Father Fray Juan de Castro, one of the first founders of this province
[When father Fray Juan de Chrisostomo went to Rome to get the documents
necessary for founding the new province, he carefully looked in every
one of the convents that he visited for men of the devotion, prudence,
and holiness which he regarded as necessary for a firm establishment
of the new province. In it the rule and the constitutions were to
be punctually observed, and the religious were not to be contented
with observing them as others do, for we all profess to observe them
as they were written. He purposed to make this province one of such
virtue that it should be not only holy in itself, but should have
power by the aid of the Lord to fix holiness and virtue in the souls of
persons so alienated from them as were these Indians, who had always
been in the service of the devil. Among those upon whom father Fray
Juan Chrisostomo turned his eyes was father Juan de Castro, of the
convent of Sancta Cathalina in Barcelona. He was from the city of
Burgos, and was the nephew of the other father, Fray Juan de Castro,
the provincial of this province. God always shows His power in His
saints; but to be superior among many saints, to shine with special
glory among shining stars, is a much more marvelous effect of the
divine grace. Such was father Fray Juan de Castro in this convent,
which of itself has the name of being a very religious one; and
father Fray Juan Chrisostomo selected him for the high end which
he designed. Christ our Lord did not need to seek for holy men. His
divine power was such that He could make apostles of great sinners,
like St. Matthew or St. Paul; but Father Juan Chrisostomo, being a
man, was obliged to choose, for the foundation of the province upon
which he had begun, persons whose holiness was already formed. In
order to obtain father Fray Juan de Castro, he caused the general
of the order to assign him by name to the new enterprise. In this
way the convent of Barcelona, much as they regretted losing Father
Juan de Castro, were obliged to let him go to the Philippinas. His
uncle, having been appointed to the leadership of this company, sent
his nephew to the most laborious, but most meritorious part of the
work--namely, to the province of Pangasinan. Father Fray Juan, to
save the other fathers from hardship, carried water from the river,
brought and split the wood, kindled and stirred the fire, and was,
in a word, the servant of the rest; he anticipated all the others
in these works and labors, so that the rest of the religious might
not be wearied out, and that the Indians might not be annoyed, or
feel ill-will toward the preachers of the gospel, by being forced,
against their declared intention, to bring what was necessary for
the services of the church and of the poor convent. He suffered the
lack of food with special content and joy. He took great care of the
neatness and cleanliness of the church and the altar. In spiritual
things he distinguished himself as he did in these material labors;
yet his uncle did not appoint him to any place as superior, but gave
him that which he most delighted in, the position of the greatest
labor and the lowest honor. When the heaviest part of the duty in
Pangasinan was over, the Lord ordained that he should seek labor
somewhere else. It was decided to send an embassy to China after the
death of the governor, Gomez Perez das Mariñas. He had been killed
by some Chinese traitors, who had afterwards made their escape with
the galley, in which was the royal standard, much good artillery,
and other things of value. The purpose of the embassy was to demand
justice upon these traitors. On account of father Fray Juan Cobo's
success in the embassy to Japan, it was decided to select religious
of the same order for the present embassy. Father Fray Luis Gandullo
was accordingly chosen, and named as his associate father Fray Juan de
Castro. As secular ambassador went Don Fernando de Castro, cousin of
the governor who sent the embassy, and nephew of the dead governor. A
storm blew them out of their course toward the province of Chincheo,
to which they had intended to go, and drove them to the province of
Canton, one of the thirteen into which the Chinese realm is divided. As
the Chinese there had had no dealings with the people of Manila, they
did not receive the ambassadors with the respect due their office,
or with the kindness which ought to be shown to men who had suffered
so from the storms of the sea. They were arrested on the charge of
piracy, but, by giving two hostages, they obtained somewhat better
treatment. They were finally permitted to go to Macan, and afterward
proceeded to Chincheo, but could not find a trace of the galley which
they were looking for. The traitors had not gone back to their own
country, but to a neighboring kingdom which was less civilized and had
less justice. Some of them, not expecting to be recognized, afterward
ventured to go to Malaca, and paid for their crime with death. At
last the ambassadors returned, without having obtained any of the
results which were desired from the embassy. The fathers, however,
had at least carried the sweet savor of the Christian religion to
those regions. On the return journey, they met with such a storm that
the vessel was lost, and the people aboard her had to save themselves
by swimming. Father Fray Juan de Castro was carried by a plank to the
coast of Pangasinan, a day's journey from the coast of Bolinao, where
the wreck occurred. The exposure brought on a severe illness. Father
Fray Juan was taken to Manila and died in the hospital of the Chinese,
passing away serenely and devoutly.]