rable results in all of
those villages. On the death of Father Almerique (who was stronger
than the rest), the burden of work so exhausted the others that,
falling sick one by one, the entire load fell upon Father Angelo, who
bravely sustained it for several months. This mission contains three
principal villages, all of which are capitals of their respective
districts, other villages being annexed and subordinate to each of
these three. Each one of these villages requires and needs at least two
priests with their usual assistants, in order to give adequate care to
so many souls. San Iuan del Monte, which is a village of about four
hundred inhabitants, has near it Dalig and Angono. Antipolo contains
seven hundred houses, and has the two villages of Santa Cruz and
Maihai. Santiago was then being settled, with more than four hundred
inhabitants, and had in its vicinity other villages, especially two
inhabited by blacks, or Itas. All those people were in charge of
Father Angelo Armano, who, during Lent of the year one thousand six
hundred and two, maintained them in great devotion and fervor without
their losing sight, on that account, of their devotional exercises
throughout that season, especially in Holy Week. During the latter
period, the divine services were celebrated with great solemnity, and
there were processions of blood in the two churches of San Juan and
Antipolo, with a goodly number of confessions and communions. Another
father--a middle-aged man, who knew the language--came from Manila to
help in this work, with orders not to remain more than one week, on
account of the need of priests in Manila. However, on the second day
of Easter, the rector of Manila came with two other fathers who knew
the language, on their vacation, very opportunely for concluding the
confessions and communions in those villages. During the month that
we spent there, there was a notable concourse of people who came to
confess, and great was the number of communions. At that time there
occurred to Father Pedro de Segura, who was one of those who had gone
thither from Manila, an extraordinary incident in connection with
the image of our blessed Father Ignatius. One morning, at daybreak,
he was summoned in behalf of a woman who lay in a critical condition
from childbirth, and wished to confess with Father Segura. While
the father was dressing himself to go, he sent for an image of our
father, to whom he professed great devotion--which had