Keynote Address - Påle' Eric Forbes

Påle' Eric Forbes
Keynote Speaker
2023 Marianas History Conference
Påle' Eric was born on Guam in 1962 and was raised in the village of Sinajaña. His father was
Irish-American and his mother was Chamorro from the familian Kitå'an (Perez Torres). He grew
up biculturally as his Chamorro grandmother and her several siblings all had a hand in raising
Påle'. He is ma poksai biha and knew his Chamorro hymns and prayers before he was ten years
old. From his grandmother and grandaunts/uncle he learned many stories about pre-war life
and the Japanese Occupation, which began his life-long interest in everything Chamorro, from
history to language and everything in between.
After graduating from Father Dueñas Memorial School in 1980, he began university studies at
the University of Guam, Saint Joseph's College in Mountain View, California and San Francisco
State University where he earned his BA in History in 1984. He picked up basic Spanish speaking
skills along the way. He then entered the Capuchin Franciscan Order on Guam in 1984. While
studying theology in Berkeley, California, he came across the archival documents of the first
Protestant mission on Guam and wrote his first historical work, The Origins of Protestantism on
Guam, combining that research with other documents he came across before that, as well as
his interviews with the late Reverend Joaquin Sablan and others.
He was ordained a priest in 1990 and spent three years in San Roque parish in Saipan, where his
Chamorro speaking skills improved. He returned to Guam in 1994 and has remained since,
working in many priestly ministries but continuing his interest in all things Chamorro. He has
taken advantage of his yearly opportunities to travel for either work or leisure and has
researched in archives in Spain, Rome, Germany, the United States and the Philippines. His
ability to work with documents in Spanish, Latin and Italian has been a big asset. Interviewing
mañaina (elders) is always a top priority, and from all four main Mariana islands (Guam, Luta,
Tinian and Saipan). From all this, he has written books and articles and produced a dvd
documentary, I Am Chamorro. He is an unofficial "chaplain" of the California Chamorro
community and dedicates one month a year to being with them for fiestas, Masses, hospital
visits and presentations. He also maintains a Chamorro blog for the last 12 years with 2.2
million visits from all over the world called paleric.
He hopes to die with his last words being in Chamorro.