November 28, 1594 – September 29, 1637

Feast Day: September 28

Patron saint of the Philippines and Filipino youth

Of Chinese and Filipino descent, Saint Lorenzo married young and had three children. Falsely accused of murder, he fled to Japan with a group of Dominican priests in 1636. There, they were imprisoned and tortured. Lorenzo Ruiz refused to deny his faith. Martyred for Christ, he was canonized on October 18, 1987.