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]

I604-I605]

CHIRINO'S RELATION

described, the father-visitor, Diego Garcia, very opportunely arrived in the islands, with some companions,3 on the seventeenth of June in the year one thousand five hundred and ninety-nine. His arrival was
a source of much consolation and joy, on account of
the reenforcement which he brought us, and was of
much importance and advantage to the internal government of the Society in those parts, on account of
the good order to which he reduced all our affairs,
particularly in our ministries and in the methods of
aiding those souls. Upon careful investigation he
learned that, during those four years while our
fathers had given instruction in the islands of Pintados, twelve thousand persons had been baptized, and
that there were about forty thousand catechumensnot to mention many others who, although they were
not on the list of catechumens, had also an inclination
(or at least no repugnance) to receive the faith and
the gospel. In accordance with this information, the
father-visitor set about organizing the affairs [of
the missions], and providing needed assistance, as
we shall later see. Before entering upon this, however, I will relate, in order to show the mercies of
God toward our fathers, a special instance of this
which His Divine Majesty displayed toward them
and the vessel which brought them from the port of
Acapulco to the Filipinas. The pilots were confidently sailing over their accustomed course, heedless
that in it there were shoals. One evening at the hour
when the Salve is wont to be repeated, and while all
3 These were Father Melchor Hurtado and Francisco Gonzalez,
and the brother coadjutor Diego Rodriguez. They were sent
from Mexico in March by Francisco Vaez, the provincial of Nueva
Espana. - PABLO PASTELLS, S.J.