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MANUAL OF THE THIEI) ORDER

ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI,
#rlr«r of ^manct.

WITB i PRBFACE

By TpB VEBT BET. PATHEE EMmiUa,

nr IHSUID IKD lULlMl.

IN TWO V0LUMB8r-V0L. I.

LONDON:
BURNS, 0ATE8, AND COMPANY,

IT * 18 PoTtmui Street uid S3 PaUinoiler Haw.

1369.
[JtV*' <^ nrtnilalio* and BtfToituMm i««T«*.\

/.?<?. ^ 3 57.

LONDON:
110BS05 AND SONS, PRINTXRS, PAKCRAS ROAD, N.W.

PKEFAOE.

This Manual has been compiled from four different
sources : from the Manual of the Brothers and Sisters
of the Third Order of Penance, by the most Reverend
Father Salvator d'Ozieri, Father-General of the Order
of Friars Minor Capuchin ; from the Congregation of
Religious of the Third Order of St. Francis of Assisi,
of Calais; from the English Manual of the Third
Order of St. Francis, called also the Order of Penance
(now out of print) ; and lastly, from the Secret Con-
stitutions, of which a single copy alone exists in the
Convent of the Ara Coeli at Home.

The largest portion, however, has been translated
from D'Ozieri's work, as being the most complete now
existing, and as having obtaiaed the approbation of the
highest authorities in the Order.

My object in wishing for the publication of this
Manual has been to revive, if possible, the spirit of the
Order of Secular Tertiaries in England ; to make it, in
fact, a reality. Hitherto, men and women living in the
world have enrolled themselves in it without much
thought of their consequent duties and i68poiisibili^<^'&\

IV PREFACE.

and having obtained the necessary dispensations from
their respective confessors, have made the Rule virtually
a dead-letter. Not such was the spirit of the first
members enrolled by St. Francis in this glorious band.
If they were foremost in works of charity and in prac-
tices of piety, they were equally admirable in the care
of their children and their households, in the adminis-
tration of their property, and in all the duties of
daily Hfe. Their heroic practices of penance, so far
from diminishing their influence or lessening their
labours, purified their intentions, quickened their zeal,
and gave an example to the world around them which
leavened and raised the whole tone of the society in
which their lot was cast. And surely never was there
a time or a country in which such an apostolate was
more needed than in England at this day. The
worship of comfort in every shape ; the rage for luxury
and an appearance above their station, in every rank
of life ; the extravagance in dress ; and, worse than all
this, the frightful increase of immorality (veiled in
polite language, but none the less real, and fostered by
the sensational novels of the day), and the open ration-
alism or worship of natural religion, professed by the
msgority of young men and women, from the highest
class to the lowest, and mainly emanating from dislike
of control and independence of all authority or submis-
sion to superiors — these and the like growing evils call
more and more loudly for some remedy, for some
barrier to the headlong downhill course which our
countrymen and countrywomen are pursuing.

PREFACE. V

The remedy is ready-made to our hand, and its
originator was a Saint of God. By a faithful adoption
of his Kule in the Third Order, all these evils may
be met.

To luxury and extravagance, he opposes evangehcal
poverty and detachment from aU earthly things.

To the love of ease and comfort, mortification and
self-abnegation.

To pride and love of this world's honour and esteem,
humility and the voluntary acceptance of this world's
contempt.

To sensuality and the indulgence of human passions,
chastity and purity.

To rationalism and infidelity, faith and fidehty to
God's revealed truth.

To rebellion against lawful authority, submission
and unquestioning obedience.

What more do we need, then, but to try and make
good use of the weapons he has put into our hands,
and fight bravely and unflinchingly the battle of our
Lord?

Our numbers may be few, our adversaries many;
but " stronger is He that is with us," and it is His
cause for which we plead.

But to come to particulars. If one member only in
each Catholic family were to be enrolled in the Order,
if the monthly and general assembUes were regu-
larly held, and the whole thing thorouglily organised,
as in Italy and Germany, the benefit to the community
in general would be immense. The Imk^ \^%^.^^^\>l ^!s^^

VI PREFACE.

poorer and richer Tertiaries would be tightened, and
a spirit of mutual love and charity would be engendered;
while to the Tertiaries themselves the benefit would
be incalculable. Bound by a higher though secret
law than the world around them, they would insensibly
leaven the whole family in which they might each be
placed, and by setting an example of charity, patience,
self-abnegation, and humility, would win souls for Christ,
and induce others to foUow in their steps. For it is
impossible for anyone to foUowthe Rule conscientiously,
and to be imbued with its spirit, without growing in
piety towards God, and in zeal for the spiritual and
temporal welfare of their neighbours. The monthly
meetings would keep alive these feelings in their hearts,
and inspire them with a holy emulation in aU well-
doing.

That this littie Manual may awaken the secular
Tertiaries in England to a full sense of their high
vocation and its consequent obligations, and induce
a larger number courageously to enroll themselves in
the Order, and perseveringly to fulfil its duties, is the
earnest prayer of their faithful servant and brother in
Jesus Christ,

Father Emidius,

Gommissary-Oeneral of the Capuchin Order
in England and Ireland.

TEANSLATOE'S PEEFAOE.

This Manual has been compiled in order to supply a
want in England which is the more felt now that so
many fresh persons have enrolled themselves under
St. Francis's banner, and are following, to the best of
their knowledge and ability, the spirit and precepts of
his Rule. Especially is it intended for a Community
of Secular Tertiaries lately established in the East of
London, who have undertaken the works most dear to
the heart of our Seraphic Father, — ^tending the sick,
feeding the hungry, comforting the sad and weary, in-
structing the ignorant, going from house to house in
the courts and streets of this vast city, and ** compell-
ing them to come in" to the one true Fold by the sheer
force'of charity and example.

If it be true that the Church has lost its hold of the
masses of the people, it is to women and to works such
as these that we must look for their regeneration. And
in order to strengthen their hands and obtain a greater
number of cooperators in their labours, it will be need-
ful to organise that mass of hitherto unemployed or
itasdireoted energy which exists m e^ex^ im&<«siss\i vsi

viii translator's prbpacb.

our great towns, and bring it into practical working
order. Good, loving, self-denying, charitable women
exist in every class; but to utilise them for a great
purpose, we need a machinery such as the Third Order
— a Kule and a discipline which, while not interfering
with their home-duties, will give them a definite aim;
wiU subject them to a certain control, and will raise
the whole tone of their minds ; so that their works may
be impregnated with a real Catholic religious spirit.
For this purpose it is earnestly desired to increase the
number of Secular Tertiaries living in the world, who
may join those enrolled in communities, and share, as
far as their home-duties will allow, in all their religious
offices and works of charity.

It is no new thing that is proposed, but simply a
revival of the old Rule of St. Francis, which in his
time worked such wonders throughout Europe. One
of the most essential conditions to the maintenance of
this spirit would be the renewal of the monthly assem-
blies, which have fallen so completely into disuse in
England, but which are regularly held in Germany and
in Italy, and do more than anything else to consolidate
this body of workers, and fill them with the zeal of their ^^
great Founder for the salvation of souls.

In illustration of our meaning, we will quote the
words of an article in the Dublin Review of July 1868,
which has been lately reprinted in a separate form :

" There is an immense apostolate for women in Eng-
land. There is a work before them which men cannot
do^ and if they could, few have the devoteduess and

translatob's pbbfaob. ix

long-suffering needed for it, and fewer still have the
time. We believe that there is no more effectual means
of removing the mass of prejudice against the Catholic
Church which exists among our middle and lower
classes than by the instrumentahty and zeal of women
who consecrate themselves to God for this purpose.
At present, the work of our Sisters lies much more in
the schools than among the people. One of our great
losses is among our children after they leave school.
* They drop into the ocean of life around them and are
often lost to us for years. No power would be more
effectual to keep them faithful and steady than that of
Sisters who should be as busy amongst the people as
they are habitually in the schools.

"But numbers are wanting. Our Sisters are as
hardworked as they can be. It is not every devout
person who has a vocation to a religious life. Now
this brings us to another suggestion. There are in
every large mission a certain number of devout ladies
whose time is, to a certain extent, their own. They
occupy themselves in many works of charity ; but for
want of being collected together under a Kule and an
organisation, the fruit they produce is comparatively
small. Without 'thinking of new congregations, there
are the old organisations of Secular Tertiaries, insti-
tuted by Saints, which might be brought into activity
amongst us. They have a Kule, a spirit, and a dis-
tinctive habit of their own ; they consecrate themselves
to the service of God and of their neighbours, without
binding themselves by vows of leli^on *, ^<&^ \i^K^^ \sl

translator's preface.

some respects a freer organisation than religious, which
allows them to pursue with greater freedom a variety
of useful works of charity, and admits the services of
persons who have no vocation to the religious life.
They have a distinctive hahit which, as a robe of cha-
rity, protects them from evil, and as a spiritual uniform
reminds them of the conduct due to the sanctity of their
state.

"In Belgium and parts of Germany, many Ter-
tiaries, wearing their habit, live even in their own fami-
lies. Elsewhere they live together under the same roof
and combine in the same duties of charity

" We believe we cannot better provide for the exi-
gences of our country than by considering the example
of Catholic France, and weighing well the truth con-
tained in the words of that astute general and legis-
lator, the first Napoleon, * France is saved by her
women.'" •

To attain this wished -for result, therefore, two
things are necessary :

1. To increase the number of Secular Tertiaries,
whether living in community or detained by their
duties in the world.

2. To give them a Manual which shall make them
understand the nature and fuU weight of their obliga-
tions ; and to encourage them in a careful study of the
Rule, statutes, and spirit of their Order, so that their
religious profession may be to them a reality. We
would urge especially the revival of the monthly as-
semblies, making them as far as possible incumbent on

translator's prefaoe. xi

all Tertiaries, uDless hindered by sickness or impera-
tive home-duties.

By these means we may hope to do something to-
wards regenerating the masses living in positive hea-
thenism in our crowded cities ; and thus will a multi-
tude of fresh souls be gathered into the Fold of Christ,
and become one Flock under one Shepherd.

" Let UB begin to serve the Lord onr God ; for hitherto
we have made very little progress.*'

Words (tfBL FraneU in his last sickness.

CONTENTS.

PAOV

Pbeface iii

Tbanslatob*s Pbefaob vii

The Spirit of the Thibd Obdeb, in seven ohapters . 1
Pbbface to the Bulb and Statutes .... 41
BuLE OF the Thibd Obdeb, in twenty ohapters or sec-
tions 48

Statutes and Usages of the Thibd Obdeb, in

twenty ohapters 68

FuBTHEB Usages of the Obdeb 187

The Will of oub holy Fathsb St. Fbanois 147

Catechism of the Bule of the Thibd Obdeb . . 158
Calendab of the Canonised and Beatified Saints of
THE Obdeb, abbanged aooobding to the Months

IN THE Yeab 169

Catalogue of Spibitual Favoubs and Indulgences

obanted to the Thibd Obdeb .... 267

APPENDIX.

The Abchconfbatebnity of the Cobd of St. Fbancis 810

summaby of indulgences thebeunto attached . . 815

THE

SPIRIT OF THE THIRD ORDER.

CHAPTER I.

ORIGIN OF THE THIRD ORDER, AND THE CONFIRMATION
OF THE RULE BY THE HOLY SEE.

The Third Order is the work of God ; of this
there is no doubt. The eminent sanctity of its
Founder, the rapidity of its extension, its de-
velopment in all classes of society, and the
stability of its existence (a stabiUty to which
institutions of a purely human origin never at-
tain) — all are proofs of its having been inspired
by the Holy Spirit Himself. St. Francis of
Assisi was the Saint chosen by God to inaugu-
rate this great work, which is, in fact, to enable
people living in the world to practise all the
nighest precepts of the Gospel, and at the same
time to lead, to a certain degree, the life of a
religious, by the observance of a distinct rule.
This great Saint, bom in a period of anarchy
and schism, and amidst a universal license of
morals which threatened the very doi&tro^i^^kK^

2 THE SPIRIT OF THE THIRD ORDER.

of society, conceived, out of the depths of his
divine charity, this remedy for the evils which
surrounded him. It was in 1221 that he began
the work : twelve years before, he had founded
his First and Second Orders ; and this " Army
of Saints," as Pope Gregory IX. termed them,
had already spread themselves over Europe,
and edified the whole world by their penitential
lives and by the extraordinary success which
attended their labours. St. Francis himself, by
his burning charity and zeal, had enkindled in
all hearts a love of sacrifice, so that those whom
family cares or home-duties necessarily detained
in the world besieged him for some rule of life
which should enable them, without the vows of
the cloister, to walk more surely in the path of
evangelical perfection. Simplicity is one of the
characteristics of God's works, and nothing
could be more simple, and^hat the world would
call commonplace, than the first beginnings of
the Third Order. St. Francis, going one day
from Florence to Cagiano, a little hamlet near
Poggibonzi in Tuscany, met on the road an old
friend and schoolfellow named Luch^sius. This
man was a merchant, and had been noted for
his avarice, as well as for his factious disposi-
tion; but he had been converted by the example
of St. Francis, and now edified all his neighbours
by his exemplary and Christian life. He gave
liberal alms, took care of the sick in hospital,
and opened his house to the stranger and needy,
towards whom he exercised the most liberal yet

ORIGIN OF THE ORDER. 3

delicate hospitality. His wife, Buona Donna, se-
conded him in all his views, and devoted herself
entirely to good works. St. Francis having accom-
panied him to his house, and they having both be-
sought him to give them some dii'ections suitable
to their state of life, a sudden inspiration came
upon him, and he said : " I have long felt the
necessity of instituting some kind of Third Order,
into which married people and others could enter
who were desirous of leading more perfect lives ;
and I think you could not do better than become
its first members." Luch^sius and Buona Donna
joyfully embraced his proposal, and St. Francis
gave them a dark habit, with a girdle of knotted
cord, and wrote out certain rules which were to
be observed by them until such time as the Order
was regularly instituted. A multitude of other
persons from Poggibonzi and Florence soon came
to petition for the like privilege; and the follow-
ing year St. Francis lormally inaugurated the
society under the title of the "Third Order of
Penance."

St. Francis lost no time in submitting the
rules of his new institution to the Pope, and ob-
tained the formal approbation, first of Innocent
III. and then of Pope Honorius. Without ne-
glecting the duties imposed upon him by the
care of his previous foundations, St. Francis de-
voted himself with his wonted zeal to develop
and establish this new Order, the importance of
wliich he realised more and more every day.
He established montlily congregfit\oxiSLV ^j>a»'^^\fiL-

4 THE SPIRIT OF THE THIRD ORDER.

blies, at which he himself presided, and strove
to inspire them with the highest feelings of
charity and self-abnegation. Even when in-
creasing age and sickness incapacitated him from
active superintendence, he never ceased oflfering
prayers and sacrifices to our Lord for the suc-
cess of this branch of his Order ; and that not
only for the existing generation, but for those
yet* to come who should be filled with a like
spirit. He blessed them solemnly on his death-
bed ; and seeing with a prophetic eye the trea-
sures of grace and salvation which would be
poured out through their means on all future

fenerations, he returned thanks to God, who
ad permitted him before leaving the world to
inaugurate a work which should so greatly re-
dound to His honour and glory.

For he knew by special revelation how ac-
ceptable these foundations would be to God.
One day, on the Mount Alvemus, being alone,
save with a brother named Leo, from whom he
was rarely separated, his cell was filled with a
bright light, and an aureole of flame encircled
the Saint's head, who three times put his hand
to his breast, and seemed to be taking some-
thing from, it and offering it to one who was in-
visible. Leo begging for an explanation of this
mystery, St. Francis said that our Lord had ap-
peared to him, and asked him to make Him some
offering in return for the graces bestowed on
him. St. Francis replied that he had nothing
but his body and soul, both of which he had

ORIGIN OF THE ORDEB. 5

long since devoted wholly to His service. Then
our Lord bid him put nis hand in his breast
and give Him what he found there. To his
great surprise St, Francis discovered three large

f)ld pieces, which he joyfully gave as desired,
hen our Lord made him understand that these
were his Three Orders^ all of which were singu-
larly pleasing to His Sacred Heart.

AJter the death of Pope Honorius, ^ Fran-
cis's great friend, Cardinal Ugolini, was promoted
to the Papal Chair under the title of^ Gregory
IX. He confirmed the Bulls of his predeces-
sors as regarded the Third Order, and added to
them many singular privileges ; and St. EUza-
beth of Hungary being soon after canonised by
this very Pontiff, he took the opportunity to ex-
press his special and extraordinary approbation
of an Order which had given to the Church so
illustrious and admirable a saint. A few years
later, Pope Nicholas IV., who had previously
filled the office of Father General of the Fran-
ciscan Order, issued a fresh Bull, in which he
embodied the whole of the Tertiary Rule, ac-
companied with the strongest expressions of ap-
proval of the Order, and bearing witness to the
mimense benefits it had already conferred on the
Church. This Bull was confirmed, and fresh ones
issued in favour of the Order by a large number
of the succeeding Pontiffs; and our present Holv
Father, Pius IX., ratified the same in the Bull
Patema Sediiy which is, in fact, but a solemn
renewal of his approbation oi \Jaa ^\i\a ^S. Y^^

6 THE SPERIT OF THE THHID ORDER.

Benedict XIII., and a confirmation of all that
his predecessors had done in favour of the Third
Order. Not only by successive Pontiffs, however,
was this work of St. Francis approved, but like-
wise by two General Councils — that of Vienna in
1309, and again in 1518 by that of the Lateran,
under Pope Leo X. These solemn assemblies
took in hand the defence of the Third Order,
and sanctioned both its objects and constitutions
in the most formal manner. Thus grafted by
the will of God into the body of Christ s Church,
the Third Order grew and prospered; and,
amidst the storms of anarchy and heresy which
during the last six centuries have swept over the
face of Europe, it has continued to be one of
the most powerful pillars of that building which
is founded on the Rock.

CHAPTEE n.

AS TO THE SPIRITUAL DIRECTION AND EXTEN-
SION OF THE THIRD ORDER.

We will pass lightly over the question, which has
now been set at rest by the Holy See, as to the
spiritual direction of the members of the Third
Order. St. Francis himself insisted that once a
year a " zealous and holy religious" should visit
the different congregations and report on their
state; but he did not particularise the Order to

DIRECTION OF THE ORDER. 7

which such reUgious visitor should belong. This,
in the lapse of centuries, having given rise to
some difficulties, our Holy Father in 1856 de-
creed that the rights, privileses, and indulgences
granted to the Order should extend to all Ter-
tiaries, whether under the direction of any of
the different Orders of St. Francis, or of any
priest, secular or regular, who should be autho-
rised to enrol and direct members of the same
Order ; provided the said Tertiaries adhered to
the Rule of their holy Founder, and performed
the works by him prescribed.

Scarcely had St. Francis's first congregation
started into life than the Tertiaries multiplied
to a degree which seemed really incredible.
They even aroused the fears of the impious
German emperor, Frederick 11., to whom his
chancellor wrote in the following terms : " Our
interests in the Milanese are seriously threat-
ened; for not only have the preaching friars
lifted up their voice against us, but they have
created a new confraternity, which embraces both
men and women devoted to good works, and
which is consequently most popular among the
people. This new Order has so completely met
the wishes and wants of the country that there
is scarcely anyone who is not enrolled in it."

The Third Order extended itself with equal
rapidity in France, Germany, Spain, and other

5 arts of Europe. It soon passed into Asia ; and
apan, among her martjTs in 1586, counted
.more Franciscans than any other religious

8 THE SPIRIT OF THE THIRD ORDER.

body. In America, even as early as 1686,
the Tertiaries amounted to a hundred and eight-
een thousand souls. "In the same way," ex-
claimed Lacordaire, "that people are proud of
belonging to noble blood, to their native soil, or
to the Church of their baptism, so are men and
women thirsting to be enrolled in the noble
army of Jesus Christ, under the humble habit
of St. Dominic or St. Francis. They feel it no
longer necessary to fly from the world in order
to fellow the example of the saints. Each room
is a cell ; each house a hermitage."

But it was not to be expected that the devil
would leave such a work long in peace; and
therefore he roused the hatred and jealousy of
one set of princes and statesmen after the other,
so that the Tertiaries were continually perse-
cuted, oppressed, and exiled, and in some cen-
turies almost annihilated; but no sooner did
they enjoy a little rest than they recovered their
lost ground. In Rome, Paris, Naples, Florence,
Lisbon, Madrid, and in most of the smaller
towns likewise, powerful and numerous con-
gregations were formed. In 1689 more than
twenty-five thousand names were enrolled in the
Order in Madrid alone ; and so, wherever the
revolutionary torrent had for a moment over-
whelmed the good seed (as in France in '93), the
tree sprang up with renewed vigour in some
other direction. For the Third Order meets the
wants of the people in all ages and in all climes ;
and the promise of God to its holy Founder will

EXCELLENCE OF THE ORDER. 9

be fulfilled, even should all the powers of earth
and hell be combined against it.

CHAPTER m.

ON THE EXCELLENCE OF THE ORDER.

We ought now to consider the excellence of the
Third Order as regards the spiritual life of its
children. It may not, canonically speaking, be
regarded exactly as a religious order, because
Tertiaries do not necessarily take the three vows
of obedience, chastity, and poverty ; but its very
name implies a far higher standard than that of
a simple religious congregation or confraternity.
The Third Order holds a middle place between
the world and the cloister. Without compell-
ing its members to abandon their home-duties,
it nevertheless places them in a totally different
position from that of ordinary Christians. It
enrols them in a society which has the closest
spiritual relations with the two first Orders of
St. Francis. They must share in their spirit, if
not in all their austerities ; they have a part in
their labours, and equally participate in their
merits. The Third Order, in fact, is united with
the other two in its object and aim, in the excel-
lence of the means at its disposal, and especially
by the entire consecration which the Tertiary
makes of himself or herself to God* TheBro-

10 THE SPIRIT OF THE THIRD ORDER.

thers and Sisters of tlie Third Order, if their
vocation be sincere, propose to themselves two
things: 1st, to live a life of penance; 2dly, totend
as far as possible to perfection, although living
in the midst of the world. The means by which
they can arrive at these two ends are clearly
laid down in the Rule, which we will dwell upon
later. This Rule is borrowed in a great measure
from that of the other two Orders, and partakes
of its spirit. To wind up what we have been
saying, although the Tertiary takes only one
actual vow, yet at the moment of profession he
or she makes an irrevocable engagement bind-
ing'him or her to a closer union with our Lord,
to the practice of a far more perfect life than
that of the generality of Ohnstians, and to a
never-failing charity towards all men, and espe-
cially to the sick and suffering members of
Christ's Body. It is impossible for them to
over-estimate the importance of this act of pro-
fession ; neither can they afterwards desert the
Third Order by returning to the world and its
pleasures.

We must therefore be very careful not to
look upon this Third Order as simply a pious
congregation ; and to prove this we will quote
the actual words of the Bull {Patema Sedii, &c.)
of Pope Benedict XIH., renewed by Pope Pius
IX.:

"Following in the steps of our predecessors,
who have not only approved and confirmed, but
likewise bestowed the highest commendations on,

EXCELLENCE OF THE ORDER. 11

this manner of life, we hereby declare that tliis
Third Order is and always has been holy, meri-
torious, and conformable to Christian perfec-
tion. Moreover, that it is really and actually an
Orde7'y uniting in one the seculars scattered over
the earth with the regulars and those who live
in enclosure; and that it is entirely distinct from
all the confraternities mentioned in the Bull of
Pope Clement VIII. of happy memory, inas-
much as it has its special Rule, approved by the
Holy See, its novitiate, its profession, and its
clothing in a habit of a specified form, material,
and colour, as is practised in other reUgious
orders."

The religious organisation of the Third Order
becomes for the Tertiaries the source of mani-
fold advantages. It tends, in fact, to revive
among them, even in a century devoted to luxury,
matenalism, and indifference, the touching life
of the primitive Church. The duties and holy
exercises prescribed by the Rule remind one of
the pious usages estaolished by the Apostles;
the simplicity and austerity of their habits bring
one back in thought to the first Disciples, bound
in the links of the same faith, the same hope,
and the same love. Then the modesty of their
dress; their moderation at all times in food;
their avoidance of frivolous or mundane amuse-
ments ; their fasting and abstinence ; their daily
recitation of the Divine Office ; their union and
charity amongst themselves; the obligation under
which thejr he mutually • to lieVp eswi\v oJOokKt \s\.

12 THE SPIRIT OF THE THIRD ORDER.

sickness and sorrow; their attendance at the
funeral rites of the deceased members of their
Order, and their sufirages for the dead, — ^these
and many other practices recall to one's mind
the first ages of the Church, when Christians
were known by their mutual love, and when the
glory of God and their eternal salvation were
looked upon as the only objects worthy of serious
attention or care.

The severe discipline to which the members
of the Third Order are subjected contributes
no less to their spiritual advancement. Their
organisation is in some respects borrowed from
the early days of trial and persecution, when
the Church could only gather her children to-
gether in the catacombs, and when the Unks
mat bound them were closer and more secret.
In the same way, the frequent meetings of the
Tertiaries for public prayer and instruction in
their congregational assemblies, the alms col-
lected on these occasions for their poorer mem-
bers, the right of smerintendence and correc-
tion exercised by the Father Directors or Visitors,
and the public confession of faults, all remind
one of those glorious days when the Christians,
after having been strengthened and refreshed
by their holy rites, imited in one faith as in one
love, went joyfully and gladly to meet death at
the hands of the executioner, or to be devoured
by wild-beasts in the circus in the presence of
a hundred thousand idolaters.

In the mind of St. Francis, each congrega-

EXCELLENCE OF THE ORDER. 13

tion of the Third Order was intended to act as
a centre of good example, prayer, and charity,
the rays from which should extend to the whole
parish or town or province in which it was held,
and embrace in its ardent charity the whole
world ; while to the Tertiaries themselves these
meetings were to feed their interior life, and
kindle in their souls fresh resolutions of heroic
sacrifice in the practice of charity and all vir-
tues, as well as to afford them the strength, con-
solations, and graces which their state required.

The organisation of the Third Order is so
thoroudily impregnated with the religious spirit
as to anbrd a sensible consolation to those souls
whose fervent desires would lead them to prefer
the more perfect life of the cloister, if sacred
and imperious duties did not enchain them to
the world. Placed, as we have said before, in
an intermediate state between the one and the
other, they obtain strength and inspiration and
strong impulses towards perfection from the re-
ligious element in their hves ; while their social
condition gives them endless occasions of trial
and consequent merit.

Let us remember also that this Order was
founded by a Saint — by one who was the nearest
reflection of the Crucified One that our poor
humanity has ever seen — one whose life was, as
it were, a reproduction of the abnegation, po-
verty, and sufferings of our Divine Lord and
Saviour, from the hour of his birth in the stable
at Assisi to the moment of his man^o\3L^ \sv«s-

14 THE SPIRIT OF THE THIRD ORDER.

tyrdom on Mount Alvernus, when he received
in his hands and side and feet the glorious and
ineffaceable stigmata of the adorable Passion
of his Master.

In the institution of this Third Order, St.
Francis laid the foundations of a gigantic work,
for which twenty years of prayer and sacrifice
and incredible austerities nad paved the way.
In his close union with God he had learnt a
knowledge of heaven and of earth, of men and
of the things of this world, almost incredible to
those who did not know from what source he
gleaned his astounding wisdom. The Eules he
drew up for his religious Orders are impregnated
with this divine science; and so those who
flocked in crowds to be enrolled in one or other
of them revered him as an oracle of God, and
followed his directions with a blind and un-
questioning faith. Moreover, this Third Order
having taken root, and been developed and pre-
served under the shadow of Peter's Chair, its
existence was assured ; for Rome is the centre
of unity and the principle of all religious autho-
rity.

The Third Order has, likewise, our Blessed
Lady for its special protectress ; for it was in
the humble little chapel of St. Mary of the
Angels that St. Francis inaugurated this great
work. A lively faith in the doctrine of the Im-
maculate Conception was a distinguishing mark
of the Franciscans long before that dogma had
been publicly indorsed by the Holy See ; and

EXCELLENCE OF THE ORDER, 16

as a reward for their fidelity, the Sovereign
Pontiff' has placed the whole of" the great family
of St. Francis under the patronage of the Im-
maculate Conception.

The Third Order is accessible to all : to
clergy and laymen ; to married women and vir-
gins; to men, young and old; to widows; to
masters and servants ; to the rich and powerful,
as to the poor and labouring classes — all are
admitted wno come up to the requirements of
St. Francis's holy Rule. Moreover, if, from one
cause or other, certain people cannot form part
of the congregation or attend the assemblies of
the Order, they may be equally received for
clothing and profession.

With an organisation so comprehensive, and
to which no material condition is annexed, the
Third Order embraces all that is purest, most
devoted, and most active in the world ; and hav-
ing fashioned and perfected these chosen souls
through the disciplme and reUgious observance
of the Eule, it enables them, according to the
measure of their influence, to fulfil towards
their families and in their respective homes a
mission and apostolate such as holy example
alone can give, which is often worth more than
the most eloquent sermons.

The experience of every day proves to us
how the Third Order, if properly organised,
feeds the growing piety of the people in our
parishes — powerfully seconds the zeal and de-
votion of the clergy, and contributes to the con-

16 THE SPIRIT OF THE THIRD ORDER.

version of a multitude of souls by no other
method than the irresistible example of lives
consumed by the love of God and man.

CHAPTER IV.

THE SPIRIT OF THE THIRD ORDER.

But to obtain these glorious results one thing
is necessary ; and that is, to revive in the Ter-
tiaries themselves tlie spirit of their great voca"
tion ; for, as the author of the Imitation justly
remarks, "The habit and the tonsure go for
verv little ; it is the conversion of the heart
and the entire mortification of the passions and
the will which make the true religious." We
must, then, look not to the serge dress and knot-
ted cord as making a good Tertiary, but to a
soul imbued with those virtues which are neces-
sary for so high a vocation.

Before entering more fully on this grave
question, we must remark that the Third Order
is divided into certain distinct branches, all
equally sanctioned and approved by the Holy
See. The first are the Regular Tertiaries, liv-
ing in community under the Rule of Leo X.,
with the three solemn vows of poverty, chastity,
and obedience. This branch has brought forth
many eminent saints of both sexes; but their
Rules and observance do not fall within the

SPIRIT OF THE ORDER. 17

scope of this little work. The next are the Ter-
tiaries living in community with simple vows.
These congregations, especially of Sisters, are
very numerous in Italy, in Belgium, in Ger-
many, and in the north of France, where they
have schools, hospitals, and many other good
works. They are the elder sisters, as it were,
and the worthy rivals, of the Sisters of Charity.
They, in fact, first set the example of this kind
of life ; for Aey had orphanages, schools, and
refuges as early as the thirteenth century.
Their first house of charity (to supply food,
wine, and clothes to the sick and needy) was
founded at Reggio in 1238. These institutions
of the Middle Ages have served as models to
aU succeeding charitable Orders. We might,
perhaps, place the Tertiaries of the Second and
First Orcters in the same category in this re-
spect, as in a great many even of the enclosed
Orders of Tertiaries there are a certain num-
ber of the Sisters employed in exterior and
charitable works.

We come now to the Tertiaries equally
consecrated to God and bound by simple vows,
but living in the bosom of their families ; and
here we speak especially of the Sisters, as with
men there are fewer difficulties.

These Sisters have permission to wear ex-
teriorly the habit of the Third Order whenever
the circumstances of their position permit,
and they are irrevocably bound by the vow of
chastity. This branch of the Tertiaxve.?., \kwij^

X8 THE SPIRIT OF THE THIRD ORDER.

very numerous in past centuries, is rare in the
present day ; but it is so important a one that
we will devote a special chapter to it later.

There are also Tertiaries free from all vows
or engagements and living in the midst of the
world; and these may Be divided into two
classes — those who form part of a regular con-
gregation of the Third Order, under the direc-
tion of the Father Superior or Visitor ; and
those who live separately and without being
aflSliated to any congregation.

Whatever distinctions there may be in the
duties and practices of these different branches
of this great Order, the spirit of each and all
must be the same — the spirit of humility, fer-
vour, poverty, penance, and charity.

The object of our holy Founder St. Francis
was to enkindle once more in the hearts of men
that burning love and charity of which the ex-
ample was given us by our Blessed Lord Him-
self. Humility is the foundation of this as of
all other virtues ; and to attain to it must be
the main object of all Tertiaries. In submitting
to the Rule of this Third Order, they give up
their wills ; they humble themselves to receive
the admonitions and corrections of the Supe-
riors of that Order; — and these directors should
exercise their novices in every practice most
mortifying to human nature, so as to destroy
in them every symptom of self-love and vanity,
until pride be utterly rooted out of their souls.
Instead of feeling that they have conferred an

SPIRIT OF THE ORDER. 19

honour on the Third Order by belonging to it,
the Tertiaries, no matter what may be their
rank and position in the world, should be filled
with abasement at the thought of their own
unworthiness to form part of so noble a band,
and with a feeling of deep gratitude to God for
the grace of so holy and glorious a vocation.

Our Saviour said to His disciples, " Unless
you be converted and become as little children,
you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven."
These words apply specially to Tertiaries, who,
when they come into the Order, must consider
themselves as children, full of faults and ignor-
ance, and needing continual chastisement and
correction ; so that they should feel it a privi^
lege and a joy to bear the yoke of an austere
Rule, however galling to their liberty ; and that
they should accept with humility the counsels
and reprimands of their Superiors, and submit
cheerfully to the penances and punishments in-
flicted on them for their transgressions. If the
Tertiaries enter the Order in a true spirit of
generosity, they will even rejoice at unmerited
reproaches and humiliations, feeUng in their
own hearts how much worse treatment they
really deserve for their continual sins and short-
comings. This is the real spirit of the Third
Order ; and if its members be thoroughly pene-
trated with these feelings, they will taste a
sweetness and peace which the world can neither
mve nor take away. " O humility I" exclaims
St. Anthony of Padua, " brilliant at^it oi ^\\a

20 THE spmrr of the third order.

sea, giving bright light in the night-watches,
and guiding the mariner into a safe haven, thou
showest us God, the Bang of kings, at the
same moment that our souls are plunged in the
deep valley of conviction of our own miserable
weakness and nothingness." And, again, St.
Bernard speaks : " He who shall be found truly
humble shall flourish for ever in the house of
the Lord."

And now as to the second great virtue re-
quired of Tertiaries. Our Divine Redeemer
let fall one day these memorable words : " I am
come to cast fire on the earth, and what will
I but that it be kindled?" He gave to His
Apostles the mission to cany this sacred fire to
all parts of the world ; but before their separa-
tion the Apostles (already purified by tears of
penitence, and by the practice of humility and
self-abnegation) remained for ten whole days
in the chamber where the Holy Spirit was
poured out upon them, and henceforth were
filled with a burning zeal and charity which the
most cruel tortures could not damp.

In the same way the Tertiaries, according
to the measure of their influence, are to exer-
cise an apostolate in the world, and endeavour
to kindle a greater love of God in the hearts of
men. But if they are not themselves on fire
with this love, how are they to communicate
it to others? It is therefore their first duty,
by leading interior lives, and striving day by
day to attain to a closer union with their Divine

SPIRrr OF THE ORDER. 21

Spouse, to keep alive that spirit of fervent piety,
without which it will be impossible for them to
serve God or promote His interests. " We must
earnestly seek for the grace of fervour," says
the author of the Imitation. " Never let us
weary of pleading for it in a spirit of patience,
confidence, and humility, so tnat we may cor-
respond with the grace given."

Two things are indispensable to attain this
interior spirit— perseverance in prayer, and free-
dom from worldly dissipations. It is enough
to glance at the Eule of the Third Order to
see the importance therein attached to prayer.
The daily recitation of the Divine Office, and
the frequent use of the Sacraments, perpetually
recall the thoughts of the Tertiary to this duty.
" The solitude of prayer," writes St. Theresa,
^* is as a sepulchre where the soul is buried,
but only to pass through it on the way to
heaven." It is true that the life of Tertiaries
must be one less of prayer and contemplation
than of active work. But if they are fervent,
prayer will always accompany their labours,
otherwise their toil would bear small fruit.
Prayer, so far from extinguishing zeal, aug-
ments it; and without it perseverance is im-
possible.

It would be difficult to reconcile a love of
prayer with an equally great love of going out
into the world. So the Kule forbids Tertiaries
to assist at banquets or other scenes of public
gaiety and dissipation, unless compelled by

22 THE SPIRIT OP THE THIRD ORDER.

family duties. They should lead quiet home
lives in the bosom of their families, and love
retreat and contemplation ; otherwise they run
a great chance of losing the spirit of their holy
vocation. Their social position and their duties
to their children may sometimes compel them
to live in the world and mix in general society ;
but it behoves them to watch narrowly over
their hearts, lest the fascinations around them
should tempt them away from the narrow path
they have voluntarilv chosen, and lest a love of
luxury and self-indulgence should insensibly
creep into their habits and daily lives. Let
them never forget that they have embraced a
state of poverty, hardship, suffering, and sacri-
fice ; and beware lest, having put their hand to
the plough, they should turn back, and so forfeit
their reward in the kingdom of God.

The spirit of poverty for Tertiaries consists
in an entire detachment from all things here
below. They cannot literally obey the gospel
precept, by selling all that they have and dis-
tributing it to the poor, as their first duty is to
their families. But, remembering the words of
our Lord, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for
theirs is the kingdom of heaven," they should
neither set their affections on earthly things
nor be absorbed in the love of gain. Detach-
ment and poverty remove the obstacles which
come between the soul and God ; and the duties
of Tertiaries on this head are summed up in
these words of the great Apostle : " It remaineth

SPIRIT OF THE ORDER. 23

that they that buy should be as though

they possessed not; and they that use this
world as if they used it not ; for the fashion of
this world passeth away."

And closely aUied to this duty of poverty is
that of mortification. We have only to recollect
the title given to the Order by its holy Founder,
to be convinced that no one can aspire to being
a Tertiary without being thoroughly imbued
with the spirit of penance. The fasts and ab-
stinences enjoined by the Rule are an irre-
fragable proof of St. Francis's intentions on this
point. All the Saints in the Order have prac-
tised extraordinary austerities; and St. Mar-
garet of Cortona, although worn out by vigils,
lasts, and corporal penances, still lovingly com-
plained to our Lord that she was not permitted
by her director to make her whole body a holo-
caust of penance. It is, in fact, the distinguish-
ing mark of the Third Order ; and those who,
fix)m delicacy of health or the duties of their
state, are compelled to modify this crucifixion of
the senses, are equally bound to maintain the
spirit of mortification m act, thought, and deed.
Many masters of the spiritual Ufe have declared
that this sort of mortification is more effective
than the other ; but both should be generously
embraced, unless urgent motives of health should
preclude the possibility of the practice of cor-
poral penance.

And now as to spiritual mortifications. "The
perfection of virtue," saysSt.Tliomas,"Q«vim\a»

24 THE SPIRIT OF THE THIRD ORDER.

in the submission of the reason to God, and of
the inferior powers of the soul to reason."

Cheerfully to renounce one's own will, to
give up one's own tastes, thoughts, and incli-
nations, to yield even one's own strong convic-
tions, are some of the siu'est means oiF attain-
ing to this spirit of mortification. The heart is
so subtle that it is for ever forging for itself
new chains, or renewing old links in friendships
or affections of which it has long since made the
sacrifice to God. How is it possible for Ter-
tiaries to trample under foot the things of this
world, and at the same time to nourish excessive
human affections ? One man is absorbed in his
children, another in his riches, a third in his
wife, a fourth in some dear friend.

^' All seek their own," mournfully exclaims
the Apostle, " and not the things which are in
Christ Jesus." And St. Catherine of Sienna,
in a similar lament over the ingratitude of men
to her Spouse, bursts out with the words, " They
lose Thee, O Lord, who give themselves to
creatures. All feed on human consolations, and
neglect the true Manna."

Let Tertiaries, then, be thoroughly convinced
of the necessity of mortifying themselves in
body, soul, and spirit, if they would correspond
worthily with the designs of God in calling them
to the Third Order.

It was not without intention that St. Francis
gave to his foundation the title of Brotherhood
or Sisterhood. His object was to revive in the

SPIRIT OF THE ORDER. 25

hearts of men the charity and tender brotherly
love of the early Christians. He looked upon
mankind as- one great family, of which God was
the Father, and considered that one and all
should be united in the closest links of charity.
He was himself so inflamed with the love of
God that he could not hear the Holy Name
without melting into tears, and exclaiming,
^^At the name of Jesus, heaven and earth
should bow." And from this furnace of charity
love flowed in torrents on his auditors, turning
their hearts as one man, inflaming them witn
his own ardour, and transforming them into
earthly angels. And how he loved his brethren 1
Like the Apostle, he was willing to be "ana-
thema maranatha" for each one of them; and
his inventive charity was never weary of devis-
ing new methods for feeding the hungry,
caring for the sick, and administering consola-
tion, both spiritual and temporal, to the weary
and heavy-laden. Let the Tertiaries then follow
in the steps of their saintly Founder. Victims
of penance, let them equally be victims of
charity, zealously emulating each other in good
works, tending the sick, instructing the igno-
rant, reclaiming the fallen, and relieving the
corporal as well as spiritual wants of all the
suftering members of Christ's Body. And let
all these works be done together; brothers and
sisters mutually encouraging and helping each
other, sharing in each other's toils, bearing each
other's burdens, soothing each otbat'^ ^Qtt^'^^*^

26 THE SPIRIT OF THE THIRD ORDER.

and, so strengthened and consoled, may they
run their race here united in the bonds of
holie!3t charity, until that union shall be con-
firmed and perfected in the bosom of their
Lord.

CHAPTEE V.

ON SECULAR TERTIARIES WHO HAVE TAKEN
THE VOW OF CHASTITY.

We will now consider the state of those secular
Tertiaries, who, having taken the last solemn
vow of chastity, are permitted to wear publicly
the habit of the Third Order.

In the days of a purer and stronger faith a
great number of Christians, of both sexes, pre-
ferred, for the love of God, the state of chastity
to that of marriage; and although precluded
by family circumstances or other reasons from
entering into a convent, yet equally took the
vow of celibacy in order to work out more
surely their own salvation. In our days, unfor-
tunately, these ideas have passed away. People
may prefer celibacy, not from any wish to de-
vote themselves more closely to God's service, or
to impose on themselves a continual mortification
of the senses, but to spare themselves the cares
and troubles of matrimony. They only consider
the material side of the question, without any
reference whatever to religion. It is therefore
with joy that we hail the small number of pious

SECULAR TERTIARIES. 27

souls who, smitten with a holy enthusiasm for
that great virtue, generously resolve to immolate
themselves to our Lord by the vow of chastity.
This state of life is the more agreeable to our
liord when it is embraced by Tertiaries with a
view to give themselves more entirely to God by
prayer, to the care of the churches and the altars,
or to the consecration of their whole time and
strength to the relief of the poor, the suffering,
and the needy.

Not less admirable is a similar step on the
part of widows, whom imperative family duties
retain in the world. St. Francis of Sales, in
speaking of such, writes: "If she, who is a
widow indeed, is willing to make to God the
offering of her soul and body by the solemn
vow of chastity, she will add a great ornament
to her holy estate of widowhood, and will confirm
her good resolutions. For, feeling that after
this vow it is no longer in her power to give
up her chastity without relinquishing paradise,
she would not allow the most distant idea of
marriage to occupy for a moment a place in her
heart ; and this holy vow would therefore put
an impassable barrier between her and tempta-
tion. St. Augustme strongly recommends this
vow to Christian widows ; and the learned Origen
goes further, for he advises even married women
to consecrate themselves to widowed chastity in
the event of their surviving their husbands.
As I strongly approve of the advice of these
two Saints^ I desire that all holy sowk y(Ulix\%

28 THE SPIRIT OF THE THIRD ORDER.

to follow it should do so with prudence, discre-
tion, and steadfastness ; having first well proved
their own strength and courage, prayed lor the
inspiration of the Holy Ghost, and taken coun-
sel of some wise and holy director ; for then all
will be done in accordance with the spirit of the
Church."

It is certain that, for souls like these, with- .
out, perhaps, a decided vocation for the cloister,
or prevented by family duties or serious impedi-
ments from following that vocation, yet feeling
the strongest repugnance to embracing anew
the married state, a manner of life is neces-
sary which should be neither, strictly speaking,
of the world nor of the cloister, and which,
while setting them apart from the world around
them, should yet leave them, in some respects,
more liberty than in a convent. It was to this
kind of evangelical perfection that St. Jerome
trained St. Paula and the other holy widows
who placed themselves under his direction,
leading them onwards to almost superhuman
heights of charity, self-abnegation, penance, and
devotion. "Your position is a glorious one,''
he writes to St. Paula, " if you have the grace
to fulfil its duties and to understand rightly the
vocation of a Christian widow, espoused by the
vow of chastity to her Lord, absorbed in the
love of God with an absolute purity of heart,
and leading the austere life which is its natural
consequence." By assuming, therefore, the
habit of the Third Order, following the wise

SECULAR TERTIARIES. 29

proi'isions of the Church, and embracing gene-
rously the austerities of the Rule, they will find
the means of satisfying their religious inclina-
tions, and at the same;time be preserved from
the snares and temptations of the world.

This state of life, as tending to high perfec-
tion, has secured the express sanction of the
Holy See. The Sovereign Pontiffs have given
it their serious attention, not only to determine
the position and privilege of its members, but to
defend them against their adversaries. Special
Bulls have continually been issued in their
favour, and their constitutions have been defined
with a minuteness which proves the importance
attached by Rome to this branch of the Order.
But there are yet one or two things to be
observed in the case of widows or sisters em-
bracing as Tertiaries the vow of chastity.

The Superiors cannot give them the habit
unless their conduct be without reproach, and
unless they shall have attained the age of forty.
They must likewise prore that they have suffi-
cient revenues to live upon, and that no man
lives in their house save their nearest relations.
They are bound to wear their habit at all meet-
ings of the Order, and have a right to a place
in choir. They may also be admitted to live
with the community, if the consent be obtained
of the Abbess and the Ordinary. If they wish
to wear the habit publicly in the world, that is,
when not living in community or being within
the walls of a convent of their OtAKt^Xkve^ \«»^
not wear the guimp or "veil on \It\ft\tV<^'^^^« ^'^wfik

30 THE SPIRIT OF THE THIRD ORDER.

is expressly decreed by a congregation of Bishops
in 1616, and Tertiaries persisting in wearing
these portions of their habit in public places
wiU be dismissed the Order.

The power of giving the habit, and admitting
to profession members of the Third Order, rests
with the Superiors of the Friars Minor, or with
those to whom they delegate their authority.
Ordinaries and Bishops are not permitted to do
so, or to appoint directors to the congregations.
But when the postulant is living in the world,
and wishes to be not only professed, but to take
the vow of chastity, and nave permission to wear
the habit, then the Superiors must obtain the
authorisation of the Ordinary, who in these
cases will examine the postulant on the condi-
tions necessary for her admission to the Order ;
jind, should this examination prove satisfactory,
the Ordinary will deliver the following attesta-
tion to the Superiors of the Friars Minor :

" Dilecta nobis in Christo N. salutem et bene-
dictionem in Domino.

" Ut tu, quae bonis moribus imbuta bonaeque
frugis, ac laudabilis vitae existis, aetate annorum
quadraginta constituta, propria bona, ex quorum
fructibus honeste vivere vales, possides, et non
cum aUis vms, quam cum tuis consanguineis,
vel affinibus in prime tantum gradu conjunctis
habitas, prout haec omnia praevia informatione
constare fecisti, Tertii Ordinis Sajicti Francisci
habitum, quem postulasti, suscipere possis, et R.
P. N. Ord. Min.* in Provincia. N. Provinciati
ilium tibi conferendi licentiam, et iacxik^^^^Tci

SECULAR TERTIARIES. 31

concedimus, et impertimur. In quorum, etc.
Datum, etc."

