San Lorenzo
Ruiz
Lorenzo Ruiz is the First Filipino Saint. He
is also the first Filipino martyred for the Christian Faith.
Lorenzo Ruiz was a layman, married, and had two sons
and a daughter. Born in Binondo,Manila, about 1600, he was educated
in the school of the Dominicans there. He served as an altar boy
and later as a helper and clerk sacristan in the church of Binondo.
He was a member of the Confraternity of the Rosary.
An adverse event made him leave the Philippines in 1636.
Upon landing in Japan where Christians were being persecuted, he was arrested
and imprisoned together with his companions.
He underwent inhuman tortures and valiantly confessed his
Christian faith. Refusing to renounce his faith, he told his executioners
that he was ready to die for God and give for him many thousands of lives
if he had them.
On September 27, 1637, he was hung from a gallows by his feet,
his body falling into a pit. After two days of agony, he died of
bleeding and suffocation. His body was cremated and the ashes thrown
into the sea.
He and fifteen companions maartyred in the same persecution
were beatified by Pope John Paull 11 in Manila on February 18, 1981 and
elevated to the full honors of the altar by canonization on October 18,
1987 in Rome. Their feastday is on Sept. 28.
Novena
In the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Act of Contrition
O my God! I am heartily sorry for having offended You, and I
detest all my sins, because I dread the loss of heaven and the pains of
hell, but most of all because they offend You, my God, who art all good
and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve with the help of your grace,
to confess my sins, to do penance, and to amend my life. Amen.
Prayer
O God, our loving Father, Your Son Jesus Christ delivered himself in
sacrifice to You for the love of men. Inspire us to love You
with all our heart to the point of sacrifice.
Your providential hand led your servants San Lorenzo and Companions
to the land of Japan to imitate the sacrifice of Christ and to proclaim
the Gospel of truth and the message of salvation.. We humbly beseech
You, through the intercession of these holy martyrs, that we be given the
grace of remaining faithful to You always as they did and that the light
of the Gospel illumine all corners of our Christian motherland and of all
countries near and far.
We ask You this through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
(Mention here silently, the special favor you ask for through the
Novena and recite one "Our Father", ten "Hail Marys" and one
"Glory Be").
Prayer for the sick
Beloved SAN LORENZO RUIZ DE MANILA and Martyrs Companion,
to you do we come for help.
Help us to have the same faith and love that you had for God. We call
upon you today on behalf of our ailing beloved ones. By your prayers
and intercession obtain for them, not only comfort and peace for their
souls, but alsos vigor, strenngth and health for their bodies. We
place our entire confidence in you because we know that God loves you
and that you care for us. We earnestly pray that our sick ones be purified
and revitalized in every cell, tissue, nerve and organ, so that their bodily
limbs may function effectively again. Through your powerful intercession
help our sick to receive the grace of God's miraculous compassion, so that
they will be completely whole again, and thereby be able to continue serving
God faithfully in thiis llife to the best of their strength and to attain
the salvation to which you arrived. Amen.
Prayer in times od adversity
Beloved SAN LORENZO RUIZ DE MANILA and Companion Martyrs:: You, who
experienced the supreme sacrifice of martyrdom for the proclamation
of the Christian faith, inspire us with your strength and firmness
of conviction to withstand the adversities of our lives and the difficulties
of our existence. Teach us with your marvelous example and saintly
wisdom to turn trials into blessings, by showing us the glory that
comes from discovering the redemptive power of God's love. When times
are full of grief, when moments are suffused with worry, let us feel your
presence in our midst, so that we will be aware that you are by our side,
strengthening us and interceding for us before Almighty God that we
may have patience in our sufferings and consolation in our hardships.
Help us realize that only in knowing our weakness can we be strong, only
in undergoing sadness can we find real happiness, and only in passing through
trials and distress can we find peace, encouragement and spiritual joy.
Amen.
San LORENZO RUIZ and Companion Martyrs.......Pray for us...
IMPRIMATUR; Jaime Cardinal Sin, D. D..
Archbishop of Manila
Manila, 16 October 1987
text communicated by
Clemencia D. Ruiz
APAPEC