A tremendous sense of excitement is sweeping across Papua New Guinea (PNG) as the country anticipates the canonization of Blessed Peter To Rot on Sunday, October 19, marking him as PNG’s first recognized saint.
Pope Leo XIV will elevate the martyred lay catechist during the Mass for World Mission Sunday in Rome—a pivotal moment for the nation’s approximately two million Catholics.
The canonization honors To Rot, who was just 29 when he was killed in 1945 by occupying Japanese forces for his unwavering defense of the Christian sanctity of marriage and his resistance to the restoration of polygamy.
PNG pilgrimage and Vatican participation
The significance of the event for PNG will be evident in Rome. According to Fr. Tomas Ravaioli, IVE, vice postulator for To Rot’s cause of canonization, four of the martyr’s relatives will actively participate in the Mass: three in the Offertory and one in the Prayer of the Faithful.
“There will be about one hundred pilgrims from various parishes to Rome this weekend,” confirmed Jimmy Son, business manager of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands. The celebrations for the delegation will include a vigil on Saturday, a thanksgiving Mass on Monday, and a papal audience at 11 a.m.
A challenge to local custom
To Rot’s life story is central to the Catholic identity in PNG, taught to students in the Christian Living curriculum.
Fr. Ambrose Pereira, SDB, a parish priest in Sabama and a long-time communicator, emphasized the martyr’s powerful message for the younger generation.
“Peter To Rot stands for the commitment to live and die for the Catholic faith,” Fr. Pereira explained. “Peter realized that his Catholic faith was superior to the customs and culture of his tribe. This is a powerful example for many young Papuans who take the easy way out, stating kastom blo mi—this is our custom.”
Born in 1916 in Rakunai, New Britain, To Rot was the son of a village chief. After training at a catechist school, he married Paula la Varpit in 1936, establishing a family model of Christian fidelity.
Catechist as shepherd
To Rot’s ministry reached heroic heights during the Japanese occupation, which led to the imprisonment of foreign missionaries. Stepping into the void, he declared: “If there are no more priests, it is the catechist who must be the good shepherd of Jesus Christ’s sheep.”
He took charge of his community’s spiritual life—performing baptisms, witnessing marriages, and leading prayer meetings. He secretly built a wooden chapel and risked his life to collect the Blessed Sacrament for the sick and dying from a hidden missionary.
Martyrdom for the Sacrament of Marriage
To Rot’s ultimate stand was against the Japanese attempt to push the population toward polygamy. He refused to be silent in the face of this scandal. “I can never say too much to Christians about the dignity and deep meaning of the Sacrament of Marriage,” he affirmed.
When his wife, Paula, feared the consequences, he replied, “If I must die, it is good—it will be to bring God’s reign over our people.”
His defiance led to his arrest; his main crime, according to the police chief, was his opposition to polygamy. While imprisoned, he told his mother, “I am ready to offer my life for Jesus Christ.” He was killed in June 1945, reportedly injected with poison and then strangled.
To Rot’s martyrdom inspired his community; his home village has since produced at least twelve vocations to the priesthood and religious life.
Fr. Pereira champions To Rot as a role model who stresses the need for commitment to the sacraments, especially “the beautiful Sacrament of Marriage.”
Addressing a current struggle, Fr. Pereira requested prayers for his parish in Sabama: “Please say a prayer for peace in our home and our families, and that through the intercession of Peter To Rot, we may be blessed with a good peace of land,” the Salesian priest told LiCAS News, underscoring the relevance of the new saint’s protection.