The Ordinary can grant a dispensation as
regards the age of the postulant ; and an irregu-
larity of this sort does not nullify the profession,
according to the decision of the Sacred Congre-
gation of Immunities on behalf of a Tertiary
who had been professed at twenty-eight. Only,
such persons must obtain the consent of the
Bishop or Vicar- Apostolic. It is not unusual in
these cases to defer the vow of chastity to a later
period, as it is not necessary to take it at the
same time as the habit. The Venerable Father
Salvator d'Ozieri, Father-General of the Order
of Friars Minor, speaking on this subject, says :
" The love of dress, self-indulgence, and ease
are the great evils of modem society. It would
therefore be most advisable that pious and holy
Tertiary widows of the upper ranks, trampling
under foot human respect, should courageously
wear their habit in the world. Their example
would, no doubt, in the first instance, provoke
scandal and ridicule, as well as surprise. But
in spite of that, it would in the end produce an
excellent effect, and they would thus exercise a
far stronger influence over the worldly women
of their acquaintance, and would bring them
back to tastes and feelings more in accordance
with Christian modesty. The victory would be
more complete if men could be found among
the Brotherhood with sufficient moral courage
to do the like, and thus revive the Kaibvt^ ot^^-^t
and holier agesJ^

32 THE SFIRIT OF THE THIRD ORDER.

CHAPTER VL

ON THE lilARVELLOUS FRUITS OF THE THIRD

ORDER.

The sanctification of souls is one of the most
precious finiits of the Third Order, and was the
main object of our holy patriarch in laying the
foundation of his new society. In one sense it
is the essential aim of all religious bodies ; but
the epoch in which St. Francis lived rendered
this aim still more important. Seditious factions
convulsed the towns and provinces of Italy;
while in the south of France the heresy of the
Albigenses had deluged Languedoc with blood.
The taste for luxury, extravagance, and self-
indulgence in every shape had undermined the
very oasis of society, and the clergy seemed
powerless to stem the torrent. It was in the
midst of all this that St. Francis conceived and
carried out his triple scheme for regenerating
the world. While his friars openly reproved the
public vices of the people, and his Poor Clares
strove to atone for them by their prayers and
austerities, his Third Order identified itself with
their homes, leavened, as it were, their whole
spirit with the evangelical virtues of charity,
purity, and humility, and, by their silent apos-
tc^te, exercised perhaps a more powerful in-
fluence than the preacher in his pulpit, or the
nun in her cell. There was scarcely a family.

FRUITS OF THE ORDER. 33

no matter whether rich or poor, high-born or
lowly, who did not number a Tertiary among its
members; and so the love of God was once
more enkindled in men's hearts, peace took the
place of dissension, and heresy was subdued by
the living Witnesses to the truth springing up
on all sides.

It appears to us that the Third Order has
an eaually important mission in these days, and
is called to equally great things. To the spirit
of luxury, sensuality, and pride which has crept
into every class of society, it opposes self-denial,
chastity, and humility; to extravagance, self-
indulgence, and waste, penitence and a loving,
boundless charity, which only thirsts to spend
and be spent for the love of Christ and His
poor. Nor let it be imagined that it excluded
those arts and sciences which ennoble and raise
the spirit of men in all ages : poets, sculptors,
painters, literary men, all hastened to enroll
themselves under the self-same banner, which,
so far from cramping their genius, purified and
exalted it ; so that to them are owing the most
touching inspirations and the most beautiful
productions of the thirteenth, fourteenth, and
fifteenth centuries. Michael Angelo was a Ter-
tiary, and so was Dante, who expressed a wish
before his death to be buried in the habit
of the Order. From the end of the thir-
teenth, the Tertiaries had been the main movers
in all the charitable undertakings of Europe.
In the ^eat centres of industry auA. e.cyH!L\£kRx^^

34 THE SPIRIT OF THE THIRD ORDER.

they opened hospitals, houses for pilgrims, re-
fiiges for the destitute and the faUen, orphan-
ages for children — wherever and in whatever
form human suffering presented itself, the Ter-
tiaries came forward to relieve and soothe it.

Nor was the Third Order less fertile in its
multiplication of congregations and religious
orders. Some of the most eminent owe their
origin to Franciscan Tertiaries. The Jeroni-
mites, the Brigitines, the Oblates, the Ursu-
lines, the Lazarists, the Poor Clares, even the
Jesuits (according to D'Ozieri), are indebted
for their foundation (with a host of others) to
the spirit engendered in the minds of men and
women of the said Order, which had prepared
their souls for the highest and most sublime
vocations. No less than seventeen distinct
branches of the great Franciscan tree have en-
riched the Church, and are continually putting
out fresh shoots of charity and piety. Away,
then, with the narrow-minded and unchristian
view that the main object of Franciscan Ter-
tiaries is the maintenance of the discipline and
rule of their respective houses I Their one ob-
ject, and the object of their great Founder, was
to save the souls and care for the bodies of men,
and all else should be subordinate to these two
great ends.

St. Bonaventura, speaking of the Tertiaries,
says: " The merit of this Order, into which
clergy and laity, virgins, married women, and
TNidows are equally admitted, is proved before

FRUITS OP THE ORDER. 35

God and men by the multitude of miracles
operated through its members." We refer our
readers to the Calendar inserted in this book for
an example of the truth of the Saint's words.
The Thira Order is, in fact, a more fruitful field
for saints and martyrs than any other in the
Chiux^h, and has enrolled more in her calendar.
Positions of the highest rank, of the greatest ap-
parent distraction, of the most arduous toil, and
of the most conflicting duties, have yet been
found, in this Order, compatible with tlie high-
est degree of sanctity, and an array of virtues
equalling, if not exceeding, that of the most de-
vout solitary, or the most ascetic nun. No
charity was too vast, no penance too austere,
no subjugation of the flesh to the spirit more
complete, no union with Gk)d more entire, than
that of those men and women — kings, queens,
statesmen, tradesmen, labourers, or servants
— and that in spite of positions and circum-
stances seemingly most adverse to personal
holiness. What, then, ought to be our esteem
and veneration for an Order whic^h has pro-
duced such miracles of grace? May we not
say, in the words of God to Moses, '^ The place
whereon thou treadest is holy ground" ? It is
an incomparable grace to be enrolled in this
great family of saints, to have the blessing of
their example, and the benefit of their prayers.
Charity is immortal and eternal. No matter
what may be the struggles, the difficulties, the
30IT0W3 of his or her position, \)[v^ ^^ix^iAax:^

36 . THE SPIRIT OF THE THIRD ORDER.

knows that the like trials, the like griefs, have
been borne by one or other of the noble band
to which he or she belongs, and that an nnseen
sympathy, a real strength, is extended to all who
form part of this holy company. Each week's
festival recalls the virtues and struggles of one
or other of this seraphic body, and gives us not
only examples of perfection, but strength and
courage to follow in their steps.

CHAPTEK Vm.

INDULGENCES.

The right to grant pardons and remit the
punishments due to sin is one of the brightest
prerogatives of earthly potentates ; and so, in
founding His Church, our Lord and Saviour
Jesus Christ has invested EQs Vicar, or repre-
sentative on earth, with a like privilege.

An "indulgence," therefore, is the reniis-
sion of the temporal punishment awarded to
sin, after the sin itself has been absolved in the
tribunal of penance, a remission granted by an
application of the sacred treasures of which the
Cnurch is the depository and the dispenser.
The indulgence does not remit the sin, not even
venial sin, nor the eternal punishment due to it ;
it only affects the expiation to be made either
in this world or in purgatory. The spiritual

INDULGENCES. 37

treasury from which the Church derives this
grace is composed of the priceless merits of our
Saviour Jesus Christ Hunself, and, in a minor
degree, of the superabundant merits of the
Virgin and the Samts. In virtue of the Com-
munion of Saints, of which we make profession
in the Apostolic Creed, God imparts, in His
mercy, a portion of their merits to us.

This indulgence is partial or plenary, tempo-
ral or perpetual, local or personal. A plenary
indulgence is the remission of all punishment
due to sin ; so that he who may obtain it would
go straight to heaven at his death, without
passing through purgatorial fires.

A partial indulgence would only remit a
portion of the temporal punishment. The times
mentioned (such as forty or one hundred days,
or seven years, or the like) refer to the public
penances which used to be inflicted by tne old
canons, and of which these are a substitute.

A temporary indulgence is only granted for
a fixed and limited period ; a perpetual one is
without Umit as to time. If attached to a cer-
tain place or church or altar, it is called a local
indulgence.

A personal indulgence is granted to indi-
viduals or communities Uke the Third Order,
or pious congregations; also it may apply to
crucifixes, medals, rosaries, or other objects of
devotion.

Some indulgences are granted for the living,
others for the dead; while others^ ^^gaiiv^ ^^

38 THE SPIRiy OF THE THIRD ORDER.

granted to the living with the permission to
apply them for the benefit of the souls in pnr-
gato^.

We will not enter into the question ctf
whether the Church has or has not the power
to grant indulgences. It is an article of faith,
and the Council of Trent anathematises those
who hold a contrary doctrine.

We come now to the conditions attached to
their reception :

1. It is necessary that whosoever does the
work required to gain the indulgence, should
have the intention of so gaining it. A general
intention is not enough. All Tertiaries, there-
fore, should daily renew their intention in then*
moAing prayers,

2. To gain the indulgence one must be in a
state of grace ; for as it neither remits the guilt
of venial or mortal sin, it only applies to tliose
who have been reconciled to God in the tribunal
of penance.

3. When confession is mentioned as a con-
dition on which the indulgence can be gained,
it is indispensable (see Con. of Indul. 15tn Dec.
1841).

4. By a decree of the same Congregatioit
(9th Dec. 1763), those who are in the habit of
weekly confession may gain the indulgence with-
out going afresh to confession, provided they
have not committed any grave fault in the
meanwhile.

For a jubilee^ however, it is necessary to go

INDULGENCES. 39

to confession within tlie time specified in the
Bull.

5. Should any not be in the habit of weekly
confession, they may yet obtain the indulgence
if they have been to confession any time during
the eight days which precede the feast on which
the indulgence is given.

6. Should Hofy Communion be one of the
conditions attached to its reception, they may
receive it the day before, if necessary, instead
of the day itself.

7. A visit to a special church, when exacted,
may be paid before or after Commmiion, pro-
vided it be between the first vespers of the
evening before and sunset on the festival.

8. When the conditions attached to the in-
dulgence are not only confession, communion,
ana prayers in accordance with the Holy
Father's intention, but also a visit to some
Franciscan church, they will satisfy that condi-
tion by a visit to their parish chui'ch or any
other public oratory, if there either be no Fran-
ciscan chiu'ch near tliem, or should the existing
one be too far from their residence.

9. When a visit to a Franciscan church is
impossible, the Tertiary may gain the indulgence
by repeating five Paters, Aves, and Glorias, in
honour of the Five Wounds of our Blessed
Lord.

10. Tertiaries detained at home by illness
or infirmities may obtain the indufence by
performing, in their own homes, iiivy o\mx^<^\V^

40 THE SPIRIT OF THE THIRD ORDER.

prescribed by their superiors in the Order or by
their confessor.

11. Several indulgences may be gained in
the same day, if the necessary conditions be ftd-
filled (see decree of Con. of Indul. 19th May
1841).

12. The Tertiaries may apply all the indul-
gences they gain, as well as their good works,
to the relief of the souls in purgatory.

13. The recital of the five x^aters and Aves,
as we have before said, is admitted by all theo-
logians to ftdfil the conditions for gaining the
indulgence, if to them be added prayers accord-
ing to the intention of the Holy r ather.

14. The plenary indulgence attached to the
Feasts of the Immaculate Conception, of St.
Francis, of the Stigmata, of St. Louis king of
France, and of St. Elizabeth of Hungary, may
be transferred to the following Sunday, by a
decree of Pope Pius IX. Of course, if obtained
on the feast-day itself, they cannot be repeated
on the Sunday.

PREFACE

TO THE

RULE AND STATUTES.

The Rule of the Third Order, written by St.
Francis of Assisi himself, is simple and concise,
as were all the works of the Saints.

It traces clearly and succinctly the principal
duties of Tertiaries, and shows them how they
may lead a life of perfection, although in the
miast of the world.

But, except in some distinct and formal ob-
servances, it does not go into the practical details
of everyday life.

It was therefore necessary to supplement the
Rule with certain Statutes, which, while not
departing from any portion of the spirit of its
author, should make it appUcable to persons in
eveiy position of life.

In virtue of authority received from the
Holy See, the General Chapters of the Order of
Friars Minor, after long discussion and mature
deliberation in their general assemblies, have
given an authorised interpretation of these
Statutes ; and this interpretation has been pub-
licly approved and ratified by the Sovereign
Pontiflra.

These Statutes have served as a b^i& m t\ia

42 THE RULE AND STATUTES.

formation and organisation of the different con-
gregations of the Third Order, and are still the
powerful lever which guides the wills and directs
the proceedings of all Tertiaries in their public
meetings.

The Statutes approved by Pope Innocent
XI. are here exactly reproduced, as well as
those previously sanctioned by Pope Paul III.
Tertiaries, therefore, should venerate them
greatly. They are the work of men eminent
for piety and learning, and it is their duty not
only to study them attentively, but to try and
be imbued with their spirit.

They are, in fact, a Commentary on the
Rule, of which they give the practical applica-
tion, and develop the whole system of legisla-
tion for the Third Order.

As we have said before, the secular Ter-
tiaries form two distinct bodies : those that are
isolated, and those th^t f orm part of a congre-
gation.

These Statutes, however, apply equally to
all, and are drawn up so that all Tertiaries
should understand the personal and individual
obhgations of the Rule. But in the matter of
discipline they are addressed chiefly to those
who form part of a congregation.

These Statutes, like the Rule, are divided
into twenty chapters, bearing the same titles ;
but we have added a short summary of the tion-
tents of each chapter, so as to make it easier ta
understand any doubtful point in the Rule.

EULE OF THE THIRD OEDER.

OONSTITUTIO,

QUA KICX>LAT78 PP. IV., BE-
6ULAM PBO FBATBIBUB
JET aDBORIBUS DE PCENI-
TKNTIA NXJNCUPATia A
B. P. ir. PRANOIBCO DIO-
TATAM, QUIBUSDAK PBO
TEMPOBIS AO PEBSONA-
BUM OONDITIONE ADJBO-
TiS, CONFIBMAT.

BULL
OP
POPE NICHOLAS IV.,

WHICH CONTAINS THIS BULE AXiy
CONFIBMS IT.

NICOLAUS, EPIS-
COPUS,

SEBYUS SEBVOBUM DEI.

DUectii Filiis Fni-
tribus, et dilectls in
Christo Filiahus Soro-
ribus Ordinis Fratrum
de Panitentia, tamproi'
sentibuSj quam futuris
in perpetuttm Salutem
et Apottolicam Bene-
dictionem.

NICHOLAS, BISHOP,

SEBVAKT O*' THE SEBVANTS OF
GOD.

To our well -beloved 8on8
and our well-beloved Daugh-
ters in Jesus Chi-ist, the Bro-
thers and Sisters of tJie Order
of Penance y present and to
comey Health and Apostolic
Benediction.

Supra moutcm Ca-
tholicae Mei, quam po-
pulos gentium, qui am-
bulabant in tenebris,
discipulorum Christi
sincera devotio igne
cliaritatis exiestuans,

The solid foundation of the
Christian religion, which
neither the most violent storms
nor the waves of any tempest
can ever overthrow, is mani-
festly built on the rock of
the Catholic Mlk^^\^\i^k^

RULE OF THE ORDER,

verbo • sollicitse prsedi-
cationis edocuit, quam-
que Komana tenet et
servat Ecclesia, soli-
dum ChristianflB reli-
gionis positum noscitur
fandamentnm, nullis
unquam concutiendum
turbinibus, millis quas-
sandum fluctibus tem-
pestatum. Hsec est
enim recta veraque
fides, absque cujus con-
sortio nemo in con-
spectu Altissimi accep-
tus redditur, nemo gra-
tiosus occurrit. Heec
est qu8B salutis semitam
prsBparat, et felicitatis
setemse prsemia gaudi-
aque pollicetur. Ideo-
que gloriosus Christi
confessor B. Francis-
cus hujus Ordinis insti-
tutor, viam ascendendi
ad Dominum, verbo
pariter et exemplo de-
monstrans, in ipsius
sinceritate fidei suos
Filios erudivit, eosque
illam profiteri, constan-
ter tenere, similiter ac
opere voluit adimplere,
ut per ejus semitam
salubriter incedentes,

Eoman Cburcb holds and pre-
serves, and which the disciples
of Jesus Christ, full of sincere
piety and ardent charity, have
with a burning zeal preached
to the nations who walked in
darkness. This is the right
and true faith, without which
no one is made acceptable to,
nor finds grace in the presence
of, the Most High. This
faith it is which opens the
way to salvation, and pro-
mises the joys and rewards of
eternal felicity. Wherefore
the glorious Confessor of
Jesus Christ, the blessed
Francis, Founder of the Order,
willing to show, by word as
well as by example, the path
which leads to God, instructed
his children in this pure faith,
and ordained that they should
confess it boldly, preserve it
always, and fulfil it in deed ;
so that walking fearlessly in
its paths they might merit,
after the probation of the pre-
sent life, to enter into the
possession of eternal felicity.

BULE OF THE ORDER.

mererentur post vitre
prsesentis ergastulum,
setenue beatitudinis ef-
fici possessores.

Caput I.

De modo examinandi vo-
lentea intrare Ordinem,

Nos igitur, Ordiuem
ipsTiin opportunis favo-
ribus prosequentes, et
ad ejus angmentum be-
nignias intendentes,
statuimus, ut omnes
quos ad servandam hii-
jusmodi vitfle formam
assmni contigerit, ante
assumptionem sea re-
ceptionem ipsorum, de
fide Catholica, et obedi-
entia erga praefatam
Ecclesiam, diligent! ex-
aminationi subdantur.
Et si eas professi fue-
lint firmiter, vereque
crediderint, admitti seu
recipi tute poterunt ad
eamdem. Prsecaven-
dum est tamen soUi-*
cite, ne quis haereticus
vel suspectus de hseresi,
ant etiam infamatus ad
"vitse observationem is-
tius guomodolibet ad-

Chapter I.

On the manner of examining
those .desirouB of entering the
Order.

We, then, wishing to bestow
on this Order special favours,
and lovingly to watch over
its development, ordain that
all those who are to be ad-
mitted to embrace this manner
of life shall, before their ac-
ceptance or reception, be sub-
jected to a close examination
upon the Catholic faith, and
their obedience to the Koman
Church. And if they have
made a sincere profession of
this faith, and truly believe in
it, then they may be admitted
and received with all safety.
But care must be taken never
to admit anyone to tliis man-
ner of life who is heretical or
suspected of heresy, or even
of ill-report. And if it happen
that, through oversight, such
a one has been admitted, he
must be denounced as quickly
as possible to tlie Inquisitors
of heresy, in order that lie

BULE OF THE ORDER.

mittatur. Et si talem may be punished.

inveniri contigerit exti-

tisse receptum, assig-

netur ille quam citius

inquisitoribus pravita-

tis hsereticse pimiendus.

Caput n,

De forma recipiendi vo-
lentes intrare Ordinem.

Cum autem Frater-
nitatemhujusmodiquis
intrare voluerit, Minis-
tri ad receptionem taH-
um deputati, ejus offi-
cium, statum et condi-
tionem solerter explo-
rent, sibi Fratemitatis
ejusdem onera, et prse-
cipue alienorum resti-
tutionemapertius expo-
nentes, Quibus prsemis-
sis, si eidem placuerit,
juxta modum hujus-
modi induatur, et de
alienis, si quae fuerint
apud eum, satisfacere
studeat in pecunia nu-
merata, vel secundum
exliibitam pignoris cau-
tionem; seque nihilo-
minus proximis recon-
ciliare procuret. Qui-

1 These ministen are iadieated in the Statutes in the first
two cbBpien, »

Chapter II.

On the manner of receiving those
desirous of entering the Order.

When anyone is desirous of
entering this Order, the Min*
isters^ deputed for the recep-
tion of such shall make care-
ful inquiries respecting his
employment, state, and con-
dition, and clearly explain the
duties of this Brotherhood,
and especially the obligation
of restoring the goods of
others. Then, if such is his
desire, the habit, according to
the usual form, may be given
to him, and he shall take care,
if he possesses the goods of
others, to make restitution
either in ready-money, or to
furnish liis creditors with an
equivalent security; he shall
be equally careful to be re-
conciled to his neighbours.
After having fulfilled all these
obligations, and after the

RULE OF THK ORDER.

bns omnibns ad effec-
tnm perductis, post
nniuS' anni spatiiim,
cum aliquorum disore-
torum Fratrum oon-
{dlio, si is videbitur ipsis
idoneus recipiatur hoc
mode, videlicet: ut pro-
mittat se divina prse-
cepta omnia sorvatu-
nim, ac etiam satisfac-
turum, ut convonit, de
ti^ansgressionibus quas
contra hunc vivcndi
modum commiserit,
cum interpellatus ad
Visitatoris extiterit vo-
luntatem. Ethujusmodi
ab eo facta promissio,
per manum publicam in
scriptis inibi redigatur.
Alio autem modo, nul-
lus a Ministris recipia-
tur eisdem, nisi visum
eis aliter ftierit, condi-
tione personse, ac ipsius
instantia, sollicita con-
fiideratione discussis.

Ordiiiamus praeterea
statuentes, ut nullus

space of one year, he may, by
the advice of some discreet
Brothers, if they think him
worthy, be admitted to make
his profession in this manner,
viz. : by promising to keep
the divine precepts, and to
make satisfaction for all
the transgressions of which
he shall have been guilty
against the Hule, according
as the Director shall pre-
scribe. This promise must
be registered by the public
functionary. No person can
be received otherwise, unless,
after due deliberation, the
Ministers find it expedient to
make exception in favour of
certain persons on account of
their station or the importunity
to treat them otherwise.*

Further, we ordain and de-
cree that such as have entered

2 The mode of reception prescribed in Chapters I. and II.
is not observed, except when it is a question of receiving a
Postulant into a Congregation of the Third Order. To Supe-
riors of the First Order ifr reserved the right of ordering what
eoneems indiyldual and isolated reoeptioTU^ ^\)^^ w^i 'mss)
do »t Mil timet.

RULE OF THE ORDER.

post ipsius Fratemita-
tis ingressum, de eadem
egredi valeat, ad ssBCii-
lum reversurus. Possit
tamen transitum ha-
bere liberum ad Re-
ligionem aliam appro-
batam. Mulieribusvero
viros habentibus, nisi
de ipsorum licentia et
consensu, non pateat
ad consortium dictce
Pratemitatis ingressus.

Caput III.

De forma habitus et quali-
tate indumentorum.

Fratres insuper ip-
sius Fratemitatis, de
humili panno in pretio
et colore, non prorsus
albo vel nigro, com-
muniter vestiantur, nisi
fuerit ad tempus in
pretio per Visitatores
de consilio Ministri ob
causam legitimam, et
apertam, cum aliquo
dispensatum. Chla-
mydes quoque ac pelles
absque collaturis, scis-

this Order cannot and must
not quit it to return to the
world. Nevertheless, it will
be permitted to them to enter
into any other approved
Order. Married women can-
not enter this Order without
the permission or consent of
their husbands.

Chapter III.

On the form of the habit and the
quality of the dress to be worn.

The members of this Order
must be clothed in a woollen
garment, humble as regards
price and colour, being neither
entirely white nor black, un-
less the visitors, for some le-
gitimate and manifest cause,-"*
by the advice of the Minister,
grant a temporary dispensa-
tion. Their mantles, also,
and furred dresses, must be
without collars, clasped and
not open, as decency shall
require ; the sleeves must be

^ The will of a father, of a mother, of a Superior, of a hus-
band, the social position, the employment which one fills, the
usages of the country in which one lives, are among the num-
ber of these legitimate and manifest causes of which mention
Ib made in the Rule.

RULE OF THE ORDER.

sas, vel integras, affibn-
latas tamen, non patu-
las, nt congruit hones-
tati, clausasque mani-
cas Fratres habeant
snpradicti.

Sorores etiam chla-
myde induantur, et
tunica de higusmodi
humili panno factis,
vcl saltern cum chla-
myde habeant guamel-
lum, sea placentinam
colons albi vel nigri,
aut paludellnm am-
plum de canabo, sive
lino, absque ulla cris-
patura consutum.

Circa hnmilitatem
vero panni et pelli-
tiones Sororum ip-
sanim, juxta condi-
tionem ciguslibet ea-
rumdem, ao loci con-
suetudinem poterit dis-
pensari.

Bindis et ligaturis
sericis non utantur,
pelles dumtaxat ag-
ninas, bursas de corio
ct corrigias simpliciter
ct absque serico ullo
factas, et non alias,
tarn Fratres habeant,
quam SororeB, deposi-

closed.

The Sisters also must wear
a mantle and tunic of coarse
cloth, or at least they must
wear under their mantle a
black or white skirt, or a long
robe of hemp or flax made up
without folds.

Nevertheless, with regard
to the coarseness of the habit,
should their position or the
custom of the Jocality require
it, a dispensation may be
granted.

The Brothers and Sisters
must not, however, wear any
ribbons or silk cords; they
shall only have common fur-
red dresses ; their girdle must
be simple, and without any
embroidery; so that, accord-
ing to the wise counsel of St.
Peter, the Px\xi<ift oIMJel^ k^^-

RULE OF THE ORDER.

tis cfleteris, juxta B.
Petri Apostolorum
Principis sulubre con-
silium, vanis Imjiis
saeculi omamentis.

sties, they may ronounce the
vain ornaments of the world."*

Caput IV.

Qaod non vadant ad in-
honesta convivia, et
speotacula, et quod his-
inonibus non dent.

Sit eis ad inhonesta
convivia, vel specta-
cula, sive curias, sive
choreas accessus peni-
tus interdictms. His-
trionibus, seu vanitatis
intuitu nihil donent.
£t ne quidquam iUis
donetur a propria fa-
milia prohibere procu-
rent.

Chapter IV.

On the not going to immodest
feasts and plays, and on not
giving to actors.

The Brothers and Sisters
shall be imperatively for-
bidden to be present at feasts,
plays, public meetings, and
balls where decency is not
observed. They must not
spend anything upon actors
or in seeing vain amuse-
ments. They must also take
care to forbid the same to the
members of their family.

Caput V.
De abstinentia et jejonio.

Ab esu autem car-
nium, secunda, quarta
et sexta feria, dieque
Sabbati abstineant uni-
versi, nisi aliud infir-

Chapter V.
On abstinence and fasting.

The Brothers and Sisters
shall abstain from meat on
Mondays, Wednesdays, and
Saturdays,^ unless prevented
by any illness or weakness of

4 The garments mentioned in the Rule being no longer in
use, Chapter III. of the Statutes must be consulted for the
practical application.

'^ Clement VII., in his Btdl Ad vberes fructtis, of the 15th
March 1526, granted the Tertiaries a general exemption from.
ubatinence on Monday.

RULE OF THE ORDER.

mitatis, vel debilita-
tis instantia suaderet.
Minutis vero per tri-
duum camcs dentur,
non subtrahantur in
itinere coiistitutis. Sit
quoqiie ipsarum comes-
tio licita singulis, cum
solemnitatem prrccipu-
am intervenire con-
tigerit, in qua cseteri
Chiistiani ab antiquo
epulis cameis yesci
solent. Aliis autem
diebus, in quibusjeju-
nium non servatur, ova,
et caseus non negen-
tur. Sed et cum Re-
ligiosis cceteris, in
eorum conventualibus
domibus, licite sumere
valeant de appositis ab
eisdem; sintque pran-
dii coenseque refectione
contenti, exceptis lau-
guidis, et viatohbus, et
infirmis. Sit sanis
cibus moderatus, et
potus, cum textus
evangelicus babcat :
Attendite, tie corda
vestra crapula et ehrie-

constitution. Those wbobavo
been bled may eat meat three
successive days, and the same
privilege is granted to such
as are travelling.^ The use
of meat is also allowed on
solemn feasts, when accord-
ing to ancient custom other
Christians ate itJ They may
eat eggs and cheese on other
days when there is no fast.
When they are with other
HeHgious in theii* Convents,
they may eat what is placed
before them. They should
be content with dinner and
supper, unless they are weak,
sick, or on a joumej'. Those
who are in good health should
eat and drink with modera-
tion, remembering what is
written in the Gospel: Take
care that your hearts are not
made heavy by surfeiting and
drunkenness. One Fater must
be said before dumer and
supper, and tlic same re-
peated after, adding Deo gra-
tias. When this is omitted,
three Paters must be said at
some other time of tlie day.

• These two permisiions are only accorded on the days of
abstinence prescribed bj the Role alone.
7 See Chapter Y. of the Statutes.

EULE OF THE ORDER.

tate graventur. Pran-
dium autem, vel coena
non nisi prsemissa
semel Dominica ora-
tione, sumatur ; post
sumptionem cujuslibet
cum Deo gratias ite-
randa: quod si omitti
contigerit, dicatur tri-
bus vicibus Pater
noster.

Qualibet vero sexta
feria totius anni jeju-
nium celebretur, nisi
forte infirmitatis, vel
alia causa legitima ex-
cusentur, vel nisi fes-
tum Natalia Domini
feria ipsa occurreret
observandum.

Sed a festo Omnium
Sanctorum usque ad
Pascha, quarta et sexta
feiia jejunabunt ; alia,
qu8B ab Ecclesia sunt
statuta, vel Ordinariis
ex causa communiter
indicta, jejunia nihil-
ominus servaturi. In
quadragesima vero B.
Martini, usque ad diem
Nativitatis Domini, et

They must also fast on aU
Fridays throughout the year,
unless dispensed on account
of sickness, or any other le-
gitimate cause, or when the
Festival of the Nativity of
our Lord occurs on that day.

They must fast every Wed-
nesday® and Friday from the
Feast of All Saints to Easter.
They must also observe all
the other fasts commanded by
the Church, or prescribed by
the Ordinaries for public
causes.^ They must fast
every day during Advent, i. e,
from the next day after the
Feast of St. Martin till Christ-
mas, Sundays excepted, and

8 Paul III., Bull Ad uteres fructus, of the 3d July 1547,
dispensed with this fast on Wendiiesday.
^ That IB by the Bishops.

BULE OP THE ORDER.

a Dominica Quinqnage-
simae usque ad Pascha,
diebus singulis, ex-
ceptis Dominicis je-
junare procurent, nisi
aliud fortasse infinni-
tas, yel necessitas sua-
deret. Sorores gravi-
dse, usque ad susb puri-
ficationis diem ab exer-
citatione qualibet cor-
porali, orationibus
dumtaxat exceptis, po-
temnt, si voluerint,
abstinere.

Laborantes autem,
propter fatigationis af-
ficientis instantiam, a
Dominicae Kesuirec-
tionis festo usque ad
festivitatem B. Fran-
cisci prsedicti, ter in
die qua exercitio la-
boiis incumbent, licite
sumere cibum possunt.
Cimi vero illos conti-
gerit aliorum imminere
laboiibus, de cunctis
appositis, die quolibet
sumere licebit eisdem,

also from Quinquagesima
Sunday to Easter, unless ex-
empted on account of sick-
ness or any other necessity.^^
Women with child may, if
they choose, abstain £com all
corporal austerities, but not
from prayer, imtil the day of
their churching.

Those who are obliged to
labour may, on account of
their fatigue, take their re-
pasts three times a day from
Easter Sunday to the Feast
of St. Francis," and, when
employed at work away from
their own houses, may eat of
all that is put before them,
excepting on Fridays, or any
other fast days appointed by
the Church.

w Clement VII., Ad uberes fructtu, and Paul III., Ad
vheresfructus, authorised the Tertiaries not to commence the
Lent of St. Martin before the fir&t Sunday of Advent.

^ These words, "To the feast of St Francis," were substi-
tuted hy Fove NiohoUa IT. for these : ^' To \.\i<^ UveNi ^V "^Vi^
MiabM«l,''whiab 8t. FnncSm had put ui\^B.xx\^

RULE OF THE ORDER.

nisi sexta feria, vel
dies sit alia, in qua
generaliter ab Ecclesia
jejunium noscitnr in-
stitutiun.

Caput VT.

QuotieB debeant confiteri
per annnm, et snmere
Corpus ChrifltL

Singuli autem Fra-
trum, et Sororum ipsa-
rum ter in anno, vide-
licet in Natalis Domini,
Resurrectionis ipsiiis,
et Pentecostes festivi-
tatibus peccata propria
confiteri, et Eucharis-
tiam devote suscipere
non postponant, recon-
dliando se proximis,
et restitnendo etiam
aliena.

Caput VII.

Quod non ferant arma
impugnationis.

Impugnationis arma

secum Fratres non defe-

rant, nisi pro defen-

sione Romanae Eccle-

sise, christianae Fidei,

vel etiam terrae ipso-

mm, aut de suorum

licentia Ministronun.

^^ To understand this cbapter, it will be well to remember
tb&i, at the time when 8t, Erancia wrote bia B>u\fi, llal:^

Chapter VT,

How often the Brothers and
Sisters ought to confess and
communicate in the oouneof
the year.

All the Brothers and Sisters
must confess their sins and
devoutly receive the Holy
Eucharist three times a year,
viz. at Christmas, Easter, and.
Pentecost; but first they shall
take care to be reconciled
with their neighbour, and re-
store all goods belonging! to
another.

Chapter VII.
On not carrying offensive arms.

The Brothers must not
carry any oflfensive arms,
unless it be in defence of the
Roman Church, the Catholic
Faith, their own country, or
with the permission of their
Ministers. 12

RULE OF THE ORDER.

Caput VIIL

D% dioendif Horift
oauoniciB.

Dicant imiveim quo-
tidie septem Horas
Canonicas, videlicet,
Matutinum, Prim am,
Tertiam, Sextam, No-
nam, Vesperas et Com-
plctorium. Clerici, vi-
delicet scientes Psalte-
lium, piD Prima, JDeiis
in notnine tno, Beati
Immaculati usque ad
Legem pone, ac aHos
Horarum psalmos, jux-
ta dericorum ordinem,
cum Gloria Patri di-
cant. Cum vero ad
«cclesiam non accedent,
pro Matutino, psalmos
dicere studeant, quos
dicunt clerici, vel eccle-
sia cathedralis, vel salt-
em ut illiterati alii, pro
Matutino duodecim, et
pro qualibet Hora sep-
tem vicibus Pater nos-

chapter vm.

On the recitation of the
Oanonioal Hours.

The Brothers and Sisters
must recite the seven Canoni-
cal hours daily, viz. Matins,'^
Prime, Terce, Sext, None,
Vespers, and Compline.
Clerks who know how to re-
cite the Psalter must say for
Prime, Deus in nomine tuo,
and Beati Imtnaeulati, as fiar
as Legem pone, and the other
Psalms of the Houi's with the
Gloria Patriy according to the
ordinary rubric for the eccle-
siastical office.^* When they
cannot go to church, they
must be careful to say for
Matins the Psalms wliich
clerks are accustomed to recite,
or those used at the cathedral
church ; or at least, they must
not fail to recite, as those who
cannot read, twelve Patera
with the Gloria Patri for
Matins, and seven for each of
the other Hours, together with

desolated by civil wars, the war of the Albigenies waa throw-
ing western Europe into disorder, and Frederic II., Emperor
of Geimany, threatened to invade the States of the Ghoroh at
the head of a powerful army.

^' Lauds are comprised in the Matins as complement and
integral part of the night office.

^* By the rite of the cler^^^ it is necessary to understand the
Bonum rite, 8e0 chapter vui. oi thA ^^\ia^»%

RULE OF THE ORDER.

teVy cum Gloria PatHy
dicere non omittant. In
qmbus,TideHcetPrim8e
ac Completorii Horis,
minorem Symbolum, et
Miserere mei Deus^ ad-
jiciant qui noverint.
Sed si Hoiis non dix-
erint constitutis, dicant
toibus "vicibus Pater
noster.

Infinni autem, Horas
hujusmodi non tenean-
tur dicere, nisi velint.

In Quadragesima ve-
ro S. Martini, et etiam
in majori, ecclesias in
quarum parochiis habi-
tant, matutinalibus Ho-
iis personaliter adire
procurent, nisi causa
rationabili excusentur.

Caput IX.

Quod omnes, <^ai de jure
posBunt, faciant testa-
mentum.

Omnes prseterea qui-
bus de jure facultas af-
fuerit, condant, seu fa-
ciant testamentum, et
de bonis suis infra tres
menses post eorum in-
gressum immediate se-

the Gloria Patri. At the
Hours of Prime and Compline
they must also add the Credo ^^^
and the Miserere mei JDeus if
they know it ; or, if they fail
to do this, they should recite
the Pater noster thrice.

Those who are sick may,
if they desire it, be dispensed
&om reciting these Hours.

During Advent and Lent
they must be careful to assist
at the parish Matins, if they
are not dispensed for some
legitimate cause.

Chapter IX.

That all in a condition to do so
should make their wilL

All those who have the
right and power to do so must
make their will within three
months of their entering the
Order, arranging and dis-
posing of their goods, lest any
of them should die intestate.

^ ThtLb is, the ApoBUea' Cxeed.

RULE OP THE ORDER.

quentes, ordinent et
disponant, ne quem-
quam illomm contingat
decedere intestatum.

Caput X.

De paoe reformanda inter
Flratres, et alios eztra-
neoB.

De pace vero inter
Pratres, et Sorores, aut
etiam exteros in discor-
dia positos facienda,
sicut Ministris yidebi-
tar ita fiat, adhibito, si
fjEtcnltas affuerit, Epis-
copi dioecesani consilio
in hac parte.

Caput XI.

Qoando molestantnr con-
tra jus, aut eoram pri-
vilegia.

Si vero Fratres, vel
Sorores contra jus, vel
eonun privilegia, per
potestates, seu rectores
locorom, ubi domicili-
um obtinent, vexationi-
bus impetantur, Minis-
tri loci ad Episcopos,
et alios locorum ordi-
naries, studeant ha-
here recursum, juxta

Chapter X.
How peace must be established.

Should any dissension occur
amongst the Brothers and the
Sisters, or even amongst other
persons, the Ministers shall
labour, in the way- they may
consider most suitable, to re-
establish £ratemal peace, hav-
ing recourse, if it be necessar}%
to the counsels of the diocesan
Bishop.

Chapter XI.

What should be their conduct
when subject to persecution.

If it should occur that the
Brothers or Sisters are un-
justly opposed in the exercise
of their rights or privileges by
any persons in power, or by
the magistrates of the places
where tiiey dwell, the Minis-
ters shall be careful to have
recourse to the Bishop or or-
dinary of the place for his ad-
vice, and. a<i\i ^<i<iQt^cva!^^^V^

RULE OF THE ORDEB.

<;onsilium, et ordina-
tionem ipsomm in tali-
bus processuri.

Caput XII.

Qaod caveant, in qaan-
turn posBunt, a jura-
mentifl BolemniboB.

A juramentis autem
solemnibus omnes ab-
stineant, nisi necessi-
tate cogente in casibus
per indulgentiam Apos-
tolicse Sedis exceptis,
videlicet pro pace, fide,
calumnia, et testimonio
perhibendo, ac etiam
in contractu emptionis,
venditionis, et dona-
tionis, ubi videbitur
expedire.

In communi quoque
loquela, vitent prout
poterunt juramenta.
Et qui die aliqua mi-
nus caute juraverint
lapsu linguse (prout
contingere in multilo-
quio consuevit), die ip-
so in sero, cum debet
recogitare quid fecerit,
dicat tribus vicibus
Orationem dominicam,

shall direct, to endeayonr to
stop the persecution.

Chapter XTL.

That the Brothers and Sisters
should abstain as much as pos-
sible from taking solemn oaths.

The Brothers and Sofiters
must abstain from taking
solemn oaths, except through
urgent necessity in cases per-
mitted by the Holy See; that is,
in order to reestablish peace,
to justify faith, to refute a ca-
lumny, to confirm OYidenoc,
or to authorise a contract of
sale or donation, when deemed
necessar^^

They must abstain from
oaths in ordinary conversa-
tion ; and if, perchance, any-
one, through heedlessness, is
surprised into an oath (which
happens to such as are great
talkers), let him, on the night
of the same day, when he re-
calls the actions of the day,i^
say three Paters^ in satisfec-
tion for such thoughtless
oaths.

^^ St. Francis here snpposep, and even prescribes the exami-
nation of conscience as one of the daily practices for the Bro-
thers and Sisters.

RULE OF THE ORDER.

propter incaute &cta
hnjosmodi jnramenta.
Memor aatem sit
qmlibet, ut ad dlYina
obsequia faTniliam pro-
priam exhortetnr.

Caput Xm.

De audienda Bfisiaet oon*
gregatione faoienda.

Universi sani Fra-
tres et Sorores cigus-
cumque civitatis, ant
loci, diebns singulis, si
commode poterunt^Mis-
sae officium audiant; et
mense qnolibet ad ec-
clefiiam, sive loca, ad
quam, vel ad quae Mi-
nistri curaverint inti-
mare conveniant, Mis-
sarom solemnia inibi
audituri. Unusquisque
antem, usualis moneta
denarium massario tii-
buat, qui peciiniam hu-
jusmodi coUigat, et eam
de consilio Ministro-
mm, inter Fratres et
Sorores paupertate gra-
vatos, et praecipue in-

Each one must remember
to exhort his family to serve
God faithfuUy.

CfiAFTER xm.

Of hearing Mass and attending
the assemblies.

The Brothers and Sisters
who enjoy good health most
hear Mass every day, if they
can do so conveniently. They
will also attend the assem-
blies, which shall be held
once a month in the church
or chapel appointed by the
Ministers, and assist at a
solemn Mass, which shall be
celebrated therein. Each
member shall give a piece of
current money to the sacris-
tan treasurer, 17 who, having
collected it, will distiibute it,
according to the advice of the
Ministers, amongst the poor
Brothers and Sisters, espe-
cially such as are sick, or
such as are known not to
have means for defraying fu-

17 The word treasurer is the translation of the Latin word
)na99ario. Several editions of the Bull and the Rule say here
missario ; but the most correct editions have mcusario. This
very important variation proves that the office of treasurer for
the seonJar Tertjaries was eftabliahed>)7 ^t. ¥t%ii^S&\i\safS&.«

RULE OF THE ORDER.

firmantes, ac eos qui
funeris carere dignos-
cunter exequiis, et de-
lude iuter pauperes
alios dividat cougrueu-
ter. Offerant insuper
de dicta pecuuia eccle-
sisd memorato. Tuuc-
que, si commode pote-
runt, virum religiosum
et in verbo Dei compe-
tenter instructum ha-
bere procurent, qui eos
ad poenitentiam, et mi-
sericordise opera exer-
cenda liortetur, sollicite
moneat, et inducat.

Studeat quilibet, dum
Missse celebratur offi-
cium, et prsedicationis
verbumproponitur,ser-
vare silentium. Ora-
tioni et officio sit inten-
tus, nisi eum communis
utilitas Fratemitatis
impediat.

neral expenses; and after-
wards to poor persons not of
the Order, according to their
wants. A portion also must
be given to the church in
which Mass shall have been
celebrated. They will be care-
ful to procure, if it can be
done conveniently, some reli-
gious well instructed in the
word of God, to exhort and in-
duce them to do penance, and
to practise works of mercy.

Each member must be care-
ful to keep silence during
Mass and the sermon, and
strict in saying the office and
in prayer, if the duties of
their state do not prevent
them.

Caput XIV.

De Fratribus infirmis et
defnnctiB.

Cum autem quem-
quam ex Fratribus in-
firmari contigerit, Min-
istri per se, vel per
alium, seu alios, si hoc

Chapter XTV.
Of sick and departed Brethren.

When one of the Order
shall be sick, and shall have
notified the same to the con-
gregation, the Ministers will
be careful to visit the sick

RULE OP THE ORDER.

ois infirmus fecerit iuti-
mari, semel inhebdom-
ada visitare teneantur
(Ggrotum, ipsum Bolli-
cite ad recipiendum
pocnitentiam, prout me-
lius et efficacius expe-
dire putaveiint, indu-
centes; necessaria illi
de bonis communibus
ministrando. Et si
prsefatus infirmus de
prsesenti luce migra-
verit, Fratribus et So-
roribus tunc in civitate,
vel loco, ubi eum con-
tigerit mori, prsesenti-
bus nuntietur, ut de-
functi exequiis procu-
rent personaliter inter-
csse; a quibus donee
^iissarum fuerint cele-
brata solemnia, et cor-
pus tumulo conditum,
non recedant. Hsec
quoque circa Sorores
infirmas, et decedentcs
volumus observari.

Ihrseterea infra octo
dies post ipsius sepulti
obitum immediate sc-

person themselves, and see
also that he is visited by
some other member at least
once every week. They shall
exhort him, as may be ex-
pedient and beneficial, to re-
ceive the sacrament of pen-
ance, and furnish liim from
the common purse with those
things of which ho stands in
need. 18 If the sick person
die, notice must be given to
the Brothers and Sisters liv-
ing in the town or place
wherein he died, that they
may assist at the obsequies,
from which they must not
withdraw imtil the Mass is
finished and the body in-
terred. The same rules are
to be observed in tlie case of
sick and deceased Sisters.

The Brothers who are
priests shall each, witliin a
week of his decease, say a

1^ After the preceding chapter these aldi &re not obligatory
excepting towardi the poor Brother! and Sisten, and etpe-
oially in favour of thoae who are not in a position to defray
the ezpeniei of thdr funeral.

RULE OF THE ORDER.

quentes, quilibet Fra-
trum, et Sororum ipsa-
rum, dicat pro anima
ejus, sacerdos videlicet,
Missam iinam; sciens
Psaltemau qninqua-
ginta psalmos, et illi-
terati totidem Pater
nosteVj et in fine cujus-
libet Requiem (Bternam
adjiciant. Etpostligec,
infra annum pro Fra-
tntm et Sororum tarn
viYorum, quam defunc-
torum salute, tres
Missas faciant cele-
brari. Qui vero Psal-
terium sciverint, iUud
dicant ; et oeeteri Ora-
tionem dominicam cen-
ties dicere non omit-
tant, Requiem (Bternam
in fine cujuslibet addi-
turi.

Mass for the repose of the
soul of the departed. Those
who know the Psalter^S shall
each one say fifty psalms;
and those who cannot read
shall recite fifty Paters, add-
ing at the end of each Re-
quiem (Bternam. Besides
which, they will have three
Masses offered up every year
for the good of the members
living and dead;^^ and those
who know the Psalter will
say it once in the year for the
same intention, and those who
do not know it \Nill not fail to
recite a hundred PaterSy add-
ing to eaoh Requiem ceter-
nam.

Caput XV.
De Ministris.

Ministeria quoque ac
alia officia, quae prre-
sentis Formuhe series

Chapter XV.
Of Ministers.

Eveiyone who maybe elect-
ed to the ministerial or other
offices appointed by the Rule

^^ In the time of St. Francis of Assisi the custom still existed
of learning the Psalter by heart ; this expression may also refer
to those who are able to read the Psalter.

^ The obligation of causing Mass to be celebrated is oollcc-
tive ; it regards the congregation, and not the members indi-
vidually.

RULE OF THE ORDER.

exprimit, imposita eibi
qxiisqae devote susci-
piat, cnretqne fideliter
exereere. Officium an-
tern cujuslibet certi
temporis spatio limi-
tetur. NuUns Minister
instituatnr ad vitam,
sed ejus ministerium
ceitom tempus oom-
prehendat.

must accept such office with
Bubmission, and fedthfully
fulfil its duties. Each office
shall be limited in its dura-
tion ; and no Minister can be
appointed for life, but only for
a definite period.

Caput XVI.

De Tisitaiioiie et correc-
Hkone delinqnentiiim.

Ad hffic Ministri, et
Fratres, ac Sorores civi-
tatis, et loci cujuslibet,
ad Tisitationem com-
munem in aliquo loco
religiose, vel ecclesia,
ubi locum hujusmodi
contigerit deesse, con-
veniant, et Visitatorem
habeant sacerdotem,
qui alicujus approbates
Kehgionis existat, qui-
que illis de commissis
excessibus injungat
poenitentiam saluta-
rem. Ncc quivis ahus
possit eis hujusmodi
visitationis officium ex-
hibere.

Chapter XVI.

On the yisitation and correction
of delinquents.

The Ministers and Brothers
and Sisters of each locality
shall assemble for the general
visitation in some religious
house, or church, if they have
no more convenient place, and
choose for a Visitor a priest
belonging to some approved
rehgious order, who shall im-
pose a salutary penance on
such of the members as may
have committed any fault. No
other person can exercise this
office of Visitor.

RITLF. OF THE ORDER.

