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Description
When Jesuit missionaries came to Micronesia in 1668 they trained young boys as catechists. These boys would study the teachings of the church and assist the missionaries in their work. One of them was Pedro Calungsod. The Jesuits and their catechists suffered as they attempted to spread Christianity to the islands, many becoming martyrs in the process. In 1672, the head Jesuit, Diego Luis Sanvitores, and his assistant, the now 17 year old Pedro Calungsod, stopped in northern Guam during one of their journeys to baptize a sick child at the request of the mother. The child’s outraged father subsequently attacked both with spears, killing first the catechist and then the priest and dumped their bodies into the ocean. Pedro’s martyrdom was not the first among the young catechists, nor was it the last. Roughly two dozen lay helpers would lose their lives for their faith before the first two decades of missionary work came to an end. In 2012 Pedro Calungsod became the second Filipino to be canonized. He is a reminder of the many boys who were martyred during the early days of the Jesuit missions in Oceana. In my depiction of Pedro, I sought to convey the heavy weight of persecution in his face coupled with a vision of hope. He holds his book close to him to show his love for the teachings of the church, and to symbolize his role as catechist. In his left hand he holds the symbol of martyrdom, the palm branch, and the instrument of his martyrdom, the spear. He is wrapped in an aqua mantle, representative of the ocean, a symbol of the islands, and his final resting place.

Description
When Jesuit missionaries came to Micronesia in 1668 they trained young boys as catechists. These boys would study the teachings of the church and assist the missionaries in their work. One of them was Pedro Calungsod. The Jesuits and their catechists suffered as they attempted to spread Christianity to the islands, many becoming martyrs in the process. In 1672, the head Jesuit, Diego Luis Sanvitores, and his assistant, the now 17 year old Pedro Calungsod, stopped in northern Guam during one of their journeys to baptize a sick child at the request of the mother. The child’s outraged father subsequently attacked both with spears, killing first the catechist and then the priest and dumped their bodies into the ocean. Pedro’s martyrdom was not the first among the young catechists, nor was it the last. Roughly two dozen lay helpers would lose their lives for their faith before the first two decades of missionary work came to an end. In 2012 Pedro Calungsod became the second Filipino to be canonized. He is a reminder of the many boys who were martyred during the early days of the Jesuit missions in Oceana. In my depiction of Pedro, I sought to convey the heavy weight of persecution in his face coupled with a vision of hope. He holds his book close to him to show his love for the teachings of the church, and to symbolize his role as catechist. In his left hand he holds the symbol of martyrdom, the palm branch, and the instrument of his martyrdom, the spear. He is wrapped in an aqua mantle, representative of the ocean, a symbol of the islands, and his final resting place.