ce
in the week she fasts; thrice she mortifies herself with a hair-shirt,
thrice with scourging; and partaking on the Lord's Day of the divine
feast, she continues to this day in this most beautiful mode of life.
Establishments at Silan and Antipolo, With the College of Cebu
IV. The town of Silan is accessibly and commodiously situated. Hence it
is easily and frequently visited by sojourners, the more so because
the inhabitants themselves are uncommonly humane and devoted to
Christian piety. It happened that some Indians turned aside from their
journey to visit one of the inhabitants; and as they were taking out
of a little chest some clothes that they were carrying with them,
packed up, it happened that they took out along with them a tiny
idol formed of a twisted mass of hair. The people of Silan who were
present were frightened when they saw this, and told one of Ours,
who was stationed there, of it. He went to the house as if on another
errand, and uncovered the deceit together with the idol. Then taking
advantage of the occasion, he made a serious address to the Indians,
warning them against such wickedness; and he inspired in the owner
of the idol (who was a woman) a better mind. With the help of God she
abjured the impious worship of hair, which she had before pursued, and
also abandoned and corrected another sin of no small heinousness. The
delights of a festival which had been announced were almost destroyed
by a great misfortune which accidentally befell this place. For while
all were looking forward to the day sacred to All Saints, when all
the inhabitants had prepared themselves for the proper reception of
the feast, behold, at the oncoming of night the fury of all the winds
arose. The rain and storm which followed did not cease to rage until
they had overthrown more than two hundred houses, to the incredible
alarm of the Indians, who left their own houses to take refuge as
quickly as possible in our church, where nearly the whole night was
spent in hearing their confessions. But not even here were they safe
enough, for the wind blew the boards off the walls and whirled them
away; so that the whole body of people took refuge in the sanctuary,
where they waited for death and the last hour.
V. At the proclamation of the same feast in the village of Antipolo
ninety persons received communion--sixty more than in that of
Taitai--which is a large number for new Christians. And among these
tribes, as has be
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