Quia vero prsesens
Vivendi forma institu-
tionem a B. Francisco
prselibato suscepit, con-
sulimus, ut Visitatores,
et Informatores de Fra-
trum Minorum Ordine
assumantur, quos cus-
todes, vel guardiani
ejusdem Ordinis, cum
super hoc requisiti fue-
rint, duxerint assignan-
dos. Nolumus tamen
Congregationem hujus-
modi a laico visitari.
Hujusmodi autem visi-
tationis officium semel
exerceatur in anno, nisi
necessitate aliqua sua-
dente, fuerit pluries fa-
cienda. Incorrigibiles
vero, ac inobedientes
monitio trina prsBve-
niat; qui si se corri-
gere non curaverint, de
ipsius Congregationis
consortio expellantur
omnino, de consilioDis-
cretorum.

Caput XVH.

De vitandis Utigiis inter
■e, et cnm aliis.

Vitent insupof Fra-
tres et Sorores, juxta

And as this Order 21 was
instituted by St. Francis, we
counsel the Brothers and
Sisters to take a religious
from the Order of Brothers
Minor for Visitor and Di-
rector, whom the custos or
guardian of the same Order
shall appoint when required
to do so. At the same
time we wiU not that any
lay person exercise the office
of Visitor or Director. This
visitation shall be held once
a year only, unless some
urgent necessity requires that
it be held oftener. Incorrigi-
ble and disobedient members
shall be warned three several
times, and if they will not
reform, they shall, with the
advice of tiie Council, ulti-
mately be expelled from the
congregation.

Chapter XVII.

On the obligation of avoiding
lawsuits.

The Brothers and Sisters
will do their utmost to avoid

^ "And AB this Order :'* this paragraph, to the words " This
vhitation, " wOb added by Nicholas IV.

RX7LE OF THE ORDER.

posse, litigia inter se;
ilia, si snscitari conti-
geiit, soUicite dirimen-
do ; alioquin de jure
coram illo respondeant,
apud qnem potestas re-
sidet judicandi.

lawsuits among themselves;
but if they find themselves
involved in one, they must
endeavour to settle it amica-
bly; and if they fail, they
must carry the matter before
a judge, with whom rests the
power of adjudicating in such
cases.

Caput XVm.

Qnaliter, et per qnos in
abfttinentiii potiit dii-
peniare.

Ordinarii autem lo-
corum, vel Visitator,
cum Fratribus, et Soro-
ribus universis, in ab-
stinentiis, jejuniis, et
austeritatibus aliis ex
causa legitima, cum ex-
pedire vidennt, pote-
runt dispensare.

Caput XIX.

Qaod Mioistri eomm ma-
nifeitaa oalpas denua*
tient ViBitatori.

Ministri vero mani-
festas Fratinim et Soro-
mm culpas Visitatori
denuntient puniendas.
£t si quisquam incorri-

Chapter xvin.

How and b^ whom dispeniations
from f astmg may be granted.

The local ordinaries^^ or the
Visitor can dispense the Bro-
thers and Sisters from absti-
nence, fasts, and other aus-
terities appointed by the Rule,
for legitimate causes, and
when they find it necessary.

Chapter XIX.

On the declaration of notable
fatdts.

The Ministers shall be care-
ful to declare to the Visitor
the notable faults of the Bro-
thers and Sisters, that he may
inflict penance upon theitf;

^ By "local ordinaries** the Saperiora of the First Order
of St. Francis mast be understood. Statutes of the Third Order,
approved by Innocent XL, chap, xnil*

RULE OF THE ORDER.

gibilis fderit, post trinse
admonitionis instan-
tiam, a Ministris, de
Discretorum Fratrum
aliquomm consilio, Vi-
sitatori nuntietnr ei-
dein, de Fraternitatis
consortio abjidendns
ab ipso, et in Con-
gregatione postmodum
publicandos.

but if he finds anyone incor-
rigible, affcer having been
warned three several times,
the Ministers, having taken
the advice of the Council,
shall denounce him to the
Visitor, and cut him off from
the Order, and declare his ex-
clusion at the next assembly
of the whole Congregation.

Caput XX.

Qaomodo in prsediotis ne-
mo obligeturad calpam
mortalem.

CfiBterum in prsemis-
sis omnibus, ad quae
Fratres et Sorores hu-
jus Ordinis non ex di-
vinis prflBceptis vel sta-
tutis tenentur Ecclesise,
nullum ipsorum ad mor-
talem culpam volumus
obligari, sed impositam
sibi poenitentiam pro
transgressionis excessu,
prompta humilitate re-
cipiat, et efficaciter stu-
deat stdimplere.

Null! e^go omnino
Inminum liceat banc
paginam nostri Statuti,
Ordinationis, et volxm-
tatis inMngere, vel ei

Chapter XX.

This rule does not bind under
pain of sin.

In fine, we will not that the
Brothers and Sisters of this
Order be bound, imder pain
of mortal sin, to observe the
things contained in this Rule,
if they are not already bound
by the commandments of God
and His Church; but they
must accept with a ready
humihty, and fully perform,
the penances enjoined for such
things as they may not have
observed.

It is not permitted for any-
one whatsoever to contradict
the tenure of our declaration,
ordinance, and will, or to op-
pose it rashly. But if anyone

RULE OF THE ORDER.

aasu temerario oon-
trarie. Si quis autem
hoc attentare pnesump-
serit, indignationem
Omnipotentis Dei, et
beatorum Petri et Paoli
Apostolonim ejus se
Boverit incursurom.

Datum Keate, xyj
kalcndas septembris
Pontificatos nostri anno
secundo. — Christi anno
1289, die 17 augosti.

have the presumption to do
so, let him know that he will
incur the indignation of Al-
mighty God, and His blessed
Apostles St. Peter and St.
Paul.

Given at Reate, the six-
teenth of the calends of Sep-
tember, and the second year
of our Pontificate, in the year
of our Lord 1289, the 17th day
of August.

STATUTES AND USAGES

OF THE

THIRD ORDER.

CHAPTER I.

OF THE WAY OF EXAMINING THOSE WHO WISH TO JOIN

THE ORDER.

The necessity for this examination is obvious,
both in the interest of the Order and in that of
the candidates. It is, in fact, the only way of
insuring good vocations. The wish to enter it
can only come from God : " A man cannot re-
ceive anything unless it be given him from hea-
ven" (St. John iii. 27). It would be very im-
prudent for anyone to embark in this Order who
had not proved both his strength and his dis-
positions, lest the day should come when he
would regret his engagements, and be of the
number of those to whom our Lord addressed
the reproach, " This man began to build, and
was not able to finish" (St. Liike xiv. 30).

Father d'Ozieri says that it would likewise
be an act of grave imprudence on the part of
the Order to admit anyone either of bad cha-
racter or of too feeble health to bear the yoke

CANDIDATES FOR THE ORDER. 69

of the Rule. *^ Without faith it is impossible
to please God." The first point, therefore, is
to examine the candidates on this important
matter. The Order can admit none who are ig-
norant of the principal mysteries of our Faith,
of the Creed, the Lord's Prayer, the Command-
ments, of God and the Church, and the Sacra-
ments, and what must be done for a due par-
ticipation in them.

In these days of theological discussion, ig-
norance on the diflTerent points of faith is a most
serious evil. Tertiaries, bound to a more perfect
way of life, are therefore specially called upon
to instruct themselves in all the fundamental
doctrines and practices of the Catholic faith.

Submission, simple, hearty, and sincere, to
the Catholic and Roman Church is the indis-
pensable condition attached by St. Francis to
the followers of his Rule. To the Pope, as the
Vicar of Jesus Christ and the Head of the
Church, all Tertiaries vow a loving, entire, and
loyal obedience. Through that faith alone can
they reach the height of perfection or reap an
eternal reward.

None can be admitted to the Third Order
who are suspected of heresy ; for heresy is a
permanent revolt against the authority of the
Church and revealed Truth. Our Lord says of
heretics, " You do not believe because you are
not of My sheep" (St. John x. 26).

This condition, so necessary in the fifteenth
century, when the so-called Reformers were im-

70 STATUTES AND USAGES OF THE ORDER.

Sregnating the people with their erroneous new
octrines, is, to the full, as important now, when
Kationalism and what is called Natural Religion
are spreading their poison in every class of
society, and when Bitualism is ensnaring souls
by substituting an imitation of the Truth for
the Truth itseff.

For the same reason they should abstain
from reading bad or heretical books, or books
condemned by the Index, unless they shall have
obtained a special permission either from the
Pope himseli or from the Bishop appointed by
him.

Let them mistrust, likewise, any new devo-
tions, imless they have obtained the approval of
the Holy See. In such cases they would do well
to consult their Director.

Though the Rule does not fix the age of
postulants, D'Ozieri gives it as his opinion that
it is well not to admit them befare eighteen or
twenty.

Insolvent persons, gamblers, bankrupts, or
suspicious characters of any sort are ineh'gible ;
likewise notorious tittle-tattlers, gossips, violent
and bad tempers, or others whose near relations
are leading infamous lives. It would be likewise im-
prudent, except in special and exceptional cases,
to receive into the Third Order persons whose
duties compel them to attend theatres or balls,
or those whose life has given former cause of
scandal, unless by special holiness, or by a strik-
ing conversion, they have regained their place

RECEPTION OF TERTIARIES. 71

in public estimation, and given eminent proo&
of virtue. These exceptions are justified by the
example of St. Margaret of Cortona, and other
Saints whose penitence and sanctity have thrown
so great a lustre on the Order.

Should any Tertiary be denounced to the
Bishop as holcQng heretical opinions, the Father
Director shall examine such Tertiary, and, if
necessary, report him or her to the Visitor, who
will take measures accordingly.

CHAPTER 11.

OF THE MANNER IN WHIOH TERTIARIES SHOULD
BE RECEIVED INTO THE THIRD ORDER.

The Father Eector, or Superior, having
taken down the name, age, profession, and resi-
dence of the intended postulant, and having ob-
tained all necessary information as to his cha-
racter and antecedents, will present the name of
the candidate to the monthly assembly ; and the
Council will then proceed to a secret election.
Should the candidate be approved of by a ma-
jority of votes, the Father Rector will admit him
to a postulancy of three months, during which
time the master of the novices will take care to
instruct him in all the rules and obligations of
the Third Order. At the first meetmg which
is held after his election, the postulant will be

72 STATUTES AND USAGES OF THE ORDER.

admitted into the chapel of the Order, and re-
ceived with the form given in the second volume
of this Manual. His time as a postulant having
expired, the Father Director will mention his
name to the Congregation as one desirous to be
allowed to take the habit, so that each member
may freely express an opinion as to his fitness.
The matter will again be put to the vote. Should
any doubt or difficulty arise, the Father Direc-
tor will decide the question ; and he is at liberty,
likewise, to shorten the time of postulancy in
favour of persons of known piety and good con-
duct.

When the day of clothing is fixed, the mas-
ter of the novices must give notice to the postu-
lant, so that he may prepare himself for the
solemn ceremony by fervent prayer, and gain
the plenary indulgence granted on the occasion
by a general confession and communion. His
dress must be in the mean time prepared by the
Brother who is charged with that office. The
tunic and cloak is not always given to novices —
only the scapular and cord ; but the ceremonial
must be observed exactly as laid down in the
second volume of this Manual.

The novitiate is the time of probation. The
master of the novices must examine and judge
of his dispositions, his abilities, and his piety;
the novice, on the other hand, must test his
powers of observing the austerities of the Rule,
and give proof of his fervour and good -will.
The whole future of the Third Order lies in a

RECEPTION OF TERTIARIES. 73

right tuiderstanding of the importance of the
novitiate. The master of the novices should be
unremitting in his tender solicitude and fatherly-
zeal, shoula instruct him thoroughly in the spirit
and constitution of the Order, form him accord-
ing to the Rule, and teach him the proper reci-
tation of the Divine Office.

The novice during this time must clear him-
self from debt, reconcile himself to those with
whom he may have been at variance or enmity,
and endeavour with all his heart to enter into
the spirit of his new vocation.

At the end of the twelvemonth the name of
the novice will again be given in to the Assem-
bly by the Father Director, and his admission to
the further ceremony of profession will be de-
cided in a secret conclave and by vote. Should
the majority be doubtfuj, the Father Director
has a right to the casting vote. Should the
novice be rejected, the Father Director may
prolong the novitiate, unless the Council con-
sider him ineligible from some grave cause.
Should the novice be accepted, the master of
the novices must give him notice of his admis-
sion, and of the day and hour fixed for his pro-
fession, so that he may procure all that is neces-
sary, and make a previous retreat. But no
novice shall be admitted to profession without a
strict and severe examination from the Father
Director as to the obUgations imposed upon him
by the Rule of the Third Order, and his willing-
ness to perform them.

74 STATUTES AND USAGES OF THE ORDER.

The Rule fixes a year as the time of novi-
tiate ; but this clause is not imperative, neither
would the profession be nullified by its being
done sooner. (See decree of Sacred Tribunal ot
the Rota, 11th Dec. 1570.)

Before this solemn act, the Father Director
will strive to make the novice understand the
ftdl weight and extent of the obligations he takes
upon himself. At the same time he will explain
that in this profession he takes no regular vows,
lest hereafter he should be exposed to anxions
doubts and scruples. The same forms and cere-
monies apply to the admission of a Sister.

It is absolutely necessary that there should
be a written act of profession. Formerly it was
registered by an ecclesiastical notary ; but now
it is considered sufiicient that it should be in-
scribed by the Secretary in the register of the
Congregation. This deed must be signed by the
one professed, by the Father Rector, the master
of the novices, two other witnesses, and by the
Father Director. For the drawing-up of this
deed, the form is given at the end of the cere-
mony of profession. (See the second volume of
this Manual.)

In the case of serious illness, or danger of
death, the Father Director, with the consent of
the Council, may admit a novice to profession
at any time; but should he recover, he must
again go back to the rank of a novice, and be
admitted in the regular manner and at the pro-
per time.

BEOEPTION OF TERTIARIES. 75

In the Bule it is expressly stated that no one
can leave the Third Order and return to an
ordinary life in the world without being guilty
before God. The Tertiary thus deserting the
way of perfection into which he had entered
cannot, it is true, be stigmatised as an apostate
in religion, like one who escapes from the clois-
ter, as that term can only, strictly speaking, be
3)plied to those who have taken solemn vows,
ut he would cease to participate in the graces
or merits of the Order, and lose all the Indul-

Smces with which it has been enriched by the
hurch. By the terms of the Bule, indeed, it
is only allowable to quit the Third Order in order
to join some other religious community equally
approved of by the Church, and of which the
key-note should be equally that of penance. Let
the Brothers and Sisters weigh weU, therefore, the
importance of the step they are about to take
beiore entering the Third Order. But having
done so, let them persevere until death in their
holy profession ; let them resist generously the
temptations and suggestions of the enemy, — who
would try to persuade them that they have mis-
taken their vocation, or disgust them with then*
holy state by exaggerating its diflSculties and
austerities, — lest, having '^ put their hand to the
plough," they turn back, and thereby lose their
reward. If, from family or other circumstances,
they are compelled to absent themselves, from the
monthly assemblies, they must give notice to the
Father Director. But should their absence be

76 STATUTES AND USAGES OP THE ORDER.

compulsory, prolonged, and indefinite, from resi-
dence abroad or other causes, they must apply
for letters and testimonials from the Father Di-
rector, so that they may be admitted to the
meetings of the Third Order in whatever other
country they may be about to reside. Should
such Congregations be in some respects different
from their own, it is not necessary that they
should be again clothed or professed ; for there
is but one and the selfsame " Third Order" of
St. Francis all over the world. But they must
take with them a written certificate of their ad-
mission and profession, signed by the Father
Director, or by the Provincial of the Order.

In old times, the pubhc wearing of the habit
was compulsory on all members of the Order,
and women were consequently obliged to obtain
the special permission of their husbands before
their profession. Now that this custom has
fallen into disuse, a tacit consent is all that is
required. It is, however, incumbent on them to
wear their habits at all meetings or assemblies
of the Order, and at the renewal of their vows.

As the Tertiaries were destined by our Se-
raphic Father to be an example to the faithful
wherever they were established, they cannot do
better than associate themselves in all the good
works set on foot in their respective parishes, and
attend with devotion such Divine Ofiices as may
be in their power, provided they be not incom-
patible with the obligations of their Rule.

The Tertiaries who do not belong to a regu-

FORM AND QUALITY OF THE HABIT. 77

lar congregation cannot be allowed to attend the
meetings or general assemblies, but they may
share in the indulgences and other privileges of
the Order.

CHAPTER III.

OF THE FORM AND QUALITY OF THE HABIT.

St. Francis of Assisi imderstood thoroughly
the effect of external influences on the human
mind ; and, remembering the words of our
Lord, who rebuked the pride of the Pharisees
by His praise of the austerity of the Precursor,
gave to his postulants a simple dress of coarse
serge, with a knotted cord for a girdle. A
little later, when St. Clare threw herself at
his feet and placed herself under his direction,
he stripped her of all her rich and beautiful
clothing, and, having put on her a rough habit
and cord, cut off her hair, and covered her
head with a coarse black veil. He wished his
Tertiaries to wear 9> dress which by its severe
simplicity should be an eloquent condemnation
of the luxury and softness of the gay world in
which they lived. Now though in the lapse
of centuries some modifications may be allowed
in the form and nature of the habit, still the
Brothers and Sisters should carefully maintain
a similar spirit of modesty and simplicity in

78 STATUTES AND USAGES OF THE OBDSR.

their dress ; and abstain as much as possible
from expensive stuffs, bracelets, chains, and
jewelry, which are inconsistent with the spirit
of their vocation. H compelled to wear them by
the circumstances in which they are placed, or to
avoid giving needless offence to their relations
and friends, they would do well to wear some-
thing penitential under their clothes, which
should remind them of their real state before
God, remembering always that clothing was
given to us as a covering for sin, and should be
a matter for humiliation rather than of vanity.

D-Ozieri, in his commentary on this statute,
says, " That the disuse of wearing the habit is
a sign of the weakening of the Christian and
Catholic spirit amongst us; and although by
the declaration of one or two of the later Pon-
tiffs, the only thing absolutely necessary is the
wearing of the scapular and cord under their
ordinary clothes, it would be advisable for Ter-
tiaries to wear the habit whenever possible.*'

The scapular must be of a woollen staff,
either brown, black, or ^ark grey. It must not
be fastened by any ribbon, but cut out of the
stuff itself, and be sufficiently long, both before
and behind, to be able to fasten the cord over
it.

The cord must be in hemp, linen, or wool,

with three knots, and go twice round the waist.

It is not necessary to wear either the cord or

scapular next to the skin, although it may be

done as an act of mortification.

BtmM AND QUALITY OF THE HABIT. 79

In cases of illness, arduous labour, or intense
heat of climate, the Father Director may dis-
pense the Tertiaries from wearing them for a
short time. It is enough that the first scapular
and cord should have ibeen blessed ; they may
be replaced without having recourse to a fresn
benediction for any succeeding ones. D'Ozieri
lays down the rule that, " in any place where
the assemblies are held, or in any chapel or
convent of the Order, both Brothers and Sisters,
if professed, should wear the complete habit."

The prescribed form and material of the
habit are as follow :

For the Brothers, A woollen tunic, brown or
ashen grey, without a hood, going down to the
feet, with a straight collar and open sleeves, the
cord with several knots, a cloak like that worn
by the First Order, and a rosary composed of
seven instead of five tens of beads. This is
called the " Franciscan" rosary.

For tlie Sisters. A woollen tunic, brown,
black, or ashen grey, made in one piece, going
down to the feet, with a scapular of the same
stuff equally long, and a cord of three knots

froing twice round the waist, a cloak of the
ike material, the Franciscan rosary, a white
band and cap, a black veil, and a gimp ; but the
gimp is forbidden to them outside their con-
vents, and a white collar is to be substituted.

The dress of the novices shall be the same
as that of the professed sisters, save that they
shall wear a leathern belt msVfc^'JL ^i ^ ^<s^^ «»SS^

80 STATUTES AND USAGES OF THE ORDER.

that their veil shall be white; the under one
of calico, the upper one of muslin.

The Sisters, whether novices or professed,
will wear their habit by night as well as by
day.

As to their other clothing, it must be as
simple as possible, and consist of a pair of stays,
a shift, and one or two petticoats, according to
the season, and a handkerchief. Their shifts
and sheets must be of linen, their shoes of
leather, and their stockings the same colour as
their habits. (Art. iv. of Constitutions of
Calais Tertiaries.)

N.B. If it be desirable that the Sisters
should, on any journey or other occasion, put
off for a time their religious habit for one less
conspicuous, they must be careful to continue
to wear the scapular and cord of their Order,
and to dress in such dark and modest attire as
is consistent with their state of life.

The Brothers and Sisters should likewise
wear their habits in all professional services, at
funerals, and all other ecclesiastical functions, at
which they may assist in a body. This privi-
lege was granted them in several special Papal
Bulls. It is also in this costume that all Tfer-
tiaries must be buried. We have spoken, in
chapter vi. of the " Spirit of the Order," of the
special rules which concern the Tertiaries who
Have taken the vow of chastity, and who may,
"^''nrdmg to D'Ozieri, wear habitually and pub-
:th6 complete habit of the Third Order.

AVOID PLACES OF PUBLIC AMUSEMENT. 81

CHAPTER IV.

THAT THE BROTHERS AND SISTERS SHOULD
AVOID THEATRES AND BALLS, AND OTHER
PLACES OF PUBLIC AMUSEMENT.

" Woe to the world because of scandals I"
(St. Matt, xviii. 7), exclaimed our Saviour to
His disciples. *^ So also you now indeed have
sorrow ; out I will see you again, and your
heart shall rejoice ; and your joy no man shall
take from you" (St. John xvi. 20).

This contempt of the world and its plea-
sures passed from the heart of the Divine
Master to that of His Apostles ; and they again
have never ceased to repeat in the ear or the
faithful this grand and salutary lesson : " Love
not the world, nor the things which are in the
world" (1 St. John ii. 15). "Whosoever there-
fore will be a friend of this world becometh an
enemy of God" (St. James ii. 15). "If any
man love the world, the charity of the Father
is not in him" (1 St. John ii. 15). The Rule
of the Third Order, being grafted on these
counsels of evangelical perfection, naturally
bore the impress of this sttme spirit, and de-
clared that the noisy turmoil and dissipation of
^® g^y world were incompatible with the
sanctity of the Christian life.

Let the Tertiaries, then, never forget that
in their profession they have renewed before

82 STATUTES AND USAGES OF THE ORDER.

God and men the vows made at their baptism;
to renounce the devil and all his works. They
must not merely observe the letter of the Rule
in this respect, but the spirit of it. They are
forbidden balls, where modesty is so often im-

Eerilled, and theatres, where human passioa^
ave their full sway, and where the most solid
virtue suffers some taint. Unless urgent duty
to their children compel their presence on such
occasions, and a special dispensation shall have
been obtained, the Tertiaries will be punished
by the Father Visitor for an infringement of
this rule. A reprimand and penance will be
given in public for this offence the first and
second times ; and expulsion from the Order
would be the penalty of a third repetition of the
offence, if committed by the Tertiaries without
having obtained the necessary dispensation.

Tertiaries should also abstain from reading
bad novels, plays, obscene poems, and the like,
in which vice and passion are clothed in the
most seductive colours to insinuate their fatal
poison into the soul.

The Tertiaries shall equally abstain from
public-houses, gambling-houses, or any places
of loose public resort. GambUng of any sort
is strictly forbidden, as well as acting, or taking
part in any conversations or actions inconsistent
with modesty and purity.

At the same time, St. Francis was far from
forbidding the use of innocent recreations to
his Tertiaries, following therein the example of

ABSTINENCE AND FASTING. 83

our Lord, who sanctified the marriage feast
with His presence. In the like manner St.
Francis would mingle gaily and cheerfully on
certain occasions with his friends, whom he
edified as much by his charity as by his other
virtues.

Tertiaries must, therefore, try to steer a
middle course between the pernicious follies of
the century and a moroseness and melancholy
which are incompatible with the real Christian
spirit of love and joy. If forced by circum-
stances to live in the world, they must strive
to edify it by their modesty and charity, so as
to make virtue and piety attractive by a greater
sweetness, kindness, and benevolence towards
all with whom they are brought in contact.
So will they win souls to Christ, and their
apostolate will bring forth fruit a himdrcd-
fold.

CHAPTER V.

OF ABSTINENCE AND FASTING.

We have already said that the main object of
St. Francis was to stem the tide of sensuality
and self-indulgence which threatened to over-
whelm society in the era in which he lived.
" Do penance," said our Lord to His disciples ;
** for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (St.
Matt. iii. 2). "Except you do penance, you

84 STATUTES AND USAGES OF THE ORDER.

shall all likewise perish" (St. Luke xiii. 5).
He taught them likewise that the spirit of
penance alone could chase away the demon of
impurity. "They that are Christ's," says St.
Paul, " have crucified their flesh with the vices
and concupiscences" (Gal. v. 24). Thoroughly
imbued with this spirit and belief, St. Francis
made himself a holocaust of penance ; and in
order to encourage his followers in a path so
painful to the senses, he gave them abundant
proofs of the way in which the devils fled from
those whose lives were mortified and austere.

By this voluntary expiation of their own
sins and those of others, Tertiaries will gain
daily victories, not only over themselves, but
over the world, which is so bitter an enemy to
everything like penance and mortification.

The Calais Manual says, "Tertiaries must
look upon their meals as humbUng though
necessary acts, to be performed in a penitential
spirit. They must eat what is set before them,
without complaint or over-delicacy. All luxury
and superfluity should be banished from their
tables. At the principal meal in their commu-
nities only soup and two other dishes shall be
served; but these directions must be modified
by circumstances and places.

" To provide for the nourishment of the soul
as well as of the body, a religious book of some
sort, at the discretion of the Superior, must be
read in the refectory during meals.

" No stranger or person who is not a member

ABSTINENOE AND FASTING. 85

of the Third Order can be allowed to eat with
the religious ; and no Tertiaries, if living in
community, may take their meals outside their
convent." (Chap. iii. art. 1.)

The Rule prescribes abstinence from flesh-
meat on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and
Saturday in each week. Clement VII. in his
Bull, " Ab uberes fructus," of the 15th March
1526, dispensed the Tertiaries from the Mon-
day's abstinence, except during Lent and Ad-
vent, or at the seasons when the Clim^ch pre-
scribes it. They may also eat meat on certain
feast-days, even should they fall on days of fast-
ing and abstinence, such as Christmas and the
other feasts of our Lord and of our Lady ; the
feasts of St. John the Baptist, of the Holy
Apostles, All Saints, St. Francis, St. Clare, St.
Louis, and St. Elizabeth, according to an an-
cient chronicle which has obtained the force of
law.

Sickness or habitual delicacy of tempera-
ment may enable the Tertiaries to obtain a dis-
pensation from this rule.

There are also certain other occasions when
a like dispensation may be granted: such as
being in another community where this rule is
not observed; being invited to the houses of
parents or friends, where the maintenance of
the Kule might involve a breach of charity ; a
laborious work at home or abroad, or sitting up
at night, and requiring extra strength; the
state of dependence of women, children, or ser-

86 STATUTES AND USAGES OF THE ORDER.

vants, on their husbands, parents, or masters;
the impossibility of getting any meagre food, or
its deamess : these and the like reasons may dis-
pense the Tertiaries from a strict observance of
the Rule on application to the Father Director,

The Rule enjoins a strict fast on evety Fri-
day throughout the year, and on all Wednes-
days from All Saints to Easter. Tertiaries
must likewise observe all the fasts of the
Church, such as the Ember Weeks, Vigils, and
Lent. They must also fast every day except
Sunday, from the Feast of St. Martin to Chri^
mas; but Clement VII. has commuted this
second Lent to the time from the first Sunday
in Advent to Christmas. The Spring Lent of
the Tertiaries begins directly after Quinqua-
gesima Sunday, till Easter-day. As we have
before said, the Brothers and Sisters may apply
for dispensations, in case of necessity, to the
Father Director, who will always grant them
with kindness and charity.

As to hours, Tertiaries must conform to the
discipline and usages of the country where they
Uve. They may break their fast at twelve, or
even half-past eleven, and have a collation at
night ; or they may reverse the order of things,
and have a collation at ten or eleven o'clock,
and dine late.

For those who rise early, it is permitted to
have a cup of coffee, tea, or chocolate, with a
little bread, in the morning, which they may
take without scruples of conscience.

ABSTINENOE AND FASTINa 87

If a dispensation should be necessary from
«ny of the Church fasts, the Tertiaries must
ask it of their parish priests.

The Brothers and Sisters must be careful to
say a "Pater Noster^' before and after each
meal, accompanied with a "Deo gratias." It
is a simple act of gratitude to the tenderest of
fathers.

This usage is of ancient date, and is pre-
served in the Benedicite and Graces recited in
all communities, and which are at the end of
their Breviaries.

The Breviary Grace will be recited in Latin
before and after dinner and supper.

After dinner the Tertiaries will recite aloud
the " De Profundis" for the departed souls of
all members or benefactors of the community ;
and then say the " Miserere," as they walk from
the refectory to the chapel, where they will
make a short meditation. (Calais Rule.)

There is no doubt that there are occasions
when dispensations are necessar>^, and should
be granted without difficulty. JBut we would
warn Tertiaries to guard themselves narrowly
against the over-delicacy or blind attention to
health which shrinks from the discomfort and
constraint involved in the observance of this
penitential part of the Rule. If they be really
nlled with the spirit of their holy vocation, they
will never willingly apply for such dispensations ;
they will deplore the necessity of having re-
course to them, and rather seek to increase than

88 STATUTES AND USAGES OF THE ORDER.

diminish the austerities which formed the joy of
St. Louis, St. Elizabeth, St. Eosa of Viterbo,
St. Margaret of Cortoiia, St. Angela of Foligno,
and so many others. But, on the other hand,
lest this humbling and painful necessity of ap-
plying for dispensations be the cause of dis-
couragement to fervent souls, let them remem-
ber that God takes account of their good-will
and earnest intention, and that in some cases
the merit of obedience is even greater than that
of sacrifice.

CHAPTER VI.

ON THE FREQUENCY OF CONFESSION AND

COMIVIUNION.

The Adorable Sacrament of the Altar is the
greatest miracle which has been wrought by
divine mercy for the soul of fallen man. This
mystery of love is as a burning furnace, in
which our hearts are purified and welded into
His likeness. And so St. Francis, having tasted
the sweetness of this divine food, and being in-
flamed with the love of God, protested against
the negligence and indifference of his contem-
poraries ; and while perpetuating in his Third
Order the ancient rule of Communion at the
great festivals of Christmas, Easter, and Pente-
cost, yet strongly exhorted his children to fre-
quent Commumon, as the most powerfiil channel

CONFESSION AND COMMUNION. 89

of Dmne grace and strength. Urban VIII.
decreed that all Tertiaries should communicate
not less often than once a month ; and a statute
passed by Pope Innocent XI. enacted that there
should be a general Communion on the feast-
days of our holy Father St. Francis and other
Saints of the Order; as also on the days of
general assembhes, at elections, at commemora-
tions of brethren or sisters deceased, and the
like; so as to increase the frequency of the
Communions. The Brothers and Sisters must
likewise go to Communion the day of their
clothing and profession, so as to obtain the in-
dulgence. And as frequent confession and com-
munion produce such abundant finiits, we ear-
nestly recommend the Brothers and Sisters to
communicate as often as their Directors will
jive them leave. Their paschal Communion on
Toly Thursday must, if possible, be received in
their parish church.

The obligation of frequent Communion in-
volves, likewise, frequent confession, so as to
maintain the Brothers and Sisters in a state of
grace and a careful purity of conscience. They
must go to confession at least every fortnight,
either to a priest of their Order or to anyone
else they may choose.

They will be careful to reconcile themselves
beforehand ^vith any persons with whom they
may have had differences, and to make restitu-
tion, to the best of their power, to any whom
they may have injm'ed or offended.

30 STATUTES AND USAGES OF THE ORDER.

If Tertiaries be exact in following the pre-
<5epts and spirit of their Order, their edifying
lives will render them worthy of frequent Uom-
munion, and thus fulfil the wish of the Church,
which, by the indulgences attached to it on the
different feasts of the Order, has given every
encouragement to the practice. It is by the
daily partaking of this celestial food that the
Ohurch maintains, in all ranks of society, so
large a number of faithftil children, who, by their
piety and perseverance, triumph over all the
-corruptions and evils of the world around them.

CHAPTER VIL

THAT THE BROTHERS ARE NOT TO BEAR ARMS.

This rule was given to Tertiaries that they
might be imbued with that spirit of meekness,
patience, and forgiveness of injuries which cha-
racterised their great Master, Jesus Christ.
^^ Blessed are the meek, for they shall possess
the land," are the gospel words. St. Francis
lived at a time when the civil wars between the
Guelphs and the Ghibellines raged throughout
Italy, and deluged that country with blood.
Hence his wise prohibition. But he permitted
them to take up arms in defence of the Holy
See, of the Catholic faith, and of their country.
In all other circumstances a special permission
was to be obtained from the Father Director.

RECITATION OF THE DIVINE OFFICE. 91

CHAPTER Vm.

OF THE RECITATION OF THE DIVINE OFFICE.

As the herald of a great King, St. Francis
looked upon himself as called upon to invite all
creatures to praise and glorify their Creator to
the utmost oi their power.

For this end he imposed on his Tertiaries
the recitation of the Divme Office, so that many
times a day their voices should join the anffelic
hosts in mignifying and prai8ing''His holy nama
He wished that each congregation of Tertiaries
should become a choir, each house a sanctuary,
where the psalms and hymns of our Liturgy,
said between the hours of work, should echo
the public worship which our Lord received in
His temples, and from His heavenly hosts.

Our Saint could not understand the apathy
and negligence of his age and country on this
point, and his heart was filled with soitow and
bitterness to find psalms and hymns, inspired
by the Holy Ghost Himself, unknown to the
Church's children, or banished from their ordi-
nary services. He therefore determined to re-
store, by means of his Third Order, this daily
sacrifice of praise. Soon the Church beheld
the Divine Office taking its place once more in
the daily habits and devotions of people of every
class, and thus rivalling the practice of primi-
tive ages, when time was always contrived for
this pious usage. " It is indeed sadly to be re-

92 STATUTES AND USAGES OF THE ORDER.

gretted," exclaims D'Ozieri, "that the exces-
sive but ineWtable preoccupation of people's
minds, their various and absorbing interests,
and the change all this has wrought in domestic
life, has I'endered this practice next to impos-
sible to many Tertiaries. Alas, work and
pleasure have so absorbed God's share in the
day, that Christians seem to think there is
scarcely time to accompUsh the most essential
duties of I'^limon I*'

In order to meet this diflBculty, the Holy
See has given permission to such Tertiaries to
substitute the " Little Office of the Blessed
Virgin" for the longer canonical Office, and has
affirmed that by so doing they will lose none of
the privileges of the Order ; l3ut they must add
the " Commemoration of our holy Father St.
Francis," and certain prayers for deceased mem-
bers of the Order, and for the souls in Purga-
tory. In the like manner, those that are in holy
orders may satisfy the conditions of the Rule by
reciting the Breviary of their diocese, if accord-
ing to Roman Rite; but adding to the other
f)rayers enjoined above the collect, " Deus venige
argitor," &c.

The Calendar and Breviary in use in the
Order shall be those of the Friars Minor. The
" Credo" is to be said on all feasts of the Saints
of the Order of the first and second class.

Tertiaries who cannot read may commute
the singing Office for fifty-four Paters (twelve for
Matins, and seven for each of the other hours),

RECITATION OF THE DIVINE OFFICE. 93

adding the " Gloria Patri," the " Creed" at
Prime and Compline, and the "Miserere," if
they know it.

All Offices must be said in Latin, for Latin
is the universal and liturgical language of the
Church in all ages. Matins and Lauds are said
in the eve; Prime, Tierce, Sext, and None in
the morning; Vespers and Compline after twelve
o'clock, or noon.

The Litanies of the Saints and of the Blessed
Virgin, inserted in all Missals and Breviaries,
were formerly the only ones recognised by the
Church. His Holiness Pius IX. has now issued
a decree empowering the Ordinaries to sanction
certain new Litanies, which may be said or
sung in private chapels or the Kke, but not in
public or in processions without special permis-
sion from the Congregation of Rites.

Tertiaries should recite their Office with all
possible devotion, and, to excite in their hearts
leelings of tender and loving piety, let them
remember those words of St. Alphonse de Li-
^ori : " One single prayer of the Divine Office
IS worth more than a hundred others inspired by
private devotion."

The sick are dispensed from saying Office
when necessary.

If there be time, the Brothers and Sisters
should likewise say the Rosary in honour of the
joys and sorrows of our Lady.

Tertiaries should be careful to attend the
services in their parish church, especially during

94 STATUTES AND USAGES OF THE ORDER.

Lent and Advent. Their exactitude in this
duty will console the heart of their Divine
Master, which mourns over the emptiness of His
temples, and will edify their neighbours by their
example and devotion.

Mental prayer or meditation was one of the
exercises ofpiety most dear to the heart of St.
Francis. lie knew well the immense advan-
tages to be derived from it, both in the spiritual
advancement of his children, and in the correc-
tion of their faults or bad habits. Faithful to
the spirit of their great Founder, all Tertiaries
will devote some portion of each day to this
practice; and, by meditating on the eternal
truths and ineffable mysteries with which they
are surrounded, will realise more vividly the

foodness and mercy of God, and His special
ealings with His creatures.

In convents of the Order, this holy exercise
will be done in choir twice a day, and during
half an hour each time. The Superiors will very
rarely give permission to their Tertiaries to be
absent on these occasions, and that only on con-
dition that the mental prayer is made by them
at some other time (Art. iii. chap. iv. Calais
Constitutions).

As nothing assists meditation so much as
good books, the Tertiaries will spend a quarter
of an hour every evening in such pious readings
so that not only may they obtain fresh lights
to guide them in the way of salvation, but also
that their fervour maybe kindled and strength-

THE RIGHT TO MAKE WHjLS. 95

ened, and their minds calmed and soothed^ after
the distracting toils and multifarious occupations
of the day.

CHAPTER IX.

THAT THOSE WHO HAVE THE RIGHT TO DO SO
SHOULD IMAKE THEIR WILLS.

Tee profound wisdom of our holy Father was
never more clearly revealed than in the wise dis-
dtions made by him regarding worldly matters.
[e insisted that the Tertiaries should make their
wills within tlu'ee months of their admission
into the Order, not only to avoid quarrels and
lawsuits as to successions, but also to leave the
minds of the Brothers and Sisters free to devote
themselves to the duties of their holy vocation
and the salvation of their souls. The necessity
for this act will also remind the Tertiaries of
the words of the Apostle : " For we have not
here a lasting city, out we seek one that is to
come" (Heb. xiii. 14). And again (to the
Corinthians) he speaks : " This, therefore, I
say, brethren, the time is short ; it remaineth
that .... they that buy be as though they
possessed not ; and they that use this world as if
tliey used it not ; for the fashion of this world
passeth away" (1 Cor. vii. 29, 30).

These sacred maxims, proclaiming so loudly
the vanity ,of all things here below, must be

96 fSTATUTES AND USAGES OF THE ORDER.

ever present to the mind of a Christian in this
voluntary act which virtually despoils him of all
human possessions. It should inspire Tertiaries
especially with that spirit of detachment and
poverty inseparable from their holy vocation,
and should help to fix their thoughts and de-
sires on eternal riches. To make a will with
the proper dispositions, the testator should
imagine himself as at the hour of death, when
all human considerations will find their proper
level, and no voice but that of conscience will
make itself heard.

The Father Directors must be careful not
to interfere in any way with the testamentary
dispositions of the Brothers and Sisters, nor to
propose or accept any donation or legacy for
their churches or convents ; so that they may
be able to say with a clear conscience, in the
words of the Apostle : " I seek not the things
that are yours, but you" (2 Cor. xii. 14).

CHAPTER X.

HOW TO RE-ESTABLISH PEACE BETWEEN THE
BROTHERS THEMSELVES AND STRANGERS.

Alarmed at the sad spectacle of civil discord
and dissension which in his time continually
armed one city and one household against the
other, St. Francis strove, above all things, to

HOW TO RE-ESTABLPI PEACE. * 97

make peace and charity the watchwords of his
Orders. He decreed, therefore, that at the
first symptom of quarrel or misunderstanding
the Father Reictor shpuld, by judicious ana
prudent interference, strive to bring about an
instant reconciliation. The Brothers and Sisters
should carefully abstain from all slander or
evil-speaking, or from repeating or reporting
any evil of others, remembering that the sign
of their Christian profession is mutual love and
charity. They should bear one another's bur-
dens, conceal each other's faults, and show a
straightforward and honest spirit in their deal-
ings with their neighbours. They should be
ready to forgive injuries, overlook slight offences,
and in all tnings strive to conform themselves
to the Divine pattern of their Lord and Master,
who has threatened with eternal punishment
those who will not from ilmr hearts mrgive their
brethren.

Peace and concord are so vital in a religious
congregation, that should any of the Brothers
or Sisters persist in hostihties, or be found
guilty of habitual slandering and evil-speaking,
they shall be publicly reprimanded the first and
second times by the Father Director, and finally,
if impenitent, be dismissed from the Order by
the Father Visitor.

To cement this bond of union, they shall
give one another the names of Brothers and
Sisters, only (out of veneration to the priest-
hood) adding the title of Father to such among

98 ^STATUTES A3» USAGES OF THE ORDER.

them as may be in Holy Orders. The Superior
of the Sisters will be addressed as ^^ Mother;"
and these titles must be used on all occasions of
councils or registrations, being careftd to add
the name in rehgion taken by each Tertiary
when admitted into the Order.

CHAPTER XL

AS TO THE CONDUCT OF TERTIARIES UNDER

PERSECUTION.

"The servant is not greater than his master.
If they have persecuted Me, they will also per-
secute you." So spoke our Lord to His dis-
ciples ; and thus should His Tertiaries be pre-
pared for persecutions, and be ready to bear with
meekness and patience the contradictions and
vexations to which they may be subjected.
They must have recourse to God alone in all
these trials, praying for those who unjustly ac-
cuse and persecute them, and remembering the
promise attached to those '^ who suffer for right-
eousness' sake."

But when these attacks are directed against
the congregation, and are likely to affect its
existence and compromise its honour, then the
Superiors should address themselves to the
Father Visitor, who will take council with his

TONDUOT OP TEHTIARIBS, 99

diocesan as to the best means of repelling all
sach unjust aggressions.

From the very beginning, the history of the
Third Order is the recital of struggles, perse-
cutions, and unjust calumnies, but also of sub-
sequent vindications and victories. The Holy
See having enriched the Order with many
special privileges, its members are bound to pre-
serve these intact, so as to transmit them to
their successors, and to all who may be here-
after enrolled under the same banner.

When the Tertiaries assist in processional
ceremonies, they must march either under the
Cross of the First Order or under their o^vn,
and have precedence of all confraternities or
parochial congregations, being by the declara-
tion of the Sovereign Pontiffs not merely a
religious community but a distinct religious
order. They must also at such times publicly
wear their habit. Should several congregations
of the Third Order meet on such occasions, the

anestion of precedence will be determined by
lie date of their respective foundations (see
Con. Gregory XII. of 25th July 1583).

The Tertiaries of St. Francis are dependent
on the Friars Minor, and, as we have said be-
fore, can admit members \vithout having re-
course to the ordinary, except in the case of
Sisters who have taken the last vow of chastity,
MXkd who have the privilege of publicly wearing
the habit. ' The Superiors, however, will tak^
special care that thcTertiaries should in no way

•

♦

100 STATUTES AND USAGES OF THE ORDER.

offend other associations or religious communi-
ties by an affected disdain or any unkind re-
marks.

Let all spirit of hostile rivalry or jeakmsjr
be put away from them, and let them only
strive to emulate each other in charity and good
works, and so deserve the favours which the
Church has lavished upon them. It is not by
exalting themselves and their Order to the
detriment of others that the Tertiaries will pro-
sper ; but by showing themselves models of
humiUty and charity, and thus acting up to
the spirit of their holy profession.

CHAPTER Xn.

THAT THEY OUGHT TO AVOH) OATHS ; AND ALSO
ON SELF-EXAMINATION, AND THEIR DUTIES TO
SERVANTS AND CHILDREN.

Our Lord, in His Sermon on the Mount, has
laid down a distinct rule on the first point in this
chapter:

" I gay uuto you, swear not at alk Neither
by heaven, for it is the throne of God; nor by
the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jeru-
salem, for it is the city of the great King;
neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because
thou- canst not make one hair white or black.
But let your speech be yea,- yea, no, no ; for
that which is over and above these is of eviL"

OATHS TO BE AVOIDED. 101

It was to revive this spirit of truth and sin-
eritv that St. Francis forbade swearing to his
Tertiaries, and allowed them to take no oaths
ave those which might be exacted of them as
witnesses in courts of justice, or in matters of
ale and property. " A man that sweareth much
ball be filled with iniquity, and a scourge shall
lot depart from his house/' is the saying of the
?rise Man in the Book of Ecclesiasticus ; and as
t is their special duty to edify their neighbours
)y words as well as deeds, so Tertiaries must
»reftilly abstain from all needless swearing,
^hich is offensive to God, remembering that
heir daily lives should give a living proof of
heir sincerity, and that it ought not to be
lecessary to have recourse to an oath to cany
jonviction into the minds of their hearers.

In advising Tertiaries to say three Pater
testers when, at their nightly examination, they
emember having allowed idle words to escape
hem in the course of the day, St. Francis takes
KX^asion to prescribe eaamination of conscience as
me of the most necessarv daily exercises of Ter-
iaries of both sexes. Fidelity to this practice
nil keep their consciences tender, will encour-
ige them in penance, will preserve them from
nrprise in cases of sudden death, and will enable
hem to close their lives, as they have done their
lays, in sentiments of love, compunction, and
loiy fear. Let the Tertiaries be unsparing of
hemselves in this matter, remembering not only
he words and deeds^ but also the thoughts and

102 STATUTES AND USAGES OF THE ORDER.

intentions of each day; and let the examen
produce a hearty contrition and promise of
amendment, as well as acts of reparation and
expiation as far as may be in their power* The
greatest Saints have ever most severely bewailed
and punished themselves for the most venial
Buis, which may well make us tremble for our
own apathy and indifference to far eraver.
faults. In the Calais Manual we find the fol*
lowing passage :

" Our holy Father invites all his Tertiaries
to submit with alacrity to the penances inflicted
by their Superiors ; and for this purpose we
exhort them never to relax in the excellent and
primitive habit of confessing at once, at the feet
of the Superior, any fault of which they may
have been guilty during the day, and accepting
with thankfulness whatever penance may be
imposed. Let them attempt neither excusesr
nor justification, even should they be unjustly
accused, or should the severity of the punish-
ment be out of proportion to the fault ;^ for they
do not enter the Order to be honoured and
esteemed, but to be humbled and mortified, and
to subdue their natural pride." (Chapter x*
art. iv. Const, of Calais.)

Tertiaries bound by the marriage ties must
remember that they will have to answer before
God for the souls of their children and servants
one by one; that they must therefore never
relax in their vigilant supervision, and give
them every facility for periforming their reli-

ATTENDANCE AT MASS. 103

ffions duties. They must bring up their chil-
oren in the fear and love of. God, instructing
them in all religious truths and in the divine
precepts of the Church. They must look upon
their servants as members of their own family,
and have the same tender solicitude for their
spiritual and temporal good. They must take
care that morning and evening prayers be said
by both their children and servants. If the
practice of family prayer has nearly disappeared
amongst us, at least let it be round in the
homes of the Tertiaries. Nothing will draw
down greater blessings on their households than
this daily union of hearts in fervent and humble
supplications to the Most High : " For where
there are two or three gathered together in My
name, there am I in the midst of them."

CHAPTER Xm.

ON ATTENDANCE AT MASS, GENERAL ASSEMBLIES,
AND OTHER PRACTICES AND DUTIES OP THE
ORDER.

Tertiaries are boimd to go to Mass daily
whenever practicable. This obligation has been
laid upon them by our Seraphic Father, who
well knew the plenitude of graces and consola-
tiona which the practice would draw down on
his children. He gave no special prayers to be
used on these occasions, preferring to leave it to

«■■

104 STATUTES AND USAGES OP THE ORDER.

the conscience and feelings of each; but it Is
best for the Tertiaries to unite themselves with
the intentions of the priest, and to follow the
prayers appointed by the Church in the Missal
for each day.

