How we cite our quotes: (Book.Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
But the priest had charged him twenty pesos [for his marriage], and that was half of all he had saved to buy furniture and glass windows for his house. (1.22)
The Spanish-speaking priests of New Mexico charge people way too much for ceremonies like marriages and baptisms. And why do they do so? Simply because they can. There are lots of devout Catholics in New Mexico, and when it comes to getting married or having your kid baptized, these priests are the only game in town.
Quote #2
"And I […] I have not much respect for a priest who either plays cards or manages to get rich." (2.1.29)
Father Vaillant is totally against gambling and greed, which goes to show how much humbler and more moral he is than most priests in his area. These guys love to gamble and get rich, even though the Bible condemns both of these things. They probably figure they can bend the rules because they're out on the frontier and removed from society.
Quote #3
"Our Padre Martinez at Taos is an old scapegrace, if ever there was one; he's got children and grandchildren in almost every settlement around here." (2.2.52)
It's no secret that Father Martinez is a total hypocrite when it comes to following the rules of the Catholic Church. The Church, for example, forbids priests from having sex, but Father Martinez has had probably dozens of children with different women all over New Mexico. Turns out that he's only interested in following the rules that suit him.