Today is the Feast of San Lorenzo Ruiz, the first Filipino Saint and Martyr
Lorenzo was born on November 28, 1594 in Binondo, Manila, to a Chinese father and a Filipino mother. He worked as an altar boy at the Binondo church. Later, he received his schooling from Dominican friars and worked as an escribano (clerk) before entering the Confraternity of the Most Holy Rosary.
Lorenzo and his wife Rosario, as well as their three children, had a quiet, holy existence. However, Lorenzo was wrongly accused of murdering a Spaniard in 1636 while working as a clerk at the Binondo church. Lorenzo, together with three Dominican priests, sought shelter on a ship destined for Okinawa, Japan, fearing for his liberty, not realizing that further tragedy awaited them. On June 10, 1636, they set sail.
They arrived in Japan at a period when the Tokugawa Shogunate was persecuting Christians. They were seized and imprisoned before being moved to Nagasaki and subjected to various forms of torture.
On September 27, 1637, after more than a year in prison, Lorenzo and his comrades were hanged upside down in a hole on Nishizaka Hill to force them to forsake their Christian beliefs. But Lorenzo's faith was unshaken, and he refused to abandon Christianity. On September 29, 1637, he died of blood loss and asphyxia; his corpse was burned, and his ashes were dumped into the sea.
According to tales carried back to Manila by Latin missionaries, before he died, Lorenzo made the now-famous declaration: "I am a Catholic and completely embrace death for God; Had I a thousand lives, all these must I devote to Him."
On February 18, 1987, Pope John Paul II beatified Lorenzo Ruiz during his first papal visit to Manila. Six years later, on October 18, 1987, Pope John Paul II consecrated the Filipino martyr as the country's first saint.
San Lorenzo Ruiz is honored in Eternal Gardens
Eternal Gardens, a pioneer in the Philippine memorial care sector, pays tribute to San Lorenzo Ruiz by erecting plazas in his name at many of its parks. The late Ambassador Antonio L. Cabangon Chua, the company's founder, was involved in pushing the canonization of Bishop Beato Lorenzo, which prepared the path for him to meet with John Paul II.
Today, Eternal Gardens branches in Baesa, Caloocan City, and Bian City, Laguna will commemorate the Blessing of the San Lorenzo Ruiz Columbarium in their respective parks. The festivities will begin with thanksgiving liturgies, followed by the ribbon-cutting and formal benediction.
Each tomb at the San Lorenzo Ruiz Columbarium can hold up to two urns and was designed to be a more cost-effective alternative to traditional burial. The columbarium in Eternal Gardens Baesa, the company's first location, has over 2,000 crypts, while the one at Bian Park has over 500.
Eternal Crematory, a subsidiary of Eternal Gardens, Eternal Chapels, and Eternal Plans, created the San Lorenzo Ruiz Columbarium. All of these businesses are part of the ALC Group, which was created by Ambassador Cabangon Chua and is presently led by D. Cabangon, Edgard A.
#SanLorenzo #SanLorenzoRuiz #ethernalgarden #catholic #catholicfaith #catholiclife
SOURCE: businessmirror
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