Today, 7th of July, in the SMA Calendar, the name of Blessed Peter To Rot of Papua New Guinea is remembered. Below is an edited version of the article published recently by Agenzia Fides that explains who he was and why this martyr is soon to be canonized.
Blessed Martyr Peter To Rot will be canonized on October 19, 2025. His sainthood is the fruit of close cooperation between priests and laity in the evangelising task of mission, specifically that of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart (MSC).
‘He, the ‘mission boy’, was very ill and has died’. This was the ironic way the policeman To Metapa spoke when he went to see with his own eyes that Peter To Rot was dead. Shortly before, the doctor at the prison where he was being held had injected him with a so-called medicine, deliberately killing him. Such was the martyrdom of this ‘mission boy’. The martyrdom of a person tremendously committed to missionary work.
Peter To Rot was born in Rakanui, a village on the island of New Britain in Papua New Guinea, in 1912. But the story of his sainthood began 14 years earlier, with the baptism of his parents. This was tremendously important for the evangelisation of this part of the Pacific. His father, Angelo To Puia, was chief of his community. He was among the first to be baptised at the mission, along with his wife, Maria Ia Tumul. This was the beginning of the acceptance of the teachings of Jesus and the renunciation of the practices such as of witchcraft as well as others that were contrary to the Gospel.
Peter to Rot’s parents had a very close relationship with the missionaries. They helped build the mission, donated the land for the church, the school and the missionary house. They were a very kind and committed family, always ready to lend a helping hand to anyone in need. With this family background, Peter To Rot showed a very special interest in the Eucharist from a very young age, volunteering to serve at daily Mass. The Eucharist was for him a fundamental pillar in his life of faith.
At the age of 18, Peter To Rot entered a catechists’ school run by Fr. Joseph Lakaff, MSC who defined the role of the Catechist as follows: ‘The catechist is a true missionary. He is an explorer, a teacher in the most remote places, a watchman. He softens the soil in the unploughed fields where the seed of faith will be planted. Because catechists are familiar with the mentality of their own people, their lifestyles, traditions, ideas about various aspects of life and their language, they give the priest working among a native people, with their help, a clear advantage over the unaided foreign missionary’.
In 1942, in the middle of World War II, the Japanese army invaded Papua New Guinea. In a first phase, they arrested all the priests, but allowed the pastoral activity of the missions. This is where catechists in general and Peter To Rot in particular played a key role in maintaining the faith in their communities. Gradually, religious freedom was curtailed and certain religious manifestations were banned, until in 1944 the ban was total.
The authorities gathered the catechists in the police stations and forced them to stop their pastoral activities. Peter To Rot clandestinely, went out in the evenings to meet with small groups of the faithful. He gave them catechesis, presided at prayers and, when necessary, administered baptisms or blessed marriages. He consciously assumed his responsibility as a catechist in the absence of the missionaries, determined not to abandon the Christian communities.
In addition to this prohibition of any religious manifestation, the Japanese army, in order to curry favour with the most sympathetic leaders, restored practices that had almost disappeared, such as polygamy. From then on, Peter To Rot became a staunch defender of marriage. He openly opposed the practice, which led him to oppose influential members such as policemen and judges who wanted to take married women as wives. For this reason, the policeman To Metapa, who had sufficient power to order his arrest, denounced him. During his time in prison, Peter To Rot showed great composure and conviction. He firmly defended his decisions and his fidelity to the Christian faith, without any regrets. He remained steadfast as a catechist and witness to the Gospel to the very end. Hours before his martyrdom he said: ‘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.’ (Agenzia Fides, 15/6/2025)