Peter To Rot lived on a tropical island in the Coral sea, just north of Australia, in what is now Papua New Guinea. He was born in the village of Rakunai, where his father was the tribal chief. Peter’s parents, like many other villagers, were catechized and later baptized by Missionaries of the Sacred Heart.
Peter grew up Catholic and thought of becoming a priest, but his father said it was too soon. So Peter studied to become a catechist who could work with the missionaries to spread the faith. He went to school for three years, and in 1933 he received his diploma. Then Peter was assigned to work as a catechist in his own village. As a teacher he was direct and dynamic. He often quoted from the Scriptures to make his point. And he genuinely cared about the people. In 1936 Peter married Paula la Varpit, who was also Catholic. They joyfully celebrated the church’s sacraments as well as local traditions. Peter and Paula were the parents of three children; one daughter, Rufina is still alive.
Then in 1942, the world was at war, and Japan occupied Peter’s island. The missionary priests were imprisoned. Peter, a layman, remained free. Peter worked even harder then. He and the catechists who worked under him continued the prayers and religious instruction. He baptized babies and converts, visited the sick, assisted with charity, conducted Sunday services, and distributed the Eucharist that had been consecrated by the priests in prison.
Then the military police cracked down. They banned Christian worship and religious gatherings. They decided that the islanders should return to their former practice of polygamy, in which man had many wives. Peter publicly objected to this.
Peter was arrested in the spring of 1945 and confined to a cave. When his wife and mother came to visit, he informed them that a Japanese doctor was coming to see him, but he was not sick. He suspected trick. He asked Paula to bring his good clothes-he wanted to be ready to meet God.
Another prisoner saw what happened to Peter. The doctor arrived, gave Peter an injection and something to drink, and plugged his nose and ears. When Peter began to convulse, the doctor covered his mouth, and the soldiers held him down until he suffocated. Soon the rest of the prison camp know what had happened to Peter.
The next morning the Japanese guards acted surprised to find Peter dead. They said he had died of an infection, and they sent his body to his family for burial. The crowd that attended Peter’s funeral knew the truth. They knew that Peter was a martyr for the faith.
Peter To Rot was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1995. The ceremony took place in Papua New Guinea.
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