More than 800 people packed Old St. Mary’s Church, 1500 S. Michigan Ave., April 20 for a Mass to celebrate a new shrine to St. Pedro Calungsod, a young, Filipino catechist martyred in Guam in 1672. The standing-room only and overflow crowd came to pay homage to one of the Catholic Church’s newest saints canonized last October by Pope Benedict XVI in Rome. Old St. Mary’s will enshrine a new statue of Calungsod in the church. It will stand atop the baptismal font from the first St. Mary’s Church. Calungsod is only the second saint from the Philippines. He went to the Mariana Islands in 1668 and was one of a group of lay catechists who assisted Jesuit missionaries in their Pacific mission. A Filipino native from the Visayas Islands, Calungsod was in his early teens when he arrived in Guam with Jesuit Father Diego Luis de San Vitores. In those days, it was common for young people who were not studying for the priesthood to travel with the missionaries as they contemplated entering consecrated life. On April 2, 1672, Calungsod was martyred alongside San Vitores after the Jesuit baptized the infant daughter of Chamorro Chief Mata’pang. While San Vitores baptized the girl in her mother’s presence, it was without the consent of the chief. After learning of the baptism, Mata’pang enlisted the assistance of Chamorro warrior Hirao, and together they attacked and killed San Vitores and Calungsod. He was 18. Calungsod was beatified March 5, 2000, by Pope John Paul II. Before the Mass, a group of about 30 youth gathered in the Old St. Mary’s church hall to learn more about Calungsod and living a life in the Lord. Staff from the Office of Catechesis and Youth Ministry led the discussion. Auxiliary Bishop Alberto Rojas celebrated the Mass and was joined by Bishop Francis Kane and various priests from the archdiocese. A 100-member choir and ensemble led the music. At the end of the Mass, Bishop Kane called up all of the youth and young adults for a special blessing. Bishop Kane entreated the young people to look to Calungsod as an inspiration on how to live for the Lord. A group of pilgrims from the Archdiocese of Chicago attended Calungsod’s canonization in Rome last October. The excitement from that trip led to the establishment of the shrine to Calungsod at Old St. Mary’s, said Teresita Nuval, director of the archdiocese’s Office for Asian Catholics. A large committee formed and worked on the Mass for three months. One of those members was Rhonda Laylo, a young adult from St. Gerald Parish in Oak Lawn. Laylo didn’t know of Calungsod before joining the committee, which is why, she said, it is important to stay connected to your faith and “be open to lots of new ideas.” Since coming to learn his story of courage and faith, Laylo said she has asked herself what she would be willing to do for her faith. “What other sacrifices should I be making to see that I am being purposeful in my life and a good Christian?” she said. Christine Taylo said she learned of Calungsod from her mother. Knowing the saint better has helped her strengthen her faith, which the high school senior says she sometimes struggles with. “Since he was so tied to my culture and religion it helped inspire me to continue to walk the path that God set out for us,” Taylo said.