from God encourage as now to ask your intercession. 

 We ask you most humbly to befriend us and assist us from heaven. When you were here on earth you spent your life loving God and your neighbor. Now that you live in the presence of God intercede for us and beg the divine physician to give us health of soul and body. Amen.

 Our Father...... Hail Mary..... Glory be.....

Reference:

____ (2000), Novena of the Sick in honor of Venerable Lorenzo Gomez, OH: Martyr of Charity in the Ilocos Region killed by the Tinguians on January 7, 1702, Order of Hospitaliers, Manila.
____ (2000), Novena of the Sick in honor of Venerable Antonio Santiago, and Venerable Juan Antonio Guamez Gomez, OH: Martyr of Charity in San Rafael, Bulacan on May 13, 1731, Order of Hospitaliers, Manila.

Interview:
Jusay, Daryl Rocco, OH - Order of the Hospitallers, Manila.
Magglozi, Giuseppe, OH - Archivist of the Order of Hospitallers, Manila.

Special thanks to Bro. Giuseppe Magglozi, OH for insights on the life and cause of Ven. Lorenzo Gomez and to Bro. Daryl Rocco Jusay, OH for insights on the life and cause of Ven. Antonio Santiago, and Ven. Juan Antonio Guamez. +AM+DG+

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