Today, February 6, is the memorial of Saint Pedro Bautista, Saint Paul Miki & Companion-Martyrs.
Pedro Bautista was born in Spain in 1542. He was a Franciscan missionary in the Philippines who became the first bishop of the diocese of Nueva Caceres (Camarines Sur). In 1586 he became the parish priest of Lumban, Laguna.
He also founded San Francisco del Monte in Quezon City. He discovered the medical properties of the Los Baños hot springs in Laguna.
He transferred to Japan to put up schools, hospitals, and convents. The Japanese emperor Toyotomi Hideyoshi did not appreciate what they were doing. He commanded his henchmen to arrest and jail Pedro, Paul, and companions. Later, he had the imprisoned religious men crucified.
All 26 of them were crucified like this: iron clamps around the wrists, ankles and throat; a straddle piece was placed between the legs for weight support; and the person was pierced with a lance up through the left and right ribs toward the opposite shoulder, causing inexpressible pain and excruciating death.
Together with Paul Miki and their companions, Pedro died in 1597 in Nagasaki, Japan. They were beatified in 1627 by Pope Urban VIII. They were canonized in 1862 by Blessed Pope Pius IX.