BIOGRAPHY OF LORENZO RUIZ

Lorenzo Ruiz was a Filipino, Although his father was a Chinese and his mother, a Filipina. He was born in Binondo, Manila between 1600 and 1610. In his younger years, Lorenzo served at the convent of Binondo church as a sacristan. Since he lived there together with Dominican priest, he learn from them not just Spanish but also catechism. After several years, Lorenzo Ruiz earned the title of "escribano" or notary. He became an active member of the Confraternity of the Holy Rosary, an organization devoted to the Blessed Virgin. This group was organized in the Philippines in 1587. Lorenzo got married but the name of his wife was not mentioned in the documents. He confessed before that he was convicted and he was a family man - having a wife with three kids, two boys and a girl. In 1636, a grave crime was committed in Manila. Authorities conducted a manhunt for Lorenzo because they believed that he knew something about it or was himself involved in it. When Lorenzo learned of some missionary priest leaving for Japan, he asked if he could be allowed to join them. And he was allowed aboard the ship bound for Japan, along with the Dominicans, safe from fear of being implicated in a crime. In Japan, he suffered persecution along with other Christians. Their lives were to be spared if they would renounce their Christian faith. Although Lorenzo Ruiz underwent an agonizing punishment, he remained steadfast and refused to renounce his faith. During his ordeal he remarked, "I'm a Christian and I will remain a Christian even to the point of death. Only to God will I offer my life. Even if I had a thousand lives, I would still offer them to him. This is the reason why I came here in Japan, to leave my native land as a Christian, offering my life to God alone. On September 23, 1637, he died hanging on the pit on the hills of Nagasaki. Lorenzo Ruiz was proclaimed "Blessed" in February 1981 at Luneta, together with 16 other companions, in connection with Pope John Paul II's papal visit to the Philippines. He was canonized and declared a "Saint' on October 18, 1987 in Rome. As such, he is now worthy of being venerated and honored in the church altar. His feast day falls on September 28.