A new congregation of religious which was proposed in these islands
at this time
In the ships which reached these islands in this year 1635 there came
twenty religious, sent by his Majesty at the request of the procurator
then at the court, father Fray Matheo de la Villa. [68] This father had
for many years filled that office with great excellence, because of the
great love which he always had for the province--in which he had been
many years a devoted minister of the gospel, prior of the principal
convent in this city, and definitor in its provincial chapters. This
was the only office which the province could give him, though it was
far below his deserts. His merits attracted so much attention in the
court that, without his having any idea of it, as the event showed,
his Majesty nominated him as bishop of Nueva Segovia. The humble
father never accepted the appointment, although strongly urged to do
so; and thus his virtue was better known, and received the higher
glory. When these religious were about to come to this province it
seemed, to one who had been in it and who was then resident at court,
[69] that this was a good opportunity to put into execution a certain
purpose which he had; and he so disposed matters that father Fray
Matheo de Villa accepted this religious as vicar of the shipload of
twenty ministers sent by his Majesty to the province. This religious
seemed to father Fray Matheo to be a person who would fill the office
excellently, as he had been in these regions. He did not imagine that
in the fair words which he heard was concealed the deceit which he
afterwards learned. The fact was that this religious, perhaps with
a good intention, had for many years striven to divide this little
province, by dismembering from it Japon, China, and the other heathen
kingdoms in which it had new conversions, not considering that these
could not be kept in existence apart from the conversion which the
province maintains here. He had discussed this matter with our late
general, the most reverend father Fray Seraphino Sicco, of Pavia--who
having governed the whole order with much prudence for many years,
thoroughly knew and understood what would be for its advantage; and
who therefore immediately perceived how destructive to the province
and how harmful to the order this division would be, and imposed
perpetual silence upon him with regard to the matter. For other reasons
added to this, he took from him his authority as procurator of this
province and commanded him to have no more to do with matters of the
Indias. Because of this mandate, and for other reasons concurrent
with it, the royal Council of the Indias commanded him not to go to
them. On these accounts he gave over his purpose for the time being,
until the election of a new general of our order, to whom he went. As
he was new in the government and very zealous for the conversion of
the heathen, the religious was able, by making great offers in that
regard, to persuade the father-general to make the aforesaid division;
and to take from the province the said conversions, and to give them
to a new congregation of fathers established for the purpose. The
said father was appointed vicar-general of this congregation, and
for its beginning and support it received all the houses belonging to
this province for which the new vicar proffered his request. These,
excluding the convent of the city of Manila, were the best in the
province. All this was done because of the contention that this
province, being much occupied with the conversions of Indians which
it has undertaken in these Philippinas Islands, could not attend
to the conversions of the said heathen regions. On a bosom so pious
and so desirous for the good of souls as that of the most reverend
general of the order, this made so great an impression that without
knowing anything of the province, not even the procurator that it
had in España, he granted everything that was asked. The suitor knew
very well that this division could not be made without the consent
of our lord the king as patron (in which relation he stands to all
the religious orders in the Indias); so he tried all expedients at
court to obtain this assent, but was not successful in any of his
efforts. The prudent counselors of his Majesty, with whom in particular
he discussed the matter, declared that the royal Council would by no
means consent to so great an innovation without first being informed by
the prominent personages of this region with regard to the advantage
or disadvantage of the plan proposed. This caused him to despair of
attaining any of his desires by this road; for he had no hope that
any person acquainted with the facts would declare in favor of his
purposes, because of their thorough impracticability. He therefore
determined to obtain by artifice what he could not obtain by reason
or justice. An opportunity being afterwards offered for religious to
come to this province, he strove to go as their superior, carefully
hiding his purpose from the procurator of this province. Then, just as
they were about to embark from Sevilla, he sent to the court notice of
a mandate and act of excommunication from our most reverend general,
commanding that this new congregation should not be interfered with on
any pretext or cause. This was done at a time when it was impossible to
put any obstacles in his way, because he would already have embarked
beforehand. After leaving Sevilla, and even before going there,
he already had on his side some of the religious, to whom he had
declared his purpose. While at sea he revealed his plan to all, thus
endeavoring to draw them into agreement with him. He placed before them
the opportunity of being taken directly to Japon and to Great China,
a most efficacious bait for the fervor with which the new religious
set out from España to the conversions of those regions. At the same
time he strove to disgust them with the ministries to the Indians,
declaring that the province had now no other ministries, and that he
was the only one who could now send them to those kingdoms and to the
conversion of those heathen regions. In this way he alienated them
from the province, to which it was his duty to take them; for it was
for that province that our lord the king had given them and paid their
expenses, and to which our most reverend general had granted them. He
reached the province, and presented only the letters-patent dividing
the province and establishing the congregation, which were couched
in very strong terms. The provincial, who had already been advised
of the whole matter and of what he ought to reply, listened to them
and made the following response. He was ready to obey the letters and
the mandate of the most reverend general, as his higher officer and
lawful superior, when and in the manner in which his Reverence desired
that they should be obeyed and put into execution. This was by asking
and first obtaining the consent of our lord the king, as patron of
all the orders in all the Indias. Without this consent the division
proposed could not be made, and new provinces and congregations could
not be established; and our most reverend general would not desire to
contravene the right and patronage of the king, because that would be
contrary to justice. The father replied that this matter was now being
