Rooted in the Love of God Like San Pedro Calungsod

(Excerpt from the Homily of Most Rev. Romulo G. Valles, D.D., Archbishop of Davao during the Feast Day of San Pedro Calungsod and the Mindanao-Sulu Pastoral Conference Youth Congress 2026 Opening Mass at San Pedro Cathedral last October 21, 2026.)

Now, young people like you opening your Youth Congress today with his feast. He was martyred in a place that we call now Guam. He was more or less, guess his age? 17 years old, it is said that he is, could be patron saint of catechists, true, he went with the Jesuits as catechists but can be very well be a patron saint for young people.

I know Carlo Acutis is now being seen as an important figure of young people but Pedro Calungsod is according to records, he was martyred mga 17 years old siya. So, we have this Opening Eucharist, in this feast, what is the Church telling us and telling you young people, it’s one side, tama, to glorify the Lord, praise Him for this saint, but strongly implies a praise for the Lord for giving us Pedro Calungsod, but what is there truly for us today?

You have your theme: Mindanao Youth: Rooted for Love, Rising for Mission, truly wonderful theme, short. Let me read your theme, rooted in love being the theme for Church-based young people. It cannot be any other love, dili ba love nga romantic kaayo, Youtube love, Tiktok love, movie, popular love, I’m sure you know what I’m referring to. Rooted in the love of Christ, one direction and rooted in the love of Christ for God, two-way. We can extend rooted in the manner of love of St. Pedro Calungsod, outside from that it cannot function, sayang ang hago sa Youth Congress sa Mindanao.

It is only with that that we can truly appropriate for ourselves making the theme of this Congress truly I hope and I believe grace-giving for you and for us. There is no other reason why a young person like Pedro Calungsod, there were no records that he was forced, like compulsion for him to go to a foreign land. At a young age, he was able to figure out the love of God for us, the love of Christ for us and that love of God surely illicits a return dynamic of loving Him. I cannot see another reason for Pedro Calungsod to say yes to go with the Jesuits in Guam. Rooted in His love, again and again is celebrated by the Church and us in this Holy Eucharist. Karaan na kaayo, no big news, stale but it is rooted in love how is understood in Pedro Calungsod’s life and in this Holy Eucharist the love of the Father and in return our love and the love of Jesus back to the Father.

It is only being rooted in love that rising in mission can happen. It’s only one reason why we go to mission. Embedded in the word mission is the Good News. It is such a Good News the love of God beyond imagining that we cannot help ourselves but go forth and proclaim this love to people, the “you angle”, the joy of the Gospel, Evangelii Gaudium as Pope Francis would tell us.