Peter To Rot, a Catholic convert, husband and father, has become the first canonized saint from Papua New Guinea.
In an interview with The Catholic Weekly, the priest who gathered information for his cause for canonization described the heroism of St. To Rot, who gave his life in defense of marriage during World War II.
“I am personally convinced that the Holy Eucharist was the source of To Rot’s strength,” Father Tomás Ravaioli, IVE, an Argentinian missionary, told The Catholic Weekly in an interview published Oct. 20.
St. To Rot developed a relationship with Jesus in the Eucharist at a young age, stopping often for Eucharistic adoration by himself during school breaks, Fr. Ravaioli explained. It is believed that when he was 6 or 7 he asked to move to his uncle’s home, which was closer to the church because he wanted to go to daily Mass, according to Fr. Ravaioli. To Rot was married at age 24 and had three children.
To Rot’s love for the Eucharist – which he received daily – continued to grow, and he would spend long periods of time in the church, Fr. Ravaioli said.
According to Agenzia Fides, when Japan invaded the country in 1942, the occupying forces were hostile to Catholic priests and imprisoned, interrogated, and even tortured many missionaries.
To Rot would risk his life walking five to six hours through a jungle to go to the prison and receive the Eucharist from the missionaries and then distribute the Eucharist among other Catholics, according to Fr. Ravaioli. To Rot kept the Eucharist safe in a secret grotto, which he visited often to worship Jesus, the priest said.
“His greatest concern was that this hiding place not be discovered, because there lay his treasure,” Fr. Ravaioli said.
During these years, To Rot also helped couples prepare for marriage in secret because the imprisoned missionaries could not, as CatholicVote previously reported.
To Rot also spoke out against polygamy, which was a common practice in his country before the country was colonized, Australian Broadcasting Company reported. The Japanese forces had legalized polygamy to try to gain the favor of locals.
In 1945, after he confronted his brother for taking a second wife, his brother turned him over to the police, CatholicVote reported. He spent two months in prison, where he was executed.
“Today, the image of the family is deeply distorted and constantly under attack,” Fr. Ravaioli told The Catholic Weekly. “The modern world calls any kind of union ‘marriage’ or ‘family,’ and values such as fidelity, unity, and indissolubility are ridiculed and practically non-existent. To Rot reminds us what God intends for marriage and family.”
Pope Leo XIV canonized To Rot Oct. 19 and praised the new saint’s extraordinary courage in an address on Oct. 20.
“Dear brothers and sisters,” Pope Leo said, “may the example of Saint Peter To Rot encourage us to defend the truths of the faith, even at the cost of personal sacrifice, and to rely always on God in our trials.”