Those who have not the happiness of partak-
ing daily in the Holy Sacrifice may unite them-
selves to our Lord in spiritual Communion.
It is much to be wished that in large towns
the Tertiaries should have a church or chapel
to themselves: one for men and another for
women, so as to avoid all scandal or ill-natured
remarks. ' This would be the more desirable as
it is difficult to close the doors to the faithful
who are accustomed to attend the ordinary
serrices in the churches. To found any sucn
church or chapel, however, Tertiaries must
have the consent of the Bishop.

Wherever the Holy Sacrifice be offered, the
vestments, plate, and furniture should belong
to the Order, so as not to have to borrow from
other churches.

The high altars in the churches of the
First Order have the privilege of a daily and
perpetual indulgence, by a decree of Pope Bene-
dict XIV. The churches or chapels of the
Third Order have a like privilege.

The Blessed Sacrament cannot be reserved,
or Benediction given, without the consent of
the ordinary. The Brothers and Sisters of the
Third Order may touch the sacred objects and
linen belonging to the sanctuary if they have

ATTENDANCE AT MASS. 105

obtained the permission of their provincial;
provided they do not meddle with the corporals
till they have been purified by the priest.

All Tertiaries hving in the world shall make
a point of attending tne meetings of the oon-
gre^tion.

These assemblies are absolutely necessary to
maintain the spirit of the Order, to develop the
works of chanty which are confided to them,
and to awaken in their hearts a greater zeal
and fervour in their holy vocation.

There are two kinds of assembUes, those '
that relate to purely spiritual matters, and those
that treat of the administration and temporal
affairs of the Order.

We will speak here only of the former :

I. The meeting referred to in chap. xiii. of
the Rule is a monthly one, and is generally
fixed on a Sunday, for the convenience of those
whose worldly duties or business preclude
their attendance on other days.

J£ there be two congregations, one of men
and one of women, the meetings shall be held
on distinct and separate days and times, so as
to avoid ell gossip and scan/al.

The meetings should, if possible, be held in
the morning, though this may be modified to
suit the convenience of the Tertiaries.

All Tertiaries are bound to attend these
assemblies ; or if unavoidably prevented, to give
notice to the Father Director. Those who irom
carelessness or other reasons neglect this duty

106 STATUTES AND USAGES OF THE ORDER.

shall first be admonished, and if they persist in
their disobedience, the Father Rector shall take
such measures as may be deemed necessary for
their expulsion from the Order.

These meetings must be presided over by
tiie Father IHr^ctor, or by one delegated by
him, and approved by the Superiors of the First
Order.

Tlie prayers and offices used on the occasion
are given in the second volimie of this ManuaL
When assembled in the chapel, the Tertiaries
must first recite the Office of our Lady (or the
Divine Office) together in choir. If in the
morning, the little Hours ; if in the afternoon.
Vespers and Compline. Then the Father Di-
rector, or the priest who is to take his place,
ynJl give them a sermon on the duties of liieir
state, reprove, exhort,, and encourage them in
the way of perfection. He must also recom-
mend the names of the sick and defiinct mem?-
bers of the Order to their prayers*

Should the assembly be held in the morn-
ing, the Tertiaries will have the privilege of a
general Communion.

The ceremonies of clothing and professioik
should take place at th^se monthly assemblies^
unless the Superiors should judge otherwise fiac
some special reason. Directly after prayers^ 8l
collection will be made for the benefit of the
poorer members of the Order.

No temporal affairs may be discussed, at
these monthly meetings, which are to treat.

ATTENDANCE AT MASS. lOT

solely of matters affecting God's glory, of the
salvation of the Tertiaries, and the care of the
poor. The instructions given should treat
mainly of penance and of charitable works, thus
resmniug the principal duties of the Order..
The exact observance of the Rtile ih itself con*
stitutes a Ufe of penance ; but for its literal and
ascetic development the Tertiaries must seek
the instructions of their Director. Thus alone
can they walk safely in the high path they
have chosen, and by dying to themselves live
for others and for God.

Their works of mercy must be both spiritual
and corporal. As we nave already stated, the
Third Order has ever been most prolific in good
works. St. Francis was the first to build and
endow hospitals and refuges for the sick and
needy ; and, following in his steps, the members
of his rehgious orders embraced every kind of
charitable woris, Sunday, free and adult schools^
the education and training of orphans, the care
of the sick in hospitals, visits to the sick and
dying poor, refuges for the destitute and fallen-
— nothmg was either too great or too small for
the zeal of the Tertiaries, whose one idea was
to spend and be spent in the service of their
Lord and of His poor.

We feel confident that the same spirit is in
the Order now ; that in a like manner Tertiaries
will labour unceasingly to promote the glory of
God and the salvation of souls. But, in order
to do this the more effectually, prudence and

108 STATUTES AND USAGES OF THE ORDER.

discretion must be observed. To insure these
virtues, the following bye-rules have been laid
down :

1. The congregation shall not undertake
any work without the consent of the Father
Diredtor and the Council.

2. The Presidents of any such works will
submit a careful report of their operations to the
like authorities.

3. The rules and distribution of such works
must be made with the approval of the Direc-
tor, care being taken not to accept any work
which is beyond the strength of the community
or congregation.

4. Every year the Director and Council
shall make an inquiry into the way in which
the Tertiaries have performed their respective
duties. This applies especially to those living
in their own homes, and to the employment of
the time which they can set apart for such works
consistently with the obligations of their state
and position. This report must be transcribed
in a private register, the name and address of
each Tertiary being therein inserted, together
with an opinion of his or her efficiency, capa-
city, and power of carrying out the objects of
the Order.

5. At the beginning of each year a careful
report must be made to the Father Rector and
Council of the progress of all the different
works undertaken by the congregation, detail-
ing minutely their success or lailure; their

ATTENDANCE AT MASS. 109

difficulties^ pecuniary or otherwise, and their
TOospects for the future. The Director and
Uouncil will then decide what modifications
should be adopted in each case, which work
should be continued, and which suspended.

An " Annal" should be drawn up for the use
of all the members of the Order, detailing not
only the works imdertaken, but also any facts
or salient and edifying stories connected with
the operations of the congregation.

It is customary at the monthly meeting
for the Father Director to give a list of names
to such of the secular Tertiaries as reside at a
distance of those members of the Order who
may be in distress, of mind or body in their re-
spective districts, allotting to each Tertiary a cer-
tain number of persons to visit and look after.
An accoimt will be required of the Tertiaries
at the following meeting of the wav in which
they have fulfilled that trust ; and should they
have neglected it, if no sufficient.causecan.be
adduced, a public reprimand will be the consef^*
quence.

We earnestly recommend Tertiaries not to
associate themselves with a variety of works
outside their Order, unles3. by the special con-
sent and direction df their Superiors, who will
judge whether such extraneous works will inter-*
fere with their fulfilment of the duties a^d obli-
gations of their Rule.

n. Besides the i^onthly assemblies there
are what are called extraordinary ones; that

110 STATUTES AND USAGES OF THE ORDER.

is, assemblies held on occasions of great feasts
of the Order, of funeral obsequies of defunct
members, or of the annual Retreat.

The congregations of the Third Order cele-
brate six special feasts :

1. The Feast of St. Francis, on the 4th

October.

2. The Feast of the Immaculate Conception,

on the 8th December.

3. The Feast of the Dedication of our Lady

of the Angels, on the 2d August.

4. The Feast of St. Louis, king oi France,

on the 25th August (Patron of the
Brothers).

5. The Feast of St. Elizabeth, on the 19th

November (Patron of the Sisters).

6. The Feast of the Stigmata of St. Francis,

on the 17th September.

At each of these six solemn feasts the Ter-
tiaries will have Office, Mass, and general Com-
munion, in the morning ; and Vespers, sermon,
and Benediction of the Most Holy Sacrament,
in the evening.

These feasts, whenever possible, should be
solemnised on the days appointed by the
Church ; but, if absolutely necessary, may be
remitted to the following Sunday, always ex-
<5epting the Feast of our Lady of the Angels,
which remains invariably fixed for the 2d
August.

The great feast of our Seraphic Father is
ordinarily preceded by a Retreat of eight days,

OARE OP SICK, ETC., OF THE ORDER. Ill ,

at which all Tertiaries should assist. The day-
after the feasts there should be a solemn service
for the deceased Brothers and Sisters of all
three Orders.

Every year, on one of the days of general
assembly chosen by the Father Director, the
Tertiaries must renew their profession in a
body, the Father Rector reading out the for-
mofary as directed in the second volume of this
Manual.

But professed Tertiaries, especially those
who have taken the vow of chastity, must re-
new their vows separately, on the 16th April
and on the 29th November^ to gain the plenary
indulgence granted on those special days on
those conditions.

CHAPTER XIV.

ON THE CARE OF THE SICK, DYING, AND DEAD
MEMBERS OF THE ORDER.

The care of the sick is one of the most meri-
torious works before God. At the last Judg-
ment our Lord will then address His faithful
children with the consoling words, " I was sick,
and ye visited Me." Tertiaries, therefore, are
particularly bound to this duty, especially to-
wards each other, and should render the suf-
ferers every service which lies in their power.

112 STATUTES AND USAGES OF THE ORDER.

When a Brother or Sister falls sick, notice
must immediately be sent to the Father Director,
who will communicate with the Father Rectoi*,
and obtain the prayers of the congregation.
The Father Rector will at once visit the sick
person, and, if poor, provide for his or her wants.
He will then give notice to the infirmarians
and to the other Tertiaries, so that each may
visit and relieve the sufferer to the best of their
ability. In a word, they will do. to him as they
would wish to be done by.

The sick Tertiaries themselves must strive
to bear their sufferings patiently, uniting them
with those of our Lord in His adorable Passion.
Is not the Cross the bed on which every Chris-
tian must die? Should alarming symptoms
present themselves, they must at once ask for
the Sacraments of the Church, lest death should
overtake them unawares. They will renew their
profession to the Father Director, who will give
them the general absolution, with the plenary
indulgence accorded by the Holy See to all the
children of St. Francis iat the* hour of death.
Should the renewal of their vows be impossible
to them. Popes Sixtus IV. and Paul V . have
granted the like plenary indulgence to the dy-
ing Franciscan, if he should only pronounce
devoutly in his heart, if not with his lips, the.
holy jiame of " Jesus."

When the state of the sick person. requires
that he should receive the last Sacraments, the
sacristan will be dihgent to prepare all things

CARE OF SICK, ETC., OF THE ORDER. 113

with the greatest care for the ceremony. For
the Holy Viaticum, he must prepare, in the
room of the sick person, a table covered with a
perfectly clean cloth, ornamented with flowers,
a crucifix, two candles, some holy water, a little
branch of box or palm, and a glass of water for
purifying the fingers of the priest. For Ex-
treme Unction the table will be prepared in the
same way ; only he must add a basin or plate
with some cotton-wool and one or two pieces
of crumb of bread to purify the priest's fingers,
with a basin of water to wash his hands. After
both ceremonies, the water, cotton and bread,
so used for purification, must be thrown into
the fire.

The infirmarians should give notice to a
certain number of the Tertiaries of the hour
when the sick person is to receive the Viaticum,
that they may accompany It to his house, and
likewise that some or them should be present
at the administration of Extreme Unction.

The sacristan will bring candles with him
to distribute among the Brothers and Sisters
present, who will light them on the entrance
of the Blessed Sacrament into the house, and
afterwards accompany the priest back to the
church.

Should the state of the sick person require
a night-watcher, the Brothers or Sisters will
volunteer for this service, the Father Rector
arranging the Ust of watchers according to the
time at the disposal of each. If necessary, those

114 STATUTES AND USAjGES OF THE ORHER.

who live by their labour will be indemnified for
the time thus lost out of the funds of the
Order.

During the last agony the Tertiaries will
endeavour by fervent prayer to help the depart-
ing soul. A blessed taper will be burnt in the
room and holy water thrown on the bed to chase
away the spirits of evil, who redouble then*
efforts to trouble souls on the eve of their de-
parture to appear before their Judge. But,
above all things, let not the watchers forget
to give notice in time to the Father Director^
lest the sick person should lose the supreme
comfort and blessing of the last absolution.

The Tertiary having breathed his last, no-
tice must at once be sent by the secretary
to the members of the congregation, whether
novices or professed, with the name and re-
sideuce of the deceased, the day, hour, and
place of burial, and the day and hour when
a Mass will be said for the repose of his soul.
All Tertiaries are entitled to the suffrages of
the community, and to Masses said by the
priests, while the other members will repeat the
JPsalms, Paters, and ^' Requiem seternam," re-
quired by the Rule.

Such Tertiaries as may die without being
in the habit must be clothed in it directly after
death ; and the body so vested will be exposed for
a certain time on the bed, holding in the crossed
hands on the breast the Rule and a crucifix or
Jittle cross of wood.

OABB OF SIOK, ETC, OF THE ORDER. 115

The body will not be put iii the coffin till
the last moment ; but in these and other minor
matters the family of the dead must be con-
sulted.

The Tertiaries of the district must follow
the funeral procession, the Father Rector tak-
ing care that the Order sliould be represented
by a sufficient number of the members.

On the third or seventli day after death, a
Mass will be said for the deceased at tlie hour
fixed by the Father Director. As many Ter-
tiaries as possible should attend, and offer their
conununions for the deceased member.

The Rule enjoins that three Masses sliould
be said every year for the Tertiai'ies, Uviiig or
dead, at different epochs; namely, that of the
Holy Ghost at Pentecost; of the Blessed Virgin
at xhe Feast of the Immaculate Conception ;
and (for the dead) within the octave of the
Feast of our great Father St. Francis. At
each of these Masses there Avill be general
Communion.

As to the prayers which the Rule prescribes
for the dead, those who cannot recite the whole
of them may obtain a dispensation from the
Father Director. But do not let them forget
when their turn comes to leave this world, that
the living Avill probably act towards them as
they have done towards others.

Tertiaries sliould not confine tliis exercise of
charity to the members of their own Order or to
the narrow limits of their congregation. They

116 STATUTES AND USAGES OF THE ORDER.

should look upon it as an honour and a privi-
lege, as well as a happiness, to carry help and
consolation to other sick-beds, and especially to
the most neglected and needy; thus imitating
the great examples of St. Louis, St. Eoch, St.
Yves, St. Eleazar, St. Elizabeth, and other
great Saints of their Order, whose life was
spent i|L the exercise of this special charity to
all the suffering members of our Lord.

CHAPTER XV.

ON THE SUPERIORS AND OFFICERS OF THE

THIRD ORDER.

The Rule leaves the number and offices of
those who are to manage this great community
to the discretion of the Provincials. We will
therefore only give a sketch of the custom
which is most generally followed by congre-
gations of Tertiaries.

The superiors of the Order are :

1. The Father General.

2. The Provincial (for his Province).

3. The Guardian or Visitor.
Everything that is done in the Third Order

without the consent of these Superiors is not
only irregular but null.

Each congregation is eovemed by a Father
Director^ un(fer whom is tne Father Rector for

OFFICERS OF THE ORDER. 117

the commimities of men, and the Mother Su-
perior for the communities of women. Also,
an Assistant, a Master or Mistress of Novices,
a Secretary, Treasurer, "Zelator, Sacristan, and
Infirmarian. These form the administration of
the Third Order, and meet in council under
the presidency of the Father Director.

THE DHIEOTOR.

This Director, appointed by the Visitor,
wiU, if possible, be chosen from^ one of the Ter-
tiaries. On him will depend in a great mea-
sure the progress and success of the congre-
gation. His Dusiness will be to decide on the
works to be undertaken by the community, to
distribute these works amongst the members,
and to see to their execution ; to instruct, ex-
hort, reprimand, punish, explain the Rule at
the monthly meetings, preside at all the gene-
ral assemblies, visit the sick, give absolution
to the dying, reUeve the poor and needy among
the Tertianes, and have the superintendence
of the income of the community,

THE FATHER RECTOR.

The Father Rector will be appointed by the
Director. He must consider himself less the
superior than the servant of the brethren ;
must watch over them with zeal and diligence,
reconcile differences, warn and correct those
who are guilty of any infringement of the
Bule, and nimself set the example of humility,

lis STATUTES AND USAGES OF THE ORDER.

poverty, charity, self - denidi, and a thoroitrfi
intention of doing all for the glory of God. On:
him will fall the entire administration of the;
house, and to him the'oommnnity must give,
willing obedience.

He will be elected for three years, but, if
it be considered advisaUe^ he may be reelected.
He should always be at the disposal of the
Brothers, if any wish to speak with or consult
him alone ; and for this purpose should set
apart certain times when he can receive them
separately in his own room. The Rectors
will always have the privilege of being mem-
bers of the Council, even after their time of
oflSce shall have expired.

The same rules and duties apply to the
Mother Superiors, who are in the same position
as regards the Sisters of the Order as the
Father Rectors are to the Brothers.

THE ASSISTANT.

The Assistant is the substitute for the Rector
in cases of absence or illness, and his duty is
simply to follow exactly the Instructions given
him by the Father Rector.

THE MASTER OR MISTRESS OF NOVICES.

On the Master or Mistress of the Novices
mainly depends the future welfare of the com-
munity, as it is their business to train the
younger Tertiaries, and instruct them in all
the duties of their vocation..

OFEIGERS OF THE ORDER. 119

He must be careful to teach them to say-
Office with correctness and precision, and to
perform with minuteness and a spirit of de-
votion the ceremonies in use at the assemblies
of the congregation. Above all, must such
officers strive to study the cliaracter, win the
oonfidence, and gain the hearts of the novices,
endeavouring to inspire them with a spirit of
detachment, simplicitv, penance, and cliarity,
which axe the principal notes of the Third Order.

Every month a special meeting of the
novices will be held, at wliich the master or
mistress of the novices shall preside. At these
meetings Office will be said, and an explanation
of different points of the S>ule given ; and when
the service is over, the mistakes made by the
novices in the recitation of the Office will be
pointed out by the master or mistress of the
novices, which he will refrain from doing at
the time so as not to interrupt the service. The
prayers used on such occasions are given in
the second volume of this Manual.

These monthly meetings are specially neces-
sary for secular Tertiaries, that they may not be
behind those living in community in the exact
performance of the Rule of the Order. The
master or mistress of the novices should visit
them frequently m their own homes, so as the
better to understand their position and difficid-
ties, and give them every helpin his or her power.

Every two months the jFather Rector will
preside at these assemblies, and give them an

120 STATUTES AND USAGES OF THE ORDER.

instruction on the special duties of tlieir holy-
vocation,

THE SECRETARY.

The Secretmy is charged with all the cor-
respondence of the congregation ; with keeping
the registers of the names and addresses of the
Tertiaries, their acts of profession, and the Uke;
transcribing the proceedings at the general as-
sembUes ; giving the Brothers and Sisters their
certificates of admission ; convoking the mem-
bers to the different meetings; giving notice
of deaths; and all other duties of the like
nature.

The registers should be most carefiilly kept,
and contain the name, surname, residence, and
profession of each Tertiary; the dates of his
or her admission to the Order, of his or her
clothing and profession, death and burial. The
secretary should also prepare the yearly annals
of the community, giving the biographies of
such of the Brothers and Sisters as have died
in the odour of sanctity, the account of the
works undertaken by the congregation, the
gifts of benefactors, and the like. He will also
insert the changes which may occur in the
Superiors or Directors, enumerating the works
and good oflSces done by each during his or her
administration.

If there be a library for lending or other-
wise, this also will be under the care of the
secretarv.

OFFICERS OF THE ORDER. 121

THE TREASURER.

The Trmsxirer will have the charge of all
the alms of the community, together with the
fbnds necessary for the maintenance of the
hous^ the services of the church or chapel, and
the like. All accounts must pass through his
hands ; but he will pay nothing which has not
first been approved by the Father Rector (or
Mother Superior).

Every year, after the Feast of St, Francis,
he will submit his accounts to the Council, the
verification of which will be done by the Father
Bector, and the seal of the community thereto
attached.

His term of oflGice will be for three years.
At the end of that time, his account-books and
the funds at his disposal must be made over in
a dear and distinct manner to his successor.
The Father Rector may examine his books at
any time, to see that they are well kept and in
good order.

To avoid confusion, he must be careful
neither to receive nor disburse any money with-
out obtaining a written receipt for the same.

THE ZELATORS.

The Zehtors are specially charged with the
care of the secular Tertiaries, to watch over
their strict observance of the Rule, and to give
notice to the Father Rector should they, by
their conduct in the world, give scandal to

122 STATUTES AND USAGES OF THE ORDER.

others and disgraxje their holy profession. This
office requires great prudence and charity in its
fulfilment.

THE SACRISTAN.

The Sacristan will have charge of every-
thing connected with the service of the church
or chapel. He must make an inventory of all
the holy vessels, vestments, and linen intrusted
to his care. Everything connected with the
altar must be approached with the greatest
reverence, and no talking can be permitted
either in the church or sacristy without special
reasons, and that in a low voice. The same
rules, of course, apply to the Sisters who may
be appointed to this office.

'ttie greatest care must be taken to insure
the cleanliness, ventilation, and warming of the
church or chapel confided to them. On them
also rests the preparation of the altars for festi-
vals, the arrangement of flowers, hangings, or
banners, the lighting of the candles, &c. The
wax-candles offered by the Tertiaries on their
clothing and profession must be reserved for
High Mass, and burnt from the Preface till the
ena of the Communion.

All Missals, rituals, hymnals, Ordos, and the
like, must also be under the charge of the; sa-
cristan. The greatest care must be taken not
to leave the sacred vessels on the altar or in
the sacristy ; but they should be at once safely
put aw^ under lock and key.

OFFICERS OF THE ORDER. 123

THE INFmMARIAN.

To the Infirrnarian is confided the care of
the sick and dying members of the Order. His
business will oe to provide for their spiritual
and temporal wants, and, if not himself a priest,
to instire one being sent for in time for the ad-
ministration of the Sacraments. He must pre-
pare the body for burial by dressing it in the
naibit of the Order, should the Tertiary have
neglected to wear it in his or her last sickness.
The office of infirmarian is of the highest im-
portance, and none can fufil its duties unless
animated by the most tender charity, and a
tender love for the suffering members of
Christ's body.

The Council is composed of the following
members :

1. The Father Director.

2. The Father Eector or Mother Superior.

3. The Assistant.

4. The Master or Mistress of the Novices.

5. 6, 7, 8, 9. The Secretary, Treasurer,
Zelator, Sacristan, and Infirmarian, as well as
those who have previously held the office of
Sectors or Superiors, unless they should have
been dismissed for any grave fault.

All matters relating to the spiritual and
temporal interests of flie Tertianes must be
brought before this Council, and nothing can
be done in the Order without their knowledge
and approval.

124 STATUTES AND USAGES OF THE ORDER.

In case of repairs or buildings connected
with the convents or chapels, the Council will
name a conunission out oi the congregation to
superintend and give an account of the work to
the Council.

The Council must meet every month, due
notice being sent by the Secretary to all the
members as to place and hour of meeting.

The prayers used on the occasion are given
in the second volume of this Manual.

The proceedings of the Council are strictly
secret. Any act of indiscretion committed by
one or other of the members, reveaUng what
has passed in their deliberations, will be re-
ported to the Visitor, and if of suflScient gra-
vity, the delinquent will be expelled from the
Council.

The questions to be decided in the Cquncil
must be proposed by the Father Rector or
Mother Superior. Each member must give his
or her opinion in turn, with simplicity and hu-
mility, while a perfect silence is observed by
the rest.

The final decision on each question must be

fiven by secret voting ; and should the numbers
e equally balanced, the Father Director (by
giving the casting vote) will decide the matter.
The Secretary will take notes of the whole
proceeding, and record the results in a book
prepared for the purpose.

The question of precedence in the Council
must be decided by date of profession and age.

OFFICERS OF THE ORDER. 125

The Father Rector has his place on the right of
the Father Director, and the other members
according to their order. But should there be
any priests among them, they will take prece-
dence of laymen.

The Secretary must sit opposite the Father
Director, on the other side of the table.

These regulations should be observed in all
meeting or assemblies of the Order.

In large communities there are other offi-
cers, such as the Master of the Ceremonies, to
arrange the members in all processional services
or religious functions ; the Choristers, who will
chant the hymns and antiphons, answer at all
ceremonies of clothing or profession, and act as
Headers in the absence of the Father Eector, or
on other occasions. There will also be a Brother
or Sister charged with providing the habits of
the Tertiaries, and who will keep the serge,
cords, rosaries, linen, and other articles neces-
sary for the clothings ; and a " QuSteur," to
collect the alms of the congregation, or, if neces-
sary, to go begging ; but this can only be done
on very special occasions, by desire or permis-
sion of the Council and of the Father Director.
The porters are charged with answering the door,
and excluding from the chapel, at tne special
services of the Order, any persons who are not
Tertiaries. The opening and closing of the house
or chapel will be also their business, and they
must obey in this respect, as in all others, the
orders of the Father Eector or Mother Superior.

126 STATUTES AND USAGES OF THE ORDER.

We must now come to the subject of the
elections.

Those of the Council take place every three
years, and should be presided over by the Father
Visitor. All professed Tertiaries have a right
to vote on these occasions ; and the President,
in cases of doubt or even numbers, may give a
double vote to decide the question.

On the day of election the Father Visitor
will say Mass, at which all the Tertiaries mil
communicate.

After their act of thanksgiving all will kneel
and intone the hymn " Veni Creator," with the
prayer of the Holy Ghost, of our Lady and
St. Francis. Then each member being seated,
the Father Visitor will give a short exhortation
as to the importance of the work they are about
to undertake for the glory of God and the good
of souls ; and a warning to each to vote as they
will wish to have done at the last day.

They begin by the election of the Father
Rector or Mother Superior, and each member
writes on a little bit of paper the following

words : " I choose for Kector or Superior."

Then he signs the paper, covering over his sig-
nature with a seal, so that only the name of the
person for whom he votes should be discovered.
The youngest vote first, and so on to the end ;
the Father Director and the Father Visitor
voting last. The papers or tickets are collected
by the Secretary m an urn, and the numbers
are counted to see that all have voted who are

OFlJlOERS OF THE ORDER. 127

present. The President, the Father Director,
the Father Rector, and the Secretary will then
withdraw to one comer to collect the votes. The
Secretary will write down the numbers as they
are withdrawn from the urn, and the name which
has obtained the majority of suffrages will be
declared elected. In case of a tie, the ceremony
of voting will again be gone through; but should
that fail, the President will draw lots between
the two candidates, and the one drawn first >Aill
be the one chosen.

The rest of the elections will bo conducted
in the same orderly manner.

When concluded, the Father Rector (or
Mother Superior), whose time of office has ex-
pired, will kneel before the President, making a
public confession of the faults he (or she) has
committed during his administration, begging
pardon and penance for his negligence.

The President will thank him for his services
to the congregation if he has done well, or, in
the contrary case, rei)rove him for neglect; and
he will then return to his place, after na>'ing re-
ceived the blessincjj of the President.

The Father Visitor, having received the Ust
of the newly-elected Council from the Secre-
tary, AAiU say out loud :

** In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy
Ghost, Three Persons and One God; of tlie
Blessed Virgin Marv, our Mother and Mistress,
conceived without sin ; and of our Seniphic Fa-
ther, St. I'rancis ; and of our Holy Mother, St.

128 STATUTES AND USAGES OF THE ORDER.

Elizabeth, the following elections have been

made by this congregation on day

month, in the year of our Lord , by me,

Father Visitor, the Father Director, and by the
Tertiaries here assembled.

" As Father Rector (or Mother Superior), .

" As Assistant, ."

As soon as the names of the new Council
have been read out, the Father Visitor will call the
new Father Rector (or Mother Superior), who,
humbly kneeUng, will receive an exhortation and
instruction as to his (or her) future duties, after
which he (or she) will be desired to take his (or
her) jplace (as his (or her)predecessor had done)
on the right hand of the President. The Father
Visitor will do the same by the other members,
confirming their elections. Then he will intone
the Te Deum, which the Tertiaries will take up
and sing in choir ; after which the Father Visi-
tor will say the following verses and prayers :

V. Oonfirma hoc, Deus, quod operatus es in
nobis.

JB. A templo sancto tuo, quod est in Jeru-
salem.

V. Post partum, Virgo, inviolata perman-
sisti.

jR. Dei genitrix, intercede pro nobis.

K Signasti, Domine, servum tuum Fran-
ciscum.

-B. Signis redemptionis nostrse.

V. Dominus vobiscum.

Ji» Et cum spirito tuo.

OFFICERS OF THE ORDER, 129

Oremus.

Dens qui corda fidelium, &c.

Concede nos famulos tuos, &c.

Domine Jesu Ohriste, qui frigescente mundo,

Agimus tibi gratias^ &c.
Qui vivis et regnas, &c.

These prayers said, and the Tertiarles hav-
ing resumed their places, the Father Visitor will
briefly give a statement of the receipts and ex-
penditure of the past year, and of the number
of Tertiaries received, professed, or dead during
that period, recommending the latter specially
to the prayers of the faithful. At these words
the Sacristan will unfold a mortuary cloth, which
four of the Tertiaries will hold at the four
comers, with four lighted tapers, and they will
chant : " Libera me, Domine," &c. The Pre-
sident will then say, " Pater noster," &c. ; " A
porta inferi," &c. ; " Requiescant in pace,"
&c. ; "Domine exaudi orationem," &c. ; "Domi-
nus vobiscum," &c. ; "Oremus, Deus veniae
larptor," &c. ; " Fidelium Deus," &c. ; " Re-
uiem aetemam," &c.; "Requiescant in pace.

men."

This ceremony being concluded, at a sign
from the President, the Tertiaries will retire,
with the exception of the newly-elected officers,
who will forthwith proceed to the election of
those under them : such as the Master or Mis-
tress of the Novices, &c. &c. The result of

130 STATUTES AND USAGES OF THE ORDER.

this election will be announced at the following
meeting of the congregation, which should be
held, if possible, on the Sunday following the
general elections. The Secretary will then affix
on a tablet in tlje chapel the names, surnames,
and names iiai religion of all the newly- elected
officers of the congregation.

If the Father Visitor thinks it advisable, he
may propose the reelection of the Father Kector
(or Motner Superior), or of any other of the
members of the^ouncil.

In case of the death of the Father Rector
(or Mother Superior) during his triennial term
of office^ there shall be no new election, the
Father Assistant must replace him until the
regular time shall have elapsed for the fresh
elections^

CHAPTER XYI.

OF THE CORRECTION OF DELINQUENTS,

To maintain the spirit of the Third Order in
its integrity depends mainly on the activity and
vigilance of its Superiors. Hence the appoint-
ment of the Father Visitor. As we have al-
ready said, this Visitor must be a priest, and of
tiie Order of the Friars Minor, miless, by a spe-
cial dispensation from the Holy See, this office
be assi^ed to one delegated by the Superiors
of the Order*

OORREOTION OF DELINQUENTS. 131

The Visitor is bound to make an annual in-
spection of each congregation or convent of the
Order, giving notice or his arrival beforehand.
The day being fixed and the Tertiaries being
assembled, the Visitor, after the usual prayers,
will deliver a short exliortation suited to tlie occa-
sion, and then vidll proceed to visit and exainiHc '
the honse and chapel, the ai'chives and registers,
the state of the funds and expenses of the com-
monity, &c. The Father Director and the
Father Rector will then come to give liim an
account of the congregation ; both they and the
Gonncil will frankly tell him their difficulties,
and the faults committed by any of the mem-
berSy so that he may take measures to correct
them. Afterwards the Visitor will reassemble
the conununity, and having exammed into the
circumstances of each case, will impose such
penances as he may think fit, not resorting to
expulsion unless in circumstances of absolute
necessity. He will then once more give an
exhortation to the community, and conclude
with the general absolution, and the prayers
preseribed at the general assemblies.

The Secretary will draw up a report of the
proceedings, which will be signed by tlie Father
Visitor and the Fatlier Director.

1S2 STATUTES ANB USAGES OF THE ORDER.

OHAPTEE XVn.

OF LAWSUITS TO BE AVOIDED AMONGST THE

TERTIAREES.

Lawsuits are a fertile source of hatred and
discord; therefore all Tertiaries should avoid
them as much as possible.

If people go to law with them without any
provocation on their part, they must simply act
on the defensive, remembering the words of the
Lord to His disciples : ^^ If a man will contend
with thee in judgment and take away thy coat,
let go thy cloak also unto him" (St. Matt. v.
40).

CHAPTER XVm.

AS TO THE GRANTING OF DISPENSATIONS.

St. Francis, formed in the school of his Divine
Master, though inexorably severe to himself,
was ever tender and charitable towards others.
Having, in the fifth chapter of his Rule, dis-
pensed travellers and sick, and those who were
occupied in laborious works, from austere cor-
poral penances, he proceeded to grant faculties
to the Superiors of the Order to accord the like
dispensations to others even for less urgent rea-
sons. His object was to make the Third Order

GRANTING OF DISPENSATIONS. 133

accessible to all, even to those in feeble health,
or whose natural temperament inclined them to
shrink from physical pain. Therefore the Su-
periors should exercise OTeat charity and con-
sideration towards their Tertiaries, and not lay
upon them a burden above their strength. At
tne same time, the statute enjoins that the pe-
nances of the Bule should be commuted rather
than dispensed ; substituting, for instance, pray-
era. alms, and other works of charity, for fasts
and disciplines. These dispensations must be
considered, however, as only temporary, espe-
cially those which relate to the essential obliga-
tions of the Bule. For instance, it is not per-
missible, says D'Ozieri, to give up altogether
wearing, the habit, or to leave off tne cord and
scapular. With a little courage and good-will,
we shaU find we can bear a great d^ mor^
than we at first imagine, and that the severity
of the Eule is lessened by habit. The many
spiritual graces and indulgences with which the
Church has enriched the Order depend abso-
lutelv on the observance of the Rule, so that
Tertiaries, wishing to escape from its obligations
or shelter themselves under manifold dispensa-
tions, would volimtarily deprive themselves of
these privileges.

1^ STATUTES AND USAGES OP THE ORDER.

OHAPTEE XIX.

THAT THE SUPERIORS SgOULD DENOUNCE THE
PUBUO FAULTS OF THE TERTIAREBS TO THE
VISITOR.

Laxity is the ruin of a religious comiminity.
^* A congregation," says D'Ozieri, "where faults
are allowed to pass unheeded, where admoni-
tions and penances are unknown, where Supe-
riors have not the courage, and those under
them have not the humility, to inflict and accept
punishment, is not worthy of the name of a con-
gregation ; it is simply an agglomeration of in-
dividuals to whom the Rule is a dead letter."

According to the Rule, only grave and
notorious faults must be brought before the
Father Visitor ; and that only after the Father
Rector has resorted in vain to private warnings
and admonitions, given with that sweetness
and tender consideration which only charity can
inspire. In that, again, they must follow the
example of their holy Founder, who, by his
loving admonitions, knew how to make warm
friends even of those whom he reproved.
Therefore, while not shrinking from this painful
task, let Superiors remei^^ber that they strike
but to cure; and that to the strong drink of
correction, they must add the oil and balm of
true sj^mpathy and Christian charity.

BXXLB NOT BINDING UNDER PAIN OF SIN. 135

CHAPTER XX.

THE RULE DOES NOT BIND UNDER PAIN OF SIN.

^ The Bule of the Third Order is not binding
under pain of mortal sin." Such are the express
words and will of our glorious Founder, St.
Fcancis of Assisi. In confirmation of this.
Popes Nicholas IV. and Leo X. have declared
that the prescriptions of the Kule, except where
they relate to the commandments of God or the
Church, do not bind the Tertiaries even under
yenial sin, because they only contain such pre-
cepts as are necessary for the salvation of souls
in the world, and do not include solemn vows.
D'Ozieri says of this : " We nevertheless earn-
estly exhort the Brothers and Sisters not thereby
to think themselves at liberty to transgress
their holy Rule, but to labour with persever-
ance and generosity to form their lives upon its
model. By their fidelity in this particular, they
will not only add lustre to their crown, but
conform themselves more closely to the image
of our Lord, who voluntarily submitted to
human laws and to the ^vill of His Heavenly
Father for our sake and for our salvation.'
By acting thus, they will restore the lustre of
the Third Order, edify their neighbours, and
exercise in the world the apostolate which St.
Francis had most at heart. As his children,
they will not content themselves with a mere

136 STATUTES AND USAGES OF THE ORDER.

outward observance of his commands ; but en-
deavour fervently to cany out tlie spirit of their
holy vocation. Liet them meditate frequently
on the consoling words pronounced by the
Father Director on the day of their profession,
at the moment of having bound themselves by
an irrevocable vow. " And I," he answers
them^ "if you observe these things, promise
you, on the part of God, eternal life." Words
awfidly solenm, dear Brothers and Sisters, and
which Heaven undertakes to ratify, if you will
only persevere with love and fidelity in the
course upon which you have entered. Make
the holy directions of our Seraphic Father the
rule of your lives, and they will guide and
sustain you unto the end. You have renounced
the pleasures of this world. But these plea-
sures are perfidious and ephemeral; while the
joys of heaven, or the sufierings of hell, are
eternal. For the love of His Son, who gave
Himself for you, you have embraced a life of
penance and suffering and sacrifice; but it is
only for a little whue. Time is short, and
heaven is long. Yet a little more patience,
a little more courage, a Httle more love, and
your reward is sure, for ever and for ever, in
the presence of your Spouse. Amen.

FURTHER USAGES OF THE

ORDER.

Frcm the Constitutions of the Tertiaries of Calais^ and
the Constitutions at tlie Ara Cceli.

ON THE THREE SIMPLE VOWS TAKEN BY

TERTIARIES.

The Vow op Obedience.

**We cannot ofifer to our Lord a higher gift
than that of our will, when submitting it to
others for the love of God." These are the
words of St. Thomas Aquinas. It is, in fact,
the sacrifice which our Divine Redeemer made
to His Father when He became '^ subject unto
death, even the death of the cross." He thus
became a perfect holocaust of obedience for
our sakes ; and His example should be the most
powerftd encouragement to us Tertiaries in a
like manner to conquer any repugnance we
may feel towards this immolation of ourselves,
and to practise entire and hearty obedience to
our Superiors, not only in the letter but in the
spirit.

Tertiaries desirous of attaining to this virtue
must be so entirely stripjjed of their self-will as
to be like dead bodies in the hands of their

138 FURTHER USAGES OF THE ORDER.

Superior. Following the example of our Sera-
phic Father, they should be equally ready to
obey the humblest among their community.

Faults against obedience should be rigidly
punished by Superiors, who will proportion the
penance to the gravity of the offence. Should
any of the community persist in disobeying the
oraers of their Superiors, or refuse to undertake
any office or duty required by them, they will
lose their place in Chapter and be condemned
to eat on the ground for the time determined
by the Council.

The Vow or Poverty.

St. Francis thanked God on his deathbed
that he had never been unfaithful to the po-
verty of Jesus Christ, which he had chosen for
his spouse. Tertiaries deserving of the name
should follow his example, by striving to live in
a spirit of perfect detachment from all earthly
things, seeking only the riches of Christ.

By this vow, therefore, it is enjoined that
all Tertiaries living in community should have
everything in common, including their habits,
linen, and all things necessary for their daily
use. Each member shall be prepared to change
with the other as the Superiors may direct ; and
will only rejoice to find themselves worse off
instead of better in any such exchange.

The Superiors alone will be allowed to lock
up their own cells. The others will only have
the keys of such doors as their office may re-

THE THREE SIMPLE VOWS. 139

quire. They may neither give nor lend any-
tning^ in the house or out of it, without per^
mission ; and everything given to them will be
remitted to the "Superior, to be dealt with as he
or she may judge oest. Should any such gift
be of a considerable amount, the Superior may
not accept it without the authority of the Coun-
cil.

It would be an unworthv act on the part of
a Tertiary to esteem himself (or herself) better
than the rest, or to expect more consideration,
should the worldly portion he (or she) have
brought to the Order oe larger than the others.'
For this reason. Superiors should be careful in
no way to influence Tertiaries in the disposition *
of their property, leaving them free to make
what use of it they please.

The Vow of Chastity.

It is by a special grace of God, and through
the effect of Divine love alone, that souls are
led to make this solemn dedication of them-
selves to their Divine Spouse. This vow raises
them far above any earthly dignity ; and when
it has been faithfully observed during a whole
lifetime, will entitle such chosen souls "to follow
the Lamb withersoever He goeth."

If the favour be, then, so great, and its re-
ward so precious, we should shrink from no
sacrifice or suffering to keep this vow, both in
the letter and in the spirit.

Tertiaries so bound must therefore giiard

140 FURTHER USAGES OF THE ORDER.

themselves most diligently, lest in thought,
word, or deed they should be unfaithful to Him
whom they have chosen for their Spouse. They
must fly every occasion of danger, either to
their own punty or to that of others, avoiding
all undue familiarity in their intercourse with
the other sex, and by their modesty and reserve
maintain the dignity of their high vocation. In
their intercourse with each other, they should
avoid all expressions and acts which would be
liable to misrepresentation ; and in the custody
both of the eyes and thoughts they should ever
practise that spirit of mortification which is most
pleasing to our Divine Lord, and most in ac-
cordance with the spirit of their holy Rule.

THE CHAPTER OF FAULTS.

On Friday in each week all communities of
the Third Order will hold a chapter of faults^
when the members, humbly kneeling at the feet
of the Superior, will confess their transgressions
against the Kule, and receive with meekness at
his or her hands the penance which may be im-
posed for such transgressions. This exercise
must never be omitted.

At this chapter of faults, after the confes-
sion, the Tertiary wiU say:

" I beg pardon of God and of you, Reverend
Father (or Mother), for these faults and all

ON SILENCE. 141

others of which I have been guilty against our
holy Rule and Constitutions."

Or if the Tertiary cannot recollect any spe-
cial faults since the last chapter, she says :

"I accuse myself of a number of, faults
which I have undoubtedly committed, though
I am too blind to know them; and I entreat
you, Reverend Mother, to watch me and warn
me of my transgressions" (chap. x. constitu-
tion ii. Ara Coeli).

The Superiors must be careful to suit the
penances imposed to the age, character, and
position of the Tertiaries ; neither discouraging
them by over-severity, nor yet by undue in-
dulgence relaxing the spirit of discipline, which
is the soul of every religious order.

ON SILENCE.

If it be important to maintain the spirit of
penance in the Order by corporal austerities,
still more must Tertiaries labour at interior
mortifications. Silence is one of the most power-
ful aids in this matter, as it not only represses
our natural salUes and passions, but it prevents
our minds from being distracted by intercourse
with creatures, and compels us to converse with
God alone. Silence may thus be looked upon
as the indispensable guardian of the sijirit o^t

142 FURTHER USAGES OF THE ORDER.

prayer and recollection, as well as of charity, and
all other religious virtues.

Th^re are two kinds of silence — one im-
posed by the Eule, the other by the evangelical
spirit.

The first consists in a rigorous exclusion at
certain times of aU conversation, save in matters
of absolute necessity (such as an accident, or the
like), and then only by permission of Superiors.

Rigorous silence of this sort must be ob-
served in all houses of the Order from the end
of recreation in the evenings till Tierce the fol-
lowing day ; and also invariably in choir, in the
refectory, and in the dormitory, where only the
Superior can be spoken to in a low voice, and
that in case of urgent necessity.

The second consists in abstaining from all
idle words and frivolous conversations. This
kind of silence should be observed at all times
and seasons. The Sisters in their manual work
about the house should i^eak low, and refrain
from all unnecessary words or unseemly noise
and laughter.

When they walk together in the streets and
are sent on their usual charitable missions,
reUgious modesty exacts that they should main-
tain silence as far as possible ; and with their eyes
cast down should occupy themselves as much as
they can with pious thoughts, or prayers for the
souls of those whom they are about to visit. Spe-
cial care must be taken by the Sisters to remem-
her^ when thus publicly threading our crowded

THE DISCIPLINE. 143

thoroughfares, that they have set themselves
apart lor the service of God, and that this must
be made manifest to all men by their modest
comportment and a certain guard and watch-
fulness over themselves. "Take care," sajrs
St. Augustine, "that in your exterior every-
thing be suitable to your holy profession." (Art,
iii. chap. ii. Constitutions of Calais.)

THE DISCIPLINE.

In order to honour our Lord in the sorrows
of His adorable Passion, and especially in the
cruel torture of the flagellation, which He bore
for our sins, Tertiaries should take the discip-
line in community every Friday in the year;
and also on all the days of lioly Week, on
the Vigils of Pentecost, the Assumption, All
Saints, Christmas, the Feasts of St. Francis, St.
Elizabeth of Hmigary, the Immaculate Con*
ception, All Souls' Day, and the 5th of October.

During this penitential exercise the Tertiaries
will recite the Psalm, " Miserere mei ;" the
Antiphons, "Ne reminiscaris," and "Christus
factus est ;" as well as the prayer, " Deus qui
culpa ofFenderis," ending with the verses, " Ee-
quiem aeternam," and "Eequiescant in pace.
Amen." See the second voliune of this
Manual. (Art. ii. chap. iii. Constitutions of *
Calais.)

144 FURTHER USAGES OF THE ORDER.

Every Friday our holy Rule shall be read
in the refectory, and at the end, all the Ter-
tiaries will rise and listen (with their hands
joined in prayer) while the Superior reads the
following benediction of St. Francis :

Benedictio.

Et quicumque haec observaverit in coelo re-
pleatur oenedictione altissimi Patris coelestis et
m terra repleatur benedictione Filii sui, cum
Sanctissimo Spiritu Paraclito, et omnibus virlu-
tibus coelorum et omnibus Sanctis. Et ego,
F. Franciscus, parvulus vester et servus, quan-
tumcmnque possmn confirmo vobis intus et foris
istam sanctissimam benedictionem. Amen.
(Chap. X. constitution ii. Ara CoelL)

And the following:

Exortotio*

^ O, dilectissimi Fratres et in aetemum
benedictii Filii, audite me. Audite vocem
Patris vestri. Magna promissimus: majora
promissa sunt nobis. Servemus haec, suspirimus
ad ilia. Voluptas brevis, poena perpetua.
Modica passio, gloria infinita. Multorum vo-
catio, paucorum electio, omnium retributio.
Amen.

As soon as the Tertiary is dressed, he or she
must kneel in the direction of the nearest
church or chapel, and kissing the ground,

OTHER DEVOTIONS. 145

" O loving Jesus, preserve me from all sin
this day."

At night, after a hearty act of contrition,
the Tertiary will Ife down, repeating three times :

"My Uod, I commend my soul into Thy
hands."

When the Tertiaries meet, they shall salute
one another with the words :

" God give you His holy peace" (Chap. iv.
constitution viii. Ara coeli).

The rheil in the morning shall be made
by the caller with the words: "Benedicamus
Domino." The answer to be: "Deo gratias."
If a Tertiary be sent with a message to the cell
of another, he (or she) shall knock at the door,
saying :

"Laudetur Jesus Christus." The answer
to be : " In ssBCula. Amen" (Chap vi. con-
stitution iv. Ara Coeli).

Besides the exercises of the community, Ter-
tiaries should strive to cultivate a continual
spirit of prayer, and to love all such devotional
practices as were dear to the heart of our holy
Founder. Such are the " Way of the Cross,
the indulgenced prayers before the Crucifix,
meditations on the Passion of Christ, and the
recitation of the Rosary, whenever time and
other duties will permit. All Tertiaries Uving
in community must set aside one day in the
month for a spiritual Retreat; and as far as
possible it shall be the Saint's day which
shall have fallen to their respective Wys^ Skl*^q&

146 FURTHER USAGES OF THE ORDER.

general assembly (Act \duL Constitutions of
Calais).

B is a common practice and most touching
devotion, in all places whefb the Franciscan
Orders are known, to recite five Paters, five
Aves, and five Glorias, with the arms extended
in the form of the Cfross ; and we cannot too
strongly urge this devotion upon the members of
the Tlurd Order, more particularly as there are
great indulgences attached to it. It is usual to
add a Pater, Ave, and Gloria for the Holy
Father.*

* Manual of the Third Orders published by BtimSi Oates,
and Go.

THE WILL OF OUR HOLY FATHER

ST. FRANCIS.

