October 19
Luke of the Holy Spirit
Dominican religious missionary
Lucas Alonso Gordo was born in Carracedo de Vidriales, diocese of Astorga and province of Zamora (Spain), on October 18, 1594.
Biography
His parents, Domingo Alonso and Leonor Gordo, named him after the saint of the day and he was baptized on the same date. On June 31, 1610 he took the Dominican habit at the convent of Santo Domingo de Benavente and on June 2, 1611 he made his profession there. He studied in Tríonos (León) and at the San Gregorio school (Valladolid). On April 25, 1617, the feast of San Marcos, he left for Seville, heading to Mexico, volunteering to go on missions. There he was ordained as a priest at the end of 1617 and in 1618 he arrived in the Philippines where he worked at the Santo Tomás College in Manila as a Reader of Arts. In 1623 he left for Japan, where for ten years he assisted the persecuted, reconciled the apostates and brought consolation to all. On September 8, 1633 he was imprisoned in Osaka and taken to Nagasaki, he was put to the torment of hanging and hanging on October 18, his 39th birthday, and he gave his soul to the Lord the next day. His body was reduced to ashes. On November 18, 1981, he was beatified in Manila and canonized in Rome on October 18, 1987 by Pope John Paul II.
Practical advice
Today, in the presence of God, pray for the Pope, the bishops and the priests and offer that effort for someone who needs help.