he help of which this new people gained new light
upon the services of Holy Week. Those who took the discipline, going
forth in a formal procession, were on Holy Monday, the singers, who did
this by way of preparation; others desired to march on Holy Tuesday,
but, as the day was stormy and the winds violent, I forbade them to
do so. They had their procession on Holy Wednesday; and others, in
greater number, marched on Holy Thursday. Our most important procession
was on Holy Friday, in the evening; two images were carried--one,
a small crucifix (for we had no larger one); the other, an image of
our Lady--while the choir sang the litanies. When this procession
ended, people gathered in sufficient number to form another; this
was caused by the lack of [woolen] tunics, which were removed by
their wearers and lent [to those in the second procession]. In all
the processions except the principal one, the music consisted of the
Christian doctrine, sung by the children as they walked.

"I must continue the account which in other letters I have written to
your Reverence of the favors which the Lord communicates by means of a
print of our blessed Father Ignatius; for He is continually bestowing
these favors upon those new Christians, on account of their strong
faith in Him. A woman was brought in to us, sick and unable to speak,
and was dying before us without our being able to obtain from her
a word or sign so that we could give her absolution; the statement
of her friends, moreover, that she had asked for confession, was
doubtful. I was therefore anxious and grieved, until I brought her
an image of our blessed father, and I said mass for the sick woman,
and when I returned she was able to speak, and made a good confession;
but utterance again failed her, and she died in peace.

"When I returned the second time, I was called in haste to visit a
sick woman, great with child, who was suffering violent pains and
torment. We went to see her, and it aroused our compassion to behold
her in convulsions of pain, both she and the infant (which was entering
the ninth month) being in danger of death. I sent for the image of
our blessed father, and then left the sick woman with Diego, our good
blind man, and his wife, who performs the duties of a midwife. So
good service did they render, in conjunction with the intercession
of our blessed Father Ignatius (to whom they were greatly devoted),
that very soon they sent for me to baptize the chi