Jesus Baza Duenas
Encyclopedia
Father Jesus Baza Dueñas (1911 Hagatña-July 12, 1944 Tai, Mangilao
) was a Catholic
priest and local leader on Guam
during World War II
. Dueñas studied for the priesthood in Manila
, and became the second Chamorro Catholic priest when he was ordained in 1938. During the World War II
Japanese occupation of Guam
, Japan
ese forces who suspected Dueñas of knowing the whereabouts of a fugitive American serviceman tortured and, on July 12, 1945, killed him.
In December, 1941, Japan invaded and occupied Guam. In early 1942, Father Dueñas was appointed temporary head of Guam's Catholic church. He sometimes told local people not to cooperate with the Japanese, and his independence and status on Guam worried them. The Japanese kept a close watch on Dueñas and wanted to exile him, but worried that relations with local people would worsen if they did so. Japan decided to send to Guam two more cooperative Catholic priests, Monsignor Dominic Fukahori and Father Petro Komatzu, but Duenas at personal risk often refused to co-operate with them.
Friends and associates operated secret radio receivers, and kept Dueñas well informed on the progress of war.
Father Dueñas knew much about the movements of the six American servicemen who had escaped capture during the December 10, 1941 Japanese ground invasion
, and about those who helped and harbored them. He is also said to have known about the plans of Japanese search teams searching for the fugitives and their helpers.
The Japanese had long suspected that Dueñas knew a great deal about the only American to escape capture, George Tweed. In July, 1944, Dueñas was informed about Japanese plans to arrest him, but refused to escape. He told the men who hoped to assist him that the Japanese would retaliate against their families, reportedly saying, "Go look after your families. God will look after me. I have done no wrong." When he was captured and interrogated about the whereabouts of Tweed, Dueñas is said to have responded, "It is for me to know, and for you to find out." He added that he answered only to God and "the Japanese are not God." After torturing him for three days, the Japanese beheaded him and his nephew, Eduardo Dueñas, on July 12, 1944, at Tai, Mangilao
.
In early 1945, the body of Fr. Dueñas was exhumed from a crude grave. When his body was buried at St. Joseph's Church in Inarajan, hundreds of people and the island's highest officials attended the ceremony. The Father Dueñas Memorial High School (FDMS) was established in 1948 in his memory. In 1970, Guam officially designated July 12 as "Father Dueñas Day."
Mangilao, Guam
Mangilao is a village on the eastern shore of the United States territory of Guam. The village's population has increased slightly following the island's 2000 census....
) was a Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
priest and local leader on Guam
Guam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Dueñas studied for the priesthood in Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
, and became the second Chamorro Catholic priest when he was ordained in 1938. During the World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Japanese occupation of Guam
Japanese occupation of Guam
Japanese Occupation of Guam was the period in the history of Guam between 1941 and 1944 when Japanese forces occupied Guam during World War II. The island was renamed Omiya Jima .-Overview of Guam:...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese forces who suspected Dueñas of knowing the whereabouts of a fugitive American serviceman tortured and, on July 12, 1945, killed him.
In December, 1941, Japan invaded and occupied Guam. In early 1942, Father Dueñas was appointed temporary head of Guam's Catholic church. He sometimes told local people not to cooperate with the Japanese, and his independence and status on Guam worried them. The Japanese kept a close watch on Dueñas and wanted to exile him, but worried that relations with local people would worsen if they did so. Japan decided to send to Guam two more cooperative Catholic priests, Monsignor Dominic Fukahori and Father Petro Komatzu, but Duenas at personal risk often refused to co-operate with them.
Friends and associates operated secret radio receivers, and kept Dueñas well informed on the progress of war.
Father Dueñas knew much about the movements of the six American servicemen who had escaped capture during the December 10, 1941 Japanese ground invasion
Battle of Guam (1941)
The First Battle of Guam, was an engagement during the Pacific War in World War II, and took place on 8 December 1941 on Guam in the Mariana Islands between the Empire of Japan and the United States...
, and about those who helped and harbored them. He is also said to have known about the plans of Japanese search teams searching for the fugitives and their helpers.
The Japanese had long suspected that Dueñas knew a great deal about the only American to escape capture, George Tweed. In July, 1944, Dueñas was informed about Japanese plans to arrest him, but refused to escape. He told the men who hoped to assist him that the Japanese would retaliate against their families, reportedly saying, "Go look after your families. God will look after me. I have done no wrong." When he was captured and interrogated about the whereabouts of Tweed, Dueñas is said to have responded, "It is for me to know, and for you to find out." He added that he answered only to God and "the Japanese are not God." After torturing him for three days, the Japanese beheaded him and his nephew, Eduardo Dueñas, on July 12, 1944, at Tai, Mangilao
Mangilao, Guam
Mangilao is a village on the eastern shore of the United States territory of Guam. The village's population has increased slightly following the island's 2000 census....
.
In early 1945, the body of Fr. Dueñas was exhumed from a crude grave. When his body was buried at St. Joseph's Church in Inarajan, hundreds of people and the island's highest officials attended the ceremony. The Father Dueñas Memorial High School (FDMS) was established in 1948 in his memory. In 1970, Guam officially designated July 12 as "Father Dueñas Day."
External links
- Father Jesus Baza Duenas, Guampedia.
- Father Duenas' Execution Site, From Significant World War II Sites on Guam, by the National Park Service.