THE STORY OF SAINT LORENZO RUIZ AND COMPANIONS
Lorenzo was born in Manila of a Chinese father and a Filipino mother, both Christians. Thus he learned Chinese and Tagalog from them, and Spanish from the Dominicans whom he served as altar boy and sacristan. He became a professional calligrapher, transcribing documents in beautiful penmanship. He was a full member of the Confraternity of the Holy Rosary under Dominican auspices. He married and had two sons and a daughter.
Lorenzo’s life took an abrupt turn when he was accused of murderAt that time, three Dominican priests, Antonio Gonzalez, Guillermo Courtet, and Miguel de Aozaraza, were about to sail to Japan in spite of a violent persecution there. With them was a Japanese priest, Vicente Shiwozuka de la Cruz, and a layman named Lazaro, a leper. Lorenzo, having taken asylum with them, was allowed to accompany them. But only when they were at sea did he learn that they were going to Japan.
They landed at Okinawa. Lorenzo could have gone on to Formosa, but, he reported, “I decided to stay with the Fathers, because the Spaniards would hang me there.” In Japan they were soon found out, arrested, and taken to Nagasaki. The site of wholesale bloodshed when the atomic bomb was dropped had known tragedy before. The 50,000 Catholics who once lived there were dispersed or killed by persecution.
They were subjected to an unspeakable kind of torture: After huge quantities of water were forced down their throats, they were made to lie down. Long boards were placed on their stomachs and guards then stepped on the ends of the boards, forcing the water to spurt violently from mouth, nose and ears.
St Lorenzo Ruiz 9-day Novena 2p SMC 8.5 x 11 
Prayer
Grant us, we pray, Lord God, the same perseverance shown by your Martyrs Saint Lawrence Ruiz and his companions in serving you and their neighbour, since those persecuted for the sake of righteousness are blessed in your Kingdom. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. God, for ever and ever.
COLLECT PRAYER
O God, who taught the Martyr Saint Wenceslaus to place the heavenly Kingdom before an earthly one, grant through his prayers that, denying ourselves, we may hold fast to you with all our heart. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.
Prayer to St. Lorenzo Ruiz
O most merciful and almighty God,
You bestowed as gift to Lorenzo Ruiz
The strength to withstand
The overpowering forces of death
For the sake of his faith in You.
Through his prayers,
Help us to follow his example
By overcoming all life’s trials
And eventually, increase
Our hope and love in You.
O St. Lorenzo Ruiz,
You brought honour to your country,
Having been a level-headed
And prudent father of the family,
A witness of Christ in your life
Until your death.
We present all our petitions
To God through your help
So that by our actions,
We may know more and love more
Jesus our Lord and Savior.
We humbly implore
Your intercession O dear St. Lorenzo,
For the infinite glory of God
And in honour of your triumph
As a martyr of Christ
And defender of Christianity.
Amen.
Saint Lorenzo Ruiz Memorial Prayer Card
God our loving Father, we praise and thank you for crowning St. Lorenzo Ruiz with the glory of martyrdom. Through his intercession, enable us by your Holy Spirit, to live and die for you and your beloved people, hoping that we may be transformed day by day into the likeness of your Son, Jesus Christ. United with him around the table of the Eucharistic Sacrifice, inspire us to surrender ourselves that we may be taken by you, Father, to be blessed, broken, and shared with and for others in love and unity. Amen.
A Prayer to St. Lorenzo Ruiz
Beloved Lorenzo Ruiz, confronted with death, you proclaimed your readiness to die a thousand times for your Christian faith. Today the whole world admires your courage. We feel particularly proud of you as our brother. And we pray: You, a family man, protect our families. Keep them united in love. You, who bore your sufferings with patience and resignation, intercede for the sick of mind and body; help them to receive the grace of God’s miraculous healing. You, who died in a foreign country, take care of Filipinos living and working in this country and in other parts of the world. You, an example of Christian fortitude, sustain our faith and make it spread and grow strong all around us. You, the Philippines’ first saint, be the country’s special protector. Unite us as one people; help us to work in harmony for development and progress; and give us peace. Amen.(State your intentions). San Lorenzo Ruiz, pray for us.
Amen.
Saint Lorenzo Ruiz Prayers
O most merciful and almighty God, you bestowed as gift to Lorenzo Ruiz the strength to withstand the overpowering forces of death for the sake of his faith in You. Through his prayers, help us to follow his example by overcoming all life’s trials and eventually, increase our hope and love in You. O Saint Lorenzo Ruiz, you brought honor to your country, having been a level-headed and prudent father of the family, a witness of Christ in your life until your death. We present all our petitions to God through your help so that by our actions we may know more and love more Jesus our Lord and Savior. We humbly implore your intercession O dear Saint Lorenzo, for the infinite glory of God and in honor of your triumph as a martyr of Christ and defender of Christianity.
Amen.
PRAYER IN TIMES OF ADVERSITY
Beloved SAN LORENZO RUIZ DE MANILA and Companion Martyrs: You, who experienced the supreme sacrifice of martyrdom for the proclamation of the Christian faith, inspire us with your strength and firmness of conviction to withstand the adversities of our lives and the difficulties of our existence. Teach us with your marvelous example and saintly wisdom to turn trials into blessings, by showing us the glory that comes from discovering the redemptive power of God’s love. When times are full of grief, when moments are suffused with worry, let us feel your presence in our midst, so that we will be aware that you are by our side, strengthening us and interceding for us before Almighty God that we may have patience in our sufferings and consolation in our hardships. Help us realize that only in knowing our weakness can we be strong, only in undergoing sadness can we find real happiness, and only in passing through trials and distress can we find peace, encouragement and spiritual joy. AMEN. (State your intentions). San Lorenzo Ruiz, pray for us.
PRAYER FOR THE SICK
Beloved SAN LORENZO RUIZ DE MANILA and Martyr Companions, to you do we come for help. Help us to have the same faith and love that you had for God. We call upon you today on behalf of our ailing beloved ones. By your prayers and intercession obtain for them, not only comfort and peace for their souls, but also vigor, strength and health for their bodies. We place our entire confidence in you because we know that God loves you and that you care for us. We earnestly pray that our sick ones be purified and revitalized in every cell, tissue, nerve and organ, so that the bodily limbs may function effectively again. Through your powerful intercession help our sick to receive the grace of God’s miraculous compassion, so that they will be completely whole again, and thereby be able to continue serving God faithfully in this life to the best of their strength and to attain the salvation to which you arrived. AMEN.
