ary, and show us
other acts of kindness and charity as a true father, but he tried
to improve the site of our habitation, as soon as he saw that those
first fathers had no wish to change it for another. Thus, with two
ground-plots given them by Andres Cauchela, accountant for the Catholic
king in those regions (who owned some lands in Laguio); with property
of the Catholic king, obtained at the instance of the aforesaid bishop
and at the order of the governor, Don Gonzalo Ronquillo [50]; and with
the addition of private offerings of charity--a fine wooden house was
constructed (which I myself saw), wherein was fitted up their church,
in which our fathers exercised their ministry, with a large attendance,
and to the great advantage of the Spaniards.

Three years later their number was increased. The Catholic king
sent his royal Audiencia to the islands in the year 1583; and as its
president, the governor of the islands and the representative of his
Majesty, Doctor Santiago de Vera, who was a member of his council, and
judge in the royal Chancilleria of Mexico. [51] He, at the time of his
departure from Mexico, requested of the Father Doctor Juan de la Placa,
who was then provincial in Nueva Espana, permission to take with him
to the islands some of the fathers. Not only did he himself urge this,
but also other personages, even the king's ministers, who all insisted
that he should in no case go without them. Under this influence the
father provincial was constrained to draw from the few members then
in his province four individuals: these were Father Ramon de Prado,
a Catalan; Father Francisco Almerique, an Italian; Padre Hernan Suarez,
a Castilian; and, as coadjutor, the brother Gaspar Gomez--all of whom,
as we shall later see, were of great benefit to those regions. So
great was the satisfaction of this most Christian man, upon receiving
the message of our provincial (who had given him two of Ours, and
those other four on his own responsibility), that he immediately
fell on his knees before them, and gave thanks to our Lord that he
had obtained the ministers whom His Divine Majesty employs for the
conversion of peoples, as he has so said. They reached the Filipinas
in May or June of the year 1584, and afforded great companionship,
comfort, and aid to those who were in the islands. Father Hernan
Suarez was especially useful, for God had endowed him with special
grace in winning hearts and bringing them to His service--an