The Augustinian Recollect Ángel Martínez Cuesta, historian, brings us closer to this figure in the history of the Augustinian Recollects and of Palawan (Philippines) on the 150th anniversary of his birth.
“He was a great missionary.” With these words, the Augustinian Recollect Martín Legarra bid farewell in the pages of the Official Bulletin of the Province of Saint Nicholas of Tolentine upon the unexpected death of Fr. Victoriano Román (1875-1946).
With those same words, I wish to remember him today, on the 150th anniversary of his birth (La Puebla de Arganzón, Burgos, Spain, March 23, 1875), because they are the best reflection of his absolute fidelity to the missionary zeal of his heart, the driving force of his actions.
In the Augustinian Recollects, he found guides and examples that helped him give concrete shape to this desire for mission. The atmosphere of the Recollect formation houses of Monteagudo, Marcilla, and San Millán de la Cogolla from the ages of 17 to 22, so decisive in shaping his personality, favored the maturation of these aspirations.
The experiences of his formators, the visits of active missionaries, the reading of the Chronicles, and those same cloisters spoke to him of hundreds of missionaries who dedicated their lives to proclaiming the Good News in faraway places. In them, he found inspiration and encouragement to not give up.
At just 22 years old, he traveled to the Philippines, his youthful dream. He was ordained a priest at the end of 1897, and within a few days he was already setting out to give free rein to his missionary yearnings.
Kidnapped with Death on His Heels
He was assigned to Lubang, a small island north of Mindoro, a missionary community run by the Recollects for centuries. It was a brief but intense, demanding, and instructive stay. As soon as he arrived, he fell into the hands of the revolutionaries of Philippine independence. For a year and a half, he endured harsh captivity, several times in danger of death, and was even thrown into the sea. From his release in January 1900 to April 1902, he lived in Manila, waiting for circumstances to allow him to return to the missions.
Palawan: 35 Years of Dedication
In April 1902, with Palawan at a calm, the Recollects sent three religious men there, one of them Victoriano, to assist the four who were rebuilding the Christian fabric of the province. The group was soon dismantled: in 1903 there were six, and in 1906 there were barely three, for a population of almost 36,000 inhabitants in six municipalities, 63 barrios, seven main islands, and hundreds of islets, separated by hundreds of kilometers of waters riddled with reefs, currents, and traps. Their only connection to the rest of the nation was the mail that arrived every twenty days in Cuyo, Coron, and Puerto Princesa.
The vast majority of the population lived off fishing, logging, and primitive, non-mechanized slash-and-burn agriculture (cainge). Rice or corn was planted until, in two or three years, the weeds took over the land, and another site was sought.
The 1910 census estimated the population at 46,615 inhabitants in one parish, six missions, and 83 barrios. 33,615 (72%) were Christians, and the remaining 28% were divided between Muslims (5,000 in the south) and pagans (8,000 in the interior).
These are some data on the Recollect presence in those years in Palawan:
- 1903: 6 Recollects in 5 houses: Cuyo, Puerto Princesa, Culión, Araceli, and Bacuit.
- 1906: 3 Recollects in 2 houses: Cuyo, Puerto Princesa.
- 1909: 4 Recollects in 3 houses: Cuyo, Puerto Princesa, Iwahig.
- 1912: 7 Recollects in 2 houses: Cuyo, Puerto Princesa.
- 1916: 7 Recollects in 5 houses: Cuyo, Puerto Princesa, Araceli, Agutaya, and Iwahig.
The missionaries led an itinerant life. In June 1903, Victoriano began the expeditions that, for 35 years, took him throughout Palawan. In 1915, he wrote that the ship was his home, and in 1920, he said in a report to Rome:
“I must make all the trips alone: first, due to the lack of priests, and second, due to the great inconveniences and discomforts […] of the climate and the privations of every kind, for we are forced to live with the elements inherent in the terrain.”
After the revolution ended and with the Americans in power, he found the villages empty of people and church buildings in ruins. The population took refuge in the mountains in the face of the mass escape of prisoners and the abuses of the authorities.
With few religious and great economic hardship, an evangelizing program could not be developed. They administered sacraments, catechized children, rearranged books, replaced vestments, repaired church buildings…
Apostolic Prefecture
The situation slowly began to change with the establishment of the Apostolic Prefecture in April 1910 and the appointment of Victoriano Román as its first prefect. He wanted to make Cuyo an example: he attempted to open a school with the Tertiary Sisters of Manila (today the Augustinian Recollect Sisters) and encourage lay participation.