Our Lord has given me the grace (to me,
Brother Francis) to begin a life of penance.
When I was in a state of sin, it seemed to me a
terrible thing to hav^ the care of lepers ; but
our Lord having led me Himself amongst them,
I did works oi mercy towards them, and in
leaving them I felt that what had at first seemed
so bitter and repugnant to me, was changed
into wonderful sweetness both of mind and body.
After this I lived very little in the world. I
was, as it were, set apart ; and our Lord gave
me such faith in the Church, where He is ever
present, that I could do nothing but simply
adore Him, saying : ^^ We adore Thee, O oa-
viour Jesus Christ, both here and in all Thy
churches throughout the world, and we bless
Thee that Thou hast redeemed the world bv
Thy holy Cross." Our Lord gave me also such
faith in His priests, that even were they to
persecute me, 1, having regard to their office,
should always seek them and look up to them ;
and if I had all the wisdom of Solomon, and I
came to a place with only poor secular ^riest^
I would not preach in tYieii cJoxxtd^aa's* owv^Nxscrj

148 THE WILL OF ST. FRANCIS.

to their will, for I should wish to fear, love, and
honour them as my masters. I will not think
of their faults, because I recognise in them the
Son of God, and thus am subject to them. I
do this the more readily, because they alone can
consecrate, and receive, and dispense to others
the precious Body and Blood or the Son of the
Most High. I wish those sacred mysteries to
be everywhere revered and honoured above all
other things, and that they should be deposited
in some safe and honourable place. I wish also
to respect all theologians, and those who dis-
pense to us the holy Word of God, as the
ministers to us of life and grace.

After our Lord had given me a community,
no one taught me what I should do, but the
Most Highest Himself revealed to me that I must
try and live as far as possible according to the
rules of evangelical perfection. I drew up the
Kule in a few and simple words, and our holy
Father the Pope confirmed it. Those who came
to embrace this state of life gave all they could
to the poor. They contented themselves with a
single habit, often mended within and without,
with a cord for a girdle, and drawers. We
wished for nothing else. We who are priests
said Office like other priests ; the lay brothers
said the Pater noster. We were content with
poor and neglected churches; we were simple
poor people, obedient and submissive to every
one. I worked with my hands, and I wish to
work. I wish also that all the other Brothers

THE WILL OF ST. FRANCIS. 149

should occupy themselves with some manual
work, and that those who do not know how to
work should learn, and that not from the hope
of recompense, but to give a good example to
others, and to eschew idleness. Kwe obtain
no wages for our toil, let us throw ourselves on
Providence, and beg our bread from door to
door. It has been revealed to me that the
Brothers and Sisters should salute one another
with the words, "God give you His peace." Let
the Brothers be very careful not to accept
churches, houses, or anything which may be
built for them, if inconsistent with the holy
poverty we have vowed by the Bule, and let
them ^wap remain as stivers and pUgrims
on the earth. I strictly forbid any of the Bro-
thers, by their vow of obedience, to ask for anv
letter from the Court of Rome, either for theur
churches or for any other thing, under pretext
of preaching, or even for the security of their
persons in case of persecution ; but when they
are persecuted in one place, let them flee unto
anotner, and there let them do penance with
the erace of God.

1 promise absolute obedience to the Father
General of this Brotherhood, and to the guar-
dian he may please to appoint over me ; and I
wish to feel myself so bound in his hands that I
should be unable to do anything or go anywhere
without his permission, because ne is my master.
If I should DC weak and infirm, I yet will al-
ways have a clerk to say Office to ixva^^s»Ssk«s^

150 THE WILL OF ST. FRANCIS.

pointed by the Rule. Let all the other Bro-
thers be .equally obedient to their Superiors,
and say Office regularly according to the Rule.
And should any be found who either neglect or
wish to make changes in it, or who are not good
Catholics, let such be delivered over to the
Father Rector and kept close prisoners until
given up by him to the Cardinal of Ostia, who
IS the Master, Protector, and Corrector of the
Brotherhood.

Let not the Brothers or Sisters imagine this
is another Rule; for it is but a memorial, a
warning, an exhortation, in fact, my willj which
I, Brother Francis, your very humble servant,
address to you, my Brothers, so that with the
blessing of God we may observe the Rule with
greater fid<6lity, as we have promised our Lord
to do.

The Father General and other Superiors of
the Order are commanded under obedience to
add nothing to these words, and to retrench
nothing. Let this my will be added to the
Rule, and when Chapters are held and the
Rule is read, let them equally read these my
words.

I forbid positively, in virtue of obedience,^
any of the Brothers, whether priests or laymen,
to gloss over the Rule or my will, and say,
" These words are to be understood in such or
such a sense;" but as our Lord has given me
the grace to write the Rule and these words
eieany and simply, so let our Brothers under-

THE WILL OF ST. FRANCIS. 151

stand them with equal straightforwardness and
simplicity, and put them in practice unto the
end.

Whoever shall observe these things shall be
filled with the heavenly benediction of the Fa-
ther Most High, of His dearly-beloved Son, and
of the Holy Uhost the Comforter, together with
the virtues of the Saints. Aiid 1, Brother
Francis, your poor and humble little servant,
confirm, as far as I can, this holy benediction
within you and without you. Amen.

CATECHISM

OF THE

RULE OF THE THIRD ORDER.

In order to make the Rule easier of compre-
hension to those who are seeking to enter it, we
have arranged it in the form of " Question and
Answer," according to D'Ozieri's method for
postulants.

Q. What is the meaning of the Third Order
of Penance?

-4. It is a religious order for persons living
in the world.

Q. Who was its founder!

A. St. Francis of Assisi.

Q. Why is it called the Third Order ?

A. Because it is the third Order founded
by the holv Patriarch.

Q. What are the two others I

A. That of the Friars Minor and of St.
Clare.

Q. Are there many branches in the First
Order!

A. Yes ; three. The Friars Minor Conven-
tual, Observantins, and Capucins.

Q. Have each of these branchftatibka^^s^^ess.

154 OATEOmSM OF THE RULE.

to admit persons into the Third Order, and to
form them into a congregation ?

A. Yes.

Q. Should Tertiaries, if admitted by dif-
ferent branches, be considered to belong to dif-
ferent Third Orders ?

A. No ; they form but one and the self-
same Order, living under the same Kule, and
participating in the same privileges and indul-
gences.

Q. Is the Third Order itself divided into
different branches ?

A. Yes ; several. They are :

1. The regular Tertiaries of both sexes liv-
ing in strict enclosure under the Rule
of Leo X.

2. Tertiaries living in community with
simple vows.

3. Tertiaries Uving in community without
vows.

4. Secular Tertiaries living in the wOTld,
Q. Are there not different branches of se-
cular Tertiaries f

A. Yes ; there are :

1. Secular Tertiaries who have taken the
solemn vow of chastity, and have per-
mission to wear publicly and habitually
the habit of the Third Order.

2. Those who belong to a congregation but
have not taken the vow.

3. Those who live separately without be-
longaig to any community.

CATECHISM OF THE RULE. 155

Q. What is the nature of the Third Order?

A. It is a middle state between the cloister
and the world.

Q. Who gave the Rule of the Third Order?

A, St. Francis of Assisi himself, and Pope
Nicholas IV. confirmed and reproduced it in his
Bull of the 17th August 1289.

Q. Were there other Third Orders before
the foundation of that of St. Francis of Assisi ?

A. No. St. Dominic established about the
same time what he called "The Militia of Jesus
Christ ;" but it was not organised into a Third
Order till a later period.

Q. What are the conditions of admission
into the Third Order?

A. A pure faith free from any taint of
heresy, a Christian life, and an imblemished
reputation.

Q. Are these conditions indispensable?

A. So much so, that should any of these
qualities be found wanting even after profes-
sion, the Tertiary would be expelled the
Order.

Q, Are persons who have once lived in
scandal or heresy ineligible ?

A, Not if they be sincerely converted and
reconciled with God and His Church; and if
they have persevered for a sufficient time in
these good dispositions.

Q. What does the Kule prescribe to insure
these conditions ?

A. The Rule exacts arvg^to\]i& ^^sNssicMbiCv^Kw

156 OATEOmSM OF THE RULE.

into the faith and character of the postulant,
and on his or her obedience to the Church.

Q. May not postulants sometimes be dis-
pensed from this examination I

A. Yes, should their faith and piety be
notorious.

Q. Must they fulfil any further conditions ?

A. Yes ; the postulant must give every in-
formation as to his or her fortune and position,
and likewise study carefully the Kule, the
statutes, and usages of the Order.

Q. Is anything else necessary ?

A. Yes. The postulant must pay his or
her debts, make restitution for anything un-
fairly acquired; and reconcile himself (or herself)
with all those with whom he or she may have
been at variance.

Q. Are persons of all classes and positions
eligible for flie Third Order!

A. Yes, provided they fulfil its conditions.

Q. Can anyone be aomitted at once to pro-
fession in the Thu-d Order ?

A. No. The Rule exacts a year's novi-
tiate, the time being reckoned from the day
of clothing.

Q. May this Rule be dispensed with ?

A. Yes ; the time of novitiate may be short-
ened at the discretion of Superiors, but only in
rare and exceptional cases, or should the novice
be in danger of death.

Q. Should the profession have been made
In a case ofgnevous sickness with the expecta-

' OATEOHISM OF THE RULE. ' 157

tion of death, and the patient subsequently re-
cover, would the said profession be valid ?

A, The profession would be valid, but would
have to be renewed at the term of the regular
novitiate, to which the person so professed
would return.

Q. What .is necessary for the admission of
a novice to profession I

A. That he or she should have fulfilled
every condition and duty attached to the Rule.

Q. Are persons at liberty to give up the
Third Order after their profession ?

A. No ; it is expressly forbidden to do so by
the Rule, unless to enter some other religious
community eaually approved of by the Church*,

Q. Woula a Tertiary then be guilty of
apostasy by leaving the Order to return to the
world ?

A. No; because secular Tertiaries are not
bound by solemn vows as other religious are;
therefore they would not be guilty of the sin of
apostasy in quitting the Order ; but they would
thereby disobey the Rule, and be wanting in
fidelity to grace.

Q, Does the Rule bind under mortal sin ?

A. No; not even under venial sin, unless in
those points which are equally the command-
ments of God and the Church.

Q. What are the duties imposed on Ter
tiaries by the Rule ?

A. They are of two kinds : those that apply
to all the Brothers and Sisters* m t\Na <^\.^^\

158 OATEOmSM OP THE RUIiE.

and those which only regard the Superiors in
each congregation.

Q. What are the duties common to all?

A. Those that relate to God, their neigh-
bour, and themselves.

Q. What are their duties towards God?

A. 1. To recite daily the Divine Office.

2. To go to Confession and Communion at

least three times a year; namely, at
Christmas, Easter, and Pentecost.

3. To assist at the offices of their parish

church, especially during Advent and
Lent.

4. To hear Mass every day when not ab-

solutely hindered.

5. To say a Pater noster before and after

each meal, adding a "Deo gratias" at
the end.

6. To make every evening a rigorous self-

examination on the faults of the day.

7. To avoid all oaths or swearing in their

business or conversation.

Q, How is the Rule to be understood with
regard to saying the Divine Office ?

A. Those who are in Holy Orders must
recite the Office in the Eoman Breviary. The
other Tertiaries should do the same ; but if it
be impossible, they are allowed to substitute the
Office of our Lady, or the saying of so many
Paters.

Q. What does the Rule say about these
Platers?

OATBOHISM OF THE RULE. 159

A. The Rule enacts that those who cannot
read, or are prevented from unavoidable causes
from saying Office, must say 54 Paters, — 12
for Matms and Lauds, and 7 for each of the
other Offices. The " Gloria Patri" must be said
after each Pater ; and after the Pater of Prime
and Compline, the " Credo" and " Miserere mei
Deus" Bve to be added.

Q. May Tertiaries say the whole Office at
once ? y^

A. Yes, if they cannot do othenvise; but
it is more according to the spirit of the Church
to keep to the Rule in this respect.

Q. May the Office be said in English or
French ?

A. No. All Offices must be said in Latin ;
for Latin is the language of the Church.

Q. Should Tertiaries prefer saying Office to
other prayers ?

A, Yes, without a doubt ; for Office is im-
posed upon them by their Rule, while other
prayers are only imposed by their own will.

Q. May not the Little Office of the Blessed
Virgin be substituted for the Divine Office ?

A. Yes ; it is allowable in certain cases, as is
explained in the statutes approved by Paul HI.
in 1547, and by Innocent XL in 1686.

Q. Are the sick bound to the recitation of
Office?

A. No.

Q. Are the Tertiaries to keep to the three
Communions fixed by the Rule?

160 OATECmSM OF THE RULE.

-4. No, certainly not; for bound as they
are to advance more and more towards perfec-
tion, they must have recourse to frequent Com-
munion to overcome their faults and be strength-
ened in all virtue. There are, besides, certain
days defined by the statutes on which Tertiaries
are bound to conununicate.

Q. Is it absolutely necessary for Tertiaries
to attend the offices of their parish church ?

A. For the Pascal Communion, yes ; but not
for other offices, although for the edification of
others it is better for Tertiaries to go to their own
parish church, especially during Lent and Advent.

Q, Must they hear Mass every day ?

A, Yes, whenever possible ; because the Holy
Sacrifice is the act which most promotes the
glory of God and the salvation of souls.

Q. Why is the "Pater" necessary before
and after meals ? Would not other prayers be
equally good?

A. We must always give the preference to
those prescribed by the Rule, being assured that
they are more pleasing to God.

Q. Is the daily self-examination a matter of
obligation ?

A. Yes ; not only from its intrinsic neces-
sity, but because it is prescribed by the Kule.

Q. Are there not some occasions when an
oath is permissible?

A. Yes ; in courts of justice, and when it is
necessary for the preservation of reputation or
honour.

OATEOmSM OF THE RULE. 161

Q. Why are Tertiaries forbidden to carry-
arms?

A. To avoid the duels which were of con-
tinual occurrence in the times of St. Francis of
Assisi.

Q. Are Tertiaries, then, never allowed to
bear arms ?

A. They may, of course, do so if they should
be in the army, or whenever it may be necessary
to di'aw the sword in defence of the Church or
their country.

Q. Does this clause in the Kule forbid other
things to Tertiaries?

A. Yes ; it forbids their taking part in sedi-
tious movements, secret societies, or revolts of
any kind against constituted authority.

Q. Are Tertiaries obliged to attend the
meetings of the congregation to which they
belong ?

A. Yes, both the monthly and special meet-
ings.

Q. Should the Tertiaries disobey the sum-
mons, are theyliable to any punishment ?

A. Yes. The Father Rector may first warn
and reprove them privately for their negligence;
but should his warnings be disregarded, he must
report them to the Council, who will impose a
suitable public penance.

Q. W hat are the duties of Tertiaries towards
their neighbours ?

A. They must love their neighbours as them-
selves, and do unto all men as tUey ^wiA^^^^

162 CATECHISM OF THE RULE.

to be done by. They should avoid all quarrels
and litigation, and do nothing to the prejudice
or injury of their neighbours. But their duties
specially lie in their own families, and among
the members of their Order.

Q. What ought to be theu' conduct in the
bosom of their families ?

A. Tertiaries should look upon themselves
as called upon to exercise an apostolate in their
own families, and in the circle in which they
live. In their relations with their children, their
servants, their workmen, their apprentices, or
the like, heads of families, being Tertiaries, should
rule with the greatest zeal, prudence, charity,
and discretion, striving to make every member
of their households devout and regular in the
service of God, and setting them a good example
in all things. Children, on the other hand,
should pray for their parents, and strive, by
affection and submission, to repay their love
and care.

Q. What are the duties of Tertiaries towards
each other?

A. To look upon themselves as members of
one great family, bearing one another's burdens,
loving one another, and living with each other
in perfect peace and harmony.

Q, What is to be done when causes of dis-
cord arise between them ?

A. The Father Rector is obliged by the
Rule to interfere at once, and bring about a
i-acon ciliation as soon as possible.

CATECHISM OF THE RULB. 168

Q. What are the best means of maintain-
ing the spirit of love and union among the Tei^
tiaries ?

A. The monthly meetings, which keep alive
tliese feelings of brotherhood and mutual sympa-
thy. Together they pray; together they hear the
word of God ; together they consult about the
charitable works in which they are mutually
engaged ; together they give their alms for the
reliei of their suffering members ; together they
decorate and ornament their chapels ; and ail
these works, done together, act as links which
<lraw them closer and closer towards each other.

Q. What is their duty towards their sick
members ?

A. To visit, console, and relieve them to
the best of their ability; to exhort them to

Eatiencc and resignation ; to watch over them
y night as well as by day, when necessary ;
and in cases of distress to give money, food, or
any of the medical comforts they may require.

Q. Wliat is to be done with those in their
last agony ?

A. To redouble their prayers ; to inspire the
dying with holy thoughts, making them repeat
the names of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph ; to
clothe them in the habit ; above all, to give
timely notice to the Father Director or some
other priest, so that the dying Tertiaries may
not be deprived either of the absolutions or the
last Sacraments.

Q. What are they to Ao \s\\^w ^Ss^ ^^^^^

164 OATEOHISM OF THE RULE.

A. After a short prayer for the repose of
the soul of the dead, they are to prepare the
body for burial by clothing it iii the habit of
the Order (if not already so dressed), crossing
the hands, and placing on the breast a Crucifix
and a copy of the Rule, and watching by it,
thus exposed, until the funeral.

Q. What further duty is expected of them?

A. To assist at the funeral service, and, if
possible, accompany the body to the cemetery ;
and afterwards to be present at the Mass which
the congregation offers up for the deceased on
the third and the seventh days after the death.
Once a year they will recite fifty Psalms and
Paters, with a " Requiem setemam," &c., for
all Tertiaries living and dead. But the Father
Director may commute these prayers at his dis-
cretion.

Q. Does the congregation, as suchy have
special prayers for the dead ?

A. Yes. They must celebrate three Masses
a year, with that intention.

Q, What are the duties of Tertiaries towards
themselves I

A. To labour at their own sanctification by
the exact observance of the Rule, being pene-
trated especially with its practices of penance
and humility.

Q. What are these practices ?

A. Fasting, abstinence, mortifications of all
kinds, and eschewing worldly pleasures and
amusements.

CATECHISM OP THE RULE. 165

Q. What are the days of fasting and absti-
nence determined by the Rule ?

A. Tertiaries must fast every day except
Sunday, from the first Sunday in Advent tdl
Christmas, and from Quinquagesima tiU Eas-
ter ; also all Wednesdays and Fridays from All
Saints' to the first Sunday in Advent ; and all
the Fridays in the year, unless Christmas-day
falls on a Friday.

Q. Does f astuig equally imply abstinence ?

A. Assuredly; all flesh-meat is forbidden
on fast-days.

Q. What are the legitimate reasons for ob-
taining dispensations from fasts and abstinence ?

A. Health, journeys, watchings, great fa-
tigues or other difficulties of position.

Q. May these dispensations, when granted,
be used without scruple ?

A. Yes, if the reasons alleged be genuine.

Q. Are any dispensations allowed by the
Rule itself I

A. Yes ; if Christmas-day falls either on a
Friday or Saturday, and when any great feast
occurs on a fasting-day.

Q, Are no others permissible?

A, Yes ; the Rule gives dispensation to the
sick, the very poor, to women with child, wet^
nurses, and workmen engaged in laborious
works, or dependent on their masters for their
food.

Q. To whom must Tertiaries apply for such
dispensations ?

166 GATECmSM OF THE RULE.

A. To the ordinary of the place, or the
Father Dh'ector.

Q. What is meant by the ordinary ?

A. The Father Ghiardian of a convent of
the First Order, or the Father Director of the
oon^egatiou.

Q. Have secular priests the same powers %

A. Yes; if these priests receive aiithoritv-
to that effect from the Superiors of the Order.

Q. What are the worldly pleasures forbidden
by the Eule ?

A. The Rule forbids Tertiaries to assist at
licentious feasts or entertainments; it orders
them Hkewise to abstain from balls, plays, and
other places of public resort, unless with a spe-
cial dispensation; and to prevent those about
them from giving money towards such amuse-
ments.

Q. What are the penances imposed by the
Eule?

A. They are of two sorts — ^tliose ordered by
tie Rule, and those left to the discretion of the
Visitor or Director of the Order. The former
consist in the recitation of so many Paters for
certain omissions in the Rule. The latter are
left to tlie Visitor, and must be proportioned to
the gravity of the offence and the health of the
penitent.

Q. What kind of penances are imposed by
the Visitors ?

A^ The repetition of vocal prayers; certain
mortiGcations ; exclusion from the public meet-

CATECHISM OF THE RULE. 167

ings ; and lastly, expulsion from the congrega-
tion, of the Thuxl Order.

Q. What faults are sufficiently serious to
j)ix)voke the latter ?

A. Cases of heresy or public scandal^ and
obstinate persistence in evil or wrong-doing;

Q. How can Tertiaiies give proof of hu-
milityr?

A, By meekly accepting the penances im-
posed on them, and by generously performing
them to the letter.

Q. Have they no other methods ?

A. Yes. By practising mortifications in
their daily life, and confomung to the spirit of
tlie Rule in modesty and simplicity of dress and
habits.

Q. Does the Rule enter into any details on
this subject ?

A, Yes. It prescribes that their clothes
should be of common materials^ and forbids
everything that tends to foster self4ove and
vanity.

Q. Does the Rule make no exception to
this ?

A. No. The Rule makes no exception ; but
it leaves to the Father Director or Visitor the
faculties to dispense the Tertiaries according
to the circumstances of position, time, ana
place.

Q. Are Tertiaries obliged to accept any po-
sitions of dignity or tinist in the congregation to
which they may be elected 'J

168 CATECHISM OP THE RULE.

A. Yes. The Rule enjoins their acceptance
of such employments for the love of GoH with
humility and simplicity, and their fulfilment
with diligence and fidelity.

Q. Can a Tertiary not refuse the title of
Rector out of greater humility ?

A. No. In all cases simple, humble, un-
questioning obedience is exacted by the Rule.

Q. Are the officers in the Third Order
elected for life ?

A. No; for three years.

Q. Who are these dignitaries ?

A. The Father Rector, his assistant, and the
members of the Council.

Q. By whom are they elected?

A. By all the professed Tertiaries at the
general meeting, and by secret voting.

Q. On whom devolves the right to nominate
the officers of the congregation ?

A. On the Council.

Q. By whom are the elections to be con-
firmed?

A. By the Father Visitor, or by him who
presides in his place.

CALENDAR

OF THE

CANONISED AND BEATIFIED SAINTS OF
THE ORDER FOR EACH MONTH.

Taken from the Franciscan Marty rologi/y and approved

by the Holy See.

JANUARY.

14. Blessed Bernard of Corleon,

confessor, of the first order.

Blessed Bernard was bom at Corleon, in 1607, of good
Christian parents. He learnt first the shoemaker's
tradq, with his father ; but on ihe death of the latter,
yielding to ihe impetuosity of his disposition, he em-
braced a military life, in which he acquired a high
reputation for bravery and skill in the use of arms.

In the midst of a life of dissipation, he preserved a
fervent devotion to a picture of our Saviour, and also
to St. Francis ; and he was always the protector of the
aged, and of women and children.

Having wounded one of his fellow-soldiers mortally,
in a duel which he had for some time refused to fight,
he took to flight. Thereupon, reflecting on his state,
and perceiving the dangers, both temporal and spiritual,
by which he was surrounded, and being touched by the
grace of God, he was converted, and entering the no-
vitiate of the Capuchin Friars Minor, became a model of
penance and regularity. He was filled with spiritual
gifts, and was frequently ravished in ecstasies. He
visited tliose that were sick and in prison, and worked a
great number of miracles botii\>^iox^ «sA^S^i^\^^^^i^-

170 JANUARY.

He fell asleep in the Lord, at the age of seventj-
two, and was enrolled amongst the list of the Blessed,,
by Pope Clement XIII.

16. St. Berabdus and his Companions,

MARTYRS, of THE FIRST ORDER.

Commissioned by our holy Father St. Francis Uy
preach the Chiistian faith at Morocco, Berardus, Peter,
Accurtius, Adjutus, and Otho stopped at Seville, at that
time in the possession of the Moors, intending to preach
Jesus Christ to the barbarians. But the king, in
gi-eat anger against them, ordered them to be cruelly-
scourged, and then had them taken to the frontiers of
Ids kingdom. They then proceeded to Morocco; and
on their arrival, carried away by the ardour of their
zeal, they began to preach the gospel publicly, and
openly attacked the Mahometan rehgion. They were
arrested, thrown into a horrible dungeon, and subjected
to the most inhuman treatment ; after which they were
conducted to the port, to be put on board and sent out
of the countiy ; but escaping from their keepers, they
returned to liie city, and began to preach as before.
The prince, transported with rage, sentenced them to
death; and they gave up their souls to God in tlie
midst of the most unheard-of tortures. Their blood was,
as it were, the first drops of that with which the Fran-
ciscan Order was destined at a later period to water so
Hberally the shores of both the Old World and the New,
for the propagation of the faith.

28. Blessed Matthew of Agrigentum,

confessor, of the first order.

Blessed Matthew of Agrigentum gave signs of great
piety from his earliest infimcy. At the age o£ eighteen,.

JANUARY. 171

he renounced riohes, position, and the pleasures of ihe
world, and joined the Fiiars Minor Conventual, where
he was professed. He was sent to Spain to complete
his studies, and was there raised to the priesthood.
- Struck with all he heard of St. Bemardin of Sienna, he
exchanged into the Friars Minor Observantins ; and
in company with that great servant of God, he travelled
into every part of Italy, giving the greatest edification
by the ardour of his zeal for the salvation of souls.
On his return to Spain, he introduced the strict observ-
ance into a great many convents; he then proceeded
to Sicily, where his efforts were crowned with a like
success. On the death of the Bishop of Agrigentum, he
was appointed his successor, to the great satisfaction of
the people. Alphonso, king of Arragon, agreed to his
election, and it was ratified by Pope Eugenius IV. He
applied all his energy to the reestablishment of ecclesi-
astical discipline. But it pleased God that he should
for a tune suffer under a false and cruel accusation,
which obliged him to appear in Rome and justify him-
self. The Sovereign Pontiff proclaimed his innocence,,
and sent him back to liis Church. Some years later^
worn out with labours and austerities, he departed this
life. The miracles wliich he worked during his life
were yet more plentiful after his death. Clement XHI.
sanctioned the honours which were paid him from tlie
first; and Pius VH. approved the lessons read at liis
Office.

30. St. Hiacinth of Maiuscotti,

vibgix, of the third order.

She entered the Convent of St. Bemardin at Viterbo
when quite young, and made her profession in the
Third Older of St. Francis. After having livedL wwcl^
yeais ia ItongkiJeBmkeBB a&d diBn3^«^<sa, ^^ Niqx^^r^ V^

172 JANUARY — ^FEBRUARY.

God with her whole heart, and continued in prayer and
penance until her death, which took place on the 30th
of January 1640.

31. Blessed Louisa of Albertoni,
widow, of the third order.

She was bom in Rome in 1474. Whilst very young
she v/as married to James of Cithara. Of noble birth,
and possessed of ample fortune, she never allowed her-
self to deviate from the strict rules of simplicity and
modesty which she had laid down for herself, and she
carefully avoided mixing in the pleasures of the world.
She had three daughters, whom she brought up in the
fear and love of God. She was only 32 years of age
when death deprived her of her husband; and she im-
mediately took the habit of the Third Order. It was her
custom to rise every morning before daybreak, and after
performing her religious duties, she devoted the rest of
the day to works of mercy. Blessed Louisa especially
made it her object to preserve young girls of the poorer
classes from the corruption of the world, either by pro-
curing their admission into convents, or by giving them
dowries and getting them married.

She died on the 31st of January 1533. Her remains
are preserved in the Church of the Franciscan Convent
on the banks of the Tiber, in Eome.

FEBRUARY.

1. Blessed Andrew, Count of Segni,

confessor, of the first order.

Descended from an illustrious family, and related to
Popes Innocent HI., Gregory IX., and Alexander IV.,

FEBRUARY. 173

at a very eajrly age he resolved to consecrate himself to
the service of God. Despising the promises of the
world, and refusing the pleasures and enjoyments that
the position of liis family would have secured him, he
joined the Order of Friars Minor, and was sent to the
Convent of San Lorenzo, founded hy St. Francis him-
self. Having discovered a small gloomy cavern, of un-
prepossessing appearance, amongst the rocks of the
Apennines, he made his ahode there, and gave himself
up to contemplation and the practice of the most rigid
austerities. He suffered much from the persecution
and repeated assaults of the devil; hut liis constancy
was not to be shaken. He was gifted with a powerful
and brilliant intellect, and wrote a celebrated work
on the Blessed Virgin. Boniface VIII., his nephew,
wished him to enter the Sacred College and be made
Cardinal ; but this he steadily refused. After a life of
holiness, he died on the 1st of February 1302; vene-
rated by the people, who flocked in crowds to his tomb,
where the most wonderful miracles were worked daily.
Pope Innocent XIII., of the same family, placed him
on the list of the Blessed.

3. Blessed Oderic of Pordenone,

confessor, of the first order.

He was bom towards the end of the thirteenth cen-
tury. After a childhood and youth spent in the exer-
cises of piety, he entered the Order of Friars Minor,
where he added to the austerities of a Rule already
extremely severe, and edified the brethren by his pro-
found humility; he invariably refused every post of
authority, practised the strictest poverty, and alws.^^
went about barefoot. Aftex ]^Tei^wm% \sasi'B,^\y5 ^^^"

174 FEBRUARY.

treat, he went to evangelise Asia Minor, Armenia, Me-
dia, and Persia, and making his way into Tartary,
he traversed China, India, and all the adjacent islands.
The Emperor of Tartary, who at that time protected
the Christians, professed great affection for Oderic.
This true servant of God, after having spent three years
at Camhalek, the seat of his mission, returned to Italy
in 1330. He set out for Avignon, intending to give an
account to the Pope of his mission to Tartary ; hut he
fell sick at Pisa, and returned to the Convent of Udina,
where he died on the 14th of January 1331. The Holy
See sanctioned his Office in 1755.

4. St. Joseph of Leonissa,

confessor, of the first order.

Bom of pious parents, in good cu'cumstances, he
was distinguished from his earliest cliildhood hy his
great virtues, and hy the practice of fasting and good
works. At the age of twenty-two, refusing a hnlliant
alliance that was offered him, he joined the Capuchin
Friars Minor. His life there was even more severe than
the Rule required. He lived on stale vegetables and
mouldy bread, and drank only water. He often went
six or eight days without taking any nourishment, wore
a rough hair-shirt, and used the discipline until tlie
blood flowed. Sent as a missionary to Constantinople,
he brought back to the Christian faith a great many
apostates, and rekindled the courage of wavering Chris-
tians. This valiant athlete of Jesus Christ was seized
by the Mahometans, who hung him by the right hand
and foot to an iron hook fastened to a beam, and lighted
a fire underneath him with green wood, that he might
he su£[beated by the smoke. Aftei rem&iimig three days

FEBRUARY. 175

iu that state, on angel delivered liim, and he returned
to Italy with a martyr's glory. He continued to preach
for many years, and set himself rigorously against thea-
tres, dances, and puhlic amusements. Like an inde-
fatigable apostle, he allowed himself to be hindered
neither by heat nor cold, and never relaxed his life of
penance and mortification. He performed innumerable
miracles during his life, and after his death Clement XII.
placed him amongst the nimiber of the Blessed, and
Benedict XIV. enrolled him amongst the Saints with
the greatest solemnity.

5. Blessed Peter Baptist and hts Companions,

martyrs, of the first and third orders.

Blessed Peter Baptist, of the First Order, went to
preach the Gospel in Japan, taking with him five reli-
gious of the First Order and seventeen Tertiaries. All
of them wore seized by the infidels and imprisoned to-
gether in the same dimgeon; and after suffering the
tortures of a rigorous confinement for some time with
invincible courage, they were all condemned to be cruci-
fied. But before carrying out their sentence, they were
led through the streets of all the principal towns with
their hands tied beliind them, and a halter round their
necks. Everywhere they were overwhelmed with abuse
and ill-treatment. On their arrival at Nangasaki they
were crucified, and each was transfixed by two spears.
They died singing hymns of praise to God. Pope Ur-
ban Yin. sanctioned the honours paid them.

7. Blessed Antony of Stronconio,
confessor, of the first order.
Bom of a noble and ancient ia«M\^/Y£iV>2ia ^^s^^'w^ ^^

176 FEBRUARY.

Nami, he was early trained to piety by his parents, and
devoted himself from his youth to solitude, prayer, and
fasting. At the early age of twelve he resolved to join
the Friars Minor Observantins. He presented himself
to the warden of the convent, who refused him two or
three times on account of his youth, but at length yielded
to the pressing entreaties of Antony, and admitted him
to the novitiate. Antony fully realised the expectations
to which his early piety had given rise. He was at all
times remarkable for extreme modesty and rare humility.
Notwithstanding unusual talents, and the superior edu-
cation he had received, he preferred remaining a lay bro-
ther, and being given the most menial offices. After a
time he was sent to Corsica, where he won the love and
respect of the people by his virtuous example. On his
return to Italy he was sent to the Convent of the Prisons
at Assisi, where he lived thirty years, edifying aU by his
many virtues, and especially by his unvarying obedience.

He kept so strict a guard over his eyes, that for forty
years they never rested on the face of a woman. He
was transported with joy whenever he was allowed to
serve at Mass.

On the 7th of February 1461, full of virtue and good
works, he commended his soul to God. The Apostolic
See sanctioned his Office in 1687.

11. Blessed Viridin of Chateau Florentin,

virgin, of the third order.

Received into the Third Order in the flower of her
age, she preserved her virginity by sheltering it under
the safeguard of penance. Many miracles were worked
by her during her life, and after her death their number
was not diminished.

FEBRUARY. 177

She died in 1242. The Churcli has sanctioned her
Office.

13. Blessed Angela, of Foligno,
widow, of the third order.

Her family was one of distinction in Umhria. In
the eajrly part of her life she gave herself up to the
vanities of the world; hut the death of her hushand and
of her only son roused her from the state of carelessness
in which she was living. She renounced all vain plea-
sures, adopted the hahit of the Third Order of St. Fran-
cis, and spent the remainder of her life in the exercise
of penance and good works. She hore with heroic pa-
tience and fortitude the most terrihle interior trials, and
was ever a mother to the poor.

She died on the 4th of January 1309.

15. Translation of St. Anthony of Padua.

A year had hardly elapsed since the death of St.
Anthony of Padua, when Pope Gregory DC. enrolled
him in the catalogue of Saints. In 1263 St. Bonaven-
tura, Minister General of the Order, opened his tomb,
in order to transfer the holy relics with all solemnity to
the magnificent basilica, in -which they repose to this
day. The whole body was reduced to ashes, with the
exception of the tongue, which was found fresh and
bright -coloured. The holy doctor took it up in his
hands, and shedding tears, he kissed it with great affec-
tion, exclaiming, " O blessed tongue, ever employed in
praising God and causing Him to be praised by men !
We have now a clear proof how precious thou art in
the Bight of God."

178 FEBRUARY.

Histnuislation is c(Miimemorated on this daythj^ough-
out the whole seraphic Order.

16. Blessed Phioppa Makeri,
vihgin, of the second order.

Sprang from a nohle family, her childhood and
youtii were passed in exercises of piety, and from her
earliest years she applied herself to the diligent -stpdy
of the Scriptures. Despising the world and its vanities,
she refused several brilliant alliances that were pro-
posed for her, and kept herself apart in the most retired
comer of her father's house. After a time, desiring yet
stricter solitude and separation from the world, fihe took
np her abode, in company with a few other women, in a
cavern on a neighbouring mountain. Her brother, moved
with admiration for her great piety, bestowed on her an
ancient monastery and church. There she established
herself with her companions, and adopted the Rule of
St. Clare. Her life was one unceasing course of prayer,
tears, and penance. She prayed incessantly for the con-
version of sinners ; she was most liberal in her alms to
the poor ; and God bore witness to the holiness of His
servant by granting that the most glorious miracles
should be worked by her. She had the gift of prophecy
also, and was able to read the inmost thoughts of tlie
heart.

She breathed her last on Feb. 16th, 123f».

19. St. Conrad of Placenzia,^

CONFESSOR, of THE THIRD ORDER.

He left his native countiy and went to Rome, where
he took the habit of the Third Order of St. Panels.

FEBRUARY. 1T9

From thence he went to Sicily, where he iived a Hfeipf
severe penance, and died in the odour of sanctity, ki
the valley of Nolo, near Syracuse, on tlie 19th of iFeb-
ruary 1351.

23. St. Makgabet of Cortona,
penitent, of thf. third 0ri>£r.
After wasting the early part of her life in dissipa-
tion and pleasure, she was converted. She then -took
the habit of the Third Order of St. Pxancis, placed har-
self under the direction of the Friars Minor, and exj^i-
ated the sins and offences of her youth by the most
severe penance. It pleased God to bestow upon her
the gift of miracles, and she brought back to Him many
poor erring souls. She died at Cortona on the 22d of
February 1297. Benedict XIII. canonised her on Whit-
sim-day, the 16th of May 1728.

25 (in Leap-year 20). Blessed Sebastian of thf.

Apparition,

CONFESSOR, of THE FIRST ORDER.

This gpreat servant of God was bom in the diooefiEO
of Orense, in Spain. His parents, poor in this world
but rich towards Gt)d, trained him early to exercises of
piety. His occupation was that of a shepherd ; he kept
iiis ffttiber's flocks, and growing up thus in solitude hie
applied himself constantly to prayer and contemplation.
.After a time, hoping to assist his parents in their ipQ-
verty, desirous also of winning souls to God, and at-
tracted by the marvels that were related of the New
'Woildf.lie went to Mexico. FuU of courage and ener^^
he explored forests and tracla isiii Vk^vi iss^ss^^^^s^^

180 FEBRUARY.

the foot of man, and in a short time amassed an enor-
mous fortune. His liberality to the poor, to widows and
orphans, and to all in distress, spread the fame of his
virtues and piety over the whole country. He married
twice ; and each time resolved to live a life of chastity,
and faithfully kept his resolution. After the death of
his second wife, he gave up his whole fortune to the
Nuns of St. Clare, and himself entered the Order of the
Friars Minor. He was incessantly tormented by the
assaults of evil spirits, who were, however, completely
overcome and conquered by him. After i life of holi-
ness, distinguished by many miracles, he fell asleep
peacefully in the Lord at the age of 100. Pope Pius
VII. numbered him amongst the Blessed.

26 (in Leap-year 27). Blessed Antoinette of

Florence,

widow, of the thibd order.

She was noted from her infancy for contempt of the
world and its pleasures, charity to the poor, and a fer-
vent love of prayer. On the death of her husband, her
sole thought was to carry into effect the pious desires
which her duiy to him had hitherto prevented, and she
took the habit of the Third Order in the Convent of St.
Elizabeth. Her rapid growth in holiness caused her to
be appointed to govern successively the convents of
Foligno and Aquila, where, under the direction of St.
John of Capistran, she founded a convent of the Second
Order. She fell asleep in the Lord on the 28th of Feb-
ruary 1472, in the seventy-first year of her age. The
worship that has been paid her from time immemorial
was sanctioned by Pope Rus DC. in 1847.

FEBRUARY. 181

27 (in Leap-year 28). Blessed Jane of Valois,

WIDOW, OF the third ORDER.

She was of royal descent, and married Louis, duke
of Orleans, afterwards King Louis XII. of France. Sur-
rounded by the grandeur of a court, she retained the
most perfect simplicity, and she bore the severest trials
with wonderful patience and resignation. Obliged to
separate from her husband, by a decree of the Court of
Rome which declared their marriage null and void, she
returned thanks to God, and retired to Bourges, where
she lived a holy life in the Convent of the Annuncia-
tion, which was founded by her. As she was of the
Tliird Order, she wished the convent to be under the
direction of the Friars Minor. Pope Alexander VI., of
whom she solicited the favour, granted it, and at the
same time approved her Rule. Her life was one un-
broken succession of good works and of self-denial. She
was only forty when God called her to Himself, to crown
her virtues in heaven, in 1605. Benedict XIV. so-
lemnly sanctioned, in 1742, the worship that had been
offered her from time immemorial.

28 (in Leap-year 29). Blessed Thomas of Cori,

CONFESSOR, OF THE FIRST ORDER.

He was bom in the diocese of VeUetri, and at an
early age gave presage of the high sanctity which he
was afterwards to attain. From his infancy he mani-
fested so great a purity of heart that he was known by
his feUow-citizens as "the holy and innocent youth."
After the death of his parents, he set his worldly affairs
in order and joined the Friars Minor Observantins,
amongst whom he made his profession. Som^ -^^^ws^
afterwards he was raised to \iift T^i\«eJ5kwi^. "Sa '^ossa.

182 MABCH.

retired, with the permission of his Superioxs, to the
Convent of Civitella, near Suhiaco, which had just been
turned into a convent of Becollets. He gave himself
np with great ardour to the practice of contemplation
and penance. Unwearied in the midst of the most
arduous works, he suhdued his body by the nse of the
hair-shirt and frequent disciplines, and by an ahnost
perpetual fast. IKs extreme love of poverty induced
bim to strip himself of everything, and he incessantly
complained that he was not allowed really to suffer
want. He worked great miracles, recalled the most
hardened sinners to God, and gave much edification to
his brethren by the holiness of his Bfe. At length, ex-
hausted by watchings, fastings, and labours, he died in
his Convent of Civitella, at the age of seventy-four, on
the 16th of January 1729, and was solemnly beatified
by Pope Pius VI.

MARCH.

1. Blessed ^Iathia Nazarei db Matelica,

virgin, of the second order.

Bom of noble and pious parents, she passed her
childhood in the practice of devotion, with the firm re
solution of having no other Spouse than Jesus Christ.
Having therefore refased one of the richest alliances in
the country, she fled secretly fi:om the house of her
father, and took refuge in the Monastery of St. Mary
Magdalen, in which the Bule of St. Clare was followed.
After her novitiate, she made her solemn profession,
and almost immediately, in spite of her opposition, her
companions elected her abbess of the convent, with the
approbation of the Bishop of Camerino. She was re-
markable for her prudence^ her sweetness, and the ten-

MARCH. 183

der charity with which she reproved her Sisters. She.
kept constantly befare her eyes the Passion of our Lord*
and. shed abundant tears» which were frequently fol-
lowed by deep ecstasies. Her humility made her seek
constantly to fulfil the lowest offices of the monastery.
At lengtli, feeling her end approaching, she entreated
her Sisters to persevere in charity, obedience, poverty,
and in the most perfect unity ; then her soul took its
flight to heaven, where the crown of glory and immor-
taUty awaited her. Clement XTIT. solemnly approved
the devotion which was paid her.

2. Bjlessed Ecstochu,

VIBGIN, OF THE SfiCOIU) OJftDBB,

Was bom at Messina, of the illustrious Boman fSaanily^
of Colonna. Gifted with rare beauty, and remarkablo:
from her earliest youth for great virtue, aevexal princes
sought her band in marriage ; but she refused tibem all,
and retired to the monastery of the Basilians at MeS";
sina. Ardently desirous of dievoting herself to her
Heavenly Spouse in the rigour of penance, she passed
soon afterwards into a new monastery of l^e Poor Clares,
with the permission of Pope Callixtus III. In the midst
of many trials and vexations occasioned by her fbrmer
compalns, she made rapid progress in alL the virtoes
of tlie cloister. She was soon after elected Abbess of
the new monastery, but in that position was more
humble than ever, wishing only to be the servant of all
her Sisters. She had a tender devotion to the Blessed
Virgin, and frequently recited the Angelic Salutation.
She had attained her fifty-fourth year (being daily
enriched with fresh merit), when she died on the ^Otk
December 1500, and numerous ixux^jc\<b^ ^«a ^^svs^^gj5is»>

184 MARCH,

at her tomb. She was beatified by Pope Pius VI., who
approved of the Office and Mass composed for her fes-
tival, for the celebration of which he gave permission to
the Order of Friars Minor and the clergy of Messina.

3. Blessed Kizzebius de la. Mijccia,

confessob, of the first ordeb.

Bom in the diocese of Camerino, he studied at Bo-
logna. He and a fellow-student, Blessed Pelerino of
Falerona, were present at a sermon preached by our
Seraphic Father, and immediately presented themselves
to him, and received from him the holy habit of the
Friars Minor. Rizzerius made rapid progress in virtue
under the conduct of that excellent guide. He de-
voted himself to preaching, and was made Provincial
of the Marches of Ancona : he lived always in the most
pious intimacy with his holy Founder. God permitted
him, for his greater perfection, to be assailed by the
most fearful temptations; but he overcame them by
prayer, fasting, and all kinds of austerities. He prayed
almost unceasingly. He was present at the death of
St. Francis, and continued in the practice of all virtues
until, loaded with merits and graces, he yielded up his
soul to God in 1236. His memory was held in venera-
tion throughout the land ; and Pope Gregory XVI. con-
firmed a decree of the Council of Bites, which sanctioned
the devotion.

6. St. John-Joseph of the Cross,
confessor, of the first order.

He was bom in the kingdom of Naples, of an ancient
family distinguished for its hereditary virtues. From
his infancy he abstained &om the natural aism.^^TCifiiiti&

MARCH. 185

of his age, and laboured zealously to acquire the most
solid virtues. He drew, from meditation on the suffer-
ings of our Lord and on the mystery of tlie Holy Eu-
charist, a deep and sincere contempt of himself and love
of self-denial.

He enrolled himself amongst the Friars Minor under
the reformed rule of St. Peter of Alcantara. He was
soon noticed by his superiors, and employed by them
sometimes to found new convents, sometimes to restore
rehgious discipline in those where laxity had been in-
troduced. Contrary to his own inclination, he was ap-
pointed Minister Provincial of the province of Naples,
and followed zealously the footsteps of St. Peter of
Alcantara in the paths of contemplation and penance.
He received from God the gift of prophecy, had frequent
ecstasies, and, after a life wholly consecrated to the
glory of God and the salvation of souls, he died at the
age of forty-eight, of an attack of apoplexy, on the 5th
of March 1734. Pius VI. placed him in the rank of the
Beatified ; and he was solemnly canonised by Gregory
XVI. on Trinity Sunday 1839.

0. St. Colette^

virgin, of the second order.

She was bom at Corbie, in the diocese of Amiens,
and from her earliest childhood devoted herself to works
of charity. Assiduous in prayer, she sought out solitary
I)laces, and afflicted her weak body by long fasts, hair-
sliirts, and iron chains. After the death of her parents
she divided her property amongst the poor, took the
habit of the Third Order, and shut herself up in a
narrow cell, where she redoubled her prayers and her
austerities. I*or some time she resisted a. cocjccMNa.^ 'c^
God to undertake the reiorxa oi \)fcA ^iocN^-o^ ^V^^

186 M^VRCH.

Clare, fearing that what seemed to her a divine revela-
tion might be an illusion. But at length convinced by
evidence she could not mistake, and strengthened by
Hie approbation of the Sovereign Pontiff, she applied
herself to the work, reformed a considerable number
of ancient convents and founded several new ones. In
tlie midst of her long and painful journeys she never
relaxed the austere life which she had embraced. She
died on the 6th of March 1447, at Ghent, in the convent
she had founded there. Her body was some tinie later
carried to Pohgny, where it remains to iMs day, held
in high veneration by the people. She was raised to
tlie rank of Saint by Pius VII. on the 24th of May
1807, after the process of her canonisation, when many
astounding miracles and prodigies were brought to
light.

J). St. Fbaxces,

WIDOW, OF THE THIRD ORDER.

From her earliest childhood she gave the brightest
example of every virtue. Disdaining the pleasures and
vanities of the world, she took deUght only in solitude
iind prayer. At the age of eleven she formed the project
of consecrating her virginity to God and entering a con-
vent ; but yielding to the wishes of her parents, she
consented to marry Laurent de Pontes, a young man
whose nobility of character equalled his large fortune.
Before her marriage she drew up for herself a most
severe rule of life, to which she rigidly adhered. En-
rolled for some length of time in the Third Order,
she never frequented theati-es or any other amuse-
ments, and sought most zealously to withdraw the Ro-
man ladies from the temptations of thS world. She
founded a house of Oblates, in Rome, under the rule of

"*.

^lARCH. 1.87

St. Benedict, of the Congregatioii of Mount: Olivet. Sho
bore the exile of her husband with courageous resigna-
tion; and after his death she presented herself bare-
footed and with a cord round her neck at the gate of the
Oblates, and besought of them the favour of being ad-
mitted amongst them. Her humility, her spirit of
prayer, her love of poverty, and the tender charity with
which she sought to reheve the unfortunate, shed a
glory around her and on the house of which she had
a right to be considered the foundress. God rewarded
her with many graces and with the gift of miracles.
She enjoyed frequent ecstasies, and lived in intimate
union with her guardian angel. She became as cele-
brated for her virtues as for her miracles, and departed
this life in the fifty-sixth year of her age. Pope Paul
V. placed her amongst the number of the Saints.

