The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1917-07-14
M ExICo.
BY Eber Cole Byam.
PART XI.

story OF Father Pedro Fellpe Will
serve as an illustration.
In 1869 a detailed report of the
Archdiocese of Mexico was called for
by the Archbishop. Father Pedro
Felipe, a secular clergyman, was at
that time stationed at TeZayucan, an
Indian town seventeen and half
miles north of Mexico City. This
town formed, with three others like
it, four districts, each possessing
Church, with a total of twenty-five
tributary villages, all within a radius
of some 10 to II miles from the
priests residence. The sum total of
those receiving the Sacraments is
given as 9,8SS, counting males over
fourteen and females over twelve.
Father Felipe said two masses each
Sunday, thus giving the faithful OF
each of the four districts the benefits
of the sacraments every other Sunday.
Fer assistants he had some eight
or ten Indian sections who had added
to their other duties that of teaching
Christian Doctrine to the people, and
to the children the three Rs and
music, for attached to each church
was a school. OF this community
there were forty-four hundred and
seventy-one men paying tribute each
year of one peso and one and one
quarter bushels of corn. We thus see
that Father Felipe had the care OF
population of upwards of sixteen thou
sand people, or more than three
thousand families, and for his labors
in that part of the Lords Vineyard
he received two hundred and ten
pesos a year, and collected nothing
whatever from the natives for his
services.
A part of the tribute referred to
went to the support of hospitals
which were maintained in many towns
for the Indians, and a part went to
pay the costs of the lawsuits in which
the Indian still dearly loves to en-
gage. The Spanish authorities were
so solicitous for the rights of the In
dian that they furnished him with
lawyers who were paid out of the fund
and no costs were assessed against
the Indian in court This well meant
kindness was of doubtful benefit to
the Indian Large sums were also
devoted to supplying the Indians with
domestic animals and agricultural i'm
plements.
The number of families under the
care of Father Felipe clearly proves
that Mexico had anything but an eX-
cess of priests. In fact, there ever
has been lack of clergy to properly
minister to the spiritual needs of the
people, let alone looking after their
educational requirements and other
wants. One of the most frequent
charges hurled at the Church by the
Mexican revolutionaries and their I'M
informed American sympathizers is
that the country was priest ridden"
The parish of Father Felipe is suffi-
cient proof to the contrary.
Some Figures and Comparisons.
Over two hundred years later than
Father Felipe, when the population of
Mexico had increased to over six
millions, and the Church had prob
ably reached the height of its power,
influence and wealth, we find present
total of secular and regular clergy
of 7,341, which is ratio of one clergy
the revolution this number suffered
continued shrinkage, being given as
1870 in 1881 and 1850 in 1851; yet
the population was increasing. In
1910 the number of clergymen in
Mexico was under 5000, or ratio OF
one to 5000 of the population. In the
United States the clergymen of all
denominations bear a ratio to the
population of one to 555.
Not all the clergy enjoyed the
laborious tranquility of Father Felipe
in his Indian village. In 1884 the In
dams of the hill districts of Huaina
mota arose in unprovoked revolt ant
killed and devoured three mission
aries. Then there was the great up
rising in 1880 of the New Mexican
tribes, whose only excuse was tina
they had come to the conviction tina
the white mans God was weakling
A number of missionaries became
martyrs in consequence.
Secular and Regular Clergy.
The Archbishop, in 1856, urged thu
King to permit the collection of 1.-THE
from the Indians and gave as reason
therefor the better care of the Indian
that would be thereby permitted
This was a subject of perennial argu
ment, with the secular clergy arraye
on one side and the regulars on tn
other. The regular clergy, especiall
the Franciscans, had early assume
the responsibility of evangelizing an
educating the Indians, and their dc
sire to monopolize this field led then
to oppose the entrance into it of tn
secular clergy. Both bodies wer
only too eager to advance the mate
rial and spiritual welfare of the II
dams, but the regulars, having begu
the work of civilizing them, did no
wish to be disturbed in it, and tn
secular clergy we're impatient for re
suits which needed both time an
numbers to effect. The regular clerg
were obviously too few for the wor
demanded. Some of them were i