WHEN PETER DE BASTO'S GUARDIAN ANGEL WOKE HIM
Ah, here we are again, the last day of the month dedicated to the holy souls. Something of a tradition on this blog is to write on Our Lady's intercession for the holy souls on this day, as I did here . There was a young chap called Peter who left his native Portugal and was traveling to India. His boat got swept up in a tempest. So, Peter promised the Lord that if He saved him from drowning, he'd become a man of the cloth. When he arrived in Goa, he presented himself to the Jesuits there. But he'd been born in Portugal to a famous noble family - the Machados - so much so that they were known all the way over in India. When he introduced himself to the men he helped would be his religious superiors, he did not give his real last name for fear that his religious superiors would give him special privileges and attention because of his blue blood. Instead Peter gave the name of the town - de Basto - where he'd been baptized. Henceforth, all through...