11. St. Catherine of Bologna,

VIRGIN, OF THE SECOND ORDER.

She was the child of John of Ferrara and Bona-
vontura of Bologna. Favoured from her birth with
heavenly graces, her mother took her at the age of
twenty to the monastery of St. Clare of Ferrara. There
she took the habit, and being professed, edified her
companions by the brilliancy of her virtues. She was
«o profoundly humble, and she had so great a love of
poverty, that she sought with holy avidity for the most
worn-out clothes and the most abject employments.
She had a tender compassion for sinners, and did not
cease to pray for them. The secrets of hearts were made
manifest to her. God showed her the soul of the Bishop
of Ferrara rising towards heaven like a briUiant eAssx .
Three times she fell into an ^caVaa^, ^aScV'^'as^*^^

188 MARCH.

celestial choirs of angels daring the Holy Saorifioe of
the Mass. She had the consolation of bringing back
her brother to God, Who gave her the assurance of his
salvation. Touched by all that they heard related of
the sanctity of Catherine, the inhabitants of Bologna
built a convent for the Poor Clares, and Catherine came
from Ferrara with fifteen of her companions to take up
her abode in it. She was the first abbess, and governed
the community for twenty-eight years. Feeling her end
approacliing, she called the Sisters round her, and ex-
horting them to persevere in the strictest observance of
their Rule, she breathed her last. Clement XI. placed
her in the calendar of the Saints, with all the solenmil^
which the Church employs in the canonisation of the
servants of God.

13. Blessed Roger of Todi,

confessor, of the first order.

Full of admiration for our blessed Father St. Francis,
he received the holy habit of the Order from the hands
of that glorious patriarch, and studied under him those
virtues so distinctive of the true Friar Minor — ^humi-
lity, self-renunciation, and the spirit of poverty. TTi<^
charity was remarked by our blessed Father, who sent
him to Spain, where he contributed greatly to the ad-
vancement of the Order, while conforming himself exactly
to the instructions given him by St. Francis on his de-
parture. God favoured him with the gift of prophecy,
and numerous miracles were wrought by him after his
death, which took place in 1236.

14. Translation of St. Bonaventura.
This seraphic doctor died at Lyons in 1274. Five

MAECH. 189

hundred and sixty years later his precious remains
were removed to the new church which the piety of the
faithful had erected in his honour. His head was found
in a perfect state of preservation ; the Lord, who is
honoured in His Saints, testifying hy this miracle to
the holiness of His faithful servant.

16. Blessed Peter of Sienna,

CONFESSOR, of THE THIRD ORDER.

A simple and truly humhle man, he worked for his
own living. He joined the Third Order ; and full of
the spirit of its blessed Founder he devoted himself to
the practice of good works and to. penance. Living
secluded from the world, he took delight in prayer and
fjEisting. At length, endowed with all virtues, and
strengthened by the last Sacraments, which he received
with the most lively faith and the deepest humility, he
expired on the 4th of December 1289.

The Sovereign Pontiff Pius 11. rendered public hom-
age to his sanctity in a discourse which he pronounced
in the basilica of Sienna; and Pius VU., in 1802,
authorised the devotions paid to him, with the Office
and Mass composed in his honour.

18. Blessed Saxvator d'Horta,

confessor, of the first order.

He took the holy habit of the First Order at the
age of twenty. His life flowed on, as his youth had
done, in the most perfect innocence. Austere and
mortified in his habits, and constant in prayer, he held
ineffable and ecstatic commmooDL m^ qtqx^jksi^. ^o^

190 MARCH.

M'itli His Blessed Mother. He never held other offioeB
than those of cook, gardener, collector, and porter;
hut in them all he gave the greatest edification to his
Brothers, and also to all with whom he was faron^
in contact in the world. He fell asleep in the peace d
God in 1577, and Pope Clement XI. placed him amongst
the numher of the Beatified.

•20. Blessed John of Pabma,

confessob, of the iibst order.

John was very yonng when he entered the Order of
the Friars Minor. Endowed with nnusnal talents, he
taught theology at Bologna, Naples, and Home, where
he was as much noted for his virtues as for hie learn-
ing. Elected General of his Order, he travelled on foot
through the different provinces, in order to visit the
convents and to confirm them in their Hule. The King
of France, and many of the Popes, had Hie greatest
confidence in him : one of them intrusted to him an
important mission in the East, where he was looked
upon as an angel of peace sent from heaven. He was
present at the Council of Lyons, where he was much
esteemed on account of his sanctity and learning. As
he was preparing to set out for Greece, he was taken
ill, and died at Camerino. Pius VI. beatified him, and
approved the Office for his festival.

22. St. Benvekuto Bisnop of Osino,

CONFESSOR, of THE FIRST ORDER.

He enlisted in the valiant army of the Friars Minor^
and edified his brethren by the most strict observmioe

3LVRCIT. 191

of the Kules, until Urban IV. appointed him, in spite
of all ' his opposition, to the bishopric of Osino. He
continued to wear the habit of his Order, and, as a
Bishop, was unchanged fiom what he had been in
the cloister. Finding that his last hour was approach-
ing, he had himself carried into his church, and desired
to be laid on the bare ground. Strengthened by the
Sacraments of the Church, he breathed his last in 1270,
in the midst of the prayers and chants of the clergj-
and people.

524. St. Bentivoglio of Bonis,

CONrESSOR, of TKE first OltDEB.

Bom towards the close of the twelfth century, this^
Saint passed his early life in the practice of piety. Af-
fected by all that he heard of the sanctity of our blessed
Father, he sought and obtained from him the habit of
the Friars Minor, and took the vows in a rapture of ec-
static joy. Thi'oughout liis life he was a perfect model of
humility, patience, simplicity, obedience, mortification^
and charity. He had a special gift for speaking of the
things of God. No one could hear him without glowing
with the holy ardour of divine love. We shall say no-
thing of his austerities, for they surpassed all that can be
imagined ; therefore God loaded him richly witli graces.
On Christmas-day he yielded his soul into the hands of
liis Creator, and entered on the possession of the eternal
riches prepared for him. Pope Pius IX. has sanctioned
the devotion paid him from time immemorial.

27. Blessed Pelerino of Falerona,

confessor, of the first order.

Pelerino studied theology and civil law, and took his.
degree as doctor. He was the ixi^u^ ^i"fi\'Ks?5.^^Kxiafc-

192 MARCH.

rins, and went with him to St. Francis, to beg the
favour of being admitted into his Order. His request
was granted, but only on condition that he should be ft
lay-brother.

Pelerino joyfully accepted this condition. He made
rapid progress in the spirit of humility, poverty, and
mortification. He asked and obtained permission to
visit the holy places; his heart burned with love, and
he longed to lay down his life for the love of Him who
died for all men. Returning to Italy, Pel6rino i>assed
his life in seclusion ; and full of merit before God, he
fell asleep peacefully in the Convent of St. Severino.

His mortal remains were placed by St. Bonaventnxa
under the high altar, where he has rested more than
000 years. Yielding to the entreaties of the Archbishop
of Fermo, the Bishop of St. Severino, the Oonventaal
Friars Minor, and the whole of the clergy, Pius ViL
beatified him on the 28th of July 1821.

28« Blessed Mabk of Monte Gallo,
confessor, of the first order.

This servant of God was a doctor. His parents
had forced him to marry ; but in concert with his wife,
who entered a convent of St. Clare, he distributed all
his goods amongst the poor, and then took the habit of
the First Order. Not long after, his prudence and charity
being acknowledged and admired by all, he was made
warden of the monastery. At all times humble and
mortified, he considered himself as far below all his
Brethren ; and yet he was most energetic in enforcing
regular observance of discipline.

Whilst preaching at Vicenza, he was seized with a
spasm of the heart, and died full of years and merit, as

MARCH. 193

he had foretold, on the 19th of March 1497. Gregory
XVI. allowed the Friars Minor to celebrate his festival
\vith a special Office.

29. Blkssed Paulina of Gambara-Costa,

widow, of the third order.

She was bom at Brescia during the fifteenth century.
She neitlier allowed herself to be dazzled by the false
glitter of riches, nor by the pleasures and honours of
the world ; but being resolved to persevere in the love
and service of God, she embraced the Rule of the Thii-d
Order. Obliged against her will to marry, she suffered
much through her husband and his family; but she
never failed in the spirit of meekness and gentleness
wliich she learned from constant meditation on the life
of our Lord. She departed tliis life in 1505. Gregoiy
XVI. approved the devotion to her and her Office by a
decree of the Sacred Congregation of Rites.

30. Blessed A:kiEDEUs IX. Duke of Savoy,

CONFESSOR, OF THE THIRD ORDER.

Amedeus gave brilliant tokens of sanctity from his
earliest years; for, trained to piety by his parents,
Louis of Savoy and Anne, daughter of the King of Cy-
prus, he gave himself up ^dth incredible ardour to the
service of God. After the death of his father, he ban-
ished from his court aU whose morals were at all doubt-
ful ; he considered himself the steward of the poor, and
was most liberal in his alms, waiting on them and at-
tending to their wants himself. He went to visit tiie
tombs of the AposUes with the greatest devotion, in
the garb of a poor pilgrim. AccoT3a5«ja<^\$^\si&^^T&^,

194 APRHu

the virtuous Yolande, eldest daughter bf the King of
Franoe, he went on foot to Chambeiy, to Yenerate the
Sudarium there, which bears the impress of our XiOid's
Passion. He wished to join tiie expedition sent against
the Turks by Pope Pius 11. ; but shortly after, feeling
his end approaching, he ordered his tomb to be pre-
pared, and died at Verceil, on the 30th of March 1472,
enriched with virtues and merits. Innocent XI. al-
lowed his Office to be said throughout the whole duchy
of Savoy.

APKIL.
3. St. Benedict of Philadelphia,

CONFESSOR, of THE FIRST ORDER.

Benedict was bom in the diocese of Messina, of
Moorish parents. From his earliest youth he feared
God and kept His Commandments. When death car-
ried off his parents, he sold all his possessions, and
aspiring to a higher degree of sanctity, he embraced a
hermit's life. After a time, however, he entered a con-
vent of Friars Minor, in the capacity of lay- brother.
His love of God was so fervent that he was unable to
restrain his sighs and tears, and he was often favoured
with the most abundant heavenly consolations. It hap-
pened that the convent was at that time undergoing a
reform, and he was appointed president. In the exer-
cise of his duties he displayed a zeal, prudence, and
charity which excited universal admiration. At the age
of sixty-five he was attacked by a mortal sickness^
received the last Sacraments, and expired on the
4th of April 1589. His memory has always been
held in the greatest veneration all over the worhL

APEIL. 195

Pius Vn. inscnbed his name in the chronicle of Saints
in 1807.

6. Blessed Jane of Signa.
vibgin, of the thibd obder.
Bom at Signa, near Florence, of very poor parents,
in her early youth she was a shepherdess. She de-
lighted in this humble employment, as affording her
greater facilities for prayer. Having taken the habit
of the Third Order, she retired to a narrow cell, where
she lived as a recluse for nearly forty years, in the
closest union with God. Henowned for prodigies and
miracles, she died on the 9th of November 1307, at
the age of sixty-three. Pius VI. sanctioned the public
worship that the pe(^le had paid her for five centuries.

8. Blessed Julian of St. Augustin,
confessor, of the first order.
He was born in Spain. His father was a native of
Toulouse in France. His youth gave indications of
his future holiness. At the age of seventeen he en-
tered the Convent of Sta. Maria of Salceda, of ihe
Friars Minor Observantins. He went through the
novitiate there; but it pleased God to try liirn by
sufifering him to be expelled. This trial did not
shake him from his resolution. On the contrary, he
retired to a neighbouring mountain, where he built
himself a little cell with the branches of trees. He
passed whole days and nights in prayer, and went
every day to the gate of the convent, to take part in
the distribution made to the poor. Touched «.! ^<i:^
much virtue, the friars took him WcY \xi\a ^'^v ^^-

w.-T 'i-rni*

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w«iTH hi.^ Af:\iy\il. Hia Snperi^rs intrnsted him with
t.h^ f'htkT^jh of prea/ihing and tiBaching the Word of God.
If ft w<w thft fonrth Vicar-General of the Obserrandns.
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ft^Aijri.Ht t}ift 7'nrk.H, who were ravaging the coasts of
ffcftjy; an^l Trinf>c/;nt VIII. appointed him Xnncio and
\]ff9'AUt\\f, i^'oTnmi.HHarv to extirpate the heresy of the
Vmii/Ioi^, which was beginning to spread into the states
of th/; \\m\\mi p'minHiila.

Hirikiripr f><;rjf;ftih the weight of years and of labonrs,
h'j /Iriftlly (\'m\ at Coni in 1495. Pope Benedict Xm.
Mfi/!tion«!f1 cnnonically the devotion which was paid to

APRIL. 197

15. Blessed Lucius, ob Luchesius,
confessob, of the thibd obdeb.
Lucius was the first who ever received the habit
of the Third Order from the hands of our Seraphic Fa-
ther : faithful in corresponding with every inspiration of
grace, he reaped an abundant harvest of good works,
and departed to heaven on the 28th of April 1242,
there to receive the reward of his labours.

10. Blessed Peteb of Tbel\,
confessob, of the fibst obdeb.
While still young, he adopted the Rule of the Friars
Minor. After some time passed in the cloister, during
which he laid up an abundant store of virtue, this glo-
rious servant of God devoted himself to missionary work,
and recalled innumerable souls to the paths of holiness
who had fallen victims to their own passions. Mortified
in his habits, treating his body like a revolted slave,
and filled with contempt for himself, he was favoured
^vith frequent ecstasies, and held intimate communion
with the Archangel St. Michael. After a life of Edngular
purity and holiness, he committed his soul to God, who
was pleased to testify to the holiness of His servant by
the miracles which were worked at his tomb. On the
11th of September 1793, Pope Pius VI., after careful
canonical investigation, sanctioned his Office.

18. Blessed Fbancis of Fabbiano,

oonfessob, of the fibst obdeb.

He became a fervent imitator of St. Francis of
Assisi, whose Bule he had adopted. Like that Seraphic
Father, he desired only to be the \iexQb\<i c>i\^^ \gL<^*^^S^^s^>

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198 APRIL.

He was an indcfifttigaUo missionary, and a model of all
tlio virtues of the cloister. His mortification was ez-
coBsivo ; his humility put the most fervent to slimme,
and his patience enabled him to bear every trial wifli
unalterable gentleness. Ho fell asleep in peace in fte
Lord, about the year 1322. The Conventual
Minor celebrate his festlMil on this day.

iJO. Bl.KHSKI) Cox HAD OF A8C0I.I,
rONniHHOU, OF TIIK FIRST ORDEll.

Conrad was bom in the Marches of Ancona.
Amongst his companions, when a boy, was one before
whom he iisod to prostrate himself whenever he met
him. This boy entered, as he himself did, a oonvent
of Friars Minor, and eyentnally >vas made Pope, and
took tlio name of Nicholas IV. Conrad was sent to
Africa by his Supmorn, and converted a great nam-
l)er of infidels, lie went to Paris on his return, and
tliere giivo locturos in theology. His foreign trsTeb
never intomiptod cither liia prayers or his aiisterities.
Ho lirtd a spt'cial devotion to the souls in lMrgatofy»
and offered pmyorH an<l fasts incessantly for them.
Pope Nicholas IV., who had just boon elected, recalled
him to l{ome, intending to make him Cardinal; but he
fell ill at Ascoli, asked for and received the last Sacra-
nu^nls, and died on the IHtli of April 1280. Pius VI.
allowed an Oflico to bo composed for him.

21. Ih.EHHEl) AnDRKW HinKHNON,
CONFKSROR, OF THE FIRST OUDF.R.

AccuKtomed fnnn c\uV\\\oo«l to tUo roughest work,
Jiothh^g seemed diff\cv\\t lo \\m va. >\\<i t<?C\^qsm^ >5Sa.

APBHu 1S9

He was most fervent in prayer, and yet he worked
with untiring ardour. He slept but little, and gaire
tlie rest of the night to contemplation. He never had
any other book than the Cross ; and from that alone
he drew the sublime science of the Saints. Though no-
thing more than a simple Mar, he had the happiness
•of converting a great number of Moors to the Chnstiain
£Bith. This Saint had a great devotion to the Blessed
Virgin. He breathed his last in 1602, wbHst recitiikg
the Hosary.

23. Blessed Giles of Assisi,

CONFESSOR, of THE FIRST ORDER.

Giles, hearing that St. Francis had renounced all
the good things of this world, and that he had already
been joined by two of his fellow-townsmen, was inspired
with the same spirit, and went to him, entreating to
be admitted into the number of his disciples. Our holy
Father received him, gave him the habit, and Giles was
soon noted for his fervour. Desiring to shed his blood
for the faitli, he set sail for Africa, and landed at Tunis.
The inhabitants, however, refused to receive him, and
drove him from the place, so that he was obliged to return
to Italy. The rumour of his sanctity was spread far and
near, and he was visited by many persons of distinc-
tion ; amongst others, by St. Louis, king of France.

Always humble and simple, he rose to the greatest
heights of perfection ; and died in 1262. Pius VI. sanc-
tioned the honours that have always been paid him.

24. St. Fidelius of Sigmaringen.

This faithful servant of God made rapid progress
in sanctity while studying theolo^ ^\» ^x^-vss^.- ^^Sia

200 APRIL.

spent mauy years in travelling over the principal
countries of Europe ; and on his return to Germanj
gained for liimself a high reputation as barrister. At
the age of thirty-four he entered the noritiate of the
Capuchin Friars Elinor ; but he brought with him the
freshness and simpUcity of early youth. He was noted
for his great fervour and austerity. Giving up his
natural inclination for study and contemplation, he
devoted himself to the work of preaching with ever-
increasing success, and had the happiness of restoring
a great many heretics to the bosom of the Church.
The College of the Propaganda sent him to the Canton
of Grisons, where he effected so many conversions that
it was hoped the whole population might return to the
faith of theii' ancestors. The leader of the schismatics,
furious at the influence which the Saint had gained over
the people, whom they had hitherto been keeping in dark-
ness, pretended to wish to be converted, and arranged
a meeting at a neighbouring village. The Saint, know-
ing their design of putting him to death, and having
often foretold his own end by martyrdom, went to the
church appointed. Scarcely had he begun his address
when the madmen fell upon him furiously, and mur-
dered him. He died like a true soldier of Jesus Christ,
crying aloud, " Lord Jesus, have mercy on me !" TTift
death took place on the 24th of April 1622.

He was canonised with all solemnity by Benedict
XrV. The sacred College of the Propaganda has chosen
liim for its patron, and considers him its protomartyr.

27. Blessed James of Bitecto,

CONFESSOR, of THE FIRST ORDER.

His life passed almost \um.o\ice^ in ^^ \i:»3s\^\sk

MAY, 201

offices which he exercised in the Franciscan Order,
of which he had, at a verj' early age, taken the habit.
God gave him the gift of tears ; he wept incessantl}' for
his sins, and was overwhehned with grief at the mere
recollection of the sufiferings of our Lord and Saviour
Jesus Christ. He was held in the highest veneration
botli before and after liis death, wliich occurred in
U83.

MAY.

11. Blessed Benvenuto of Reganati,
confessor, of the fikst order.

Brought up in the fear and love of God, Blessed
Benvenuto gave himself up entirely to His service from
tlie very beginning of his life. In order to conceal from
the eyes of the world tlie rich ti*easures of virtue he
possessed in his soul, he retired to a convent of Friars
Minor. An exact observer of the holy Bule, he offered
up his body as a living sacrifice to the glory and love of
his sweet Saviour. He was favoured with long and
frequent ecstasies, and God sometimes made known to
him in a sensible manner how well-pleased He was to
see him thus lost in tlie contemplation of His divine
and eternal love.

On one occasion he was given charge of the convent
kitchen, and fell into a trance which lasted several
hours. Beturning to consciousness, he reproached him-
self for the unspeakable delight in which he had been
wrapped, to the neglect of his brethren. He hastened
to the kitchen, and found there an angel, who under the
form of a young man had prepared the dinner of the
religious. His gratitude knew no bounds, and his heart
glowed like a furnace with intense \qn^. ISa ^«^'m\.^^

202 MAT.

this life on the 0th of Maj 1232. Pope Pins VL gne
permission for an Office and Mass to be said in las

honour.

13. St. Peteb Reoalat^,

confessor, of the first obdeb.

This great Saint felt from his infancy an irresistLble
attraction towards devotion and austerity. He loved to
retire to solitary places and into lonely caves, where he
gave free vent to the huming ardour with which his
spirit glowed. Desirous of advancing more and more
in the paths of perfection, he took the habit of St. Fran-
cis in a convent of the First Order. He kept perpetual
silence, wore a habit covered with patches, slept on straw
or on the bare ground, and observed as many as nine
Lents every year. God gave him the gift of tears, and
ihe shed them abundantly when offering the Most Holy
Sacrifice. He was one of the most vigorous promoters
of the reform that was being made in the convents of
Spain and India. He died on the 31st of March 1466,
pronouncing these words, "Lord, into Thy hands I
commend my spirit." Benedict XTV. solemnly canonised
him.

14. Blessed Gerard of Villamagxa,

confessor, of the third order.

This servant of God was bom near Florence, to-
wards the end of the twelfth century, and he employed
himself in agriculture from the time he had strength to
labour. He entered the service of the owners of the
land on which his parents worked, and when one of

MAT. 203

them joined the Crasaders he went with him to Syria,
was taken prisoner with him, and ransomed, after suf-
fering mnch daring his captivity. He risited the h(dy
places, and felt himself powerfully drawn to the practice
of ];;ignance; on his return to Etroria he gave himself up
fervently to it. He set out a second time for Jerusa-
lem, where he received the cross of the knights. After
passing several years there, he returned to Italy, took
the hahit of the Third Order, and devoted himself to
prayer and works of mercy. Full of years and virtue,
he yielded his soul to God in 1277. Miracles have not
ceased to be worked at his tomb for the last six cen-
turies. His Holiness Gregory XVl. placed him in the
ranks of the Beatified in 1833.

17. St. Pascal Baylon,

confessor, of the first order.

Pascal was bom in the kingdom of Arragon, and
passed his youth in keeping sheep. His many virtues
could not remain hidden ; people came to him from aU
parts; everyone sought his help, either as umpire in
their disputes, or as counsellor in temporal or spiritual
affairs. Wishing to escape from their soUcitations,
which hindered him from being as much absorbed in
prayer as he desired, he joined the Friars Minor of the
strictest observance, and became an example to all
tlie Brothers of humility, gentleness, poverty, and pen-
ance. God bestowed on him the gift of miracles. He
suffered much in defence of the doctrine of the Ileal
Presence against heretics. Towards the end of his life
ho seemed to be dying of the love of God ; and our Lord
enriched his soul with a profound knowledge of the most
impenetrable mysteries of tJbe ioiVk. KX. Vjk^-^^^S^s^

204 BLVY.

isith merit, he expired on the 17th of May 1592. Pope
Pius v. gave him the title of Blessed, and Alexander
YUI. placed his name on the calendar of Saints.

18. St. Felix of Cantalicius,

confessor, of the first order.

Felix was bom at Sabina, of poor but pious parents,
and was employed from his childhood in keeping sheep.
Filled, even tlien, with a love of prayer and mortifica-
tion, he used to lead his flocks into the most lonely
places, in order not to be interrupted in his prolonged
devotions. Heading the lives of the Saints determined
In'm to embrace a rehgious life. He entered the novi-
tiate of the Friai*s Minor Capuchins, and was remark-
able for great austerity of life and deep humility.
Full of gentleness and charity, he invariably answered
with mildness anything unkind that might be said to
him. He was closely united in fiiendslup and inti-
macy with St. Charles Borromeo and St. Philip Neri.
God gave him the gift of miracles : he restored the dead
to life, healed the tick, and received from the Blessed
Virgin the divine Infant, WTiom he held in his arms.
He lived to a very great age, and died on the second
festival of Pentecost in 1587. Urban VIII. placed him
amongst the Beatified, and Pope Clement XI. solemnly
canonised him.

20. St. Bernardix of Sienna,

CONFESSOR, of THE FIRST ORDER.

He was a prodigy of piety and innocence from his
infancy. Disdaining the amusements of his age, he
applied himself diligently to prayer, fasting, and good

MAY. 205

works, and had a special devotion to the Blessed Vir-
gin. Full of love for the poor, he devoted himself to
the care of the sick in the hospital at Sienna. The
horrors of the plague, which devastated those regions,
did not ahate his zeal, and he continued his painful
labours for several years. At length a long and severe
illness determined him to enter a religious order, and
he chose that of the Friars Minor : here he progressed
rapidly in knowledge and virtue ; he was raised to the
priesthood, and became a most zealous missionary. It
pleased God miraculously to strengthen his voice, which
had until then been weak and shrill, and he went into
all parts of Italy, preaching everywhere the name of
Jesus, and working the most wonderful miracles. He
persisted steadily in refusing the bishopric offered him
by the Sovereign Pontift*. Worn out with fatigue, he
died in 1444, and was canonised six years after by Pope
Nicholas V.

23. Blessed Crispin of Viterbo,

confessor, of the first order.

Dedicated from his birth to the Blessed Virgin by
liis pious mother. Blessed Crispin never forsook the
path of virtue. After surmounting various obstacles,
he took the habit of the Third Order of St. Francis in a
Capuchin Convent, where he very soon became remark-
able for his strict observance of the Rule. For forty
years he was collector of alms to the convent, and in
his exterior and interior life never failed to show the
same perfect example of monastic virtue. Humble, mor-
tified, thoroughly detached, full of charity, and always
recollected, he was like an angel come down from heaven.
The mighty of this world and thA 1EL^<^ ^1^^ C^tscox^s^

206 MAY.

consulted liim ou all occasions of doubt or difficnltf ,
so clear and deep was the knowledge with which God
had enlightened him who before was nnleamed and
ignorant. God bestowed on him also the gift of mi*
racles, both during his life and after his death, which
took place on the 19th of May 1750. His remains are
preserved beneath the altar in the Chapel of St. Fran-
cis, in the Capuchin Church at Rome. Pope Pins TIL
placed him amongst the number of the Beatified.

25. Translation of oub Holy Fatheb St. F&akcis.

After the death of our Seraphic Father, his holy
remains had been placed in the Church of St. George.
But in fulfilment of the last prophetic wish of St.
Francis, Gregory IX., with the assistance of the whole
assembly of Christian kings and people, built such an
edifice as that age of faith alone was capable of raising
to the glory of the faithful servants of God, on a place
called " Mount Alvemus," which he named firom that
time " the Mount of Paradise." In 1230, Brother
Elias, Minister General of the Order, called a general
Chapter, and by command of the Sovereign Pontifif,
announced that the body of St Francis was to be taken,
at that time to the new church. The number of pil-
grims was so great, that they encamped in the open air
in the valley, and on the sides of the hill of AssisL
Gregory IX. being unable to assist in person at the
ceremony, sent tliree legates to represent him. The
solemnity began on the 25th of May, the eve of Pente-
cost. The sacred relics were raised from the ground
and carried to the " Mount of Paradise," to the solemn
sound of chants and psalms, and hymns composed
essly for the occasion by the Pope himself. Innu-

^^^JUSTi

MAY. 207

merable miracles were worked, whicli tended to make
the devotion to our Blessed Father St. Francis still
more popular.

28. St. Ferdinand III.,

CONFESSOR, OF THE THIRD ORDER.

Tliis holy King of Castille and Leon generously,
embraced the Rule of the Third Order. His life was
passed in constant wars with the Mahometans, over
whom he gained brilliant victories. He never relaxed
his prayers or austerities, but always wore a hair-shirt,
often spent whole nights in prayer; and devoted his
revenues to the founding of hospitals and convents.
He almost entirely freed Spain from the dominion of
the Moors.

Finding his end approaching, by liis own desire he
received the last Sacraments with a cord round his
neck, stretched on the bare ground ; and in this state
he breathed his last, on the 30th of May 1252.

20. Blessed Humiuana,

widow, of the third order.

She was bom in Florence, of the very ancient
family of Cerchi. On the death of her husband, she
persisted in refusing to think of a second marriage ;
but consecrated herself with all her heart and soul to
her divine Spouse. With the view of strengthening the
bonds of this celestial union, she adopted the Kule, and
took the habit of the Third Order of St. Francis. She
was the first Tertiary in Florence. Her life was spent
in the constant practice of virtue, prayer, and good
woriss. She visited the pooi auOi «^s^,^a:T^s^'^^ ^s^'^sa.

208 MAY.

them every care, and often worked miracles for their
benefit. Worn out with labour and fii^tiiig, she M
sick, and yielded her soul to God, on the 19th of May
124({, in tlie twenty-seventh year of her age. The devo-
tion to her was sanctioned by Pope Innocent XTT-

30. Blessed John of Puado,

MARTYB, of THE FIB8T OIlDEtl.

Jolm of Prado was bom in Spain, and completed
his studies at Salamanca; but solicitous only about
working out liis o\\7i salvation, he determined to join
the Friars Minor. His desires were granted, and he
took the habit in a convent of the strictest observance
in the province of St. Gabriel. He made rapid progress
in the way of perfection, and from being a fervent
novice he became a saintly reUgious. After a time
he was i*aised to the priestliood; and then, burning
witli zeal, he demanded and received permission to go
amongst the heathen. He went to Morocco, and there
visited and comforted the Christians who had been
made slaves, exhorting them to patience, and strength-
ening their faith, wliich had been greatly tried and
shaken by all kinds of ill-treatment; he also admi-
nistered to them the Sacraments of Penance and the
Holy Eucharist. The king when he heard of this flew
into a violent passion, and had Jolm seized and thrown
into a dark prison, chained hand and foot. Here he
Was given the hardest labour, and at the same time was
^^^lelly treated by his jailer, who struck him on the
^«ad and face vnih a stick. John meantime gave
^^ftiiks to God witliout ceasing. The king often sent
*^^ him ; and John always spoke to him of the holy
**^y8teries of religion. The impious tyrant, whose fury

MAY— JUNE. 209

knew no bounds, ordered John to be beaten with rods
till he seemed to have breathed his last ; he was then
pierced with arrows, and finally thrown into a burning
caldron. Thus did this glorious servant of God depart
from this world to receive in heaven the crown of the
immortality. Benedict XIII. placed him on the list of
holy Martyrs.

31. St. Angela of Merict,

virgin, of the third order.

Angela devoted herself, from her earliest youth, to
habits of penance and contemplation. After taking the
habit of the Third Order, she made a pilgrimage to the
Holy Land, and on her return went to Rome, to kiss the
feet of the Vicar of Jesus Christ. Clement VII. would
gladly have detained her in the great capital of the
Christian world; but God had other designs for her.
She went to Brescia, and there founded the Order of the
Ursulines. She had almost attained the age of seventy,
when, enriched witli merits and graces, her soul took its
flight to God, on the 27th of January 1540. Pope
Clement XIII. solemnly beatified her ; and Pius VII.
canonised her with all the pomp and ceremonial of the
Catholic Church, on the 24th of May 1807.

JUNE.
1. Blessed James of Strepa,

CONFESSOR, of THE FIRST ORDER.

This blessed servant of God was bom in Poland,
about the middle of the foxxrteenWx <icvx\»2r3> ^"^ ^s^.

210 JUNE.

ancient and noble family. Taming his back upon the
worldly prospects and Inxniies wMch the position of
bis fEimily oiSered bim, he cansecrated his life to God
in the Order of Friars Minor. After holding eveiy
office in turn, be was nominated by apostolic authority
Vicar-General of the Lemberg mission, and abardj
afterwards be was made Archbishop of Haliez. He
governed tliis diocese eighteen years, continning all
tlie time to wear the poor habit of bis Order. His zeal,
and care for all committed to bis charge were mi-
remitting, and he was the means of raising the standard
of religion considerably in those countries so often
troubled by war. At length, bowed down by the wei^
of years, and by incessant labours, he died in 1441 ; fuid
Kus VI. solemnly sanctioned the devotion to him.

2. Btj:ssed Baitista Varani,

virgin, of the second order.

Such ardent love to God was kindled in her heart
by a sermon she beard preached on the Passion of our
Ijord, that slie never ceased during the rest of her life
to meditate on that one subject. Feeling that she had
a vocation for the religious state, she entered the Con-
vent of St. Clare at Urbino. Here her fervour, patience,
chftrity, gentleness, and austerities were the admira-
tion of all ; and the report of her sanctity was spread
far and near. In obedience to her confessor, she wrote
a treatise on the interior sufferings of our Lord Jesus
Clirist, on whose life she meditated, reciting at the same
time the Rosary. This exercise lasted thi'ee hours every
day. After forty-six years passed in religion, she fell
peacefully asleep in the Lord, on the 31st of May 1627.
She was beatified by Gregory XVI.

JUNE. 211

3. Blessed Andrew of Sbello,

confessor, of the first order.

He was one of the seventy-two first disciples of our
Seraphic Father. He was a priest, and had held a
living before entering the Order. He sold all that he
had and gave it to the poor, and then received from St.
Francis the holy habit, attaining to great perfection in
the practice of poverty, chastity, and patience. During
the general Chapter of the Order held at Soria, in Spain,
at which he was present, the country was visited by a
terrible drought; he preached to the people so eloquently
that they all wept bitterly, and at the same time a re-
freshing rain fell abundantly in answer to his prayer,
and reclothed with verdure the parched earth. After a
time he retired to the Convent of the Prisons, at Assisi.
where he gave himself up wholly to contemplation.
It was here that our Lord Jesus Christ once appeared
to him, in the shape of a little child ; he heard the bell
ling for Vespers, and left his cell immediately to go to
the choir, and on his return, found the Holy Child wait-
ing for him, who said, '' Thou didst well in being obe-
dient : therefore shall My blessing be always with thee."
He departed this life on the 3d of April 1264. Clement
XTT. sanctioned the public devotion paid him from time
immemorial.

5. Blessed Pacificus of Geredano,

CONFESSOR, of THE FIRST ORDER.

Full of zeal for the salvation of souls, he devoted
himself to mission work ; and the most wonderful fruits
resulted from his labours in the towns and villages
where he preached. The gentleness, ^i«t^ , wi^ -^nsa^^sifiL
which he invariably evinced in tbA dax^c^'a. ^"^ ^w^^a^.

212 JUKE.

were the adimrati0ii of aU. Nmnbeis of young persons
whom his preaching had oonTcrted, coming to him for
guidance and spiiitnal direction, took the holy habit of
the Order of Friars Minor, as he had himwelf done;
and this was of great assistance to him hiter wiien he
had to found several conTonts. The Sovereign PontifT
commissioned him to preach a Crusade against the
Turks, and he was afterwards sent into Sardinia to re-
form the Franciscan convents there hy reviving in them
their primitive fervour. God summoned him to Himself
in 148-2.

12. Blessed Gut of Cobtoka,

CONFESSOB, OF THE FIBST OBDEB.

In his infancy, he received the blessing of our holy
Father, who took him up in his arms and said to those
who stood around, " By the grace of God this child will
hereafter be one of us, and will attain to great sanctity
in this place." Accordingly, Guy presented himself to
St. Francis, and begged to be received among the
number of his disciples, which fervour was granted him
on condition of his promising to give away all he pos-
sessed to the poor. From tiiat time, he gave himself
np to poverty and penance, kept seven Lents every
year, living on bread and water, and as a preacher and
confessor he was the instrument of saving a great many
souls. God was pleased also to bestow on him the gift
of miracles. He was in strong health, when one day
St. Francis appeared to him, and told him that in three
days he would come to take him to heaven. On the
thhrd day, Guy, fall oi fetith in the word of his holy
Father, took the last Sacraments. He then breathed
his last, and angels carried his soul to heaven. His
jgmitb ooonrred on the 12th oiM.a7 1%^^.

JUNE. 213

13. St. Anthony of Padua,

confessor, of the first order.

He was bom at Lisbon, in Portugal; whilst quite
young, lie adopted the Bule of the Canons Begular.
But tiie sight of the remains of five Friars Minor, who
had been martyred in. Morocco, kindled within him
such an ardent longing for the glory of martyrdom, that
he changed into the Order of Friars Minor. Prompted
by the same desire, he went amongst the Moors ; but
was attacked by illness, and obUged to return. His
ship was thrown on the coast of Sicily, on its way to
Spain; from whence Anthony directed his steps to
Assisi, where the general Chapter was then held.
After leaving Assisi he went to live in the Hermit-
age of Monte Paolo in Emilia, near Forli. There
he devoted himself for a long time to watching, fast-
ing, and contemplation. When he was raised to the
priesthood, and employed in preaching, he displayed
so much zeal and knowledge as to excite general
admiration, and he was named by the Sovereign
Pontiff " the Ark of the Testament." The innumer-
able conversions and the prodigies which he worked
seemed to bring back again the apostolic times. He
was the first of his Order who taught theology pub-
licly at Montpellier, Bologna, Padua, and Toulouse;
and the direction of his Brethren's studies was intrusted
to him. He died soon after at Padua, on the Idtii of
June 1231, aged thirty-six. Pope Gregory IX. canonised
him in 1232.

16. Blessed Yoland of Kalisz,
WIDOW, of the second order.
Yoland, the niece of St. 'E\izQ^^\k Ql^S^sa^'is^srj^

214 JUNE.

married Boleslas V., duke of Poland. She was not
dazzled by the false gUtter of worldly pomp, and pre-
served a humble Christian spirit in the midst of the
dissipations of a court. When her husband died, she-
retired to the Convent of St. Clare at Sandeck, in which
was her sister, the Blessed Cunegnnda. She always
loved and practised poverty, desiring that Jesus should
be her only possession and treasure. He called her to-
Himself, on the 11th of June 1298. Pope Leo XH.
sanctioned the Office and the Mass which are said on
her festival.

19. Blessed Michelina of Pesabo,

widow, ob the third ordeb.

She was bom at the beginning of the fourteenth
century. From her earliest infancy she showed the
strongest tendency to piety. After eight years of mar-
riage, she became a widow, and took the habit of the*
Third Order. She had a special attraction for penance,
and devoted herself to the relief of the spiritual and
temporal wants of her neighbour. She visited the holy
places consecrated by Ihe blood of Jesus Christ; and
on her return, passed from earth to heaven, on the 19th
of June 1356. In 1757, the Holy See sanctioned the
honours that were paid her.

27. Blessed Benvenuto of Gubbio,

CONFESSOB, of THE FIBST OBDEB.

A noble knight accosted St. Francis at Gubbio, and

said to him, "Father, I am determined to leave the

secular army: will you let me enAiat m ^oura?" Our

JULY. 215

Seraphic Father, seeing into the secret thoughts of his
heart, received him with joy, gave him the name of
" Benvenuto," and soon after clothed him in the holy
hahit, and committed to him the care of the Lepers.
This pious Brother acquitted himself with the greatest
zeal and fervour of the duty assigned to him, and made
rapid progress in the exercise of every virtue. He loved
to pass many hours of adoration hefore the Blessed
Sacrament; and after each visit to It he seemed to
glow with a purer and more fervent charity. His
death, precious in God's sight, occurred in the year 123*2.

JULY.

5. Blessed Archangel of Calatafimi,

confessob, of the first order.

Resolved to save his soul at any sacrifice. Archangel
fled from the world, and took up his ahode in a solitary
place, where he lived several years in the constant
exercise of prayer and contemplation. The rumour of
his miracles and holiness spread far and wide, and
he found himself beset by a crowd of visitors, who
came to imploro the help of his prayers. Wear}' of
these importunate visits, and of the praises which were
bestowed on him, he retired secretly into another soli-
tude, where he was, however, soon discovered. Then,
leaving this second hermitage, he presented himself at
the convent of the Friars Minor at Palermo, where
Blessed Matthew of Agrigente gave him the habit.
Increasing daily in piety, and favoured with the gift of
prophecy, he died in 1460, leaving behind him a great
reputation for sanctity.

216 JULY.

7. Blessed Lawbence of Brindist,

oonfessor, of the fibst ordeb.

From his earliest years, all his thoughts were turned
to God, and he constantly practised fasting and other
corporal austerities. After a time he took the hahit of
the Friars Minor Capuchins in the province of Venice.
He was distinguished for his humility, ohedience, love
of prayer and of a strict ohservance of the Rule. Gifted
with an unusual intellect and a wonderful memory, he
was most successful in his studies, and learnt Greek,
Hehrew, Chaldee, German, French, and Spanish so
perfectly that he could preach in any of those lan-
guages. When he hecame a priest, he seemed ani-
mated with fresh zeal, and spared neither care, fatigue,
vigils, nor life itself, for the salvation of souls. In-
trusted with important missions hy the sovereigns of
Europe, he traversed Italy, Germany, Hungary, Spain,
and Portugal, proclaiming everywhere the way of eter-
nal life. His contemporaries gave him the honour
of a victory gained by the Christian soldiers over the
Turks in Hungary. He was appointed General of the
Order; and then gave himself more than ever to prayer,
displaying towards his brethren all the gentleness and
charity of his soul. Full of merit before God and man,
he went to receive the reward of the Elect on the 22d
of July 1619. Pope Pius VI. solemnly beatified him.

8. St. Elizabeth, Queen of Portugal,

WIDOW, of the third order.

This pious princess was a perfect model of all virtue.

Kind, benevolent, and humble, she never presumed

npon the high rank in which divine Providence had

placed her ; and despi^g \\ri\a7,N«bDafc5 ^wid pleasure,

she devoted the riches m^ -w^^'Ciia. Oo^\kaA.\xsS3rQs^«ft^

JULY. 217

her to the relief of the poor. Enrolled in the Third
Order, she constantly observed the Rule, and was
like an angel of peace in her own family and amongst
the people subject to her authority. On becoming a
widow, she immediately took the habit of St. Clare,
and appeared clothed in this habit at the funeral of her
husband.. After having set her affairs in order, she re-
tired to a convent of Poor Clares in Coimbra, which
she had founded. She exchanged this world for heaven
on the 4th of July 1336. In 1625, during the year of
the Jubilee, Pope Urban YIII. canonised her amidst the
applause of all present.

9. St. Veronica Giuluni,

virgin, of the second order.

Veronica was gifted from her birth with wondrous
graces, and scarcely was she able to speak when she
conversed familiarly with the divine Jesus, and the
most holy Mary. She received the divine Infant in
her arms, and caressed Him ; and He transformed at
the same moment the heart of the young virgin into a
burning furnace of love. At the age of seventeen she
ratified her alliance with Jesus Christ by entering the
Capuchin monastery at Cittd. di CasteUo, where the
first Rule of St. Clare is followed. God gave her in-
numerable graces ; but this did not hinder the demon
from assailing her, though she always came forth vic-
torious from the struggle, having gained fresh merit
in the strife. She was signed with the sacred stig-
mata, and bore on her head the impress of the crown
of thorns. Her fasting was almost continual, and her
obedience never failed. She died on the 9th of July
1727, when her crown of thoma -?!«» cx.Ommcl%^ ^cst ^
diadem of glory. She waa \>ea\ai^ft^ >ai 'fi^^^s^ ''^^^- ^"^

218 JULY.

the 8ih of June 1804, and afterwards solemnlj eanon^
ised by Gregory XVI. on Trinity Sunday 1839.

11. Blessed Nicholas and his Companions,

mabtybs, of the fibst order.

In the sixteenth century Calvin and his fbllowen
overspread Switzerland, France, Belgium, and HoUand.
In South Brabant, near Breda — a stronghold looked
upon as one of the keys of Holland, on the Belgian
side — there was a city of some importance, called Gor-
cum. The Calvinists made themselves masters of this
place, and shut up in prison all the priests and religious
on whom they could lay hands. Not being able to
succeed in forcing these valiant athletes of the Catholic
faith into a cowardly act of apostasy, they put them to
death by the most cruel tortures. Nicholas, Warden
of the Friars Minor, being considered the leader of the
saintly legion, suffered the most, because he would not
cease to exhort to constancy his companions in capti-
vity. All of them obtained a martyr's palm. After
their death, the bodies of these courageous defenders of
the faith were treated with the greatest indignity. At
length the faithful succeeded in rescuing their venerated
remains from the hands of these profane blasphemers,
and carried them to a place belonging to the Catholics.
Many miracles were wrought at tlieir tomb. Pope Cle-
ment X. beatified them, and permitted an Office to be
said in their honour.

14. St. Bonaventura Cardinal, Bishop, and Doctor .

OF the Church,

OONFESSOR, OF THE FIRST ORDER.

WJtdle stall a child, he received the blessing of oar

JULY. 21&

Seraphic Father, who cured him of a mortal* sickness.
In gratitude for this mercy he desired from his youth
to consecrate himself to God, and took the religious
habit in a convent of the Order of Friars Minor. His
promising dispositions for virtue and intelligence were
soon recognised, and he was sent to Paris, where he
studied under Alexander of Hales, and was made doc-
tor. He held a professorship himself in that celebrated
school, and excited the admiration of all his hearers.
He was also an intimate friend of St. Thomas Aquinas,
that other prodigy of virtue and science, who has con-
densed in his learned writings all the accumulated learn-
ing of preceding ages. St. Bonaventura was Minister
General of his Order for twent}'-- two years . He governed
with the utmost wisdom, introduced several prudent re-
forms, and gave his brethren an example of every virtue.
His heart was like a furnace, burning with charity, bene-
Tolence, and the love of God. He could not look at a
crucifix without his eyes filling with tears. Summoned
to the Council of Lyons by Pope Gregory X., he was
made Cardinal, and appointed Bishop of ^bano. Worn
out with labour and fatigue, he fell sick at Lyons, where
he yielded up his soul to God, on the 14th of July 1274.
He wasTnoumed by aU the Fathers of the Council, and
the Pope himself assisted at his obsequies. Sixtua
rV. numbered him amongst the Saints, and Sixtus V.
gave him the title of Doctor of the Church.

15. Blessed Angelina of Marsciano,
widow, of the third order. •

She was bom near Todi, in Umbria, and married
Jean de Termes, count of Civitella. Her marriage did
not prevent her giving herself up to good works, and to
all the exercises of the most fervo&i igi<b\.^ . ^^^ ^<^*^^

220 JULY.

after her marriage she became a V^idow, and retired to
Foligno, where she founded the first conyent of the
Third Order, and attained to the highest sanctity. Find-
ing her end approaching, she assembled the religioTis
of her community, exhorted them to charity, detach-
ment &om the world, contempt of riches, and perse-
verance in prayer ; then she slept the sleep of the
just, on the 14th of July 1435. She was beatified by
Pope Leo Xn.

16. Canonisation of our Holy Father St. Fbanois.

The whole of the Seraphic Order celebrates on this
ay the canonisation of St. Francis, its glorious Foun-
der. This seraphic father quitted this life on the 4th of
October 1226. Honorius III. did not long survive him.
It fell to the lot of Cardinal Ugolini, who succeeded
him under the name of Gregory IX., to proclaim tho
sanctity and the triumph of his holy friend Francis.
After the most severe and minute judicial inquiries
concerning the life of the poor man of Jesus Christ,
the Pontiff fixed Sunday the 16th of July 1228 for the
ceremony of canonisation. He repaired to Assisi, where
a great multitude of prelates, nobles, and people from
all coimtries were assembled. The tomb being opened,
the Pope, after a fervent prayer, ascended his throne,
and, in the midst of a solemn silence of expectation,
pronounced the decree which inscribed in the cata-
logue of Saints, the name of the Blessed Father Fran-
cis of Assisi.

18. St. Simon of Lypinca,
confessor, of the first order.
This great servant of God w&a bom in Poland. He

JULY. 221

was sent to Cracow to pursue his course of studies, aud
very soon joined the Order of Friars Minor Ohservan-
tins. A man of prayer, and persevering in the war
which he had declared against his own body, he prac-
tised the greatest austerities. He displayed unwearied
zeal dming the time of the plague, which devastated the
city of Cracow. His charity was boundless. Struck
down himself by the destroying scourge, he fixed his
eyes on the image of Jesus crucified, offered Him the
sacrifice of his life, and calmly commended his soul
into the hands of God, on the 18th of July 1488.

19. Blessed John of Dckla,

confessor, of the first order.

