Chapter XXXIX: Of the election of our father Fray Alonso de Méntrida

This chapter-meeting which follows was somewhat stormy, for the opposition made it more conspicuous than was right. Our father provincial, Fray Juan Enríquez, had had a most happy triennium. The time coming to appoint a successor in his place, he considered our father Fray Juan de Henao--a man who was well liked in the province and who had many influential persons who were affectioned unto him--a suitable man. Others, although few, resented this choice, and therefore tried to block its accomplishment. Those men were few in number, but they had great authority. The affair went so far that it came to the ears of Don Alonso Fajardo, who was governor of the Filipinas. He tried by means of his authority to mediate, so that there should be no scandal; for he was well inclined to the order, and grieved over the matter. Finally, our father Fray Juan Enríquez preferred to set aside his own pleasure rather than that of the order; and, consequently, did not attempt to elect a provincial by force, although he could have done it, for he had many followers. Our father, Fray Juan de Henao, performed a truly religious action; he stated publicly that he renounced any claim that he might have on the provincialate, and signed the same. He declared that those who had hitherto been his partisans he authorized to support any other man who should be of greater account to the province. He said that he was not considering his own welfare, but that of the province, which he recognized as his mother; and, as such, he would always place its good in the foreground.

All were highly edified by this, especially the governor and the archbishop, who were there. Father Fray Alonso del Rincón, who bore letters-patent to preside, made the same renunciation. Consequently, without any opposition, our father Fray Alonso de Méntrida was immediately elected, _viva voce_, on Sunday, May 20, 1623. Father Fray Hernando Guerrero, senior definitor, presided at this election. The definitors elected were: our father master, Fray Diego del Aguila; [58] the second, Fray Alonso del Rincón; the third, Fray Hernando Cabrera; [59] and the fourth, Fray Francisco Coronel. [60] The visitors were Fray Juan de Henao and father Fray Hernando Becerra. In assembly with the outgoing provincial and the father president, they enacted regulations for the province with the devotion that could be expected from fathers so venerable.

[After relating several remarkable and miraculous occurrences connected with the ministry of certain Augustinians, Medina continues:]

During this term, although our father Fray Alonso de Méntrida was so great a religious--for which reason the priorate of the whole province was given to him, and he was made provincial, with the greatest renown that any one has ever had in this province--some trouble occurred in the province of Bisayas. This was occasioned, no doubt, by our father provincial, who was oppressed with ill-health, not visiting it, although he was a son of the said province. Although this province is less desired, as it is so far from Manila, yet the Lord seems to care more for it, sending to it the most illustrious of our religious; and taking therefrom the most devout of the province--as at that time our father Fray Alonso de Méntrida--for its credit and reputation. He was very zealous, and obtained an increase of income for the house at Manila, so that it was able to attend better to its many obligations of choir, study, and infirmary, and those of so important a community. Our father had the good fortune also to receive a very distinguished contingent of religious in the second year of his term. They were brought by father Fray Juan de Tapia, who, as we have said above, was sent by our father Fray Juan Enríquez as procurator of the province. The religious were received with open arms; for the province was now in need of laborers, as the country was but little suitable to sustain life--especially among young men, who, as the blood boils in so warm a land, fall sick easily and die.

The religious who came in that year of 1624 are as follows:

1. Father Fray Juan de Tapia, their superior and commissary.

2. Father Fray Francisco Villalón, a reader, a Castilian.

3. Father Fray Sebastián del Rio, a preacher, a Castilian.

4. Father Fray Diego de Ordás, a preacher, a Castilian.

5. Father Fray Martín Claver, an Arragonese, a preacher, and apostolic notary.

6. Father Fray Francisco Barela, a reader, a Castilian.

7. Father Fray Juan de Guevara, a priest, from Andalucía.

8. Father Fray Francisco de Portillo, a preacher, from Andalucía.

9. Father Fray Miguel de Peñafiel, a priest, a Castilian.

10. Father Fray Fulgencio García, a preacher, a Castilian.

11. Father Fray Diego Solís, a preacher, a Castilian.

12. Father Fray Rodrigo Angel, a priest, a Castilian, and apostolic preacher.

13. Father Fray Alonso de Salazar, a preacher, a Castilian.

14. Father Fray Pedro de Herrera, a reader, who returned with the habit.

15. The father master, Fray Teófilo Mascarós, from Valencia, a professor, and vicar-provincial for Mallorca.

16. Father Fray Juan Bautista, a preacher, from Valencia.

17. Father Fray Luis Ronquillo, an eloquent preacher, a Castilian, and procurator at that time of Arenas.

18. Father Fray Andrés de Fuentes, a preacher, a Castilian.

19. Father Fray Juan de Loza, a preacher, from Andalucía.

20. Father Fray Pedro de las Mariñas, a priest and a preacher, a Castilian.

21. Father Fray Cristóbal de Tapia, a brother, a creole.

22. Father Fray Melchor de Mosabel, a preacher, a Castilian. [61]

The father provincial, well-pleased with so fine a company [of religious], divided them among the provinces. He sent the father reader, Fray Francisco de Villalón, [62] to read in Manila, and the father did that very satisfactorily; for there were many religious who needed it. He sent excellent missionaries to the province of Bisayas; and it seems that great pains were taken in this, and he did in this what the province wished. For he sent it the best of the company, and no error was made in the selection, since all of them have become very devout religious and careful of their ministry.

He sent a procurator to España in the first year of his provincialate; namely, father Fray Antonio de Ocampo, a very eloquent preacher, and who was accordingly esteemed in the province for that, as well as for the other offices which he had held. But he had little good fortune on the voyage, for the flagship did not make the voyage that year, because of having been detained in necessary repairing, and when it reached the Embocadero there was no wind to carry it outside, and it returned at the end of October. The almiranta had time in which to leave, and made the voyage, although at great risk, reaching Nueva España in a mastless condition.

After the second year of his triennium, the provincial sent another procurator; for the first one, warned by the voyage, thought that he ought not to embark again. This was father Fray Hernando Guerrero, whom we have already seen, as he brought the finest company that has been in or has entered these islands for many years. Making the second voyage, he brought another company, that would have been no less excellent if death had not snatched away its best members near Manila. It seems as if death selected, among all, those of most renown, although those who were left were distinguished. Let us conclude this triennium with the fact that our father provincial--although it seemed from his goodness that he would not try to declare himself too fully, nor to influence the province against his will--at last, thinking that he, because of his greater experience in its affairs than others had, could arbitrate in a so important matter, accordingly set his eyes on father Fray Antonio de Ocampo, whom we have already mentioned above--a person certainly worthy of greater things, and a calificador of the Holy Office. Our father thought it easy to accomplish his intentions, for he found many who thought the same. But the one who opposed him was of great account and a great giant, namely, the father master, Fray Pedro García, the brother of the archbishop, who did not lack followers and partisans. The contention, if I do not say that it was greater than the former one, was not less. It is a remarkable thing, and certain to befall a monarchy, that when it is about to come to an end it slips and totters. Consequently, it was always suspected that those appointed by the province were announcing some new method of governing. The governor also--who was then Don Fernando de Silva, of the habit of Santiago, and who had been sent by the viceroy of Nueva España--took a part in it, so that the affairs of the order should not go outside of its limits. Finally, it was our Lord's pleasure that they should settle upon a third person, namely, our father Fray Hernando Becerra, a person very deserving of what the order has given him.