TUMON, GUAM — GUAM might be on your bucket list for shopping, beach time, sightseeing, or cultural immersion, but this band of Filipino devotees came for something different. In the first formal pilgrimage in honor of Saint Pedro Calungsod, they traveled from the Philippines in May 2018 to hear Mass for the Filipino martyr.

“It was the trip of a lifetime,” one pilgrim told http://www.vacationguam.us, which organized the pilgrimage. Calungsod is one of only two Filipino-born Roman Catholic saints. This American territory, a three-and-a-half-hour flight from Manila, is where the young catechist was martyred alongside Spanish missionary Fr. Diego Luis de San Vitores.

[The featured photo depicts the act of baptism on Guam led by Fr. Diego Luis de San Vitores. The then catechist Pedro Calungsod wasn’t on the photo but the monument marks the place where the two were killed in 1672. Photo from kagay-an.com].

The pilgrims held a special Mass at the shrine of San Pedro and Blessed Diego in the oceanside village of Tumon, where the two were killed by native non-believers in 1672. The group was captivated by stories from longtime Guam priest and historian Fr. Francis Hezel about how the two were persecuted for baptizing Guam’s converts — a shared history of Spanish rule and Catholic conversion that Guam and the Philippines still carry.

The devotees of San Pedro Calungsod during the first official pilgrimage to Guam

The pilgrims also toured several historic church sites in southern Guam, from the picturesque Merizo church and bell tower to the restored church in Umatac, the bayside village where the explorer Magellan landed.

Another highlight: Mass at the Hagatna Cathedral Basilica in Guam’s capital, seat of the Archdiocese and home to the Most Reverend Archbishop Michael Byrnes. The group was thrilled to meet the Archbishop after Mass, which was concelebrated by the two Filipino priests who accompanied them, Fr. Reynaldo Flores and Fr. Rogelio Positar.

The trip was organized by Tripventures International and Vacation Guam.US, in cooperation with the Guam Visitors Bureau, United Airlines, and Pacific Star Resort & Spa. For more information about joining a future pilgrimage to the shrine of Filipino St. Pedro Calungsod, please visit www.vacationguam.us.