Miguel de Ayatumo
| Miguel Ayatumo | |
|---|---|
| Religion | Catholic |
| Order | Society of Jesus |
| Personal | |
| Born |
c. 1593 Boholio, Cebu, Captaincy General of the Philippines |
| Died |
(aged 16) Loboc, Bohol, Cebu, Captaincy General of the Philippines |
| Resting place | San Pedro Apostol Parish Church, Loboc, Bohol, Philippines |
| Religious career | |
| Profession | Seminarian |
Miguel Ayatumo (ca. 1593 – 19 November 1609) is a venerated Filipino Catholic seminarian student in Loboc, Bohol, who died in odor of sanctity. Contemporary records speaks glowingly of him as the "Aloysius Gonzaga" of Bohol. His remains lies inside the Loboc Church and is being revered as a pilgrimage site.[1]
Biography
The life of Miguel Ayatumo takes place against the background of the early Jesuit missionary efforts in the island of Bohol.
In a place called Boholio (Bohol) is born to pagan parents an exceptionally attractive "Indian" child (nirio Indiesito). At the age of seven, he is baptized in the Holy Catholic Faith by Jesuit father Gabriel Sanchez and is named after the Archangel St. Michael, hence his name Miguel. For five years after baptism, he lives with his parents, who have themselves taken the rite of baptism, and so amazes everyone because, even at a tender age, he is filled with fervent piety, fasting, praying as he walks from house to school, and even flagellating his young body.
At the age of 12, Miguel enters the Jesuit boarding school or seminario where his faith so increases that he becomes a "model of perfection" for all. For four years in the school, Miguel is like an "angel," performing all his temporal and spiritual duties with utmost zeal and fidelity. He would accompany the Jesuit fathers in their missionizing forays into the surrounding territory, going ahead of them to cut a path through the foliage with his bolo, acting as carrier and cook, and standing guard at night as the priests slept. He spends all his days in prayer and meditation.
At age 13, he makes a personal vow of chastity. He applies himself to his studies with such dedication that even in the hours when the other boys are out playing in the fields, he is studying and writing for catechetical use on topics like devotion to Virgin Mary, examining one's conscience, or making a good confession, all of which he never fails to present to the priests for examination and correction. So focused is Miguel on faith that he molds his whole life as a preparation for a Christian death.
On 19 November 1609, Miguel woke up early and went to the sacristy to help prepare for the mass. The mass over, he went to the river to assist six other boys who were there washing clothes. As he descended the steps leading to the water, he slipped and fell, striking his chest against the prow of a moored boat. Crying out Iesus, Maria, y Ioseph and murmuring the names of his titular saints, the sixteen-year-old Miguel received the last sacraments as he died. Dressed in a tunic, a fresh palm in his hand, his head adorned with a crown of flowers, he was later buried.
Miguel was then buried inside the Loboc Church alongside with another saintly figure, Jesuit Fr. Alonso Humanes. Both graves became subjects of pilgrimages since 1633.
See also
References
- ↑ Mojares, Resil B. (1993). "The Life of Miguel Ayatumo: A Sixteenth-Century Boholano". Philippine Studies. 41 (4): 437–458.
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