Inarajan Trip

Our English class took yesterday afternoon to drive down to the historic village (about 30 minutes south) of Inarajan to explore St. Joseph's chapel, where Father Duenas was buried under around 70 years ago.


Father Duenas was beheaded by the Japanese during WW2 in Mangilao (near our campus) and then buried under his home church, St. Joseph's. His captors accused him of hiding a man by the name of Tweed, which he supposedly was not. He would not admit to this, and so they tortured him in the village before killing him along with other men thought to be involved. Father Duenas was the second Chamorro priest and is highly regarded by the community. We don't have a lot of information on him yet, but maybe evidence will prove otherwise. I found an interesting blog on him here.


The reason for our trip was to study a local well-known Christian in local history. We studied St. Patrick, St. Augustine, Wycliffe, and others who had a huge impact on Christianity. These were people who stood up for their faith and answered the call of God in their lives. Not too long ago, Fr. Duenas answered God's call to the priesthood. He went to school in Manila, PI, and came back to minister to the local people in a small rural village.



The village probably still looks as though it did back in his time. Having the opportunity to write and reflect in his church, wander through the streets of historic and abandoned houses, and spend time by the ocean was just what we needed to make first hand connections and to experience history. I've been spoiled growing up in places with well known, rich history. Hearing about a person's life and work is one thing, but seeing where their life took place adds dimensions to our knowledge. It brings in visual aid, tangible tools from the time period, and plays with matters of the heart. Imaging Fr. Duenas giving his sermon in the sanctuary with a gun to his head ties us in emotionally.




Walking down the streets of his village gives us insight to what his daily life might have been like. It's as though I had left Guam, and my family from California came through and went to all of the places I had spoke of. It's different than hearing about it, and I am blessed that our students, our friend Tonya who was visiting from Japan, Daisy, and I got to share in that experience of a person who's life we read about in the classroom.