Blessed Pedro de Zuñiga - Cura Parroco of Sasmuan and Porac, Pampanga and Martyr of Japan

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Blessed Pedro de Zuñiga

Whenever we encounter the term "fraile", it gives the common and the historically amnesiac Filipinos a negative picture of Spanish friars being wicked, self centered and corrupt, just like the fictional Padre Damaso de Vardolagas of Dr. Jose Rizal's often misinterpreted "Noli me Tangere". But if will only look deeper in our history, these "bad fruits" overshadowed the good and saintly ones due to the strength of the Propaganda movement that promotes anti-Spanish agenda. Aside from the famed Franciscan saint and martry St. Pedro Bautista who developed several towns in the country who later became a martyr for the faith in Japan, the companion martyrs of St. Lorenzo Ruiz who worked tirelessly on evangelizing Nothern Luzon and became part of the faculty of University of Santo Tomas who also suffered the same fate in Japan, another friar also did much to the faith and culture of the Province of Pampanga who also suffered martyrdom in Japan that we're going to introduce - Blessed Pedro de Zuñiga of the Augusitnian Order.

Early Life

Blessed Pedro de Zuñiga's image in Sta. Lucia Parish,
Samsuan, Pampanga
Fray Pedro was born in 1579 and educated in Seville, Spain, where he completed his priestly studies. At the age of 24, he entered the Agustinian Order despire the opposition of her mother, wife of the Marquis de Villamanrique and sixth viceroy of the new Spain. He professed on October 2, 1604 in the hands of Fray Gerónimo de Añasco, prior of the convent, and was ordained as a priest and preacher. He was a young man of sharp wit, energetic, kind and affectionate. He excelled for his love of study, prayer and his ardent zeal for the salvation of souls.

His Missionary Zeal

The provincial vicar of the mission in Japan, Fray Diego de Guevara, arrived in Spain in 1609 requesting religious for the Christianity of the Philippine Islands and Japan. During his stay at the Augustinian convent in Seville, in the company of other religious who were traveling to the Philippine Islands, he described the progress made by the Christian religion in Japan and the martyrdom suffered years before by the religious.

Fray Pedro decided to join such a sacred mission. Despite the strong opposition made by the VII Duke of Medina Sidonia and his superiors of the Augustinian Province of Andalusia, taking into account his high membership and his chances of reaching high ecclesiastical positions, he obtained after a thousand insistence, eager to spread the gospel, permission to embark on the Philippines and mission in Japan.

His Pastoral work in Sasmuan and Porac 

The newy professed Fray Pedro was arrived in the Philippines in 1609 and became the first Parish Priest of Sasmuan. His arrival resulted in the separation of Sasmuan from the parish of Lubao, reverting back in 1642 due to the scarcity of priests. He ministered in Sasmuan from 1615 to 1618, until he was transferred to Porac, Pampanga. During his tenure in Sasmuan and Porac as cura parroco (parish priest), he endeared himself to his flock by the diligent administration of the Sacraments, and his proficiency of the Kapampangan language that won the respect and the hearts of his parishioners.

The Augustinian Martyrs of Japan
The Japanese Mission

In 1620, Fray de Zuñiga sailed for Japan with a stop in Taiwan in June. He, along with other missionaries of different orders, were tasked with propagating the Catholic faith among the natives. The ship captain was Catholic  Japanese, Joaquin Hirayama Diaz, and the crew all were members of the Confraternity of the Holy Rosary of the Dominican Order.

Captivity and Martyrdom

En route, the ship was intercepted by Dutch pirates who surrendered the passengers and crew to pagan Japanese officials in the port of Hirando. They were kept in prison for two years, until Fray de Zuñiga,  his Dominican companion, Fray Luis Flores and the captain,  were tortured and burned to death in Nagsaki on August 19, 1622.

Fray De Zuñiga and his companions were beatified on May 7, 1867 by Pope Pius IX, His ashes were brought back by Augustinian fathers to the Philippines where they are interred at the San Agustin Church in Intramuros, Manila.

The tombstone of Bl. Pedro de Zuñiga in San Agustin Church,
Intramuros, Manila
The relics of Fray Pedro de Zúñiga were collected by Martín de Govea, Portuguese, a neighbor of Nagasaki. Persecuted by the Japanese, he left there and went to the city of Macao carrying with him the holy burned body and the column where he was tied, having him in veneration. At his death his son Pedro Pinto de Govea deposited him in the home of Tomás Congi, a Christian Japanese, who brought him to the Jesuit school in Macau and then claimed him and had him in his house with great veneration. Knowing this, the provincial of the Augustinians of Manila, used the Jesuits of Macao and managed to bring him to Manila, where he was presented to the Provisional Judge and Vicar General, who, seeing the authenticity of the relics, granted that he should take in procession the holy body to Manila.

The venerated image of Blessed Pedro de Zuñiga
in Sta. Lucia Parish, Samsuan, Pampanga
Prior Fray Francisco de Madrid solemnly received the holy body on July 9, 1651 and placed it in a golden box under the main altar of the Church. After the seizure and looting of Manila in 1762 the holy relics disappeared, only one faucet is found in the archive of the Convent of San Agustin Manila. The tree, in which he suffered martyrdom Fray Pedro de Zuniga, was sent to Convent of San Agustin de Salamanca. For greater veneration he was made a cross that is placed on the High Altar on solemn days, trimmed, adorned and has an imperial silver eagle by auction, inside his chest is the bone of a finger of the holy martyr.

The legacy

The parish of St. Lucy in Samsuan, Pampanga honors their first cura parroco very much that they celebrate his feast day every August 19, the day of his martyrdom and his traditional feast day. (In the refoemd Augustinian calendar, his feas t was moved to September 28 as part of the collective feast of dedicated to the Augustinian MArtyrs pf Japan). An image of Blessed Pedro de Zuñiga is currently enshrined in his own altar and also enjoyed much devotion like that of their patroness Santa Lucia.

References:

Castro, Alex, "7 Spanish Friars from Kapampangan towns who met violent deaths", Retrieved from http://kaplistorian.blogspot.com/2017/02/36-6-spanish-friars-from-kapampangan.html on September 20, 2019.
Jiménez, OSA Fray Manuel, " Mártires Agustinos del Japón. Vida y Martirio de los Beatos Fr. Fernando de San José, Fr. Pedro de Zúñiga y demás compañeros mártires beatificados el 7 de julio del Pte. año por N. Santísimo Padre Pio IX." Valladolid: Imprenta de Juan de la Cuesta, 1867.
Pérez, Elviro, "Catálogo Bio-Bibliográfico de los Religiosos Agustinos de la Provincia del Dulcísimo Nombre de Jesús de las Islas Filipinas desde su fundación hasta nuestros días.", Manila: Tipografía del Colegio de Santo Tomás, 1901.

Special Credits to the owners of the photographs utilzed in this blogpost.
+AM+DG+

Comments

  1. Fray Ramir of St. JohnAugust 6, 2021 at 8:08 PM

    HELLO, i would like to ask permission to translate your work re: beato pedro in kampampangan so we can use it in our novena prayers... hoping for your posistive response po. salamat po

    ReplyDelete

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