Our ancestors both welcomed the Spanish missionaries AND opposed them.
One such Chamorro who embraced the Catholic faith was a young boy named Carlos Maañao.
Carlos died on February 22 in the year 1698. The missionaries wrote that he was a student at the Colegio de San Juan de Letrán, the school established in Hagåtña by Sanvitores for the education of select Chamorro boys.
He fell into sickness and two Jesuit priests assisted him in his last days. On his sick bed, Carlos spoke so tenderly and lovingly of Christ suffering on the cross, and of the Blessed Mother, that the priests and the young boys in the Colegio were moved, some to tears. He prayed ardently for the forgiveness of his sins and that he might not have to pass through Purgatory.
When he was told how serious his illness was, he began to go to confession and receive Holy Communion every eight days. He prayed the Rosary devoutly. He died, in the opinion of the missionaries, a holy death.
No comments:
Post a Comment