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Om· Catl,olic Heritage in T P:xas
Proposed resignation of missions in Coalmila and Texas. A new memorial was presented to the viceroy. The College of Queretaro pointed out that it had under its care at this time six missions in Coahuila and Texas with twelve missionaries, and fifteen missions in Pimeria Alta y Baja with twenty-three missionaries. In the case of the latter the college received the customary allowance for only fifteen, but it had been obliged to send eight additional men without receiving any aid for their main- tenance from the royal treasurer. The number of the neophytes in the missions of the two Pimerias was so large, however. and the missions themselves were so distant from each other that the services of the eight additional workers were indispensable. Up to now the college had been able to attend diligently to the multiple duties which the care of missions so numerous and in such distant provinces required. But in recent years few recruits had entered the college and it was becoming increasingly difficult to replace the aged and disabled missionaries. In view of these circumstances it was necessary for the college to be relieved of a part of its responsibilities. Since the viceroy felt that the missions in Pimeria Baja were not ready to be placed under the care of seculars, the college humbly asked to be allowed to withdraw from the six missions in Coahuila and Texas. The four in San Antonio and the two in San Juan Bautista were in a prosperous condition and in the midst of well established communities. Consequently, being well provided with permanent churches, supplied with all the necessary ornaments and sacred vessels, and possessing decent quarters for the ministers and sufficient cultivated and irrigated lands, their administration would entail no hard- ships on those, whoever took them over. These missions were not ready, however, to be placed under the care of seculars, because there were many neophytes who were still under instruc- tion as the result of the practice adopted of bringing new groups at regular intervals to replace those that died in the frequent epidemics and those that ran away. But there were other religious in the vicinity who had under their care missions and doctrinas who might take over their administration. 5 Viceregal reaction to t/,e proposal. The request was favorably con- sidered by the viceroy, who replied that it seemed reasonable and that, if granted, it might enable the College of Queretaro more effectively to take care of the missions in the two Pimerias and perhaps to expand its activity to the new territories along the Colorado and Gila rivers now being opened.
5 /bid., 438-439.
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