attended to, and desired the provincial to show immediate obedience to
these letters by transferring to him the contents of the province which
by the letters were assigned to the congregation. This obedience could
not be shown, and therefore his claim was without effect. As nothing
more could be done, the business remained in this condition for about
nine months, during which this father, taking advantage of a certain
opportunity, very inconsistently with his function of propagating the
faith, asked and obtained a force of soldiers, with which he violently
seized by force the houses of this province which he claimed, contrary
to the royal patronage and the will of the most reverend father. When
the general gave those letters with such authority as he had a right to
claim, he desired first that the consent due by justice should first
be asked of the patron, whom he in no wise intended to wrong. In
addition, there were many other reasons making everything done in
virtue of these letters unjust. They were notoriously surreptitious,
and obtained by false information. It was manifest that the province,
although it attended to the ministry to the Indians of this country,
was not forgetful of the ministry to Japon and China. On the contrary,
it gave so much attention to them that it was constantly suffering
from suits and vexations because the governor, the Audiencia, and the
city, and sometimes even the ecclesiastics, declared that the province
went to excess in that direction. It not only sent preachers of its
own order to those realms, but encouraged and stirred up the other
orders to do the same thing, without shrinking from the excessive
expenses necessary for the purpose. To this end it never imagined
itself poor, though it was so poor that it had not and has not any
income more than what the Lord sends it in alms. Hence the pretext
for establishing the new congregation was manifestly false; and the
letters were so clearly surreptitious that, in order to prove that
they were so, no other evidence was necessary than the evidence of the
governor himself, of the royal Audiencia, and of the councils which
were often held against the province on account of this. Under these
circumstances, our most reverend general did not desire to have his
letters put into execution until he had received information, as is
expressly laid down (even with reference to the commands of the supreme
pontiff) in the law, chap. Siquando, de rescriptis, and chap. Super
litteris, eodem. Much more is this true if most grave inconveniences
would result (as they would) to the conversions of those realms,
which inconveniences our most reverend father by no means desired
to bring about. It was his will that the execution of his letters
should be suspended, as they were suspended, until information was
sent to him with regard to the facts; and it was his will that his
determination as superior should be awaited with humility. Further,
in conformity with our constitution (distinction 2, chap. 1), no
religious house may pass from one province to another unless the
transference be approved in three chapters-general; and hence this
great number of houses and of conversions was not to be immediately
transferred at the first direction to that effect, without further
approbation--especially since the evils which would have followed
from this change were so many, so grievous, and so certain, as they
were instantly proved to be by experience. It is true that the most
reverend general said in his letters that he proceeded in this matter
with the authority of the supreme pontiff, or of the Congregation de
Propaganda Fide; and this would be enough for his letters to receive
entire authority if they were against particular persons, and did not
include spiritual harms and evils to the aforesaid conversions. But as
they were the destruction of this province, and would have produced
the most grievous mischief in the conversions, the most reverend
general did not desire that his letters should be executed until he
had been advised. There was no obligation to do this, the commission
not coming as is expressly said that it should come in the chapter
Cum in iure, de officio et potentia iudicis delegati. This is the
common judgment of doctors, from which may be seen how unreasonable
it was to take violent possession of the aforesaid houses. This and
other disturbances which followed caused great grief throughout this
colony, for it was regretted that by information designed to effect
an evil purpose, and in an improper manner, a province should have
been so disquieted which had continued from its foundation in the
greatest harmony, without any disturbances. The archbishop of Manila
and three bishops in this country, the religious orders, and the city,
all wrote to the most reverend general, testifying as eyewitnesses
that the information given to him was not in conformity with that
which was actually known to occur in point of fact. On the contrary,
it was declared that the province had always shown great care and
watchfulness in sending preachers to Japon, Great China, Camboja, the
island of Hermosa, and other heathen realms near these islands; while
the congregation which it was intended to establish not only could
not surpass it in this matter, but could not even achieve as much,
as is shown by the many martyrdoms which the province has experienced
in these conversions. This will always be plain, for by the grace of
God they have not ceased nor are they ceasing, as we shall see even in
these very years. The one who suffered most from the disquiet caused
by the new congregation was the bishop of Nueva Segovia, Don Fray Diego
Aduarte; for he was one who had most complete knowledge of the province
of which he had written the history, and he understood him who now
disquieted it, for he had had acquaintance and dealings with him for
many years, and that intimately. He accordingly came directly from his
bishopric, the capital of which is distant from this city of Manila
a hundred and fifty leguas, and strove with all his might that the
evil done should be undone. Though at the time he could not succeed,
it is to be believed that he brought it about afterward, when he went
to be with the Lord. For, returning in deep sadness to his bishopric,
he came to his death before many days; and after this there were not
many months before the matter was cleared up, and affairs were set
upon their ancient basis, by the return to the province of the houses
which had been taken from it. This was notably to its honor and caused
the most universal rejoicing through the country that had been seen in
many years. The people in the villages where missions were established
which had been taken from the province and given to the congregation,
were particularly delighted, and held public festivals for many days,
when, after having experienced the method in which the congregation
carried on its work, they saw the convents and the ministries returned
to the religious of the province--whose manner of conducting their
affairs was so much better, that it had caused great grief to
the Chinese and the Indians to be deprived of such teachers and
ministers. Therefore, when the religious returned, those people
displayed their delight by costly public rejoicings, carried on for
many days.
