A43.  On July 26, 1696, Feast of St. Anne, the Beatas professed the vows of obedience, poverty and chastity after Fr. Gregorio Giraldez read to them the Rules and the Constitutions and the manner of professing the vows. This marked the foundation of the Beaterio.

A44.  It was called Beaterio de Sta. Catalina because of the devotion of Fr. Juan de Sto. Domingo to St. Catherine of Siena.

A45.  Mother Francisca del Espiritu Santo was appointed prioress by Fr. Juan de Sto. Domingo.

A46.  Mother Francisca was appointed prioress for life.

A47.  Venia is a ritual used in the Dominican Order to ask for forgiveness, comply with a penalty and accept a nomination for an office or acknowledge the authority of an incoming superior.

A48.  They attended mass as a community in the convent of Sto. Domingo. They placed their prie-dieus in the chapel of St. Rose where they prayed togethter.

A49.  They received Holy Communion twice a month, during Advent and Lent. In the course of the week they did not go to the church except those who, with permission, frequented Holy Communion.

A50.  The number was to honor the fifteen mysteries of the Holy Rosary.

A51.  He was not worried because he trusted in God and he knew that he could be a help since he was the Provincial. Besides, the Beatas started having income by doing needle work and selling those to the people in the city.

A51.  The three branches of the Dominican Order at that time were: 1) The First Order, made up of Friars, both priests and lay brothers; 2) The Second Order, consisting of contemplative nuns living in strict enclosure and 3) The Third Order, composed of lay people living in the world. They were also called Tertiaries.

A53. He was the great benefactor of the Beatas.

A54.  He was the Captain of the Galleon Trade and officer of the Holy Tribunal of Inquisition. He was also “Oidor” of the Audencia of the Philippines. (An Oidor is magistrate of the real Audencia). He finished his studies in the Philippines.

A55.  He died on February of 1710.

A56.  His last will and testament was given on August 20, 1709.

A57.  A. He requested that:
- he be prayed for;
- the Beatas be free from soliciting gifts, inasmuch as they have in the community what ever they need;
- all things be in common;
- the Beatas imitate Jesus’ virtues;
- the Beatas desire the greater glory of God and strive after perfection;
- all his possessions and properties be given to the Beatas.

A58.  The Beatas could make use of his properties and possessions for as long as the Beaterio exists. The moment the Beaterio is dissolved or destroyed or if they separate themselves from the Order of Preachers, his property would revert to the Province of the Holy Rosary. They would then be used for bringing Religious from Spain and maintaining missionaries in pagan lands.

A59.  An appropriate eulogy was given to him on May 10, 1719, at the Provincial Chapel of the Holy Rosary Province.

A60.  Fr. Juan de Sto. Domingo said that:
- He was virtuous man;
- He was a special friend of the Dominican Friars;
- He was a benefactor of the Beaterio;
- He was a prudent and a generous trader;
- He was a protector and a faithful friend.

A61. The Beatas inscribed him as the geatest and first of their benefactors. And, on the day of his death anniversary, which is February 14, a memorial service was celebrated with solemnity. This is a practice done even to this day.

A62.  He instructed Father Gregorio Giraldez, the Procurator General, to build a new Beaterio because the two houses have become too small for the Beatas.

A63.  The Governor said, “With whose permission has it been done that I do not know anything about it? In the Indies, no school, church or convent can be built without the permission of the King, our Lord ”.

A64.  Fr. Juan de Sto. Domingo was disappointed because he knew that in order to put up Beaterios in Spain, only the permission of the Master General was needed, and this he had.

A65. The construction work was stopped.

A66. Fr. Provincial and Father Ibañez, the confessors of the Governor, conferred with him. Some Oidores were consulted.

A67.  The Oidores advised them not to press the case because the Governor would really stop the work with a royal order and demolish what have been done.

A68.  Fr. Juan de Sto. Domingo, Father Ibañez and Father Provincial wrote to the Father Procurator in the Royal Court in Madrid to obtain from the King the necessary permission but the answer was very much delayed. The Royal permission was sought in 1706 but the answer arrived in the Philippines in 1716.

A69.  He ordered that the construction be continued because it would be more difficult to demolish the Beaterio once finished than when it is half done.

A70.  Some of the Beatas who professed obedience, poverty and chastity, renounced the world, its pomps and amusements and remained faithful for some years. However, there were those who gave in to chatting, meeting with some acquaintances and discussing secular instead of spiritual things. This slowly caused them to lose fervor and feel the hardship of religious life.

A71.  Mother Francisca admonished the erring Beatas. She scolded them and threatened them with the zeal of the glory of God and the good of their state of life. Some Beatas reacted negatively and planned to leave the Beaterio. One of them, a god-daughter of Fr. Juan de Sto. Domingo even went to the Archbishop and gave false reports about the Beatas.

A72.  He was the Archbishop of Manila. He arrived in the Philippines in 1697.

A73.  The god daughter of Fr. Juan de Sto. Domingo said that the Beatas had little chance to go to confession. This was not true because the Father Provincial appointed four confessors for the Beatas and they were free to call any of them for confession anytime.

A74.  He went to see Archbishop Camacho who assured him that everything will be settled. He, however, asked that the Beata who complained be taken back and pardoned. This did not materialize because the Archbishop was displeased with what Fr. Bartolome Marron wrote in favor of the Governor.

A75.  The Archbishop’s anger made him pick on the Beaterio by giving edicts against the Beatas claiming that they were under his jurisdiction by virtue of the Bull of St. Pius V. He also issued a sentence of major excommunication in the sala of the Beaterio. No Beata was allowed to go out. Moreover, posters of excommunication were placed at the doors of the Beaterio and in other places.

A76.  The Archbishop assuming absolute power, interfered with the government of the Religious Institutes without considering their privileges and exemptions.

A77.  The Religious Instittutes appealed to the Bishop of Camarines who was also the Papal delegate, Most Rev. Andres Gonzales, O.P. When Archbishop Camacho refused to obey, he was excommunicated by the former. In retaliation, Archbishop Camacho also excommunicated the Papal Delegate. This caused scandal and talks in the city.

A78.  The Fathers deemed it better to negotiate the problem of the Beatas with Governor Domingo Zabalburu, to have them sheltered in the Colegio de Santa Potenciana without their habits. Once transferred into Sta. Potenciana as seculars they would ask for absolution from the Archbishop.

A79.  He willingly and graciously agreed to shelter them in Colegio de Sta. Potenciana.

A80.  He was so kind to them because as Governor he knew the case and he knew that the report made by Father Marron in his favor has been the cause of so much trouble for the Beatas.

A81.  The Father Provincial, the Commissary Father Villa, Father Juan de Santo Domingo and other priests went to the Beaterio to dispense the Beatas from their vows. They were made to remove their religious habits. The Beatas felt very sad and they cried including Father Juan de Sto. Domingo.

A83,  He said that if they didn’t strive to observe the rules and regulations the Lord would punish them in this life just as He punished the Jews by exiling them to Babylonia depriving them of the Promised Land.

A83. They went to Santa Potenciana in the governor’s carriage with closed curtains. He waited for them at Santa Potenciana with his hat off as a sign of reverence. Then, he accompanied them courteously from the gate to the interior of the College.

A84.  The Archbishop was surprised because he never thought that the Beatas woudl be made to remove their habits, be dispensed from their vows and exiled to Santa Potenciana.