By Marlene Quaroni - Florida Catholic

Photographer: MARLENE QUARONI | FC

Father Sammy Alvero, Archbishop Bernardito Auza, papal nuncio to Haiti, and Father Jets Medina pose for photos with members of the Filipino Apostolate after the Mass.

Photographer: MARLENE QUARONI | FC

Ernesto Olivos, left, and Hector Villamor carry a statue of San Lorenzo Ruiz into St. Mary Cathedral.

MIAMI � �Mabuhay!� Archbishop Thomas Wenski used a Tagalog word, meaning �welcome�, as he greeted members of the Filipino Apostolate, most wearing traditional �barong Tagalog� shirts at a Mass honoring San Lorenzo Ruiz.

�We honor him because he died for Jesus,� the archbishop told the Filipinos who gathered at St. Mary Cathedral Sept. 26 in anticipation of the Sept. 28 feast day of their first saint and the 15th anniversary of the founding of their apostolate in the Archdiocese of Miami.

The saint, born in Manila about 1600, was educated by Dominicans. He was married, had three children and worked as a calligrapher. In 1636, Ruiz was falsely accused of a crime and sought asylum with Dominican priests on a ship. But he didn�t know they were headed to Japan as missionaries where they would try to slip into the country and preach the Gospel.

Christianity was forbidden in Japan and those professing Christianity were severely persecuted. The priests and Lorenzo Ruiz were identified as Christians and put on trial. When they wouldn�t deny their faith they were tortured to death.

Archbishop Wenski repeated the words the saint told the judges when they asked him if he would renounce his faith.

�That I will never do, because I am a Christian, and I shall die for God, and for him I shall give many thousand lives if I had them,� San Lorenzo Ruiz told his persecutors.

Photographer: MARLENE QUARONI | FC

Archbishop Bernardito Auza, papal nuncio to Haiti and a native of the Philippines, delivers the homily at the Mass.

Archbishop Bernardito Auza, a Filipino and the papal nuncio to Haiti, told Filipinos at Mass that San Lorenzo Ruiz endured horrible suffering because he loved God.

�There is no greater gift then martyrdom,� said Archbishop Auza.

Although the age of martyrdom may be over, we can still sacrifice for God, he said.

�You may not encounter samurai swords,� he said. �But today, we�re constantly tempted by materialism. Our guiding principle should be love, especially for the less fortunate.�

The bishop urged the Filipinos to continue their country�s traditions in this country.

�In Miami, you maintain your veneration for San Lorenzo Ruiz,� he said. �Please continue this tradition with future generations who will call themselves Americans. Viva San Lorenzo Ruiz!�

The Filipino Apostolate began in 1996 when about 150 Filipinos convened to form the new ministry, said Rosa Maria Montenegro.

As a result, two Philippine Masses take place in the archdiocese each month: one in Miami-Dade at Good Shepherd Church every first Sunday at 5:30 p.m.; the other in Broward at St. Gregory Church, every last Sunday at 3 p.m.

Besides the two monthly Masses, several other cultural events take place. About 80 percent of Filipinos are Catholic and there are about 40,000 Filipino-Americans in South Florida, Montenegro said.

She was the archdiocese�s evangelization coordinator from 1996 to 2001. She helped found the apostolate with the help of then Father Wenski, who was in charge of the Ministry to Non-Hispanic Cultural Groups.

Photographer: MARLENE QUARONI | FC

Rossamina Tumulak, of the Sinulog dance group, performs the candle dance with other members of the group during the reception that followed the Mass.