Volume 31 — Chapter LIII

The election as provincial of father Fray Juan de Sancto Thomas, and the death of father Fray Damian Valaguer.

[On the second of June, 1600, the electors assembled in the convent of Manila to elect a successor to father Fray Bernardo de Sancta Cathalina. The example of father Fray Bernardo was so grand that it was difficult for his successor to reach the same pitch of excellence. Although all felt that father Fray Juan de Sancto Thomas, or Ormaca, was fitted for the position by character and abilities, there was some doubt whether his ill-health would permit him to fill the office as it ought to be filled. He was constantly under the necessity of receiving dispensations from the severity of the rules; and though this did no harm in a private friar, it was most unfortunate in a superior. It was also feared that he would be physically unable to perform the duties of the situation. One of the best physicians of the city was called in, without the knowledge of father Fray Juan, to express his opinion as to the ability of father Fray Juan to fulfil the duties of the office. His judgment was favorable, and father Fray Juan was elected. The election was a most fortunate one, for father Fray Juan was able, learned, and holy; and his nature was so gentle that the vicar-general, Fray Juan de Castro, who had a gift from heaven of special insight into character, chose him as his usual associate, and appointed him to the first position as superior in a mission to Indians. He filled the office well, and not only lived out the four years of his provincialship, but has seen ten other elections of provincials since his own; and he is still alive while this is being written, in the year 1637. Since he is still living, let us content ourselves with what has been said—leaving the rest till the time when, after the end of his life, it may be discussed with greater freedom. During his term, the Lord opened the gates for the entrance of the order to Japan, as will be narrated later; this was a great reward for the hardships suffered by the religious of this province, and by him in particular, from the perils and miseries of travel by land and by sea. Many new convents were admitted at this chapter, both in Pangasinan and Nueva Segovia; for the duties of the ministry in these regions were constantly increasing, and the religious kept constantly reaching out to new places. Many excellent ordinances were passed for the exercise of the ministry to the Indians, and also for the better maintenance of the rules affecting us—especially in the matter of showing ourselves disinterested, and careful not to annoy the Indians.

In the province of Nueva Segovia the religious labored hard in the search throughout mountains and valleys, and other secret places, for the huts where the devil had been adored, to which those people used to make pilgrimages in search of health or other favors, giving offerings of bits of gold, or of stones regarded by them as precious. The natives dared not take anything from those places, or cut a reed or a tree from the natural growth of the earth in them, for fear of death, with which the devil had threatened them. In the villages on the coast many such little huts were found, with many little figures and idols in them. The religious burnt and broke the boxes with the offerings; took the gold and the stones, and all the other offerings; and burnt and ground to dust everything, and cast it into the sea, that it might not remain to be a stumbling-block to the Indians. When the heathen saw that the threats of the devil were not being carried out, their eyes were opened and they were very eager to be baptized. Great aid was received from an epidemic of smallpox which attacked a whole region. In this way the Lord took to himself many souls, especially of children; for there were many newly baptized in the province of Pangasinan and in that of Nueva Segovia.] Many of those who seemed to be near their end recovered after they received the water of baptism. All, therefore, came to be baptized, and the Lord, by means of those who recovered, gave authority to the baptism; while of the vast number who died baptized He peopled heaven with new angels. This brought great comfort to the missionaries, who, although worn out and greatly fatigued by going from house to house baptizing and confessing, and giving the sacraments to sick persons, saw their labors successful and rewarded by the sending to heaven of so many souls, and also by the strengthening of their hope that they should go to accompany those souls in glory; for it is not possible that these should not be grateful, and pray and strive to obtain salvation for those who labored, with such zeal, to give it to them by the means of baptism, without which it cannot be obtained.

At this time there died in the same province of Nueva Segovia brother Fray Domingo de San Blas, a lay religious of much virtue and known sanctity, a son of the convent of San Pablo at Sevilla, who came to these islands in the year 1594. He was of much use to the Indians, of whose language he learned enough to be understood by them and to teach them to pray, to attract the Christians to the church, and to teach the heathen the knowledge of the doctrine of Christianity. He was fervent in prayer, being often moved to sighs and tears during his devotions. He strove to hide them from his companion, father Fray Ambrosio de la Madre de Dios, but was unable to do so. Father Fray Ambrosio said to him that, as they two lived alone and like brothers, there was no reason why one should try to conceal anything from the other. With this permission from his superior he broke out in sobs, and his heart melted away in tears, directed mainly to the conversion of these heathen and to the perfecting in Christianity of the already baptized. Two extraordinary things happened in this village of Pata while this brother lived there: One was the receiving of a fish on the day of St. Dominic, under such circumstances that there could be no doubt that the Lord had sent it to enable them properly to celebrate the feast of the holy founder of this order. The second event was the marvelous recovery or restoration to life, at the intercession of St. Dominic, of an Indian who had been given over for dead. It was the very man who had given them the fish. Father Fray Domingo died from exposure to the sun. He was sent back to the convent of Manila for care, and there grew worse; and, after having very devoutly received the holy sacraments, exchanged this wretched life for the eternal one.]