He also was a native of Poland. He learnt from
his mother to invoke frequently the holy names of Je-
sus and Maiy. Desiring to make greater progress in the
path of Christian perfection, when still very young, he
embraced the Bule of our Blessed Father St. Francis,
amongst the Friars Minor. His virtues endeared him
to his brethren, who elected him Superior. He devoted
himself to the ministry of preaching, without, however,
neglecting prayer and contemplation, which he loved
above everything. He laboured with great zeal to bring
back the Armenians and Russians to CathoHc unity,
and he converted a great number of sinners. Although
attacked by a long and painful sickness, he did not give
up hearing confessions. At length, at seventy years of
age, and burdened with infirmities which he constantly
bore with invincible patience, he fell asleep in the Lord
on St. Michael's day 1484. Poland and Lithuania
took him for their patron afler he had been beatified
by Clement XII.

222 JULY.

24. St. Frakcib Solano,

confessob, of the f1b8t ordeb.

He was bom in Spain, of noble and pious parents.
While still young, he took the habit of the Friars Minor
Observantins. He was noted for his charity, pmdence,
recollection, and mortification. Raised to the priest-
hood, and burning with zeal and love for souls, he
begged permission to go and preach the gospel in Af-
rica ; but his Superiors preferred sending him to Ame-
rica. There he found a vast field opened to him. He
took advantage of it, and converted an immense num-
ber of infidels to the Christian fedth. He regenerated
all tliose regions. His life was one succession of pro-
digies and wonders : he healed the sick, raised the dead,
caused fountains of water to spring up in the most dry
and arid soil, crossed rivers on his mantle — in fact, it
seemed as if God had put all the elements under his
command. He always hoped for death by martyrdom;
but God judged him to be ripe for heaven, and took
him from this world on the 14th of July 1610. Cle-
ment X. beatified this miracle-worker of the New World,
and Benedict XTTT. numbered him amongst the Saints
in 1720.

27. Blessed Cuneounda,

virgin, of the second ordeb.

Cunegunda was a daughter of Bela, king of Hun-
gaiy . Her infancy was enriched witli heavenly graces ;
and even then she conversed familiarly with Grod and
rejoiced in a torrent of celestial pleasures. Forced
against her will to marry Boleslas, king of Poland,
she tlirew herself at his feet on the day of their mar-
riage, and gained his consent to her keeping her
vow of virginity. Boleslas died no\, Von^ «&«r, and

AUGUST. ' 223

Cunegunda retired to the Convent of St. Clare at San-
deck, which she had herself founded. There was a
scarcity of water at this convent. Cunegunda had re-
course to prayer, and then touched with a rod the
place where they were to dig to find some. Hardly
had they begun to work when an abundant supply of
water sprang up, — more than sufficient for the wants of
the house. After thirty years passed in the exercise
of every monastic virtue, her soul returned to God on
the 24th of July of the year 1292. Pope Clement XI.
granted her the honours of beatification.

AUGUST.

2. Dedication of the Church of Sta. Maria deoli

Angeli.

The little church of " Our Lady of the Angels,"
called also the Portiuncula, near Assisi, was the cradle
of the First Order of St. Francis. Our Seraphic Founder
had a great devotion to this sanctuary, where angels
had frequently been seen doing honour to the glories
of the most holy Mary. It was in this church that he
obtained from our Lord Jesus Christ the celebrated
indulgence called the indulgence of the Portiuncula.
Every year, on the 2d of August, more than forty thou-
sand pilgrims visit this church to participate in this
signal favour, which the Sovereign Pontiffs have since
extended to all the churches of the three Orders, as we
have stated elsewhere.

4. St. Dominic, Founder of the Order of
Friars Preachers.
The close bonds of friendship which united Si. IS'^k-
ininic with our glorious Fathei ^t. "Ex^XkRHa Taa^^LfcN!^» <^>st

224 AUGUST.

duty not to pass him over in silence in the list of Saints

of our Order.

St. Dominic was bom at Calamega, fonnerlj Cala-
roga, in the diocese of Osma, in Old GastUle. He first
joined the Canons regular of St Augostin; but after
working for several years at the mission in Langaedoc
to put down the heresy of the Albigenses, he laid the
foimdation of the Order of Friars Preachers, under the
patronage of Foulques, Bishop of Toulouse, about 1215.
He took the Augustinian Kule as the basis of his new
Order, adding Constitutions to it, the principal features
of which are, the enforcing of rigorous fasts, perpetual
abstinence, complete poverty, living entirely on ahns, and
possessing no personal property, with the permission,
however, of having some goods in common. The Or-
der of Friars Preachers was approved and sanctioned by
Pope Innocent III. in person. St. Dominic went seve-
ral times to Home. He there met our Seraphic Father
St. Francis, and though they had never seen each other
before, they mutually greeted one another by name,
embraced, and promised each other constant Mendship.
St. Dominic instituted the beautiful and touching devo-
tion of the Bosary during his mission in Languedoc.
His labours, his virtues, and miracles have given him
the greatest celebrity in the Church. He died at Bo-
logna on the 6tli of August 1221, in his fifty-first year.
Nimiberless miracles were worked at the tomb of Domi-
nic, and thirteen years after his death he was solemnly
canonised by his friend Cardinal Ugolini, who had
been made Pope under the name of Gregory IX.

12. St. Clare,
virgin, foundress of the second order.
Clare wsls of a noble and opulent family of the city

AUGUST. 225

of AssisL Having several times heard our holy Father
preach on the vanity of the riches of this world, and
on the joys and treasure of poverty, she was inspired
with the desire of following in the footsteps of this great
servant of God. She went to see him several times,
placed herself under his direction ; and on Palm Sun-
day, in the year 1212, Clare, attended hy one pious com-
panion, came to the church of our Lady of the Angels.
She was received by all the religious, carrying torches ;
they conducted her to the altar ; and there, after a short
address, our holy Father cut off her hair. Her com-
panion helped her to take off her ornaments and secu-
lar attire, and she was clothed in the coarse serge habit
of poverty and penance. She passed that night in prayer,
and the next morning Francis took her to a neighbouring
convent, where she remained some time. Her sister
Agnes joined her, and they went to live at a little con-
vent near the church of St. Damian. The number of
these " poor ladies" increased with wonderful rapidity.
The life of Clare was passed in contemplation, labour,
and penance. She worked innumerable miracles, and
saved the city of Assisi from falling into the hands of
the barbarians ; and at length, full of love to God in
the Holy Eucharist, and with the blessing of Pope Inno-
cent rV., who came to see her in her last illness, she
left this world, to celebrate in heaven the eternal nup-
tials of her celestial Spouse. She died on the 12th of
Aug. 1263. Pope Alexander IV. placed her among the
virgin Saints in 1255.

13. Blessed Peter of Mooliano,

confessor, of the first order.

He was of an honourable family of La Marohe, and
pursued his studies at Perugia, and thar^ -^Qk^>D^ ^sik>

226 AUGUST.

gree as Bachelor of Arts. WMle listening to a sennon
he was inwardly moved by divine grace to give np aU
his hopes and prospects in this world and embrace the
religious life. He went into a convent of Friars Minor,
put on the coarse serge habit of penance, and girded
himself with the cord of St. Francis. After following
his holy vocation, he made such marvellous progress in
the paths of virtue and in the science of theology, that
he soon acquired a great reputation for learning and
sanctity. He was of a mild and conciliatory spirit, but
filled with burning zeal for the salvation of souls. He
passed whole days and nights in hearing confessions,
notwithstanding the labours of preaching. He was twice
elected Provincial, much against his wilL Finding his
end approaching, he insisted on going to the church to
receive the Holy Viaticum. He died, after giving a
solemn charge to his brethren, in the year 1490. Pope
Clement XITI. granted him the honours of canoni-
sation.

14. Blessed Sanctus of Ukbino,

CONFESSOR, of THE FIRST ORDER.

He was bom of a noble and pious family. His early
youth was spent in great innocence and puriiy. One
day, a young man attacking him unawares, and trying
to wound him with his sword, Sanctus first expostu-
lated, kindly but firmly; and then, finding that the
other persisted in his evil intention, he drew his sword
and inflicted a wound on his opponent which proved
mortal. Inconsolable for this act, he renounced his
military career and entered a Franciscan convent. He
there gave himself up to prayer and contemplation,
brought his body into subjection by the most severe
austerities, and was favoured by God with the sweetest
expezienoea of divine love.

AUGUST. 227

Death overtook him on the eve of the Assumption,
1390. He was beatified by Pope Clement X.

16. St. Roch,
confessor, of the third order.

Roch was born at Montpellier. He joined the Third
Order, and was distinguished by every kind of virtue ;
but the love of God especially worked marvels in him,
and raised him to a heroic degree of self-sacrifice and
detachment.

After visiting many lands, where he devoted himself
exclusively to the care of the plague-stricken, he re-
turned to Montpellier, and fell asleep peacefully in the
love of God, on the 16th of August 1327. His memory
was held in the greatest veneration by the people. Pope
Urban VIII. accorded him the honours of canonisa-
tion.

18. Blessed Clare of Montefalco,

VIRGIN, of THE THIRD ORDER.

From her earliest infancy she despised the world,
and gave up her heart to God. When she was four
years old she wished to lead a hermit's life, and used
to shut herself up in the most deserted part of the house,
and say a great number of Paters and Aves, shed-
ding floods of tears. At the age often she succeeded, by
incessant pleading, in obtaining admission into the Third
Order. She afterwards joined the Augustinians. When
she consecrated her virginity to God, she offered Him
also her whole being, and sacrificed her mind, her
heart, and all her senses to Him in the most austere
penance. She was often subjected to fearful assaults
from the Evil One ; but her faithful endurance was alw&Y^
crowned with victory. Many xxuxacl^ Ti^st^ ^q-i^^V^

228 AUGUST.

her during her life and after her death, which took place
in 1808.

19. St. Louis, Bishop of Toulouse,
confessob, of the fibst oboer.

Of royal blood, this great servant of Qod. desired
from his infancy to sacrifice to God all the grandeur and
riches of this world. At the age of fourteen he was seized
and carried off to Spain as a hostage, with his two bro-
thers, and was shut up in the convent of the Friars
Minor at Barcelona. He here made such wondeifid
progress in ecclesiastical science, that everyone declared
he could only have gained it by divine inspiration. He
chastened his body at the same time by fasting, hair-
shirts, and the unsparing use of the discipline. He would
gladly have embraced the Kule, and clothed himself in
the habit of the Friars Minor ; but the Superiors would
not grant Iiitti this favour, for fear of displeasing his
father. He was nominated Bishop of Toulouse by Pope
Boniface VHI., and immediately went to Borne and as-
sured the Sovereign Pontiff that he could not accept that
honourable post until he had fulfilled the vow he had
made to God to become a Friar Minor. The Pope agreed
to his wish, and Louis put on the holy habit, which he
continued to wear to the end of his life, and was pro-
fessed by the Minister General of the Order.

On his return to Toulouse he devoted himself to the
care of the souls committed to him, and became a father
to the poor, to whom he gave alms abundantly. He
preserved his innocence to the end, and was remarkable
for his deep humility. God summoned him to TTig hea-
venly kingdom at the early age of twenty-four.

His death took place in 1299. He was placed on
the list of Saints by Pope JohnXKIL.

SEPTEMBER, 229

25. St. Louis, Kino of France,

CONFESSOR, OF THE THIRD ORDER.

This holy king was a perfect model of every virtue.
He defended the rights of the Church with invincible
courage, governed his kingdom with justice and mode-
ration, and, during the Crusades, displayed a valour
and skill which excited general admiration amongst the
Crusaders. His character for justice, and the trust re-
posed in him by eveiyone, made him the umpire and
peacemaker both of princes and people. From his youth
he had worn the Franciscan habit, and had caused his
name to be entered on the list of the Third Order.

He died of the plague at Tunis, on the 25th of August
1270, and was placed amongst the Saints by Pope Boni-
fiaceVin.

SEPTEMBER

1. Blessed Isabella of France,

virgin, of the second order.

This blessed virgin, whose many virtues eclipsed
even the glories of her noble birth, was sister to St.
Louis, King of France. Like him, she had been brought
up in the fear and love of God by their pious mother,
Blanche of Castille, whose every .word seemed stamped
with Christian wisdom. Isabella corresponded so well
with the religious and intellectual training she received,
that while still quite young she united in herself ster-
ling virtues with the most varied acquirements and
brilliant accomplishments. Her whole time was de-
voted to prayer, study, and work. She refused an
alliance with Conrad, Emperor of Germany, declaring
that she had already given herself to Jesus Christ by a
vow of virginity. She belonged £xa\> \a \)tL<^Tt25c^^x^^\

230 SEPTEMBER.

but after she had founded the comvent at Longchamp
for the nuns of St. Clare, she went into it herself. Hu-
mility was the virtue Isabella loved and desired above
all others ; and to preserve it from the attacks of vanity
and selfishness, she sheltered it under a rigid and con-
tinual silence, which she broke only to speak of God
and the things of God. In 1270 her soul took its flight
to heaven. She died calling on the holy names of JesoB
and Mary, of St. Francis and St. Clare.

3. Blessed John of Perugia and Blessed Peteb of

Sassoferrato,

martyrs, of the first order.

About the year 1221 our blessed Father, St. Francis
of Assisi, selected two religious of his Order for a mis-
sion to Arragon — Brother John of Perugia, a priest,
and Brother Peter of Sassoferrato, a lay brother. These
two fervent men established themselves first at Tarra-
gona, where they founded a convent, and devoted them-
selves to preaching the Gospel and to prayer. The
fame of their holiness soon spread throughout the whole
country. Shortly after, they went on as far as the city
of Valentia, which was then in the hands of the Moors ;
there they preached the true faith and exposed the
gross errors of Mahometanism with so much zeal and
vehemence that King Azotus, a declared persecutor of
Christianity, caused them to be seized; and finding it
impossible to prevail on these faithful confessors to
deny Jesus Christ, either by threats or promises, he
ordered them to be beheaded in a public square of the
city. Hardly were they buried when they began to
work the most wonderfiil miracles, which produced a
great effect on the whole Miissukaoji population. Not

SEPTEMBER. 231

long after — that is, about the year 1288 — the Jdng was
led by divine grace to embrace the truth ; and he and a
great portion of his subjects became Christian. He was
baptised, and resigned his kingdom into the hands of
James I., King of Arragon, who allowed him to retain
as his own property the palace and one fertile pro"vince.
"With the consent of King James, Azotus turned his
own palace into a convent of Friars Minor, — the walls
and courts of which had so often been reddened with
the blood of mart3rrs. The devotion to Blessed John of
Perugia and Peter of Sassoferrato was sanctioned by
Pope Clement XI.; and Benedict XIII. allowed the
Mass and Office in their honour to be said in the Order
of Friars Minor, and in various specified places.

4. St. Rose of Viterbo,
virgin, of the third order.

This virgin was a marvel of sanctity from her earliest
infancy. The first sounds her tongue framed were the
holy names of Jesus and Mary. When she was not yet
two years old she listened with earnest attention to the
pious conversation and the wise instructions of her pa-
rents. When three years old she restored to life one of
her relations who had been some hours dead. At the
age of nine she took the habit of the Third Order ; and
by an express command from Qod she went through the
streets of Viterbo preaching penance, and calling down
the blessing of God on the defenders of the Church of
Rome. She also experienced the sorrows of exile. At
the age of eighteen the measure of her sufiferings and
merits was completed, and God crowned her with glory
and immortality. She was ranked amongst the Saint&
by Pope CalixtuB IIL in 1457 .

232 SEPTEMBER.

5. Blessed Gentil of Matelioa,

MABTYB, OF THE FIBST OBDEB.

This blessed servant of God was very young when
he joined the Seraphic Order. He enjoyed such un-
speakable consolations in prayer, silence, and solitude,
that he passed almost every night in the church, lost in
the sweetness of contemplation. The effects of his holi-
ness were felt on all sides without the walls of his con-
vent, and he converted a great number of sinners to
God. With the consent of his Superiors he set forth
on a foreign mission, and travelled over Egypt and
Persia. In the latter country he converted and baptised
more than ten thousand of the inhabitants. The ex-
asperated Mahometans seized him and put him to death.
He won the crown of martyrdom in 1340. Pope Pius
YI. assigned him the honours of beatification.

6. Blessed Vincent of Aquila,

confessob, of the fibst obdeb.

Disgusted with the world, and in dread of its
temptations, this faithful servant of God joined the
Friars Minor Observantins, where he Ifidd up an
abundant store of virtues. He delighted in being
given the lowest offices in the convent, and his love
of silence and solitude led him to shun society, though
he showed a tender charity towards all. He frequency
passed whole nights in meditating on the mysteries of
the life of our Lord. He possessed the simplicity of
a dove, and his patience was proof against all pain,
trouble, and suffering. His soul quitted its exile, and
took its flight to heaven on the 17th of August 1504
Pope Pius YL placed him amongst the Blessed.

SEPTEMBER. 233

9. Blessed Serapbina Sfobza,

WIDOW, OF THE THIBD ORDEB.

Descended from an illustrious and noble family,
Blessed Seraphina well repaid the carefdl training of
her infancy; and even at that early age it was easy
to foresee what she was destined one day to become.
She married Prince Sforza de Pesaro, and was sub-
jected to all kinds of cruel treatment from the brutality
of this man, who was blinded by an unworthy passion
for another. Three times he tried to put her to death,
resorting to calumny in defence of his crime, to avert
the vengeance of the Colonna, to whose family the prin-
cess belonged.

She bore everything in silence, and did not even try
to disprove the infamous accusations so unjustly brought
against her by her husband. Not long affcer his death,
she put on the habit of St. Clare, made her profession,
and became Abbess of the convent. After twenty-two
years passed in this quiet seclusion, and having per-
fected herself in the practice of every virtue, strength-
ened by the Sacraments of the Church, she passed from
time into eternity, and her soul returned to God on the
8th of September 1478. Benedict XIV. solemnly ap-
proved the devotion which had been paid her ever since
her death.

11. Blessed Bebnard of Offido,

confessor, of the first order.

This great servant of God never knew the faults and
failings of childhood, for his youth was passed far from
all occasions of dissipation and in the most perfect inno*
cence. He entered the novitiate of the Friars Minor Ca<
puchins, took the habit of St. Francis, and became one of
his most faithfiil followers. God looji^ lakcBL^vo^ ^s^^^^s^sS^

234 SEPTEMBER.

graces, and enabled him, in conten^lation, to penetrate
into the hidden things of divine wisdom. Nothing could
distract >iini from his constant realisation of die presence
of God ; and in begging for the convent, whether in the
town or the coimtry, he never lost in the smallest d^ree
his habitual recollection. Though always smionnded
either by sick people who came to him to be cured, or
by princes and prelates who came to him for advice on
the most intricate and difficult points, he persisted ia
looking upon himself as the least and lowest of the
Brothers. He was ninety years old when his last ill-
ness seized him. He sent for the warden of his con-
vent, and said to him with simplicity, " Father, give me
your blessing, and permission to go to heaven." The
warden replied : " Yes, O Christian soul, I give you my
blessing : depart to a happy etemily." The words were
scarcely uttered ere the soul of the holy man took its
flight to the celestial regions, on the 22d of August 1694.
Pius YI. placed him on the list of the Blessed.

17. The Stigmata of oub holt Father,
St. Francis.

Mount Alvemus is one of the highest of the Ap-
penino range. Our holy Father had, with the help
of his friend, Count Orlando, built a convent there,
which he loved above all others on account of its lone-
liness. He often resorted to it, to give himself up more
&eely to contemplation ; and he invariably sought out
the most secluded parts of the mountain. In 1224,
about the festival of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross,
whilst he was praying in an almost inaccessible casern,
a winged seraph appeared to him, whose vdngs were
extended in the form of a oross. This heavenly seraph

SEPTEMBER. 235

was our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, who, embracing
His beloved servant, left in his side and in his hands
and feet the sacred prints of His adorable wounds. In
spite of all Francis's efforts to conceal this marvel, the
blood which flowed at times from the wounds betrayed
his secret ; and after his death, everyone was at liberty
to convince himself of the truth of this miracle. Pope
Benedict ordered the anniversary of this prodigy to be
kept throughout the Order ; and Paul V. extended the
obligation to the whole Church.

18. St. Joseph of Cupertino,
confessob, of ^he fibst oeder.

Joseph was bom in 1603, of thoroughly Christian
parents; and he knew how to appreciate ^eir advice
and example. He was miraculously cured of a painful
and tedious sickness by the most holy Virgin ; and de-
sirous after his recovery to unite himself more closely
to God, he resolved to enter the Seraphic Order. He
joined the Friars Minor Capuchins ; but not long after
exchanged to the Friars Minor Conventual^ and was
raised to the priesthood. He was inflamed with love
for God ; and it may truly be said of him that his life
partook much more of heaven than of earth. He was
the wonder of the age in which he lived, as much for
his wisdom and prudence, as for the fame of the miracles
which were multiplied, so to speak, in his hands. He
was almost constantly in ecstasy, and was carried by
the Spirit of God from place to place, or raised to a con-
siderable height from the ground, to the no small aston-
ishment of the spectators. He died in his sixty-first
year. He was beatified by Benedict XIV., and canon-
ised by Clement XIIT.

236 SEPTEMBER.

23. Inyention of the body of St. Giabb of Assisi,
foundbess of thb second obdeb.

For more than five centuries the remains of St.
Clare rested peacefully in their place of concealment
(as had been the case with the body of St. Francis
for nearly six hundred years), in a vault beneath the
steps of the sanctuary and tiiie high altar. The fact
of the existence of so precious a treasure in this spot
was attested by the most authentic documents, as
well as by tradition. The Sovereign Pontiff Pius IX.
having authorised the investigation, the work was be-
gun on the 23d of August 1850, and the tomb was dis-
covered on the 30th of the same month. The Bishop
of Assisi immediately communicated the joyful discovery
to the rest of the bishops in Umbria ; and on the 23d
of the following September they assembled round the
tomb of the Saint. It was opened in the presence of
an Apostolic Commissary deputed by the Pope. The
body of the Saint was reduced to a skeleton, but in per-
fect preservation. The Holy See allows the Office for
this joyful discovery to be said by the whole Order of
St. Francis on this day.

26. St. Pacifious of St. Sevebino,

confessor, of the fibst obdeb.

This generous servant of God gave indications in

his infancy of the sanctity to which he should attain

in after life. When only four years old he used to mix

ashes with his food from the spirit of mortification. His

parents dying, he was left to the care of an uncle and

two maid-servants, who seemed to vie with each other

in tormenting, ill-treating, and ridiculing the pious

cliild. Hia patience never gave '^a^, «ad his hmnility

SEPTEMBER. 237

made him acc]}se himself as having deserved the ill-
treatment he received. At the age of seventeen he took
the habit of the Seraphic Order, and joined the Obser-
vantins of the Eeform. After taking the vows, he fin-
ished his course of studies, and was raised to the priest-
hood. He was noted among his brethren for his hu-
mility, gentleness, charity, exquisite purity, and the
spirit of poverty by which he was animated. He was
favoured by God with the gift of prophecy, and with
ineffable consolations. He fell asleep in the Lord in
1721. Pope Pius VI. beatified him, and Gregory XVI.
canonised him with every solemnity on Trinity Sunday
1889.

26. Blessed Lucy of Calatagibone,

virgin, of the third order.

This Sicilian virgin entered a convent of the Third
Order at Salerno, while still quite young. She was
soon noted for her diligence in practising every duty
of religion, all of which she may be said to have pos-
sessed to an heroic degree. Humility, silence, self-
denial, obedience, and prayer were the whole aim and
occupation of her life. She had frequent ecstasies, and
every Friday she was seized with a violent and exces-
sive grief, which seemed to plunge her into a state of
depression from which nothing could rouse her. She
left this land of exile for her true home in heaven in
1400.

28. Blessed Bernardin of Feltre,
confessor, of the first order.
The child of noble parents, B^t&ax^^ ^^^^s^ ^<^ss:&« ni^

238 OCTOBER.

Padua to study for the law ; but the almost sadden
death of two of the professors, and the preaching of Si
James de la Marche, showed him the worthlessnesa of
this world's goods, and he resolved on embracing the
religious life. He joined the Friars Minor Observan*
tins. After being ordained priest, his eloquence in
the pulpit excited universal admiration, and converted
multitudes. Burning with zeal for God's glory, and
filled with love to all, he gave himself to every kind of
good work. He tried hard to further the establishment
of**monts deplete f" to defend the poor from the rapacity
of the Jews. His life was Several times threatened by
the heretics, but God ever protected him from the snares
laid for him, Sixtus IV. and Innocent VHI. employed
him frequently as peacemaker with the discontented
amongst the people. He died at Pavia in 1494, and
was beatified by Pope Innocent X.

OCTOBEK.

1. Blessed Louisa of Savoy,

widow, of the second ordeb.

Louisa was a daughter of Blessed Amedeus, and
followed in the steps of her father. Whilst purposing
in her heart to consecrate her life to God by taking the
vow of celibacy, her uncle, who was appointed her guar-
dian, arranged a marriage for her with the Prince of
Chatillon. She did not, however, change her manner of
life, but persevering in the course she had chosen, en-
riched herself with every virtue. Her husband dying
when she was only twenty-seven, she adopted the Bule
of the Third Order, determining to live in poverty and
peD&nce and give herself up entirely to good works.

OCTOBER. 239

She made a holy use of her riches, by giving ahns
abundantly to the poor and sick, whom she visited con-
stantly. At length, freed from all earthly ties, she fol-
lowed the call of God, and retired into a Franciscan
Convent. There she was a perfect example of regu-
larity, obedience, and humility. She was attacked with
mortal sickness, received the last Sacraments, and died
on the very day she had foretold — ^the 24th of July 1503
— being then only forty-two years old. Her remains
were taken to Nozeroy, in Franchecomte ; innumerable
miracles were worked on her tomb, and Gregory XVI.
solemnly sanctioned the devotion to her in 1839.

3. Translation of St. Clabe,

foundress, of the second order.

St. Clare survived St. Francis twenty-seven years,
and on the 12th of August 1253 her soul quitted this
world to join the innumerable company of Saints and
angels in heaven. Her mortal remains had scarcely
been deposited in the old church of St. George's, ere
the people of Assisi were seized with a desire to erect,
in honour of their new patroness, a temple worthy of
her sanctity and of their devotion. By order of Alex-
ander rV., himself a Friar Minor, one of the most cele-
brated architects of the day drew up the plans, and the
edifice was completed in 1260. The 3d of October of
the same year was the day fixed for the solemn cere-
mony of translation, atwhidi the Sovereign Pontiff him-
seK determined to preside. A great number of Bishops
accepted his invitation, and crowds of people from all
parts assembled to witness this fresh triumph of the
lowly Clare. The holy relics were deposited in a stone
coffin, and buried very deep ia tbib ^gco^osA^X^^s^^^^i^'^B^

240 OCTOBER.

high altar. Heaven nnited with earth in solemnising
this festival, by the number of miracles worked on this
memorable day, and by the feivonrs granted through the
intercession of St. Clare. The Office of the translation
is now said by the whole of the Seraphic Order.

4. The Seraphic Father, St. Fbanois of Assist,

FOUNDER of THE THREE ORDERS.

The wonders which took place at his birth fore-
shadowed the glorious destiny of this child, who, like
our adorable Redeemer, was bom in a stable. In his
youth he proposed to himself a very different future
from that destined for him; for his dreams were, for
some time, only of the glories of war, and the excit-
ing pleasures of this world. It pleased God to send
him a severe illness, which arrested him in his career,
and by withdrawing him from the giddy and dissipated
companions by whom he was surrounded, prepared his
mind for the saving influences of grace. While still
scarcely recovered, he went into the country to enjoy
the pure fresh air and the beauties of nature. From that
time he became little in his own eyes ; he began to hate
all that he once had loved, to despise all he once had
esteemed ; so that all his past life appeared to ^itn vanity.
Completely disenchanted with his dreams of pleasure,
he felt the first inspirations of grace, and gave himself
up to the direction of the Spirit of God. Very soon he
renounced aU riches, clothed himself in rags, and went
about Assisi preaching penance to the people. In
founding his First Order, he made the strictest poverty
its basis. Under his guidance, holy Clare, a virgin of
Assisi, became the foundation-stone of his Second Or-
der; and, seeing that the whole world seemed desirous

OCTOBER^ 241

of enlisting under his banner, he established the Third
Order, for the benefit of persons detained in the world
and in society by their family ties, or the duties of their
station. We need not enlarge on his virtues or his
miracles, for his life was an exact counterpart of the
life of our Saviour; and to complete this conformity,
our divine Lord imprinted on him, on Mount Alvemus,
the stigmata of His sacred wounds. This seraphic being,
whilst living on eartii, set his heart on tilings above,
where were all his affections and most ardent desires.
God put.an end to his exile, and opened to him the gates
of heaven, on the 4th of October 1226. Two years after
his death, he was placed on the list of Saints by his
illustrious friend Cardinal Ugolino, who had been made
Pope under the name of Gregory IX.

5. Blessed John of Penna,

confessor, of the fibst order.

Whilst John was living in the world, God allowed
him to taste the inexpressible sweetness and joys of
holiness. A Child of unearthly beauty appeared to him
one evening, and said, ** Arise, Jolm, and go to St.
Etienne, where one of My Friars Minor is to preach.
Hearken to his words, and let them be the rule of thy
life ; for he is sent to thee by Me. Then shalt thou
make a long journey, and afterwards return to Me."
John immediately arose, and already a great change
was worked within him. He went to St. Etienne and
heard Father Philip preach about the kingdom of
heaven ; and as soon as the sermon was over, he went
to the preacher and said to him, " Father, I pray you
receive me into your Order, that I may do penana^
therein." John was clothed in \lfciQ \vs^3 \isJ5c^^> ^sis^aA

242 OOTOBER.

his profession, and in his simplicity expected to die
almost immediately after, believing that he had taken
the "long journey" of which the Child had spoken.
Shortly after he was sent to Narbonne, where he re-
mained twenty-five years, expecting constantly the end
of his term of exile. The religions of the Marches
of Ancona wishing to have his presence amongst them,
petitioned for and obtained his recall. As soon as
John received the order, he set forth joyfully, believing
that on his return to his own country God would call
him to Himself. But for thirty years longer he lived,
and edified his brethren by his hoHness. One day an
angel appeared to him, and said, " The end of thy life
is come. Ask one favour of God, whatsoever thou wilt :
and choose between one day in Purgatory or seven
days of penance on earth." John chose the seven days
of penance ; and immediately felt himself ground and
tortured under the pressure of unimaginable sufferings.
On the seventh day our Lord called him to Himself, to
enjoy for ever the glories of heaven. Pope Pius VII.
placed him on the list of the Blessed.

7. Blessed Mary Frances of the Five Wounds,
virgin, of the third order.

This blessed virgin learnt early to raise her heart
to God; her confessor allowed her to make her First
Communion when only seven years old. When she was
sixteen, her parents wished her to marry ; but she had
already made choice of a spouse, Jesus Christ, who pos-
sessed her whole heart. Therefore, however brilliant the
alliances proposed for her, she refused them steadily ;
and, with her father's consent, she took the habit of lie
^Mrd Order, though without leaving home. She then

OCTOBER. 243

began to lead the most austere life that can be imagined.
She treated her body like an enemy, and brought it
into subjection to the spirit by watchings, fastings,
disciplines, and hair-shirts, although she was naturally
of a delicate constitution. She allowed herself very
little sleep at night, on a board covered with a sheep-
skin. She felt always an intense desire of suffering.
Every virtue shone brilliantly in her, and in spite of
her austere habits, Mary Frances attained an extreme
old age. She passed to her rest at the age of seventy-
seven, after a life entirely devoted to the exercise of
evfiry virtue, and to communion with heaven, on the
Ctli of October 1791, and was beatified by Gregory XVI.
on the 12th of November 1843.

8. St. Bbidget,

widow, of the third order.

She was bom in Sweden ; and her parents were as
illustrious for their piety as for their noble descent.
Her life was given up to the exercise of every virtue.
One day, when she was about ten years old, she heard
a sermon on the Passion of our Lord; and the following
night saw a vision of our Saviour nailed to the cross,
with blood dropping from His wounds : " Ah, Lord !"
she exclaimed; "who has done this to Thee?" and
Jesus answered, " They who despise Me." She retained
through life a vivid recollection of this heartrending
sight. At the age of sixteen she was made to marry
Ulpho, Prince of Nericia ; they had eight children, but
after the birth of the last they took the vow of celibacy,
and adopted the habit and the Rule of the Third Order.
After making a pilgrimage to Compostella with his wife,
Ulpho joined the monks of Citeaux ; and Bridget hLftx^a^-
forth wore the habit of the Third Ox^er wxXtn^x^ ^nq^^^-

244 OCTOBER.

ing herself with a thick cord, and covering her head with
a veil. She divided all she possessed amongst her chil-
dren, and then set forth for Kome. From thence she went
to Jerusalem ; and then again returned to Rome, where
her life was passed in the unceasing practice of charity,
prayer, and penance. She there founded the Institute
called of "our Saviour," after which she made a pil-
grimage to Assisi at the time of the celebrated Indul-
gence of the Portiuncula. At length, at a good old age,
and full of merit, she gave up her soul to God in 1373.
Her revelations have been approved by the Church, and
Pope Boniface IX. numbered her amongst the Saints.

12. St. Seraphin of Monte-Granaro,

confessor, of the first order.

Bom of poor but Christian parents, Seraphin*s
early life was passed in tending sheep. After entering
the novitiate of the Friars Minor Capuchins, he ad-
vanced rapidly in holiness. He was beloved by all, on
account of the great amiability and cheerful gaiety of
his disposition. His life was poor, humble, and morti-
fied, and his obedience unvarying. He was favoured
by God with the gift of miracles. He died in 1604.
The Holy See sanctioned the devotion paid to him by
the country people, and Pope Clement XHI. decreed
him the honours of canonisation.

13. St. Daniel and his Companions,

martyrs, of the first order.

In the year 1227, when the new-bom Order of Friars

Minor flooded the world with the brightness of its

light, a man of eminent sanctity. Brother Daniel,

-RroTOQcia] of Calabria, and as. o^Jciet 'ET^aia, -^^tered

OOTOBER, 245

the soil of Mauritania with their blood, and won the
martyr's palm. The names of the six companions of
this valiant athlete were, Angel, Samuel, Domnus, Leo,
Hugolin, and Nicholas. Our Seraphic Father was
stiU alive at the time they were sent forth by his vicar.
Brother Elias. After a long and painful voyage, they
arrived at length at Ceuta, where they endeavoured
first to rekindle the faith and piety of the few Christians
who were still to be found in that city ; and then they
began to walk about the streets, crying aloud, " There
is no salvation except in Jesus Christ!" The Moors,
irritated by their hardihood, subjected them to all
manner of ill-treatment, and by the king's command
they were loaded with chains and cast into prison. At-
tempts were made to shake their constancy, by threats
and promises; and as both were unavailing, the most
barbarous tortures were resorted to, but in vain ; they
persisted in preaching the true faith even in the pre-
sence of the Mahometans. Finally they were sentenced
to be beheaded, and received in heaven the reward of
their zeal and unwavering fidelity to Jesus Christ.

10. St. Pktrr of Alcantara,

confessor, of the first order.

Peter of Alcantara showed by his very earliest steps
in the religious life the height of sanctity to which he
was destined. At the age of sixteen he entered the
Seraphic Order. He endeavoured to follow closely in
the footsteps of our holy Father, and had such great
power with God, that St. Teresa, whose director and
counsellor he often was, declared that God would grant
everything that should be asked in the name of Peter
of Alcantara. He had the thorough spirit of ^^o^^l:*^^
obedience, humility, and pensjice oi wvt \l^ '^^J^sist

246 OCTOBER. 1

St. Francis. A description of the austerities he prac-
tised would inspire many hearts with terror, and many
more with incredulity. The reform which he intro-
duced into the Order extended rapidly, and spread
from Spain into Italy. He worked innumerable mi-
racles, and after a life of self-immolation and severe
labour, he passed to his eternal rest in the year 1562, at
the age of sixty-three. After his death, he appeared
to St. Teresa, and exclaimed, "O blessed penance,
which has earned for me such glory !" Pope Clement IX.
canonised him.

20. St. Elzeab, Count of Arian,

OONFESSOR, of THE THIBD ORDER.

Directiy Elzear was bom, his pious mother took
him in her arms and offered him to God, saying:
" Lord, take this infant to heaven after he is baptised,
rather than allow him ever to commit one mortal sin !"
This child of prayer responded well to the care bestowed
on him. At the age of three he shared his meals with
the poor. When he was twelve years old he fasted,
and wore a rough hair-shirt; but at the age of fourteen,
he and Blessed Delphine, on the very day of their
wedding, took the vow of chastity. They botii adopted
the Rule of the Third Order, and kept it aU their lives.
They were perfect models for the master and mistress
of a household. Elzear, after filling the highest posts
without once being dazzled by the vain splendour of the
world, went to receive the eternal reward in heaven
which God destines for His elect, on the 27th of Sep-
tember 1323.

. 22. Blessed Ladislas of Gielnow,
confessor, of the first order.
Ladislas entered the Order of Friars Minor when

OOTOBER. 247

quite young, and adopted the reform which was intro-
duced by St. John of Capistran into all convents in
Poland. He loved poverty, and kept to it with scrupu-
lous fidelity. He lived in seclusion, and practised on
his body such austerities as terrified the most fervent.
His humility and obedience never flagged ; full of zeal
and fervour in his missionary labours, he won many
souls to Jesus Christ, whose bitter Passion was always
the subject of his thoughts. His love and devotion to
the most holy Mary showed itself in every form ; he
was never weary of praising the virtues and the mercy
of our glorious Mother. Worn out with age, and weak-
ened by a violent attack of illness, he received the last
Sacraments, and died on the 4th of May 1605. He was
beatified by Pope Benedict XIV.

23. St. John of Capistran,
confessor, of the first order.
The scion of a family of distinction, and gifted by
nature with the highest intellectual and mental quali-
ties, John, whose education had been carefully culti-
vated, might have aspired to any dignity or office ; but
yielding to divine inspiration, he embraced the Seraphic
Hule, with the Friars Minor Observantins, where he
was soon noticed on account of his brilliant talents,
but above all, for his humility, obedience, and his great
love of exactitude in the observance of the Hule. His
life was divided between prayer and preaching. He re-
fused aU the entreaties wilii which he was urged to
accept the bishopric of Aquila. He was indefatigable as
a missionary, and a fearless defender of the interests of
the Church. He travelled over Italy, the Tyrol, Milan^
Bavaria, Austiia, Bohemia, H\m^Ba:^^l&J^T«:'^^^^'^!^^B^k^^

248 OOTOBEB.

Bosnia, Poland, Hussia in Europe, and part of France,
preaching everywhere, confounding heretics, and de-
fending his own and the Third Order from the unjust
attacks levelled against them. He was present at the
Council of Florence, where he attracted general atten-
tion by his deep learning. Pope Eugenius IV. intrusted
him with several missions of importance, all of which he
executed with marvellous skill. He preached the Cru-
sade against the Turks, and afterwards joined the army
of the Crusaders, going to the field of battle to en-
courage the soldiers, and shouting "Victory, Jesus,
victory !" The Turks were cut to pieces, and to John
of Capistran was ascribed the honour of the victory.
He yielded up his soul to God at the age of seventy-
one, in the year 1456; and Alexander YIIL canonised
him in the year 1690.

25. Blessed Fbanois of Caldebola,

CONFESSOR, OF THE F1B8T OBDEB.

This fervent disciple of our Lord was chiefly re-
markable for his humility, and zeal for the salvation of
souls. He knew how to bring himself down to a level
with his audience, like a true apostle ; and therefore
his preaching always produced abundant fruits. From
the pulpit he went straight to the confessional, which
he never left till night ; and then he gave himself to
prayer and contemplation. God gave him a special
talent for soothing angry spirits and reconciling ene-
mies; and he had a great devotion to Mary. He fell
asleep in the Lord in the year 1607, after having been
a Httie more than forty years in the Seraphic Order.
I'dpe Gregory XVI. placed V^^tn on \li[i<& '^\. ol ^^sm^

OOTOBER. 249

26. Blessed Bonaventxtba of Potemza,

CONFESSOR, OF THE FIRST ORDER.

" Amongst the most eminent servants of God,"
writes Pope Pius VI. in the brief of canonisation,
** must be numbered Blessed Bonaventura, who shone
in the house of God like a vessel of gold set with pre-
cious stones." At the age of seventeen he was clothed
in Franciscan serge, at a convent of Friars Minor Con-
ventuals. He soon became rather a prodigy than a
pattern of obedience, humility, gentleness, and morti-
fication. When raised to the priesthood, he exercised
his holy office with a zeal that nothing could discour-
age. His ministry produced wonderful fruits of grace.
Attacked by a dangerous malady, he bore the pain and
discomfort of sickness with invincible patience ; and at
length, strengthened by the Sacraments of the Church,
he breathed his last, amidst psalms and hymns of
praise, on the 26th of October 1710. Pius VI. raised
him to the dignity of beatification.

27. St. Yves,

confessor, of the third order.

This holy man gave an example of every virtue in
each of the various posts he held. He was the official
and cur6 of Treguier. He resigned his post as official
that he might give more time to prayer. He had joined
the Third Order in his youth, and kept the Bule faith-
fully all his life. He frequently fasted on bread and
water, wore a hair-shirt, and devoted himself to con-
templation. Full of compassion for sinners, solicitous
for the poor, hospitable to pilgrims and travellers,
he attracted the love and esteem of rich and poor^
little and great. His fame ^aa ^y^^<^ ^\s«.^\s^ *^siSk

250 OCTOBER.

miracles he worked during his life and after his death.
Pope Clement VI. placed him on the list of Saints.

30. Blessed Angel of Acri,

confessob, of the first ordeb.

From the time he was five years old, Angel was in
the habit of passing many hours prostrate before an image
of the Blessed Virgin. While quite young, he insisted
on entering the novitiate of the Friars Minor Capuchins ;
but twice he was obliged to leave. He returned, how-
ever, a third time, and after his novitiate was ended,
had the happiness to be professed. The devil assailed
him fearfully, but he overcame him by means of the aus-
terities he practised, and especially by the discipline which
he took every morning when he got up. He bore the
fatigues of the most painful missions with superhuman
courage. His life was one continual miracle. En-
riched with virtues and merits, he died in 1739, and
was beatified by Pope Leo XII., in the year of the
Jubilee, 1825.

31. Blessed Thomas of Flobence,
confessob, of the fibst obdeb.

Thomas wasted his youth in sinful excesses until,
moved by divine grace, he resolved to make reparation
to God for his iU-conduct, and prayed for admission to
a convent of Friars Minor, where he was received in
the capacity of lay brother. He loaded his body with
austerities, and at the same time gave up his will to
the most entire and bHnd obedience. Being sent out
with a mission to Ethiopia, he was seized by the Ma-
Mometana and shut up in an old 'wa^i, '^Ivst^ \ia -"waa

NOYEMBER. 251

kept for twenty days without food. He was released
at the end of three months ; and after undergoing every
sort of ill-treatment from the infidels, he returned to
Italy, inconsolable at haying been unable to win the
palm of martyrdom. He was planning another journey
to Africa, when God called him to Himself on the 31st
of October 1447. He was beatified by Clement XIV.

NOVEMBER.

6. Blessed Raynier of the Holy Sepulchre.

confessor, of the first order.

The life of Blessed Raynier is very little known.
Some of the historians of the Order — ^Wading, amongst
others — tell us that he was received as a lay brother,
and was the companion of Benedict of Arezzo. All unite
in praising his fervour, obedience, and great love of the
interior life. He laboured above all — after the example
of our holy Father St. Francis — ^to reproduce in himself
the life of our Lord Jesus Christ, as far as the weak-
ness of human nature would allow; and by that means
he attained to the most eminent sanctity. God took
liim from this world in 1304; and so many miracles
were worked at his tomb, that the Sacred Congregation
of Rites drew up a decree, which was sanctioned by the
Sovereign Pontiff, allowing the Friars Minor to say his
Office.

6. Blessed Helen of Padua,

virgin, of the second order.
This blessed virgin was of the illustrious family of
Enselmini. Filled with heavenly grace, she consecrated
her virginity to God when scarcely twelve years. <s.\d.^
in the convent of Poor Claifta, ^\^<^\i5^\i^^^'^^'^ssjS^s^

252 NOVEMBER.

in her ootmtry not long before by our Seraphic Father
himself. Her guide in the way of perfection was the
miracle- worker of the age, St. Anthony of Padua ; under
whose saintly direction she soon attained to the highest
degree of perfection. Her himiility, angelic purity, ar-
dent love of penance and of prayer, her tender and
affectionate devotion to the Passion of our Lord Jesus
Christ, and her heroic fortitude in the tedious and pain-
ful sufferings she endured, made her a perfect example
of holiness to her Sisters, and her fame was spread
through the whole country by reason of the favours
which God bestowed upon her. Towards the end of
the year 1242 her soul departed to be for ever with
Him in heaven "Whom only she had loved on earth.
Fresh miracles confirmed the opinion that had always
been entertained of her sanctity, and from the time of
her death, her body, which remained supple and in a
perfect state of preservation, became an object of public
veneration. Innocent XII. sanctioned this devotion,
and allowed the children of St. Francis to say the Of-
fice of Blessed Helen.

7. Blessed Bebnabdin de Fossa,
confessob, of the fibst obdeb.

This generous servant of God was pursuing his
studies at Perugia about the time that the whole of
Europe resounded with the fame of the virtues and
miracles of St. Bemardin of Sienna. Filled with as-
tonishment and enthusiasm at all he heard about this
great Saint, he determined to join the Order of Friars
Minor. The preaching of St. James de la Marche con-
firmed him in this resolution. He took the holy habit,
and set himself diligently to imitate St. Bemardin.
-Bis purity and chastity were bo gceiv.\,^'B.\.\ia\ia&\x^ii

NOVEMBER. 253

compared to an angel. He slept little, fasted, wore a
hair-shirt, made frequent use of the discipline, and
prayed with floods of tears before an image of Jesus
crucified. As an apostolic missionary he preached in
all the cities of Italy, in Dalmatia, and the neighbour-
ing countries. He was made successively Provincial,
Procurato, and Vicar-General of his Order, against his
own wish, for he would gladly have declined these of-
fices, but was obliged to submit. God bestowed on him
the gift of miracles. He died at the Convent of Ochra,
at the age of eighty-three, on the 27th of November
1603. Pope Leo XII. beatified him in 1828.

12. St. Didacius of Aloala,

CONFESSOR, of THE FIRST ORDER.

This Saint was bom at Saint Nicholas of Port, in
Spain. His early studies were directed by a pious
priest, but wishing to unite himself more closely to God,
he went to the convent of Friars Minor Observantins
at Orifazza, and was professed there as a lay brother.
He bore the yoke of obedience and observance of the
Rule with unspeakable joy, and his greatest happiness
was in contemplation. He was sent to the Canary
Islands and made Superior of the Mission, convert-
ing great numbers of infidels by his example and ex-
hortations. In the year of the Jubilee, under Pope
Nicholas V. he went to Rome, and was given the care
of the sick at the Convent of Ara Cceli. There he dis-
played so much tenderness and skill in the charity with
which he exercised his duties, that God rewarded bJTY^
by permitting him to work several miracles. He was
afterwards sent to Alcala, where, finding \^ ^\^^ ^^>s^
approaching, he fixed hia eyea Qixx\3aft Oxo^ ^si^.\st5^»&MA.

854 NOVEMBER.

his last, saying with inexpressible devotion a verse of
the hymn for Lauds in Passion-week. He died on the
12th of November 1463. He was numbered among the
Saints by Pope Sixtus V.

14. Blessed Gabriel Ferreti,

confessor, of the first order.

Gabriel was descended from the illustrious family
of La Marca, in which virtue was hereditary. Giving
up the dazzling prospects of this world's grandeur, he
took the habit of St. Francis in a convent of Friars
Minor Observantins. After he was professed he perse-
vered in the exercise of every religious virtue, and was
especially remarkable for obedience. The fame of his
sanctity soon spread on all sides. He was first made
Warden of the convent at Ancona, and afterwards Pro-
vincial of the Marches ; but in every position he was
distinguished by the same prudence and deep humility.
God bestowed on him the gift of prophecy and miracles,
and he made use of all his influence to reanimate the
fervour of the religious. Full of years and virtue, he
slept the sleep of the just on the 12th of November
1456. Pope Benedict XIV. beatified him.

16. St. Agnes of Assisi,

VIRGIN, OF the SECOND ORDER.

