The Philippine Islands, 1493-1803; explorations by early navigators, descriptions of the islands and their peoples, their history and records of the Catholic missions, as related in contemporaneous books and manuscripts, showing the political, economic, commericial and religious conditions of those islands from their earliest relations with European nations to the beginning of the nineteenth century; [Vol. 1, no. 13]

60o4-1605]

CHIRINO'S RELATION

55

tized seem to have known for many years the things
of our holy faith, to judge by their knowledge of its
mysteries, especially those concerning Christ our
Lord and His most holy mother. They highly esteem
the confessional, and when they become sick they
clamor at once for the father, and find relief in making their confession. A sick man said that day and
night he thought of the father, who was absent, and
desired him for confession, adding that what most
aggravated his sickness was to know that he did not
have the father at hand for that purpose. His relatives, desirous of taking him to another place, had no
success, nor could they persuade him to go; for he
maintained that they were about to take him where
he must die without confession, and where there was
no church in which he could be buried after death.
As soon as he learned that the father had arrived, he
went, although very ill, to make his confession, weeping for gladness, and never ceasing to render thanks
to the Lord that he had permitted the father to arrive
at such a time; and he declared that he could die
consoled, now that he had made his confession. During Holy Week there was a great concourse of people
who devoutly attended the divine services, keeping
the receptacle of the most holy sacrament handsomely
adorned. On Holy Thursday, in the afternoon, after
the sermon a very devout procession was formed, by
which the people were more thoroughly instructed in
the faith, and taught what Christ our Lord had done
for our salvation. The most pleasing and touching
sight was to see all the children disciplining themselves with scourges which they themselves had made
for that day. At Easter some Spaniards chanced to be
here, who augmented the solemnity of the occasion