The life and death of father Fray Bernardo de Sancta Cathalina,
or Navarro
[The new provincial had but a short time in which he could exercise his
office, as he died in November of the same year, on the octave of All
Saints. Father Fray Bernardo was a native of Villanueva de la Xara. He
was much inclined from his earliest years to letters and the Church; he
assumed the habit in the convent of Sancta Cruz at Villaescusa. After
he had professed, he was sent to study in the college of Sancto Thomas
at Alcala, which was the highest honor that the convent could bestow on
a student. Here he so distinguished himself that the college gave him
charge of the conduct of a theological discussion in the provincial
chapter, which is the highest honor that a college can give its
theologues. While at the college, he did not take advantage of the
privilege of eating meat, which is granted to students in consideration
of their labors and study. He was a successful and beloved preacher,
and lived a life of the severest mortification. He was most devoted
to the holy sacrament. At one time when a sick person had received
the Lord and had afterward vomited forth the sacramental species,
which was carelessly swept into a rubbish-heap, father Fray Bernardo
rescued the precious treasure. He was most successful in uprooting
the vices of the villages in España where he preached. When he came
to this province he was one of the best of the ministers, and one
of those who labored in the conversion of these tribes with the
greatest results. He was assigned to be superior of the religious
who preached to the barbarian Indians in Pangasinan--an indomitable,
untamed, and bloody race; and above measure opposed to the gospel,
since that was above measure opposed to their vices, cruelties,
lewdnesses, superstitions, and idolatries. Noble religious were his
companions, eager to act and to suffer for the conversion of souls;
but father Fray Bernardo was the head and superior of these religious,
the one who first began to succeed in christianizing those Indians,
the one who perfected them and carried them on to a high state of
Christian excellence. His life and his doctrine were alike marvelous
and efficacious in influencing the souls of those Indians. He was
devoted to his charge, seeking alms from the Spaniards for his Indians,
and defending them with all his might from the wrongs which were
committed against them. It was only in defense of his Indians that
he was seen to give up his ordinary gentleness of demeanor, which was
like that of a dove. The Lord blessed his efforts for the conversion
of those Indians by miraculous healing wrought by his hands. He was
visited by the saints, in particular by our father St. Dominic and
St. Vincent Ferrer, who were seen to come and say matins with him. He
was given miraculous insight into the souls of those who confessed to
him; was miraculously preserved from fire and water; and had power
given him to see devils who had taken possession of those who were
confessing to him, or whom he desired to convert. It was declared
that he even had a vision of the holy Virgin. He lived a life of
abstinence, penance, and the greatest devotion; and translated into
the Indian language a hundred and fifty brief devout treatises. He
also wrote in their language a number of spiritual letters, afterward
collected by father Fray Melchior Pavia, who made a goodly volume of
them that they might serve as an example of the manner to be followed,
in writing to the Indians, by the religious who came after. In temporal
matters he likewise assisted those Indians in all ways in his power;
for in addition to their poverty they were his dearest sons, engendered
in Christ with mighty but successful labors.
Although father Fray Bernardo would have been pleased to be left
forever among his Indians, the province felt that it had need of him
for higher duties, and elected him as provincial in 1596. He gave
a noble example as head of the province, and was most wise, kind,
and prudent in his visitations. At one time, finding it necessary
to chastise one of his subordinates, he began the punishment upon
himself, compelling the guilty person to scourge him severely while
they two were alone. Then he proceeded to scourge the man who was in
fault, who, considering what had preceded, received his chastisement
with great humility and amended his life. The fervent love of God of
father Fray Bernardo was manifest in all that he said and did. The
high esteem in which he was held spread from the Philippinas to Nueva
España, so that the tribunal of the Holy Office in Mexico made him
its commissary-general in all these islands. On some occasions he
showed the gift of prophecy, foretelling the deaths of some persons,
or declaring the deaths of those who were at a distance. Once when
a governor assembled a great fleet against the Dutch enemies, he
was obliged to obtain the necessary revenue by great oppression of
the Indians and the poor, since the royal treasury did not yield
a sufficient amount for the undertaking. Father Fray Bernardo was
greatly grieved by this course of procedure, and strove to remedy
it without success. When the governor was about to set out, father
Fray Bernardo declared to him that he would never return; and, in
point of fact, he died in Malaca without ever seeing the enemy. [12]
The persecution in Japon was revealed to him before it occurred. Being
asked how he knew of the threatening danger, he said that he inferred
it from certain stars in the sky, which resembled a comet threatening
Japon. His companion when he had looked was unable to see any comet,
or anything like one. His love and charity kept constantly increasing,
and there were continually on his lips the words, "Let us love God;
let us love God." He sent what he could to the needy and persecuted
Christians in Japon, and wrote to Mexico to get such assistance for
them as he could obtain. He was always most loving and kindly to all
the religious.
At the end of his term as provincial, he would have been glad to live
and die among his children in Pangasinan, but was detained in Manila
by his duties as commissary of the Holy Office. Yet every year he used
to make a visit to Pangasinan, where he was received as an angel from
heaven, and sometimes carried almost by force to distant villages, by
Indians who came more than twenty leguas for the purpose. His arrival
was like a feast-day. The people crowded to confess to him, and to
listen to his spiritual exhortations. They put off the settlement of
their most weighty differences to submit them to his judgment. They
sometimes crowded about him to kiss his hand or his scapular so that
he could not move. When he was a second time elected as provincial,
his devotion to the duties of his office resulted in his death. The
stormy weather preventing him from going by sea to Nueva Segovia, he
made the journey by land, traveling through the swamps and lowlands of
Yllocos [13] and over the Caraballos, some rough and lofty mountains,
where he was caught by a baguio or hurricane. The rivers rose so
that he was unable to go on. Captain Pedro de Rojas, his son in the
faith, had gone with him to keep him company. The hardships of their
journey were such that both men fell sick; and father Fray Bernardo,
in fear of immediate death, kept praying to the Lord that he would
prolong his life until they reached a place where he could receive the
sacraments. Arriving in Abulug, Captain Pedro de Rojas was given up by
the physician; but the father, in spite of his advanced age, seemed
likely to recover. He was deeply grieved that he--who was of no use
in the world, as he said--should be saved, while the captain had given
up his life simply to accompany him. He prayed the Lord that he might
change places with the captain, who soon afterward began to amend;
while father Fray Bernardo within twenty-four hours fell sick again
in Camalayugan, and felt that his disease was mortal. On the eighth
of November, the octave of All Saints, he departed from this vale
of tears, to be with those who are in glory. His death caused great
grief in Pangasinan and Manila. Double honors were shown to him in
our convent, first as provincial, and second as commissary-general of
the Holy Office. At the latter service father Fray Antonio Gutierrez
preached, recounting much of what has here been written. After his
death, a religious had a vision of his soul going to glory. In the
provincial chapter in the following year, honorable mention is made
of father Fray Bernardo in a Latin eulogy, recording his illustrious
virtues, his marvelous success in the conversion of the province of
Pangasinan, and the sacrifice of his life to the duties of his office.]