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Catholic Saints
St. Peter To Rot
00:19:10
This recently-canonized saint from Papua New Guinea believed so strongly in the sanctity of marriage that he died for it. Join Father Tegha Afuhwi Nji and Dr. Jessica Ewell to learn about the life and legacy of Saint Peter To Rot. Rev. Tegha Afuhwi Nji is an assistant professor of theology at the Augustine Institute Graduate School of Theology. Learn more at Augustine.edu.
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- [00:02]
A
You're listening to a podcast on Catholic Saints. This podcast is produced by the Augustine Institute, an apostolate helping Catholics understand, live and share their faith.
- [00:20]
B
Hello and welcome to Catholic Saints, the podcast about the lives of the saints and their legacy for the church and for us. I'm Dr. Jessica Yule and I'm joined today by Father Tega Ngi. Welcome, Father. It's great to have you.
- [00:34]
C
Thank you, Jessica. Glad to join you on this inspiring and life changing journey with the saints.
- [00:41]
B
Today we're going to be talking about a pretty new saint, Saint Peter Thorot, and I'm very excited to learn more about him. Father teaches in our graduate school. And I was wondering, Father, has there been a moment lately where the saints have come into your teaching in a. Specifically in a. In a powerful way?
- [01:02]
C
Yes, Jessica. My course, the Mystery of God, has a whole section wherein we study the reflections, the life and the wisdom of the saints, specifically on the Trinity, the mystery of God. We engage saints like St. Augustine, St. Thomas Aquinas, of course, the classics, and also the mystics of especially the Carmelite order, Saints John of the Cross, Theresa of Avila, and Elizabeth of the Trinity. And it's always fascinating to hear the students tell me. That section of the course often is their favorite part of the course. So there's a lot we can learn from the wisdom of the saints and their experiences about God and life in general.
- [01:46]
B
So today we're going to be talking about St. Peter Thorot and his feast day is. When is that, Father? July 7th.
- [01:53]
C
July 7th, correct.
- [01:55]
B
Very cool. Can you tell us a little bit about where he is from, a little bit about his biography, when did he live, some of that good information?
- [02:08]
C
Yes, Jessica, before I do that, providentially, July 7th is a special date to me because that is the anniversary of my baptism. So when I was invited to this podcast, I felt kind of happy, you know.
- [02:19]
B
Yeah, absolutely. That is so cool. How did you first find out about St. Peter?
- [02:25]
C
Honestly, I came to know about St. Peter only around his canonization. And when I was invited to this podcast, it gave me an opportunity to read a little bit more about him and to really come to appreciate the life and legacy he left us. He was born in the year 1912, and he was born in what is today known as Papua New guinea in the Pacific Ocean, or Oceania, as the case may be, in a little village called Rakanui. And he was the third of six children, the father Angelo and the mother Maria. These were their Christian names when they converted to Christianity after the missionary efforts of The Sacred Heart missionaries who were sent to Papua New guinea in the year 1898 with the recommendation of Pope Leo XIII, asked the founder of the Sacred Hunt missionaries for the used cavalier to send missionaries to that part of the world. And his parents were those who gave their land for the construction of the first church in their community and also his school. And their kind heartedness and Christian example was so inspiring that many of the citizens or many of the villagers decided to become Christians.
- [03:41]
B
Wow. So then what happened? So St. Peter was born 1912. Were there events going on around that time that are concerning to us or that concern his life, or was it a pretty calm childhood for him? What happened?
- [03:56]
C
Yes, beginning off as a child was pretty calm, we could say around the age of seven, his father taught him catechism and sent him to the local mission school, which was, I mean, today we cannot really appreciate what that meant. By the year 1990, when he went to this mission school, education was not an obligatory org, even necessary thing. Many persons were not educated in that part of the world. And his father spent time educating him and sent him to this mission school. And the parish priest then, the Sacred Heart missionary, Father La, as the name is pronounced sometimes. Yeah. He saw a great potential in the young Peter Thorote and he asked the father if he could enroll him in seminary to become a priest.
- [04:36]
B
Wow. Okay.
- [04:37]
C
But Peter was excited, of course. But the father did not find the idea as appealing. He considered Peter too young to enroll in seminary and told the priest it wasn't time for that yet. But then, at the age of 18, that was around the year 1930, Peter was sent to what was then called St. Paul's College, a school for catechists, where he studied for three years, returning to his village in 1933 to become a catechist. And in the meantime, he got married in the year 1936 to his beautiful wife Paula, and they had three children. One of these children was born and died shortly after childbirth, and the other one lived on. But to die shortly after World War II, which now is the major event that came to upset things for the villagers and also in a special way for Peter. And the third child was born only after Peter had died. So, like I mentioned, the major event which later on changed everything and the destiny of Peter's life was World War II, when the Japanese soldiers invaded Papua New guinea, things took a different turn for Peter.
