Saint of the day September 2: Blessed Bartolomé Gutiérrez. Catholic Saints

Every September 2, the Church remembers Blessed Bartolomé Gutiérrez, an Augustinian priest of the 16th century, born in Mexico and who was called to the presence of God through martyrdom, as a missionary in Japan.

Fray Bartolomé Gutiérrez Espinosa was beatified on July 7, 1867 by Pope Pius IX.

A ‘big’ and ingenious boy

Bartholomew was born on September 4, 1580 in Mexico City (Viceroyalty of New Spain). At the age of 16, in 1596, he entered the Order of Saint Augustine (Augustines). Bartolomé was a corpulent and obviously overweight young man. For this reason, the friars who lived with him used to play jokes on him, to which he responded with a patient smile.

His greatest desire was to be a missionary, travel to the ends of the world and proclaim the Word of the Lord; Unfortunately, there were many among his Augustinian brothers who viewed this possibility with skepticism. They did not believe that Bartholomew was capable of undertaking a journey to distant lands and surviving in the midst of rugged geography or adverse climate.

However, the blessed man managed to leave his detractors stunned in one. On one occasion, Bartolomé allowed himself to respond to ridicule about his weight by displaying wit and fine irony. To those who mocked his fatness he said: “So much the better, there will be more relics to distribute when I die a martyr, because one day I will go to the Philippines and from there to Japan where I will die for the faith of Christ.”

Greatness of spirit

After completing his ecclesiastical studies, Bartolomé was ordained a priest and sent to Puebla. In 1606 he was enlisted along with other missionaries for the mission to the Philippines. Once he arrived on the island, he was appointed the position of master of novices.

Bartholomew had a great ability to learn other languages, so he mastered Tagalog (the quintessential Filipino language) and then introduced himself to Japanese.

In 1612 he embarked for Japan and a year later he was appointed prior of the Osaka convent, from where he devoted himself fully to evangelization, taking charge of a large community of faithful Christians.

“Be gentle as doves and wise as the serpent” (Mt 10, 16)

In 1615 the expulsion of all religious from Japan was decreed, and Blessed Bartholomew was forced to return to the Philippines. However, the provincial asked him to return to Japan, in the company of Father Pedro de Zúñiga – also a future blessed. The missionaries arrived at the mission land on August 12, 1618.

From then on, Father Bartholomew exercised an exemplary ministry among the Japanese, preaching and administering the sacraments clandestinely, challenging authority for the good of souls. For more than 12 years he faced the dangers of persecution: he lived between the fields and the forest; He suffered hunger, misery and endured the inclement weather.

Valiant warrior like the Lord he served

In 1629 he was taken prisoner in Omura and, two years later, in 1631, he was transferred with his companions to Nagasaki, where he remained in captivity for three more years, until he was finally sentenced to death. After being tortured by being immersed in boiling water, he was burned alive on September 3, 1632 along with other missionaries. His body was reduced to ashes, which were collected and thrown into the sea.

Blessed Bartolomé Gutiérrez was part of the group of 205 martyrs of Japan led by also Blessed Alfonso Navarrete. They were elevated to the altars on July 7, 1867 by Pope Pius IX.

In Mexico the date for its commemoration is September 2, with the optional memory rank. On that day, the prayers of the mass and the liturgy of the hours are dedicated to him.