Benefices, and mission villages of Indian natives in the diocese of the archbishopric of Manila both in charge of the secular priests and of religious; and the number of souls cared for in the archbishopric.

The missions of the Indian natives of all this archbishopric are in charge of secular priests and of religious of St. Augustine, St. Francis, St. Dominic, the Society of Jesus, and Augustinian Recollects.

Those of the secular priests are divided into twelve benefices, among which are the three above-mentioned, namely, Manila, Bagumbaya, and Cavite.  Altogether, twenty thousand souls of the said natives are ministered to.

Order of St. Augustine.  The Order of St. Augustine has thirty-two convents, all of which contain together fifty-six priests, who minister to ninety thousand souls.

Order of St. Francis.  The Order of St. Francis has thirty-eight convents of guardianias [42] and presidencies, in which are forty-seven priests, who all together minister to forty-eight thousand four hundred souls.

[Order of St. Dominic.] The Order of St. Dominic has three convents.  They minister to three thousand souls and have five religious.  The rest of their religious are stationed in the bishopric of Nueva Segovia.  In the province of Pangasinan, the Order of St. Dominic has ten convents, with sixteen priests, who minister to twenty-five thousand souls. [43]

The Society of Jesus.  The Society of Jesus has three residences, with eight priests, who minister to ten thousand six hundred souls.

Augustinian Recollects.  The religious of the Augustinian Recollects have three convents with six priests, who minister to eight thousand souls.

Consequently the number of souls of the natives alone, who are cared for in the territory of this archbishopric of Manila, amounts to two hundred and one thousand six hundred. [44]

Method of administration and direction of the villages and missions.  The benefices of secular priests, and the convents and residences of religious, above mentioned, are directed and instructed as follows.  Some have only one village; while for others—­the most common—­besides the capital or principal village, there are two, three, four, or five small villages, and in some even more, all of which attend the church of the capital, when they are near it and in a place suitable for that—­which is generally the case, as the distance is short, and can be traversed by waterways of lakes and rivers.  But when the distance is great, in the said villages (or in some of them) there are churches where the priests go to celebrate mass, on holy days and other days, from the capitals when there are two or more priests; and they teach and administer the sacraments.  But when there is only one priest, as in the benefices of the seculars and some of the orders, he says one mass in his capital, and another in another village or visita of his district where all or almost all of the people of it are gathered.  In some districts, inasmuch as the distance is considerable, the minister lives two or three months in one village of his district and two or three in another, and in this way goes the round of his benefice.