SAIPAN : LUISES YAN ESTANISLAOS

Garapan Church in the 1930s

Before World War II, Spanish Jesuits staffed the Catholic missions of Saipan and Luta.

These Jesuit missionaries established on Saipan two organizations for boys and young men, just as they had been doing for many years in Spain. The aim of these two organizations was the religious formation of the members.

Age divided these two societies.

The Congregation of SAN ESTANISLAO was for boys who had made their First Holy Communion (7 years old) up to around 15 years old. It was named after Saint Stanislaus Kostka, a Polish Jesuit saint who died at the age of 17.

The Congregation of SAN LUIS GONZAGA was for boys older than 15, up until they got married. This group was named after Saint Aloysius Gonzaga, an Italian Jesuit saint who died at the age of 23. These two young, male saints were to be the model for the young males in these societies.

In Spain, members of the two groups were called Luises and Estanislaos. I don't know if they were called this in Saipan; all the members back then are now passed away! But it's possible they were, even if only on occasion by the Spanish priest.

Like any organization, they had their regular meetings and religious functions. In parts of Spain, the Luises met every third Sunday of the month for spiritual reflection and prayer.

These statues of San Luis Gonzaga and San Estanislao in the Mt Carmel Cathedral in Chalan Kanoa, Saipan are echoes of the past. Many people wonder, "Who are these saints and why are they here?" Now they have the answer with this blog post.

ESTABLISHED IN 1932

In April of 1932, the Spanish Jesuits in Saipan established the Congregation of San Luís Gonzaga in Garapan. Though the Chamorros were the majority, the Carolinians were well represented.

In time, every third Sunday of the month, the members attended the same Mass and received Holy Communion as a group. Mass was followed by a spiritual talk given just to the members. Gatherings usually ended with some kind of social time, such as a meal or snacks (merienda), once at the home of the Tomokane family.

ORIGINAL MEMBERS OF THE CONGREGATION OF SAN LUIS GONZAGA

April 1932

Juan Matsunaga	Daniel Matsunaga	David Reyes
José Muña	Joaquín Santos	Juan Mendiola
Jesús Dueñas	Jesús Tudela	José Villagómez
Manasés Matsunaga	Gregorio Arriola	Germán de León Guerrero
Tomás Agulto	Vicente Cruz	Godofredo Sánchez
Gregorio Castro	Pedro Camacho	Antonio Reyes
Carlos Torres	Luís Arriola	Efrain Matsunaga
Francisco Sablan	Benedicto Lizama	Vicente Capileo
Luís Santos	Elías Malite	Vidal Selepeo
Francisco Teregeyo	Albert Fitipual	Tomás Igimara
Aniceto Teregeyo	Alejandro Sablan	José Olopai
Tomás Ríos	Antonio Díaz	Vicente Cepeda
Gabriel Boyer	Francisco Borja	Martín Borja
Antonio Cabrera Camacho	Leonardo Cabrera	José Cepeda
Bonifacio Esteves	Vicente Babauta	Luís Santos
Juan Cepeda	Tomás Blas	Antonio Rogolifoi
Jesús Ríos	José de León Guerrero	Joaquín Díaz
Torcuato Borja	Alberto Tenorio	Enrique Lizama
Juan Limes	Gregorio Camacho	Vicente Palacios
Basilio Ogarto	José Fitial

From among these members, the following were office holders :

Jesús Ríos - Prefect
José de León Guerrero - Assistant
Joaquín Díaz - Secretary
Torcuato Borja - Treasurer
Alberto Tenorio - Warden
Enrique Lizama - Instructor

Juan Limes - Councilor
Gregorio Camacho - Councilor
Vicente Palacios - Councilor
Basilio Ogarto - Councilor
José Fitial - Councilor