Historical and biographical review of some of the main figures of the Province of Saint Nicholas of Tolentine of the Order of Augustinian Recollects from its foundation to the present day.
Andrés del Espíritu Santo was born in Valladolid in 1585. At the age of 16, he took his vows at the Recollect convent of Portillo. He was among the thirteen friars who established their presence in the Philippines. In 1607, he founded the community of Masinloc in Zambales, northwest of Manila. Today, it boasts 55,000 inhabitants; however, at that time, it was not a pacified territory.
Due to his exemplary qualities, he was appointed to oversee his brethren as vicar provincial and later as prior provincial upon the establishment of the Province of Saint Nicholas of Tolentine. He also founded the conventual community of Cavite, serving as its prior, and subsequently became the master of novices and prior of the San Nicolas Convent in Intramuros. In 1618, he returned to Spain to recruit additional volunteers and, in 1622, led an expedition of twenty new missionaries back to the Philippines.
Fray Andrés bequeathed to history the first account of the apostolic endeavours of the Recollects in the Philippines, documenting the experiences of that pioneering group. He dedicated a total of 52 years to the evangelization of a town and some islands, which he adopted as his own, and where he passed away at the end of 1657 or early in 1658.
His confreres described him as a man of deep prayer, penance, and fervour, who never avoided hardship, including the various illnesses he endured.
He was particularly instrumental in motivating the mission within the mission, as it was under his administration that the heroic evangelization efforts in Palawan, Mindanao, and Japan were initiated. These were the most arduous and dangerous missions, where the missionaries were acutely aware of their isolation and reliance on divine providence.
Blessed Francisco de Jesús (26 October 1630) expressed his gratitude to him for having been sent to Japan eight years later:
“I must confess, Father, that I regretted coming to this land many times until I reached this prison… But the Lord permitted the tyrant to confine me to a corner of this narrow and sacred place—a place I am so unworthy of, yet deserving of a thousand hells. However, once here, I considered my journey worthwhile. For all this, I thank Your Reverence, as the origin and source of this remarkable good. Should the Lord grant me the martyrdom I long for and expect to receive, I shall plead before Him on your behalf, so that we may meet in the City of Glory and rejoice together in His Divine Majesty.”
