se of the Moro invasions, one cura could in no way be maintained,
and scarce could one be found to take charge of that church.

1110. Things were in this condition, then, when the most illustrious
master, Don Fray Andres Gonzales, who deservedly ascended to the
bishopric of Nueva Caceres from the ranks of the Order of Preachers,
represented to the king on May 28, 1682 that in order that the villages
of his diocese might be rightly administered spiritually, it would
be indispensable to assign its curacies in another manner and give
some of them into the charge of religious. In consideration of that
he petitioned his Majesty to commit the approbation of the new plan
considered to his governor of those islands, so that as vice-patron,
he might proceed in it. The king conceded what that prelate asked by
his decree dated Madrid, August 13, 1685, and his Excellency presented
the new formation of districts to the governor with all its changes. By
it he applied to our province all the mission of Masbate, and its
adjacent islands, as well as the villages of Ingozo, Catanavan, Vigo,
and the rancherias contiguous, all located in the island of Luzon,
which hitherto had belonged to the curacy of Piriz, so that another
new mission might be formed under charge of our discalced order. The
governor was the admiral of galleons, Don Gabriel de Cruceleygui,
knight of the habit of Santiago. By an act of November 26, 1686,
he approved in toto the idea of the bishop, and, as a consequence,
the assignation made to us of the above-mentioned villages, so that we
might administer them as curas. However, because of several troubles
that resulted, our province accepted only the mission of Masbate,
and renounced the right that they might have had to the other villages
of the island of Luzon, for they could be administered by the fathers
of St. Francis with less trouble.

1111. The constant reasons for the acts by which the bishop assigned
to us the above-mentioned district were reduced to the fact that
there was but one secular priest in it, and he was insufficient for
its administration. For it was proved that only four persons had died
with the sacraments within the long space of four years, while those
who had passed to the other life without that benediction numbered one
hundred and eighteen. Add to this that the baptism of small children
had been delayed many months as the parish priest did not go but
very seldom to visit the distant villages.