Agnes was St. Clare's sister, who, in seeking to pre-
vail on this first daughter of St. Francis to return to the
world she had renounced, was herself vanquished by the
heavenly wisdom which inspired St. Clare, and deter-
mined to remain with hex and. c\o\l!afe"k^x«»^m>ijDA%«.me

NOVEMBER. 255

coarse habit. God interfered miraculously to save her
from the furious anger of her family. She followed
closely in her sister's footsteps, but was obliged to leave
her to take the direction of the convent at Florence.
She established strict Hule there, trained the pious and
high-bom virgins under her care to the life of poverty
and austerity which St. Francis had laid down for them,
and then returned to her sister at the Convent of St.
Damiau. She lived in the greatest mortification, and
only employed herself with thoughts of God. Kipe for
the kingdom of heaven, God took her from this world
in 1253, three months after the death of her sister.

17. Blessed Salome,

VIRGIN, of the second ORDER.

This holy virgin, descended from the royal family
of Poland, gave herself to God at a very early age.
Her parents obliged her, for political reasons, to marry
Coloman, a prince of Hungary ; but by mutual consent
on their wedding-day they both took the vow of chastity.
When Coloman became King of Galicia, Salome's hu-
mility appeared to increase. She stripped herself of her
rich ornaments and gorgeous attire, and aU that could
foster pride, and often spent whole nights in prayer.
When death took her pious husband, she went back to
Cracow, and after giving liberally to the support of the
Convent of Scalen, she took the habit and was professed
there. After a time she was made Abbess, renewed a
strict observance of the Hule, and set a wonderful example
of mortification, humility, and patience. After twenty-
eight years of life in enclosure, she was attacked by a severe
illness whilst hearing Mass ; and one week later h&x.^ij^s^
left this world to be pze&eat at \)l[i!^ e^JUl:^'a^'^xnas|^<^«i»8^»

256 NOVEMBER.

of the Lamb. She died on the 17th of November 1268.
She was beatified by Pope Clement X.

19. St. Elizabeth of Hungary,

widow, of the third order. •

Elizabeth was a perfect marvel of sanctity and of
perfection from her birth. She loved the poor, and de-
lighted in helping them; and though living in a court,
and surrounded by luxury, she was lowly and humble as
a child in her own eyes. Her rich attire covered a rough
hair-shirt, which ate into her flesh : her deeds of mercy
were innumerable. After her husband's death she was
a victim to every kind of calumny and ill-treatment; but
she bore it all unmoved. Her benevolence, charity, and
patience never failed. She adopted and wore openly
the habit of the Third Order when death had deprived
her of her husband, and continued to wear it to the
end of her life. Though absorbed in prayer and de-
lighting in quiet contemplation, she left both to employ
herself incessantly in works of charity. She founded
and endowed several convents at her own expense.
God took her from this world on the 19th November
1231. She was canonised by Pope Gregory IX., and
became the Patroness of the Third Order.

26. Blessed Delphine,

virgin, of the third order.

Delphine took the vow of chastity with her husband,

St. Elzear, on the very day of their marriage; and

together they took also the habit of the Third Order.

Her life was holy and precious in God's sight, because,

even ia society and in brilliant courts, surrounded by

the miserable vanitieB oi thia V7oM, ^^^«& ^^^U^od to

NOVEMBER. 257

cultivate detachment and perfect purity of heart. She
loved poverty for herself, and loved the poor as being
the suffering members of Jesus Christ. For this reason
she did her best to comfort them and be as a motiier to
them, till her death in 1360.

27. Blessed Raymond Lullo,

martyr, of the third order.

This learned and holy man was bom at Palma, in
the Balearic Islands. Feeling dissatisfied with the
passing glories of this world, he took the habit of the
Third Order, spent nine years in seclusion, made several
journeys to Home, A^vignon, Paris, and Vienna, with a
view of inducing the Sovereign Pontiff and the General
Council of Vienna to build colleges, and afterwards
went to Bugia, in Afdca, where, after preaching the
faith openly with holy freedom for some time, he gained
the crown of martyrdom in 1315. He was beatified by
Pope Clement X.

28. St. James of Marchia,

confessor, of the first order.

After completing his studies, while still very young,
James thought of joining the Carthusians ; but God
moved him rather to enter a convent of Friars Minor.
His humility and obedience, and his spirit of penance and
of poverty, soon caused him to be looked upon as a per-
fect model of every religious virtue. "When he became
a priest he devoted himself to the ministry of preaching,
and proved himself an indefatigable missionaiy. He
spoke plainly the whole of God's truth to poor and
rich, and was not afraid openly to attack ti\e w.^'^i^ ^1
the great. For some time "he BYiore^ ^"^ VsCV^ ^si^^Nssw-

258 NOVEMBER — ^DECEMBER.

vels of St. John of Capistrana ; and he himself was in-
trusted with missions of importance by Martin V.,
Eugenins IV., Nicholas V., Calistus HI., Pius 31., Paul
II., and Sixtus IV. Worn out with toil and fatigue, he
died, at the age of eighty, on the 28th of November 1476.
He was canonised by Pope Benedict XII. in 1726.

29. All the Saints of the Order.

This festival has been granted by the Church to the
whole Order — to the Friars Minor and to the Second
and Third Orders also — as a day of commemoration to
celebrate on earth the triumph of that innumerable
multitude of martyrs, confessors, virgins, widows, and
holy men and women gathered from every rank and
position in the world into the great Franciscan family.
It is well for us also to be reminded at times of the vir-
tues of those who have gone before us, both to encourage
us, and to enlighten and direct our steps in that holy
course on which we have entered. Therefore it is our
bounden duty to keep this solemn festival with all due
honour. It is a family festival, upon which those who
have already enriched the Church with their super-
abundant merits entreat our Lord to pour out the trea-
sures of His grace on those of His children who are
poorest in spiritual goods. The recollection of so many
glorious victories should raise our courage, and make
us say within ourselves, " Why should not I do as so
many others have done ?"

DECEMBER.

8. Feast of the Immaculate Conception,
patroness of the three orders of st. francis.
Our Seraphic Patriarch bequ^s^th^d to all the chil-

DECEMBER* 259

dren who have been bom to him in Jesus Christ, a
tender love for and filial confidence in- the most holy
Mary. It was at our Lady of the Angels that St. Fran-
cis of Assisi convoked his first general chapter, in order
to place all his children under the patronage of the
august Mother of God, Mary Immaculate. Nothing
shows more strongly the intention of our Seraphic
Father than the statute proclaimed by him at this
general chapter, at which more than 5000 religious
were assembled. "Every Saturday a votive Mass shall
be celebrated in honour of the Immaculate Concep-
tion." Then is added: ""When you speak of Mary,
you shall attribute to her every excellence and every
imaginable prerogative, provided only that they are
consistent with her exalted dignity." The disciples
have obeyed their Master's directions, and the Fran-
ciscan family justly glories in having furnished the
dogma of the Immaculate Conception witli its most
devoted and most persevering defenders ; and it is on
that account that Mary Immaculate became the Pa-
troness of the three Orders of St. Francis of Assisi,
with the approbation of the Sovereign Pontiffs.

V). Blessed Elizabeth op Waldsech,

VIRGIN, of the THIBD ORDER.

This virgin was only fourteen when by her urgent
entreaties she obtained permission to enter a commu-
nity of the Third Order. The house was a very poor
one ; each Sister worked for her own maintenance, and
the whole business of the Superior was to superintend
the various works. All they had in common was their
spiritual exercises and their dwelling*, Mcue^ ^^-^^ ^^^
even enclosed. Elizabeth "wox^*^ i^u'aX,^^, ^"£»^'^^^ ''^^^^

260 DECEMBER.

was assailed by the most violent attacks of the
devil. She was unjustly accused of theft, and had to
bear the scorn and contempt of her companions ; and
when it pleased God to clear her from suspicion and
restore to her the esteem she had always before en-
joyed, she was attacked by an infectious leprosy, which
made her unbearable to everyone. Her patience never
gave way under all these trials. She spent all her time
in meditation on the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ.
She was only thirty-four when it pleased God to take
her from this vale of tears. She died on the 25th of
November 1420. Clement XIII. sanctioned the devo-
tion which has at all times been paid her.

12. Invention of the Body of oub holy Father,

St. Francis.

Divine Providence in its inscrutable decrees per-
mitted the body of our Seraphic Father to lie hidden
for nearly six centuries. But there was a universally-
received tradition that his remains were interred at a
very great depth under the high altar of the basilica of
the Sacro Convento. The Sovereign Pontiflfs, however,
strictly forbade any search to be made with a view of
discovering the body. At length, when the time deter-
mined by the Lord had come. Pope Pius VII., yielding
to the natural and just demands of the Minister- Gene-
ral of the Friars Minor Conventuals, authorised fresh
researches to be made for the body of the Saint. The
work was begun in secret, and carried on for fifty-two
nights with incredible vigour. After having broken
down walls and masonry-work and masses of rock, the
cojB^ was at last discovered. It was of stone, fastened
with great bars of iron. The a\v\keIl^afi\!c5 Ql\3DkftbQdy

DEOEMBER. 261

of our holy Father St. Francis was verified by five
Bishops delegated by the Sovereign Pontiff, who would
not allow the sacred body to be moved from the place
where it rested, and he forbade everyone, on pain of ex-
communication, to take away the very smallest particle.
At length, on the 5th of September 1820, Pius VII.
issued a bull in which he solemnly declared that " the
body that has been found beneath the high altar of the
lower basilica at Assisi is truly and indeed that of
St. Francis, Founder of the Order of Friars Minor ; for
which we praise the God of all consolation, who has
given us in this marvellous discovery a sure token of
the assistance and protection of this great Saint in these
times of trouble." In order to perpetuate the memory
of tliis joyful event, Leo XII. ordered that the office for
it should be said by the whole Franciscan Order.

14, Saint Leonard of Port Maurice,
confessor, of the first order.

This great servant of God was bom in the part of
Italy called the Riviera, near Genoa. His father was
a sailor. From his youth he was well grounded in
piety, which seemed fully to develop itself in him when
he went to Home to finish his education at the Boman
College. Aspiring to higher perfection, at the age of
twenty-two he joined the Friars Minor of the Reform.
He was never known to deviate from the way of per-
fection. He was employed by his Superiors on mission-
work in Italy, where he soon attained great celebrity.
St. Alphonso Liguori always spoke of him as '* the
great missionary." Although naturally of a weak and
delicate constitution, he added fasting, vi^s^ antl tK<ik
most terrible macerationa lo \Jaa '\»XiQV32K^ ^il*^^ ^^sissg^.

262

and the confessional. He exerted all his zeal to ex-
tend the devotion of the Way of the Cross; and he
took innumerable measures and petitioned Benedict
XrV. incessantly to prevail on him to declare the dog-
ma of the Immaculate Conception; bnt t>iig gloiyTras
reserved for our present illustrioiis Pontiff Hus IX.,
who is himself a member of the Franciscan fEunily be-
ing one of the Third Order. Loaded with merit, and
fuU of years, Leonard went to receive his eternal re-
ward in heaven. On hearing of his death, Benedict
Xr\^. exclaimed, " We suffer a great loss, but we gain
a powerful protector in heaven." Pius VL, who had
known and revered him during his life, beatified him
forty-five years after his death, and Pius IX. enroUiad
him among the Saints in October 1866.

17. Blessed Conrad ^ Offide,

CONFESSOR, OF THE FIRST ORDER.

Desiring to place his salvation beyond the reach of
danger. Blessed Conrad resolved to enter the Order of
Friars Minor. His education had been brilliant ; and
as soon as he had made his profession, he was raised
to the priesthood; but his fevomite virtues were hu-
mility and self-denial. He therefore asied and ob-
tained permission to work in the Mtchen; and alter-
f^ards, for ten years, he was employed in questing for
the convent. He very seldom offered the Holy Sacri-
fioe of the Mass ; for which our Lord rebuked him
severely. His love of poverty was so great that he
wore the same habit fifty years. His Superiors in-
trusted him with the ministry of preaching, and he
acquitted liimself with the greatest success. God be-
stowed on In'm the gift of miracles, and filled him with
the sweetest heavenly oonaolationB. H^ -^^aaed away

DECEMBER. 263

from this earth on the 12th of December 1306, and was
beatified by Pope Hua VII. on the 21st of April 1817.

17. Blessed Benedict of Urbino,

of the ordeb of the capuchins.

B. Benedict Passionei was bom on the 2dd of Sep-
tember 1560, of noble parents, who were no less dis-
tinguished for their virtues than for their rank and
position. Left an orphan when very young, he was
educated at Padua, where dihgent attention to his
studies never seemed to interrupt the converse of his
soul with God. Having made up his mind to enter
some religious order, he chose the poorest and hum-
blest, and after many repulses and mortifications was
fiomewhat unwillingly admitted into the Capuchin Con-
vent of Fano. Here he became the model and marvel
of all the other novices from his wonderful austerities
and exact observance of the Kule. Chosen by his
Superiors for the work of preaching, he was sent after
a few years to Vienna, where his extraordinary zeal and
talents worked miracles in the conversion of his hearers.
His health failing, he was sent back to Italy, where he
was made Superior, and edified the whole Order by his
incredible penances, extraordinary obedience, and all
theological virtues. His heroic charity was no less
remarkable than his intense humility, which made him
honestly think himself the worst among his brethren.
After a life spent in imceasing labour for others, and
mortification of himself, he slept peaceably in our Lord
on the 30th of April 1626, having been forewarned of the
day of his death, and being sixty-four years old. Both
before and after his death he worked man^ m^xAR^sfcR»^
which were duly attested "by \]laa Cosi^^^g^^'o^ ^VSi^i^

264 DECEMBER.

on the 18th of September 1866. He was, in conse-
quence, beatified by Pope Pius IX., on the 27th of
November 1866, and the decree was published by him
on the 17th of December of the same year.

19. Blessed Mabgabet Colonna,

vibgin, of the second obdeb.

Margaret was of an illustrious family, and her
parents dying while she was young, left her to the
guardianship of her brothers, who wished to find a
suitable marriage for her. She, however, steadfastly
refused to listen to their entreaties, took the habit of
St. Clare, and always wore a hair-shirt. She spent the
whole of her large fortune on the poor and on religious
communities, and gave herscK entirely up to the care
of the sick, whom she visited, comforted, and exhorted
to patience. She yielded up her spirit to God on the
30th of December 1284. Many miracles have been
worked at her tomb. The Sovereign Pontiflf Pius IX.
placed her on the list of the Blessed.

22. Blessed John of Peace,
confessob, of the thibd obdeb.

Blessed John was bom at Pisa, in 1353, of a family
no less remarkable for its ancient nobility than for its
enormous wealth. He embraced a military life, and
married. But touched by the grace of God, he became
entirely converted, and casting from him the seductions
of the world and the advantages of his high birth, he
was publicly clothed in the humble habit of the Third
Order. From that time, his house was turned into a
refuge for the poor and infiom, osA V'^ oi:^^ ^^ued

DECEMBER. 265

money as a means of relieving the distressed. At-
tracted by the report of his virtue, and by the wonderful
example he was giving to the world, great numbers of
Christians were anxious to imitate his life of good
works and of penance. John therefore founded a pious
confraternity, the members of which were bound to beg
alms of the faithful, and then to go and distribute them
amongst the poor. He was taken to his rest about
the year 1427. His fellow citizens venerated him from
the first as of the number of the Blessed. In 1856, his
body was carried to the Church of the Friars Minor
Conventual, in the midst of an immense concourse of
people; and on the 10th of September 1857 Pius IX.
approved by decree the devotion which had been paid
from time immemorial to Blessed John of Peace.

23. Blessed Nicholas Factor,
confessor, of the first order.
This blessed servant of God fasted three times
a week from the time he was five years old, and gave to
the poor whatever food was given him for himself.
His holy life converted a Moorish woman who was in
the service of his parents. While still quite young, he
visited the sick in the hospitals, and lavished on them
the greatest care and attention. He refused steadily
all the alliances proposed for him by his parents, and
joined the Friars Minor Observantins. After his pro-
fession, he was made priest, and devoted himself to
preaching. He was austere, humble, and full of con-
tempt of himself; he went about always barefoot, only
wearing sandals when obliged by illness. In spite of
his austerities, his countenance was always lighted ujg
with an expression of gentle \ittp^Vxi!&%<&. ISa ^gs^^Xiss^-

266 DEOEMBEB.

self the discipline three times before preachiog, to draw
down the blessing of God on himself and his audience.
Led no doubt by the Spirit of God, whose designs are
unsearchable, he changed from the Observantins to
the Capuchins, and then, after some years, returned to
the Observantins. When someone expressed surprise
at this, he replied, " I can but do the will of God. The
religion of our Father St. Francis is holy, most holy,
in all its branches. The Capuchin Fathers are holy,
the Observantin Fathers are holy, the Becollect
Fathers are holy; and the Conventual Fathers are
likewise holy." God called this fervent religious unto
HimseK, and he breathed his last repeating the words of
the Psalm, " Lsetatus sum in his quse dicta sunt mihi,
in dome Domini ibimus," — " I was glad when they said
unto me, We will go into the house of the Lord." He
was beatified by Pope Pius VI.

ON THE INDULGENCES GEANTED
TO THE THIED ORDER.

Article I.

GENERAL CONCESSIONS OF SPIRITUAL FAVOURS AND INDUL-
GENCES TO THE THIRD ORDER.

Before entering into detail of the principal indul-
gences accorded to the Third Order, let us first refer to
the general concessions which have been granted to it
by the Sovereign Pontiflfe.

I. Sixtus IV., Leon X., Innocent XI., and still more
particularly Innocent XII., in his constitution Sua
nobis, of December 16, 1695, confirmed by Benedict
Xni., Pius Vn., and Pius IX., have communicated to
the Third Order all the spiritual privileges and all the
indulgences, personal and local, granted to the two
other Orders of St. Francis. By virtue of this commu-
nication, the Tertiaries may gain the same indulgences
as the Brothers Minor and the religious of St. Clare ;
and the churches or public chapels of the Third Order,
even when these chapels form part of a parish church,
enjoy the same privileges as the other churches of the
Order of St. Francis. For example, the chief altar of
these churches is privileged ; Tertiaries may gain there
the indulgence of the Portiimcula, &c. The only differ-
ence that exists in this respect between the churches
and public chapels of the Third Order secular and the
other churches of the Order is, that, in the latter, indul-
gences granted directly, and not by communication, may
be gained by all the faithful without distinction ; whilat
in churches of the Third Ord.ei'ViO^k^'vxs^t^sss^Ns^ 's^^'^^s^

268 SPIRITUAL FAVOURS AND INDULGENCES.

privilege, can be gained by the Tertiaries only. The
Sacred Congregation of Iiidulgences has declared it
several times, especially on May 24, 1819, for the Con-
gregation of the Third Order of Faenza, under the di-
rection of the Brothers Minor Observantins,' and on
April 14, 1856, for the Congregations of the Third
Order in France.^

But now our most holy Father Pope Pius IX., by
the following brief, has deigned to extend to all the
faithful, on visiting the churches or chapels of the
Third Order, the favour of gaining the indulgences
granted to the churches of the Order of St. Francis,
provided that these churches or chapels are in places
where no church of the Brothers Minor Capuchins
exists.

Pius P.P. IX.

AD FUTURAM REI 5IEM0RIAM.

"Expositum est Nobis in GaUiarum dioecesibus mire
auctas, ac propagatas fuisse sodalitates Tertii-Ordinis
S. Francisci Cappuccin. nuncupat. et in ecclesias, in
quibus dictfle sodalitates erectse existunt, magno numero
Christifideles concurrere. Modo vero dilectus Filius
hodiemus Procurator Generalis Fratrum Ordinis Mi-
norum S. Francisci Cappuccin. nuncupat. enixas preces
Nobis porrexit, ut majori bono, ac commodo spirituaJi
Christifidelium e prsedictis Dioecesibus consulere de
benignitate Nostra Apostolica dignaremur, facultatem
concedentes, cujus vi Christifideles ecclesias, ubi memo-
ratsB sodalitates canonice erectSB existunt, visitantes
frui possent iisdem indulgentiis, ac si dicti Ordinis
ecclesias visitarent. Nos ad augendam Fidelium re-

^ J^ernuis, verb, Indulg. Appendix, voL iv. p. 27, edition of
Mimt Casain,

^Analecta Juris Pontif. voL u. p. ^^\>%

SPIRITUAL FAVOURS AND INDULQENOES. 269

ligionem, et animarum salutem coelestibus Ecclesiaa
thesauris pia charitate intenti, precibus nobis porrectis,
quantum in Domino possumus, annuere voluimus. Quare
de omnipotentis Dei misericordia ac BB. Petri et Pauli
Apostolorum ejus auctoritate confisi, omnibus, et sin-
gulis utriusque sexus Christifidelibus, qui ecclesias so-
dalitatum Tertii Ordinis Minorum S. Francisci Cap-
puccin. nuncupat. in Galliarum dioecesibus existentes
visitaverint, eas omnes, et singulas Indulgentias etiam
de Portiuncida nuncupatas, peccatorum remissiones, ac
poenitentiarum relaxationes consequi libere ac licite
Auctoritate Nostra Apostolica concedimus, quas conse-
querentur, si quamlibet ecclesiam praefati Ordinis Mi-
norum S. Francisci devote visitarent, dummodo tamen
ecclesisB dictarum sodalitatum sint in iis locis ubi eccle-
sise, et conventus prsedictorum Fratrum-Minorum Or-
dinis S. Francisci Cappuccin. nimcupat. baud existant,
et fideles ea omnia, qusB pro Indulgentiis consequendis
injuncta sunt, rite prsBstiterint. Non obstantibus Nostra
et Cancellariae Apostolicae regula de non concedendis
Indulgentiis ad instar, aliisque Constitutionibus et Or-
dinationibus Apostolicis, cseterisque contrariis quibus-
cumque. Yolumus autem, ut prsesentium Litterarum
transumptis, seu exemplis etiam impressis manu ali-
cujus notarii publici subscriptis, et sigillo person^ in
Ecclesiastica dignitate constitutse munitis, eadem pror-
sds fides adhibeatur qusB adhiberetur ipsis prsesentibus,
si forent exhibits vel ostensse. Praesentibus ad decen-
nium tantiim valituris.

" Datum Romse apud S. Petrum, sub annulo Pisca-
toris, die xx. Maii mdccclix., Pontificatiis nostri anno
decimo tertio.

Pro Domino Cardinali Maochi,
L. + 8. J.-B. Brancaleoni-Casteliaki^

Su\)%t\tutu%V

270 spmrruAL favours and indulqenoes.

Pius IX., Pope.

"Our beloved son, the Procurator-General of the
Brothers Minor of St. Francis, called Capuchins, having
stated to us recently that the congregations of the Third
Order of St. Francis, directed by them, have so wonder-
folly increased in the dioceses of France, and that the
fedthftd resort in crowds to the churches where these
congregations are established, has requested us, with
urgent entreaties, to open our apostolic heart towards
the faithful of these dioceses, and to favour their pro-
gress in goodness by deigning to accord to all the faith-
ful who shall visit the churches where these congre-
gations are canonicaUy established, the faculty of gain-
ing the same indulgences as if they visited the churches
of the First Order. As for us, whom a tender charity
ever disposes to act for the increase of piety among the
faithful, and for the salvation of souls by the dispensa-
tion of the heavenly treasures of the Church, we are
willing to assent to these prayers as far as we are able
in the Lord. Wherefore, fully confiding in the mercy
of Almighty God, and the authority of His blessed
Apostles Peter and Paul, and by virtue of our full
apostolic authority, we grant to all the faithful of both
sexes who shall visit the churches of the congregations
of the Third Order of the Brothers Minor of St. Francis,
called Capuchins, established in the dioceses of France,
the power of gaining all indulgences without exception,
even those of the Portiuncula, all the remissions of sins,
and all tlie relaxations from penances, which they would
obtain by devoutly visiting any church whatsoever of
the said Order of Brothers Minor of St. Francis, pro-
vided, however, that the churches of the said congrega-
tions are. situated in places where the Brothers Minor
of the Order of St. Francis, called Capuchins, have no
church, and that the faitlifui eiLac^Xy iA\\SV ^ 'Ocia <i.Qvi-

spmrruAL favours and indulgences. 271

ditions requisite for gaining these indulgences. We
grant this favour, notwithstanding our rule and that of
our apostolic seal not to accord indulgences ad iniUar,
as well as other constitutions, apostolic ordinances, and
eveiything else whatsoever which may be urged against
US. We will also that, to the translations and copies of
the presents, even those printed, provided they are
signed hy a public notary, and sealed with the seal of a
person endowed with ecclesiastical dignity, the same
credit bo given as would be to the presents themselves
were they produced or shown. These letters will have
no value after ten years.

" Given at Home, in the CJhurch of St. Peter, under
the seal of the Fisherman, the 20th of May 1859, the
thirteenth year of our pontificate.

For his Eminence the Cardinal Macchi,

L. 4- s. J.-B. Brancaxeoni-Castellani,

Deputy."

After this brief, it wlU not be permitted to affix on the
doors of churches or chapels of the Tertiaries (secular)
the table of indulgences of the Festivals of the Third
Order, in localities where the Brothers Minor Capu-
chins have a church.

n. Concessions granted to a congregation of the
Third Order separately, extend themselves, in fact, to
the whole Third Order, to all its members, and all the
other congregations ; provided, however, that these con-
cessions have not been caused by an exceptional cir-
cumstance, nor for any entirely private reason. Such
has been the will of the Sovereign Pontiflfs. The fol-
lowing is the manner in which Innocent XII. expresses
himself on this subject in the brief Sua nobis above
mentioned : " In his letters collected in the form of a
brief of September 5, 1686, Innocent XI., our ^^<^^-
cesser, has confirmed the ft(y mTt\\\ Tv\oA^<KQ. qI^^d?^^'^'**

272 SPmiTUAL FAVOURS AND INDULGENCES.

and plenary indulgences also, already granted by several
Koman Pontiffs, and which have not as yet been re-
voked in the churches, places, confraternities, congrega-
tions, orders, and to persons of either sex, under obedi-
ence to or direction of a Minister-General of the Order
of Brothers Minor of St. Francis. From whence it fol-
lows, as the Holy See has oftentimes declared, that
when an altar in any place whatsoever, a church, con-
fraternity, congregation, or order of the same persons
is favoured with a plenary or partial indulgence, applic-
able or not to the souls in purgatory, whether it be
granted in favour of these persons only, or indeed to
all the faithful, this same indulgence, provided it has
not been revoked, may be gained respectively at every
place, altar, church of the confraternities, congrega-
tions, orders, and persons above named, on the condi-

tions mentioned in the grant of the concession

Thus has the Holy See willed to endow all these places
equally, and to bestow upon them, in the eyes of the
faithful, alike uniform and equivalent merit, because
they all strive equally in the service of God and of the
Church." Benedict XIII. also, in his bull Paterna
Sedisy declared that he intended to renew and grant
this communication : " In virtue of the apostolic autho-
rity, we confirm all the indults and privileges touching
the government and the direction of the Third Order
granted to one or several congregations, and we declare
that we extend and render them common to the whole
of the Third Order.''^

HI. The Tertiaries, by communication, enjoy all the
indulgences and all the spiritual favours granted to the
religious of the Orders Mendicant, and to their Third

^See upon this important question, Theodore da Saint-
Esprit, Tractatus de Indulg, pw» u. wt. i, sect. 6, p. 444.
^ernriB, verb, Indulg, art. v. n, 7^,

SPIRITUAL FAVOURS AND INDULGENCES. 273

Orders ; that is, to the Brothers Preachers, to the Bro-
thers Elinor, the Augustiniaiis, the Carmelites, the Ser-
vites, the Trinitarians, the Jesuits, the Minimes, the
Jeromites, the Theatines, tlie Passionists, &c. See on
this subject sec. xii. of bull Patema Sedis of Benedict
XIII. : '* To influence the faithful to embrace with fer-
vour this holy Rule, and never to abandon it after
having embraced it, and to tCpply themselves with
greater joy to the exercises of piety and humility en-
joined by St. Francis in his Rule, we approve all and
every concession and grace, spiritual as well as tem-
poral, especially the indulgences granted by the Roman
Pontiffs, our predecessors, to any congregation whatso-
ever of the Third Order, whether seculars, or those
living in community, or religious ; to their persons, mo-
nasteries, houses, colleges, churches, hospitals, chapels,
and any places whatever, whether they have been
granted directly andjspecially, or even by communication
with the other Orders, viz. the Brotiiers Minor, the
religious of St. Clare, the Brothers Preachers, the Au-
gustinians, the Carmelites, and other religious mendi-
cants, as also with the archconfratemities of the Cord
and of the Gonfalone at Rome, under whatever form
and expression they have been granted; we approve
them, we confirm them, we grant and concede them
anew, and particularly those cited in the apostolic
letters of our predecessors of happy memory : Clement
v., Cum iUuminatum sity of May 8, 1305; Sixtus
IV., Sacri Pradieatorum et Minorum Ordines, of July
*20, 1479 ; Leo X., Dudum per nos, of December 10,
1619 ; Clement VII., Ad uheres fnictmy of March 10,
1526; Paul in.. Ad fructus uheres, of July 8, 1547;
Clement VUl., Ratio pastoralia officii, of December 20,
1597 ; Paul V., Cum certa, of March 11, 1607 ; wcA^
further, the indulgences conteoxvi^^ m ^^^^x*^ ^^^^st.

'SI

274 spmrruMi fayoubs and indulgences.

apostolic letters' of Innocent XE., Urdverms, of Septem-
ber 30, 1681 ; JEoelesuB Catholica, of June 28, 1686 ;
Exponi nobis, of September b, 1686; Alias emanavit,
of October 10, 1686; Exponi nobis, of May 15,. 1688;
of Innocent XIL, Ad ea, of December 24, 1692 ; Debt-
turn, of May 19, 1694; Sua nobis, of December 16,.
1695; Cum sieut dUectus, of November 21, 1696; Ex^
poni nobis, of December 3,. 1697 ; Exdebito pastoralis,
&c, ; in short, all the fiBiYoarB contained in the letters of
other Roman Pontifi^, our predecessors, granted to the
said Order, we renew them and we confirm them by the
authority and tenor of the presents/*

lY. The Tertiaiies further enjoy by communication
aU the spiritual favours and indulgences granted to the
religious of all the Orders not Mendicant. This com-
munication is formally expressed in a great number of
Bulls. We will only quote the most important ; Clement
VII., Dumfractus uberes, of May 30, 1626; PauHV.,^a? .
dlementi Sedis Apostolioa, of July 1, 1665; Pius IV., ^a?
dementi Sedis Apostolica provisione, of April 27, 1661 ;
Gregory XTTT., Ex benigna Sedis Apostolica, of May 21,
1575 ; Sixtus V., Et si Mendicantium Ordines, of October
3, 1587 ; Clement VlJl., Ratio pastoralis Officii, of De-
cember 20, 1597 ; Innocent XI., Ecclesia CatkoUece, of
June 28, 1686; and Exponi nobis, oi September 6, 1686;
Innocent XII., Sua nobis, of December 16, 1696 ; Bene-
dict XTTT., Patema Sedis, of December 10, 1725 ; and
Summe decet, of April 5, 1727;* Hus VIL and Pius IX.

This ample communication of graces, favours, and
spiritual privileges amongst the Tertiaiies and all the
religious Orders, without exception, is very authentic.
Clement XII., it is true, as we have already observed
in chapter iii., had revoked several orders in the Bulls of

^ FerrariM, verb, Indndg. art. v. n. 74. Theodore du Saint-
Esprit, Tractatus de IndvXg. pwm iSk wc^ v ««^ -^ i^. 444.

SPmiTUAL FAVOURS AND INDULGENCES, 275

Benedict XTTT., and had them reduced to common law.
But on reading the constitution Eomanus Pontifex,
published for this end March 30, 1732, one is easily con-
vinced that he intended to annul only the privileges con-
trary to the rights and jurisdiction of Bishops over Ter-
tians Seculars, reckoned simply as the faithful. Some-
what later, Benedict XTV., by his Constitution, Ad Roma-
num Pontificeniy of March 16, 1751, revoked generally all
the personal indulgences granted to the Third Order,
and substituted others for them. But afterwards, the
Sovereign Pontiffs restored to the Third Order its innu-
merable spiritual riches. In a brief, Pias Ghristifide-
Hum, of February 10, 1818, granted in favour of the Ter-
tiaries of Gerona in Spain, Hus VII. renewed the Bull,
Paterna Sedis Apostoliccs, of Benedict XIII. In our
own times, our most holy Father, Pope Pius IX., in
conformity with the fervour of his devotion for the Sera-
phic Father, St. Francis, has entirely reconstituted the
sacred patrimony of the Third Order. In a first brief,
Supremi Apostolatus qffidum, of July 7, 1848, he con-
firmed for ever by apostolic authority, and as far as
necessary he granted anew, to the Order of Tertiaries of
the kingdom of France all and every indulgence, remis-
Bion of sins, relaxation j&om penances, and other spiritual
favours granted by Benedict XIII. in his Bull, Paterna
Sedis. On March 11, 1851, he granted a second brief.
Cum sicut nobis, in which all the favours contained in
the former brief, Supremi Apostolatus, are extended to
the Tertiaries in all countries. Finally, by the decree
of the Sacred Congregation of Indulgences, which wo
have cited in chapter iii., our Holy Father, Pope Pius
IX., has declared that all these indulgences, privileges,
communications, &c. belong without restiiction to all
the Tertiaries of St. Francis, under whatever dis^i^i^iss^
they may be placed.

276 SPIRITUAL FAVOURS AND INDULGENCES.

The following is the translation of the two briefe of
which we have just spoken.

Pius IX., Pope.

FOB AN ETERNAL MEMORIAL.

" The ofi&ce of the Supreme Apostleship which the
will of God has conferred on us, notwithstanding the
insufficiency of our merits, demands that religious so-
cieties wisely founded for increasing the religion and
charity of the faithful of Jesus Christ should be
especially enriched by us out of the abundance of
spiritual treasures, the dispensation of which has been
confided to us by the Most High, in order that, being
excited by so powerful a motive, men may hasten to
join these religious societies, and thus by increasing
their merits may render themselves worthy of a closer
Tinion with God.

" As, then, we have been requested, in the name of
the officers and members of the Confraternity or Con-
gregation of the Third Order of Penance of St. Francis
existing in the town and diocese of Marseilles, to be
pleased, as was our predecessor of happy memory,
Pius VII., for the Franciscan Tertiaries of the town of
Gerona, in his apostolic letters in the form of a brief
of February 10, 1818, to confirm, in favour of the Ter-
tiaries of the entire realm of France, and to extend to
them all the privileges accorded to the Third Order
of St. Francis, by our predecessor of happy memory,
Benedict XIII., in his letters commencing with the
words Paterna Sedis^ we have considered it our duty
to comply with such pious requests wHch concern the
salvation of souls.

" Wherefore being resolved to comply with the re-

qnests for these specialfavours, and to consent to their pe-

titions, fall of confidence in \3cie metc^ oi ^s^xai^ty God,

SPIRITUAL FAVOURS AND INDULGENCES, 277

and in the authority of His most blessed Apostles Peter
and Paul, we confirm for ever, by apostolic authority,
in favour of the said Tertiaries of France, and, as far as
necessary, we grant anew, by the tenor of these pre-
sents, all and every indulgence, remission of sins, re-
laxation from penances, and other spiritual favours
generally accorded to tlie same Order of Tertiaries by
our predecessor, Benedict XIII., in his aforenamed
letters, Paterna Sedis.

" Further, in conformity with the request which has
been made to us by the same petitioners, we, by virtue
of the same authority, transfer for ever to the Tertiaries
of the realm of France, on the Sunday next following
the feast, the plenary indulgences attached to the
Feasts of the Immacidate Conception of the Blessed
Virgin Mary, of St. Francis of Assisi, of the Sacred
Stigmata of the same Saint, of St. Louis, king of
France, and of St. Elizabeth, queen of Hungary.

" Notwithstanding all that the same Benedict XIH.
has already declared in the aforesaid letters not to
cause any obstacle, and notwitlistanding all other
things to the contrary, we also will that precisely the
same weight be attached to the translations and also
to the printed copies, provided they are signed by a
public notary and impressed with the seal of a person
constituted with ecclesiastical dignity, as would have
been attached to the presents had they been produced
and exhibited.

" Given at Rome, in the church of St. Mary the
Greater, under the ring of the Fisherman, the 7 th of
July 1848, the third year of our pontificate.

L. + 8. A. Cabi>. Lambruschini."

278 SPHUTUAL PAV0X7RS AND INDTJLaENCES.

Pros IX., PoPB.

FOB AN STEBNAL MEMOBIAL.

" Onr dear son, John Charles Magni, Minister-
General of the Order of the Brothers Minor of St.
Francis, called Oonventoals, whilst recently declaring
to ns that the devotion of the Mthfdl of Jesns Christ
towards the Third Order of the same St. Francis was
being everywhere renewed and daily increased, humbly
besought us to favour this pious movement by deigning
to extend to the members of the Confiratemity of the
Third Order in all countries the indulgences and other
spiritual favours which we have granted to the Fran-
ciscan Tertiaries in France by our apostolic letters of
July 7, 1848, at the request of the Congregation of the
Third Order at Marseilles, and according to the tenor
of the apostolic letters of Benedict XTTT., our prede-
cessor of happy memory, which commence with the
words, Singularis devotio, of July 15, 1726.

" Having greatly at heart, on account of the charge
of our chief Apostleship, to procure for the flock
which the Lord has intrusted to us all the aid within
our power, in order that, especially in the perversity
of the present time, it may not depart from the right
way of salvation, or may return thereto as speedily
as possible, we have found it good to grant these pious
petitions.

" Wherefore, filled with confidence in the mercy of
Almighty God and in the authority of His blessed
Apostles Peter and Paul, by our apostolic authority
we grant for ever, by the present letters, to aU the
fedthful of both sexes forming part of the Third Order
of St. Francis of Assisi, or who shall in jfuture form
part of it, all the favours we have accorded to the
FranciscBH Tertiaries in France in our aforesaid letters
of July 7, 1848, according to \hft XfeXLOt cii MJca Qtiier

PRINOIPAL INDULGBNGBfi. 279

apostolic letters, already mentioned, of Benedict XIII.,
our predecessor, notwithstanding onr rule and that of
our apostolic chancery not to grant indulgences ad
instar, as well as other constitufions, apostolic ordi-
nances, and other things whatsoever.

*' Given at Home, at St. Peter's, under the ring of
the Fisherman, the 11th of March 1851, the fifth year
of our pontificate.

L. + s. A. Card. Lambruschini."

Article II.

<3atal0gue of the principal indulgences, plenary and
partial, which may be oained by the tertiaries of
st. francis.

Plenary indulgences granted on visiting the Churches
of the three Orders of St, Francis.

The Tertiaries may gain a plenary indulgence on
each of the days hereafter indicated, provided that,
having confessed and communicated, they visit a church
or public chapel of one of the three Orders, and therein
pray for the intentions of the Sovereign Pontiff.

By concession of Gregory XVI., October 19, 1839,
and of Pius IX., March 18, 1851, and August 4, 1847,
the Tertiaries lawfully hindered from visiting a church
of the Order may gain the same indulgences by visiting
their parish church or any other church or public
chapel, even when there is a church of the Order in the
place of their residence.

The indulgences marked with a cross may be gained
on another day, if the Tertiaries cannot receive H.oI^
Communion on the day ia^oaAA^m^i^ <sdX»^^S^^«

280 PMNOIPAL INDULGENCES.

January.

1. Circumcision of our Lord Jesus Christ. General

Absolution. Leo X., March 29, 1515 ; Pius IX.,

March 12, 1855.
6. Epiphany of our Lord Jesus Christ. General

Absolution. Leo X., March 26, 1515 ; Pius IX.,

March 12, 1855.
The second Sunday after the Epiphany, Feast of the

Holy Name of Jesus. Benedict XTV., September

14, 1745.
14. B. Bernard of Corleone, Confessor, of the First

Order, Capuchin. Clement XIV., November 7,

1769 ; Pius VII., January 18, 1820.
16. S. Berard and Companions, proto-martyrs, of the

First Order. Clement XII., January 11, 1735 ;

Benedict XIV., October 18, 1741; Pius VI.,

March 10, 1781.
f 23. The Espousals of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary.

Pius IX., June 2, 1851.
f 28. B. Matthew of Agrigentum, Bishop, Confessor, of

the First Order. Pius IX., June 2, 1851.

30. S. Hyacintha of Mariscotti, Virgin, of the Second

Order. Pius VII., November 27, 1807.

31. B. Louisa of Albertoni, Widow, of the Third Order.

Pius VI., March 10, 1781.

Febbuary.

1. B. Andrew, Count of Segni, Confessor, of the First

Order. Clement XTV., November 23, 1772; Pius
VI., March 10, 1781.

2. The Purification of the Most Blessed Virgin Maiy.

General Absolution. Leo X., March 29, 1515 ;
Piua IX., March 12, 1855.
d, 8. Joseph of Leones&a, Coni^^^Qnc, ot the First

PMNOIPAL INDULGENOES. 281

Order, Capuchin. Clement XII., July 13, 1739 ;
Benedict XIV., August 22, 1746.

5. BB. Peter Baptista and Companions, Martyrs, of

the First and Third Order. Clement XII., July
13, 1739; Pius VI., March 10, 1781.

11. B. Viridiana, Virgin, of the Third Order. Pius
IX., December 11, 1868.

13. B. Angela of Foligno, Widow, of the Third Order.
Clement XTV., December 11, 1772; Pius VI.,
March 10, 1781.
f 16. B. Philippa Mareri, Virgin, of the Second Order.
Pius IX., June 2, 1851.

19. S. Conrad of Plaisance, Confessor, of the Third
Order. Pius IX., December 11, 1868.

23. S. Margaret of Cortona, Penitent, of the Third
Order. Benedict XIII., July 26, 1728 ; Clement
XII., May 7, 1732 ; Pius VI., March 10, 1781.
f 26 (Leap-year 27). B. Antoinette of Florence, Virgin,
of the Second Order. Pius IX., June 2, 1851.

27 (Leap-year 28). B. Jane ofValois, Queen of France,
Widow, of the Third Order. Pius IX., Decem-
ber 11, 1858.

Mabch.

6. S. John Joseph of the Cross, Confessor, of the

First Order. Gregory XVI., March 27, 1H40.
6. S. Colette of Corbie, Virgin, Reformer of the Second

Order. Pius VII., July 31, 1807.
to. S. Frances of Rome, Widow, of the Third Order.

Pius IX., June 2, 1851.
11. S. Catherine of Bologna, Virgin, of the Second

Order. Clement XI., August 27, 1714; Clement

XII., May 7, 1732.
16. B. Peter of Sienna, Confessor, of the Third Order.

Pius IX., December 11, 1^^^,

282 FBINdPAL INDULGENCES.

19. S. Joseph, Spouse of the Most Blessed Virgin

Mary. Benedict XIV., September 6, 1741.
f22. S. BienvenrL of Ancona, Bishop of Osimo, Con-
fessor, *of the First Order. Hus IX., June 2,
1851.

25. The Annunciation of the Most Blessed Virgin
Mary. General Absolution. Leo X,, March 29,
1615 ; Pius IX., March 12, 1865.

29. B. Pauline of Qumbara-Costa, Widow, of the Third
Order. Pius IX., December 11, 1858.

April.

8. S. Benedict of San Fratello, called Niger, Con-
fessor, of the Third Order. Pius Vli., September
22, 1807.
4. S. Isidore, Bishop, Doctor of the Church, Pius
Vn., November 17, 1807.

16. B. Jane of Signia, Virgin, of the Third Order.
Pius IX, June 2, 1851.

16. B. Luchese of Pozzi Bonzi, Confessor, of the Third
Order. Pius IX., December 11, 1858.

16. The anniversary of the profession of our Father
S. Francis by Pope Innocent III. Plenary in-
dulgence for the Tertiaries, who, having confessed
and received Communion, renew their profession.
Clement XII., March 30, 1736.
f23. B. Giles of Assisi, Confessor, of the Third Order.
Pius IX., June 2, 1851.

24. S. Fidelis of Sigmaringen, Martyr, of the First
Order, Capuchin. Clement XII., July 23, 1735;
Benedict XTV., August 22, 1746.

The third Sunday after Easter. Feast of the Patron-
age of S. Joseph, Spouse of the Most Blessed
Virgin Mary. Benedict XTV., September 6, 1741,
and August 22, 174ft.

PRINCIPAL INDULGOENGES. 283

May.

13. S. Peter of Eegalato, Confessor, of the First Order.
Clement XT., August 27, 1714; Benedict XIV.,
August 23, 1746 ; Pius VI., March 10, 1781.
f 14. B. Gerard of Villamagna, Confessor, of the Third
Order. Pius IX., June 2, 1861.

17. S. Pascal of Baylon, Confessor, of the First Order,

Alexander VlLL., September 7, 1690; Clement
XI., October 11, 1713 ; Qement Xn., June 27,
1732.

18. S. Felix of CantaHce, Confessor, of the Krst Order,

■Capuchin. Clement XI., September 15, 1714 ;
Clement XII., June 27, 1732.

20. S. Bemardine of Sienna, Confessor, of the First
Order. Sixtus V., September 28, 1685; Inno-
cent XI., August 26, 1680.

24. B. Crispin of Viterbo, Confessor, of the First Order,
Capuchin. Pius VII., January 18, 1820.

26. Translation of our Seraphic Father S. Francis.
Pius IX., December 11, 1858.

28. S. Ferdinand, King of Castile, Confessor, of the

Thijd Order. Pius IX., December 11, 1858.

29. B. Humiliana of Florence, Widow, of the Third

Order. Pius IX., December 11, 1858.
f30. B. John of Prado, Martyr, of the First Order.

Pius IX., June 2, 1851.
31. S. Angela of Merici, Virgin, of the Thii*d Order.
Pius IX., December 11, 1858.

June.

2. B. Baptiste of Varese, of Camerino, Virgin, of the
Second Order. Pius IX., December 11, 1858.
112. B. Guy of Cortona, Confessor, of the First Qxidsx.
Pius IX., June 2, l^U.

284 PKINOIPAL INDULGENCES.

18. S. Anthony of Padua, Confessor, of the First Order.

Sixtus v., September 28, 1585.

19. B. Micheline of Pesaro, Widow, of the Third Order.

Clement XII., September 27, 1737.
•j-27. B. Benvenuto of Gubbio, Confessor, of the First
Order. Pius IX., June 2, 1851.
29. S. Peter and S. Paul, Apostles. General Absolu-
tion. Leo X., March 29, 1515 ; Pius IX., March
12, 1855.

July.
2. The Visitation of the Most Holy Virgin Mary,
General Absolution. Leo X., March 29, 1515 ;
Pius IX., March 12, 1855.

7. B. Laurence of Brindes, Confessor, of the First

Order, Capuchin. Pius VI., August 14, 1797 ;
Pius Vin., January 18, 1820.

8. S. Elizabeth, Queen of Portugal, Widow, of the

Third Order. Pius IX., December 11, 1858.

9. S. Veronica Giuliani, Virgin, of the Second Order,

Capuchin. Pius VII., January 18, 1820.
11. BB. Nicholas and Companions, Martyrs, of the

First Order. Benedict XIII., December 6, 1728 ;

Pius VI., March 10, 1781 ; Pius VII., January

18, 1820.
14. S. Bonaventura, Bishop, Cardinal, and Doctor of

the Church, Confessor, of the First Order. Sixtus

v., September 28, 1585 ; Innocent XI., August

26, 1680.
f 15. B! Angelica of Marsciano, Widow, of the Third

Order. Pius IX., June 2, 1851.
16. Canonisation of our Seraphic Father S. Francis.

Plus IX., December 11, 1858.
24. S. Francis of Solano, Confessor, of the First Order.

Benedict XIII., August 14, 1727; Clement XII.,
June 17, 1782

PRINCIPAL INDULGENOES. 285

•\'17. S. Cunegonda, Queen of Poland, Virgin, of the
Third Order. Pius IX., June 2, 1851.

August.

•i. Dedication of the Basilica of our Lady of the
Angels, or the Portiuncula. Gregory XV., July
4, 1022 ; Clement X., October 3, 1670 ; Innocent
XI., January 22, 1687 ; Benedict XIV., March
15, 1751. General Absolution.
4. Solemnity ^of S. Dominic, Patriarch of the Order
of BroUier Preachers. