The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, Volume 45, 1736: 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, commercial and religious conditions of those islands from their earliest relations with European nations to the close of the nineteenth century
History
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, Volume 45, 1736: 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, commercial and religious conditions of those islands from their earliest relations with European nations to the close of the nineteenth century
Demarcation line of Alexander VI; Missions -- Philippines; Philippines -- Discovery and exploration; Philippines -- History -- Sources
While that good man was employing himself in so holy a work, a
lay-brother religious, a porter of our convent of Manila, called
Fray Diego de Santa Maria, a man of example, virtue, and perfection,
was doing the same also. He gathered orphan and abandoned boys in
the said porter's lodge of the convent, and reared them in holy and
praiseworthy customs. He clothed and sustained them with alms, which
some devout persons gave him, and taught them their first letters;
and, if any were inclined to study grammar, he sent them to our
college of Santo Thomas which is very near the said convent. So many
were the boys who were gathered that a congregation was formed of
them. The said lay-brother religious gave that congregation the name
of San Pedro y San Pablo; for all were clothed in one single manner,
and all kept one form of life, with so great example to all the city
that the admiration of all its citizens was won. And this is not much,
since that work of charity was so agreeable to the eyes of God, who,
in order that one of His servants might see and wonder at it, worked
a prodigious miracle. It happened that a citizen of Manila made a
journey to the city of Lima, where resided the venerable brother,
Martin de Porres, in our convent of El Rosario; and as that servant
of God was so charitable, he was very much pleased to have others
so. That citizen of Manila, by name Francisco Ortiz, told him that he
knew a lay-brother religious, a laborer of this place of Manila, a man
of most holy life, who supported with alms twenty-four orphan boys,
whom he had gathered, and was teaching them to read and write. And
the most especial thing which was admired in him was that he never
went forth from the convent in search of those alms, but that our
Lord directed them to him in order that he might carry forward the
work of charity, which he was doing with the said poor boys. The
servant of God hearing that gave him to understand that he desired
greatly to know and to treat with that holy lay-brother, who lived in
this city of Manila at a distance of three thousand leguas from the
city of Lima. After three days, Francisco Ortiz returned to visit
the servant of God, whom he found very cheerful and happy. Smiling
the latter gave him to understand that he had already seen and talked
with the said lay-brother religious of Manila, and had encouraged him
to proceed in so pious a work. What most astonished Francisco Ortiz
was to hear the servant of God talk the Chinese language, which the
Sangleys of this country used, as will be related more in detail in
the life of the servant of God, Martin de Porres.
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