- [05:41]
B
Yeah, I can imagine. Do we know much about his call to being a catechist? What kind of inspired him to do that? Or do we know Anything about his decision around that?
- [05:55]
C
Yes, we know quite a lot. And actually, he became a saint precisely because of his life as a catechist, and, of course, also as a caring and loving husband and father to his children. Like I mentioned earlier, when the war broke out in 1939, by the year 1942, Japanese soldiers had invaded Papua New Guinea. And what happened then was that Peter was a catechist, was so fervent, and he had become trusted by the missionaries who entrusted to him the charge of other catechists or other trainees, basically. And he would spend his time preaching the gospel from home to home, visiting the sick. And this became even more so because when the Japanese came, they arrested all the missionaries and locked them up, even though they allowed some kind of religious practice among the natives of Papua New Guinea. But then, after some time, they recognized that they were losing the battle. And in a way, to appease the local chiefs, these soldiers now asked the chiefs to go back to their old practices of polygamy, which was something, I mean, entrenched in many African cultures back then, in Papua New guinea back then and many parts of the world, too.
- [07:15]
B
Why did they want them to return to those practices? Did they think that it would strengthen their own position as invaders, or what was the dream for them?
- [07:24]
C
Exactly? They thought by so doing, they're going to win over the sympathy of the chiefs and that will strengthen their position in their military exploits. And, of course, the chiefs were not Christians. They rejected the Christian faith at that time, or the local authorities then rejected the Christian faith. So when that happened, it meant that Christianity became treated with a lot more hostility. And it was in that context that the sanctity, the courage, the holiness and fervent faith of Peter Thorotz was. Was supposed. Came to limelight, more or less. Peter opposed this new teaching or this way of life and maintained his firm belief in the Christian doctrine of marriage. And he's often referred to as the matter for marriage and family because it was through his insistence that monogamy be maintained as the Christian way of life. That led to his arrest by the local authorities of police and imprisonment. And because of that, he was asked to recant his faith, of course, and to embrace the new way of life, to literally sanction polygamy as a way of life, which he refused. And he spent his time encouraging other Christians to remain faithful to the teachings of the Gospel and to witness the true value of marriage as learned from Christ in the Gospels. And on one occasion when he was interrogated, he had something to say. Which I found very interesting. And he says, I am in prison for those who break their marriage vows and for those who do not want to see God's work go forward. That is all. I must die. I have already been condemned to death. And when he said these words, of course he was unflinching and he was sentenced to death. But something interesting happened because he wasn't given a public sentence like in the case of many other matters. Yeah, they took advantage of an illness which attacked him in the year 1945, in the early days of July. And he was given a lethal injection by a doctor which was presented to him as so called medicine. But of course, his courage and his faith was unflinching at that point. And when he received that injection, he felt like he was going to vomit or puke, but then his mouth was closed so that he could choke and suffocate on his own vomit. And that's how he died. He didn't pass onto the faith.
- [09:46]
B
So they wanted to make it appear that he wasn't a martyr because they knew that if people were to see this beautiful example, they would rally to it.
- [09:55]
C
Exactly.
- [09:56]
B
So they wanted it to look like it was just a normal death.
- [09:59]
C
Exactly.
- [10:00]
B
Which makes. Just makes it even more heroic because he didn't even have that outward witness that other martyrs did at the very time. So we can see that his humility and his witnesses is even more powerful.
- [10:17]
C
Yes, you're right. You're right, Jessica. And of course, at the age of 33, you know, seeing your family, knowing that you are leaving them behind and refusing to recant your faith or your belief in the gospel, there is nothing that gets as heroic as that. And his death is just a confirmation of the way he lived his life.
- [10:36]
B
So he was 33 when he died, the same age as our savior.
- [10:38]
C
Exactly.
- [10:39]
B
Very beautiful.
- [10:41]
C
Yes.
- [10:42]
B
So tell me a little bit about his wife and his children and how did they help and support him during this time? Or were they opposed to what he was doing? Were they supportive? What was their role during his imprisonment and death?
- [10:59]
C
What we've done so far is that the wife was very supportive. And of course, like I mentioned, one of his children died shortly after World War II had ended up, and they were all supportive. And he had become this icon of faith, this icon of resilience. And all the many Christians whom he would visit even before his arrest also were supportive and stood by him during this time of imprisonment until his death.
- [11:22]
B
Oh, wow. So they were able to visit his wife and family were able to visit him in the prison or I wouldn't
- [11:29]
C
know, but I would suppose he was able to at least have some communication with them at some point, until when the hostilities came to the point where he was cut off from community.
- [11:39]
B
So this was pretty recently. As we look at the long history of the Church, tell us a little bit about the timeline for his recent canonization.
- [11:47]
C
Yes, he was beatified quite recently by Pope John Paul II around the Adoze year 1995. And it's interesting because there are so many ways in which the hand of Providence we can find in the life of Peter Thorote. Remember, John Paul II is the Pope who gave us Familiaris Consortium. He's a Pope who gave us theology of the Body. He's a Pope who taught us so much about marriage and family life. And during the beatification of Peter Thoreau, he pointed out that Peter is a courageous martyr for marriage and family life, inviting all families, not just of Papua New guinea, but of the world, to look to him as a great example to emulate. And also it was kind of nice recently, like we mentioned at the beginning by peter, Pope Leo XIV. And that was on October 19, 2025. And remember, Pope Leo XIV is following the spiritual anthological legacy of Pope Leo xiii. And it happens that it was this Pope Leo xiii, who had commissioned the sacred missionaries to go to Papua New Guinea.
- [12:51]
B
Oh, interesting.
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C
So I. I just find that beautiful and interesting that the hand of Providence.
- [12:55]
B
The two Leos.
- [12:56]
C
Two Leos, exactly. You see, and so Peter Thorote met Christ and offered his life as a fragrant offering to Christ through, you know, by proxy, Poplar xiii. And Poplar XIV confirms more or less his sanctity and sainthood and gives him to us and to the Church in general as an example to emulate. So that's something I find very refreshing.
- [13:20]
B
Are there any big miracles associated with St. Peter Thorote? I know there are some that have to be part of the beatification and canonization process.
- [13:30]
C
Besides those, I really do not know of any miracles which are maybe associated with him.
- [13:36]
B
Do we have any works of his, any writings or letters or anything from his hand or from his own words?
- [13:44]
C
Yeah, the most which I find and which I really love are the things said about him, like the statement which he. The last statement, which we are. Which supposedly comes from him before his death, which I read earlier on. I am a prisoner for those who break their marriage vows. That's the most beautiful thing that has come down to us from him, which I know of.
- [14:03]
B
Yeah, beautiful. It'd be interesting to See if there are other letters at some point. And I'm excited because I am looking forward to learning more about him. And he's such a great big brother for us today. And it brings us to our next sort of topic, which is how important he is for us today. And we talked about marriage and family and how in so many ways that's under attack right now. Can you talk a little bit more about his legacy for us and for the church today?
- [14:35]
C
Yes, Jessica. I think he's such an important saint for us today. Like you mentioned, we live in an era wherein the institution, the sacred institution of marriage is increasingly desaturalized and family life in general. And he stands out as a young man who was willing to die for the truth about God's plan for marriage and family life. It's such an example and inspiration for all couples today, and not just couples, for all Christian men and women and all people of goodwill. And in a world of competition and strife, he shows us a shining example of collaborative ministry. He was a lay catechist who spent his life completely dedicated to the church, working alongside ordained minister as a priest. And even when the priests were arrested, the ministry of sustaining the people of God, preaching the word, and even baptizing rested on his shoulders, which he executed with a lot of love and compassion. So that's a big lesson for us today that no matter our individual ministries or callings, there is a lot that we can offer to the church and to the world, and especially now, too, at a time when young people are struggling. I miss so many different competing voices today. He stands out as an example for discerning God's will and facing up to the challenges of the world in trying to live a life of holiness. He was barely 33 when he died, you know, and it's an incredible example for us also as we enter or as we leave the era of the new evangelization. As a lay person, and I think
- [16:07]
B
a lot of us. I think a lot of us can identify with him because it wasn't that he lived something incredible until he was called to martyrdom. It was the martyrdom of every day. It was the martyrdom of normal life. A lot of us can identify with growing up, getting married, having a family, going to school, having a job. He shares all of those normal, modern things with us, right? And still, in the midst of all of those things, he was able to grow so much that he gave the ultimate sacrifice.
- [16:39]
C
Exactly, Jessica. And I love this idea from Pope Benedict xvi, who tells us that the most beautiful and resplendent example of the life of the saints and martyrs is the greatest apologies for the faith today. The ordinariness of everyday life of the saints. They inspire us in our ordinary day experiences and how we too, in those different ordinary day experiences, can be witnesses to the gospel.
- [17:07]
B
Do you have any closing thoughts for us? Anything that we can take in a very prayerful way or in a very practical way with us after this?
- [17:17]
C
Yes, Jessica, Two things actually. The first is openness to Providence. I look at the life of Peter Thorot and I imagine what his life would have turned out to be if his father accepted that he became a priest. I wonder, would he have had the same impact on his fellow villagers at that time or on the rest of the world as we read about him or learn about him today, I just see that no matter what path we follow in life, if we are open to divine providence and we abandon ourselves to the will of God, we can accomplish immensely great things for God and for humanity. And the second thing which for me is so important is courage. Each time I think of the matters, I think of this great courage, which is not something that begins or happens at the point of them dying, but is a courage that has informed all their basic decisions in life from the moment when they were able to make decisions. So living with that kind of courage, or in and through that kind of courage is something which I gather from the St. Peter Thoreau.
- [18:20]
B
Thank you for joining us on Catholic saints. St. Peter Thorote pray for us.
- [18:27]
C
Thank you Jessica.
- [18:29]
A
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