Philip of Jesus

Saint Philip of Jesus was born in Mexico City in 1572, the son of Spanish immigrants. As a young man he entered the Reformed Franciscans, but soon grew weary of religious life and left, pursuing trade and a more worldly path. While in the Philippines, grace stirred his heart again, and in 1590 he was readmitted to the Franciscans in Manila, embracing anew the call he had once abandoned. When the time came for ordination, he was sent back toward Mexico, since Manila lacked a bishop. Sailing in 1596, his ship was driven by storm onto the coast of Japan. Suspicion fell on the missionaries after weapons were found aboard, and the ruler Toyotomi Hideyoshi ordered arrests. Philip and his companions endured imprisonment, public humiliation, and a long forced march to Nagasaki. There, on February 5, 1597, they were crucified and pierced with spears, joining the Twenty-six Martyrs of Japan. Venerated as the first Mexican Catholic saint and patron of Mexico City, Saint Philip of Jesus is celebrated on February 5.