Blessed Peter Vásquez

Pedro Vásquez, O.P, also known as Peter Vásquez, (1591 – 25 August 1624) was a Spanish Dominican friar, Catholic priest, and missionary who died a martyr in Japan. He was beatified in July 1867 by Pope Pius IX. Pedro Vásquez was born in 1591 in Verín, in the Province and Roman Catholic Diocese of Ourense, in Spain. He was educated in Monterrei, before he entered the Order of Preachers at the Priory of Our Lady of Atocha in Madrid. He received the habit of Dominican Order, made profession on 30 April 1609 and was known as Hermano Pedro de Santa Catalina (Br Peter of St Catherine). He studied philosophy in the Royal Priory of Holy Cross in Segovia, then theology at the Priory of St. Thomas in Ávila. In 1613, James Aduarte arrived to recruit missionaries for the Far East. Vásquez was chosen for this mission after showing great enthusiasm. Vásquez and Aduarte departed Spain and sailed to the Philippines via Mexico, They arrived in Manila at the end of April 1615. Vásquez's first assignment was in the province of Cagayan. He learned the regional language at Lal-lo, Cagayan in New Segovia. For the next five years, he was assigned to pastoral care within the Philippines. In 1621, Vásquez was then appointed to act as Superior of St. Vincent Community in Balunguei. He was not happy with this apostolate and repeatedly asked to be allowed to go to Japan, as the martyrdom of Alfonso Navarrete, in 1617, had made a profound impression on him. Ultimately, his superiors granted his request. In July 1621, he left Manila for his new apostolate work in Nagasaki. Because of the shortage of missionaries, Vásquez promptly started his mission work in the spring of 1622, once he educated himself with the language. On 14 August, he disguised himself as a Japanese guard, with a pair of swords slung at his side, he entered the prison of Nagasaki.