When the evil befell the province--which was on the fourth of May, the
first Sunday in the month, and the day of our great saint Catharine
of Siena in the year 1636--all the religious of the province went to
beg the favor of their patroness, the Virgin of the Rosary; and in
all the houses of the order her holy litany was recited every night,
in unison, with this purpose. This means was so efficacious that,
contrary to every human hope, matters were settled and arranged as if
by the hands of this great lady; and without any effort on the part
of the province so many things were cleared up, and put together in
its favor that finally, by the aid of one who was not expected to
give aid, the truth was victorious; and the houses returned to their
ancient and legitimate possessors, and the province to its longed-for
quiet, September 6, 1637, after having remained in the power of the
congregation one year and four months. The religious being grateful
for this restitution to the Virgin, from whose generous hands they
had received so great a gift, rendered public thanks to her in all
the convents. In the convent of Manila a feast of an octave was most
solemnly celebrated, this lady being drawn in procession with great
majesty, like a triumphant conqueror. As such she remained all those
days in the midst of the main chapel, with the richest adornments and
the finest of decoration. In this we were aided by those outside of
the order to give to this lady our highest thanks, recognizing her
supreme grace, which could have been granted by none but her powerful
hand. The duty of writing with all care to the most reverend general
was not neglected now, as it had not been neglected before; and a
full account and report were sent to him showing how experience
had manifested that the information in virtue of which the new
congregation had been obtained was impossible. After the congregation
had been placed in possession, and was under the obligation of going
to the aid of Japon and China and other kingdoms, it did not do so;
and there was no hope that it would do so, nor even that it would
so much as have religious to maintain the houses which it had taken
from the province. It was not to be expected that his Majesty would
send them from España, and there was no other way or manner in which
they could come. The vain expectation of giving many habits here was
immediately disappointed, for even if they desired to give these,
there was no one to whom they could be given, nor was there anyone
suitable for the purpose. This would have been much more true if,
as had been said to the most reverend general, the habit was to be
given to Indians. This was something unworthy of thought; but it was
actually stated in the very patent, because information to that effect
had been given to the most reverend general, though it is contrary to
the judgment of all those of ability who have been in the Indias, and
contrary to the demonstration of experience ever since there have been
religious orders in these regions. As soon as it saw itself possessed
of the houses, it saw also the great difficulty or impossibility of
this project; and even to maintain them it found itself obliged to
disquiet the religious of the province by persuading them to enter the
congregation. Some were even received, contrary to the express mandate
of our most reverend general laid down in this patent itself. It is
plain from this that these proceedings must have been the cause of
great annoyance and of many difficulties, for there was nothing but
lawsuits with the province, and disturbances, which left no time to
pay attention to the greater fruit of the conversions of the heathen
which had been promised. On the contrary, it interfered with them,
as the Lord, who was offended with these acts revealed, however
secret the interference was kept. There must be added to all this
that the congregation, from its very beginning, began to relax and
to give up the supports which the prudent and holy founders of the
province set up in holy manner for the maintenance of the evangelical
ministry which it exercised. These are prayers, the disciplines, the
rigorous abstinence, and the like, commanded by the constitution and
ordained in the same law. The congregation did not accept them; and on
this account, and because of the results which followed, it could not
continue, and was brought to an end, the Lord not permitting that to
go further which set out with so bad a beginning. Even before seeing
these evil results by experience, nearly all the religious brought
by this father from España foresaw them; and, leaving him, they were
nearly all incorporated with the province. Generally speaking, the
more religious and intelligent of them did not desire to go to the
congregation; for they judged with much prudence that a thing which
was so ill founded could not have a good end, as it did not. Some of
these have obtained the reward of this wise decision, for they have
been sent to the province of Japon, and became most glorious martyrs,
as we shall soon tell. One of those who were appointed for this most
holy and happy mission lost and abandoned it by abandoning the province
and joining the congregation. As a penalty for this act, he lost the
crown of martyrdom, which his companions gained by remaining in the
province. Thus the Lord manifested the truth of what we said when
we declared that the province was more careful and even more able to
attend to these missions than was the congregation which was formed
for them. At the very time when the province sent out this mission,
the congregation regarded it as impossible, and even strove to impede
it, as has been said.