Blessed Diego Luis de San Vitores
Jesuit who began the Mariana Islands mission and was martyred on Guam
- Rank
- Blessed
- Kind
- Priest, Martyr, Missionary
- Life
- 1627 – 1672
- Era
- 17th century
- Feast
- 6 October
- Countries
- Spain, Guam, Philippines
Life story
He was born on 12 November 1627 in Burgos, Spain, into a noble family. He entered the Jesuit novitiate in 1640 and was ordained priest in 1651. In 1662, on the way to the Philippines, he stopped at Guam and vowed to return.
In 1665 he won the support of King Philip IV and Queen Mariana for a mission to Guam. He sailed from Acapulco in 1668 and named the archipelago the Marianas in honour of the queen regent and the Virgin Mary. On 2 February 1669 he founded the first Catholic church in Hagåtña, dedicated to the sweet name of Mary.
Relations with the Chamorro people worsened after the chief Kepuha died in 1669, and the Spanish-Chamorro war began in 1671. On 2 April 1672 he and his assistant Pedro Calungsod were killed at Tumon by Matå'pang and Hurao, when he was 44.
His cause for beatification was opened in 1695, and Pope John Paul II beatified him on 6 October 1985. He remains a controversial figure, as scholars and Chamorro artists criticise his role in colonisation and the destruction of ancestral skulls.
Works and witness
- Entered the Jesuits in 1640 and was ordained in 1651
- Won King Philip IV's support for the Marianas mission in 1665
- Named the Islas Marianas and founded the first church at Hagåtña in 1669
- Killed with Pedro Calungsod on 2 April 1672
- Beatified on 6 October 1985
Saints from the same country
References
- Decree of beatification, John Paul II, 6 October 1985
- Jesuit historical sources on the Mariana mission (Garcia, Vida del P. Diego Luis de San Vitores)
- Martyrologium Romanum
Written by Anawim from documented history. Some details about ancient saints rest on tradition and are marked as such.