Saint Philip of Jesus

Philip of Jesus, OFM (Spanish: Felipe de Jesús; 1572 – 1597) was a Spanish Franciscan missionary who became one of the Twenty-six Martyrs of Japan. He is the first Mexican Catholic saint and is the patron saint of Mexico City. Felipe de las Casas Ruiz was born in Mexico City in 1572. His parents had recently emigrated from Spain. He joined the Reformed Franciscans of the Province of St. Didacus, founded in Mexico by Peter Baptista, with whom he suffered martyrdom later. After some months in the Order, Philip grew tired of religious life, and left the Franciscans. He took up a mercantile career, and went to the Philippines, another Spanish colony, where he led a secular life. Later he desired to re-enter the Franciscans and was again admitted at Manila in 1590. After some years it was determined that he was ready for ordination and sent to Mexico for this, since the episcopal see of Manila was vacant at that time, and thus no bishop was available locally to ordain him. He sailed on the San Felipe on 12 July 1596, but a storm drove the vessel upon the coast of Japan. The governor of the province confiscated the ship and imprisoned its crew and passengers, among whom were Franciscan friar, Juan de Zamorra, as well as three other friars, two Augustinians and a Dominican. The discovery of soldiers, cannon and ammunition on the ship led to the suspicion that it was intended for the conquest of Japan, and that the missionaries were merely to prepare the way for the soldiers. This was also said by one of the crew, and it enraged the Japanese Taikō, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, generally called Taicosama by Europeans. In consequence, he commanded on December 8, 1596, the arrest of the Franciscans in the friary at Miako, now Kyoto, where Philip had gone. The friars were all kept prisoners in the friary until 30 December, when they were transferred to the city prison.