In Japan, 26 Christians were crucified on Feb. 5, 1598, including Br. Felipe. They were fastened to crosses with iron rings around their necks, hands, and feet, and then pierced with lances that went through both sides of their chests. Brother Felipe died first, after repeating the name “Jesus!" three times.
Welcome to "North American Sanctity," a series on holy men and women, boys and girls, saints and those on the road to sainthood, from Canada, the United States, and Mexico. Some will be familiar, others less so; but all are inspiring!
By Kimberly Bruce
A bit of a rebel in his youth, St. Felipe de las Casas Martínez (feast day: Feb. 5) went on to become a martyr for the faith and Mexico’s first saint, as well as the patron saint of Mexico City. His intercessory prayers were particularly sought during the Cristeros War for religious freedom in the 1920’s.
Long road to holiness
The eldest of 11 children to Don Alfonso de las Casas and Doña Antonia Martinez, Felipe was born on May 1, 1572, in Mexico City. He was known to be a flighty, restless, and mischievous child. So difficult was he to keep in line, that his exasperated nanny one day said that Felipe would only ever become holy “when the fig tree comes back to life!” This was in reference to a withered fig tree in the family’s orchard (which did in fact come back to life, becoming green again on the day of St. Felipe’s martyrdom)!
Two of Felipe’s siblings pursued religious life, and a relative on his father’s side, Friar Bartolomé de las Casas, was an evangelizer to the New World.
Felipe studied at the Jesuit school of St. Peter and St. Paul in Mexico City as a young man. Entering the Franciscans (Order of Friars Minor) in 1589, Felipe eventually left. He found the rules too difficult and lifestyle too strict for him to follow.
In his quest to seek the pleasures of the world, Felipe went on to pursue silversmithing, a trade he enjoyed, and which would later earn him the designation as the patron saint of silversmiths by the silversmiths’ guild upon his beatification.
Far East adventures
Not finding his new trade very lucrative, Felipe next travelled to the Philippines to pursue some family business at the behest of his father. Initially enjoying the allure and seductiveness of all Manila had to offer, three years later Felipe found himself growing tired of the emptiness and meaninglessness of his life. He felt Christ’s call again to the priesthood and begged to be allowed to re-enter the Franciscans, this time in Manila.
Felipe donned the Franciscan habit in 1593, professed his vows the following year, and took the name Felipe de Jesus. As there was no bishop in the Philippines, Felipe was informed by his order that he would be ordained in his hometown in New Spain (today’s Mexico). Brother Felipe set sail with other Franciscans on July 12, 1596, and began the long journey to Mexico that usually took seven or eight months.
A great storm damaged their ship, however, and they found themselves adrift for a month. This, combined with other storms, resulted in loss of control of the ship causing them to land off the coast of Japan on Oct. 18, 1596.
As they were nearing Japan, Br. Felipe had a vision. In the sky over the country, he saw a white cross that turned red. He was aware that this indicated martyrdom.
In Japan he engaged in evangelization with local fellow Friars already involved in the task. He lived for several months in the town of Meaco where the Franciscans had a school and a hospital. Seeing the fruits that their evangelization efforts brought, Br. Felipe was encouraged. The local government, however, began to be nervous with the number of converts to the faith and suspicious of the missionaries.
Martyrdom
Persecution of all Christians followed by order of the de-facto Japanese leader, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who was worried foreigners would jeopardize his career and interests. Christians were jailed and condemned to death. As Br. Felipe was not yet ordained, he could have avoided persecution but instead pressed to be martyred along with his fellow brethren and other Christians.
On Dec. 30, 1597, all the friars and Japanese Christians were imprisoned. On Jan. 3, 1598, they all suffered their left ears being cut off. They were then forced to march for a month from Tokyo to Nagasaki in the dead of winter.
These 26 Christians were crucified on Feb. 5, 1598, including Br. Felipe. They were fastened to crosses with iron rings around their necks, hands, and feet, and then pierced with lances that went through both sides of their chests.
Brother Felipe died first as the rings for his feet were not yet in place, and the ring around his neck began to cause his suffocation. Repeating the name “Jesus!" three times before he died, he then suffered spears to his chest by his executioners.
Inspiration
Brother Felipe’s death was not in vain. As mentioned, his prayers were sought particularly during the Cristeros War, and it is said that every soldier carried a picture of St. Felipe close to his heart. He was recognized by his fellow Catholics and Christians as one to emulate in holiness, stoicism, courage, steadfastness, faith, and perseverance.
Today, St. Felipe is someone we can look to and pray to for help in our daily struggles of life and as pertains our faith.
Our Lord, Himself, told St. Faustina that the life of such martyrs is not in vain, saying:
Know, My daughter, that your silent day-to-day martyrdom in complete submission to My will ushers many souls into heaven. And when it seems to you that your suffering exceeds your strength, contemplate My wounds, and you will rise above human scorn and judgment. Meditation on My Passion will help you rise above all things (Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska, 1184).
Brother Felipe and his companions were beatified on Sept. 14, 1627, and canonized by Pope Pius IX on June 8, 1862.
The Oura Cathedral, the original cathedral of Nagasaki, was built in memory of the 26 martyrs who lost their lives during the 16th century persecution. It also houses a museum which commemorates the martyrs.
Saint Felipe de Jesus de las Casas Martínez, pray for us to have the zeal and courage you exhibited in life and in death! Amen.
Next in the series: St. José Sánchez del Río, Feb. 10.
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