Rizal was born on June 19, 1861, the 7th child of Don Francisco Mercado and Doña Teodora Alonso. He was christened Jose Protacio, in honor of two saints. His mother was a devotee of Saint Joseph while Saint Protacio is the patron saint for June 19.
In the book “In Excelsis, writer Felice Prudente Santa Maria explained how Rizal got the nickname “Pepe.”
“Saint Joseph was the putative (commonly accepted) father of Jesus Christ. In Latin, San Jose’s name is always followed by the letters ‘P.P’ for pater putativus. In Spanish, the letter ‘P’ is pronounced as ‘peh’ giving rise to the nickname Pepe for Jose.”
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