common enemy infusing them
with fears lest the parish priests perhaps will punish them for the
sins that they might confess. Let us add to this that there are no
other confessors on whom to rely, especially in the districts which
are at some distance from Manila. Also it is almost impossible as
our ministries are located, for the Indians to go from one village to
another for that purpose. For these reasons, I myself have experienced,
and I have heard it asserted by many curates that too many sacrilegious
confessions are made, for sins are kept hidden out of shame, to the
deplorable ruin of souls. All the above impediments cease undeniably
so far as the missionaries are concerned. Hence one can infer the
great fruit that would be gathered in spiritual matters by means of
the profitable idea which was invented by our father Fray Joseph and
put in practice in his time with the utmost ardor.

719. Besides that, by causing his subjects to multiply, since not
in number, at least in their courage for work, the vigilant superior
ordered those who were in the ministries to perform with the utmost
effort what they had always done, namely, that they should not be
content with directing the souls of the faithful to heaven, but should
strive with might and main for the conversion of the heathen. And
since the fire of love as regards God, their provincial, and their
neighbors, burned with intensity in those gospel laborers, one can
not imagine how greatly the activity of that fire, strengthened with
the breath of the exhortation of so worthy a prelate, was increased
and worked outside. We can assert without any offense to anyone else
what has already been suggested in other parts of this history,
namely, that our discalced religious in the Philipinas Islands,
outstripped all the other religious in the so meritorious quality
of suffering hardships. [30] The villages most distant from Manila,
those that offer less convenience for human life, those with the most
ferocious people, and all surrounded by Moros, by heathens, and by
other barbarous Indians, in regard to whom any confidence would be
irrational, are the ones in our charge. And adding to this that one
minister generally has charge of many settlements, which are at times
located in distinct islands, one can easily see how many fatigues,
sweatings, and how much weariness will be caused by the spiritual
administration of those who are enlisted in the Catholic religion. What
will