Cii.XV. SOUTH AMERICA. i8i 



nothing, and are attended with that care and tender- 

 nefs their ftate requires. Thefe charitable employ- 

 ments take up fo great a part of ^he day, as often to 

 leave him no time for affifting the father coadjutor in 

 the fervices of the church. One ufeful part of the 

 duty of the latter is to catechize, and explain fome 

 portion of fcripture in the church every day in the 

 week, Thurfdays and Saturdays excepted, for the in- 

 fbru6lion of the young of both fexes ; and thefe in 

 every town are not lefs than two thoufand. On Sun- 

 days all the inhabitants never fail to attend divine fer- 

 vice. The prieft alfo vifits the fick to confefs them ; 

 arid, if the cafe requires it, to give them the Viaticum 

 and to all thefe muft be added the other indifpenfible 

 duties of a prieft. 



By the ftriclnefs of the law thefe priefts iliould be 

 nominated by the governor, as vice-patron, and, be 

 qualified for their fundion by the confecration of the 

 bifhop; but as among the three perfons recom- 

 mended on fuch occafion* to the governor, there will 

 of confequencc be one, whofe virtues and talents ren- 

 der him moil fit for the ofHce ; and as no better 

 judges of this can be fuppofed than the provincials 

 of the order, the governor and bilhop have receded 

 from their undoubted rights, and the provincials al- 

 ways collate and prefer thofe whofe merits are moft 

 confpicuous. 



The miflions of the Guaranies are all under one 

 fuperior, who nominates the affiftant priefts of the 

 other towns. His refidence is at Candelaria, which 

 lies in the center of all the mifTions; but he frequently 

 vifits the other towns, in order to fuperintend their 

 governments ; and, at the fame time, concerts mea- 

 iiires that fome of the fathers may be fent among the 

 heathen Indians, to conciliate their affedions, and by 

 degrees work their converfion. In this important 

 office he is ailifted by two vice-fuperiors, one of whom 

 reficjes at Fa ran a, and the other on the river Uruguay. 



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