He knew that the future lay in the education of youth and the inclusion of the laity. In January 1914, he founded the Apostolate of Prayer. Its influence impacted the quality of Christian life and the splendor of worship, spreading throughout the Prefecture.
Many of Victoriano‘s plans foundered due to the lack of missionaries (the Prelature began with four) and the precarious economic situation. The north of the island was abandoned, and it was impossible to even consider serving the interior and the south.
With three other missionaries, he addressed the most urgent needs, distributing two in Cuyo, two in Puerto Princesa, and three in Araceli, Bacuit, and Coron. In 1912, he requested two more: one for Agutaya and another, which never arrived, to organize teaching in Cuyo.
The establishment of the Prefecture initially excited the Province of Saint Nicholas of Tolentine, which promised up to twenty religious. But it was not prepared for such a commitment. Available personnel were scarce, there were more urgent tasks, and there was no hiding a certain preference for other regions, as well as annoyance at Victoriano‘s constant requests, which they considered exaggerated.
The missionaries in Palawan continued their itinerary, for which Victoriano himself was still well-equipped: he was young, in good health, with few demands, a tireless worker, and a lover of the people, with whom he connected easily. He would stay for weeks or even months in the most important places, taking advantage of the opportunity to instruct, seek lay collaborators, and build churches such as those in Bacuit, Coron, and Araceli, with the help of Propaganda Fide, the Province of Saint Nicholas, former funds from the Diocese of Jaro, and the collaboration of the faithful.
The “Heroism of the Missionaries”
After some misunderstandings and doubts, in 1920, Victoriano even considered resigning from the Apostolic Prefecture. The appointment of Marcelino Simonena as Prior Provincial between 1919 and 1922 restored dialogue and support.
The Province forgave the Prefecture a debt of 7,478 pesos. Simonena visited Palawan and was amazed by the “heroism” of the friars: he sent two more to accompany Román in Cuyo; another two to the south, from Puerto Princesa; and another two, from Bacuit, to the north. Later, he sent two more to Busuanga; in May 1921, the Tertiary Sisters opened a school in Cuyo, and the Province established financial periodical aid.
The staffing problem, however, was never resolved. By August 1922, there were only six. Disappointed, Román complained to the Holy See in 1922. His voice lost what little echo it had retained; his zeal, diligence, and integrity were admired, but his governing skills were distrusted. He was a dreamer of fantasies, self-confident, and not very inclined to take advice. A great missionary, yes, but ill-suited to govern the Prefecture.
From June 1923 to March 1924, Victoriano realized his lifelong dream. For nine months, he toured Brooke’s Point, which was predominantly pagan and Muslim. Outside of three small towns on the west coast, he found only about 40 Christians. He managed to connect with the people and spread the Gospel. But just when things were looking up, the nights spent outdoors, the meager food, and the unsafe water took their toll. He had to be admitted to the Iloilo hospital and was later repatriated to Spain, where the care of his family, the climate, and the food restored his health.
The Decline of a Dedicated and Tired Life
The following years were very hectic, and Victoriano Román was even accused of individualism. On the positive side, after a visit from the Prior General, the Province regained support for the Prefecture: in 1929, there were twelve missionaries. The evangelization of the south also took shape with the houses at Brooke’s Point and Aborlan.
Joaquín Vilallonga, Jesuit apostolic visitor to the Philippine Church in May 1929, wrote a lengthy report to Propaganda Fide about what he found in Palawan and described Victoriano Román as follows:
“He is an edifying religious man, {…} a spiritual man, and always leads to God. No criticism or murmuring has ever been heard against his private conduct. He is also simple and humble with everyone, especially with his parishioners. He works tirelessly.”
Román was already suffering from health problems and was absent for several periods (two longer ones in Spain, 1930-1931 and 1936-1937, and others for shorter ones). In 1937, the apostolic delegate believed that Victoriano was no longer fit to continue “due to his age and health.” On March 3, 1938, his resignation was accepted.
From September 1938 and for the next eight years, Victoriano fostered the missionary spirit in Spain with his example and his words. Clearly intelligent, with a generous heart and easy, engaging, and persuasive speech, he conveyed in homilies, assemblies, and conferences the missionary fire that continued to burn in his heart.
Death surprised him on the night of December 26-27, 1946, in the Cistercian monastery of Tulebras (Navarra, Spain), while he was traveling between two Recollect formation houses: the minor seminary of Lodosa and the novitiate of Monteagudo.
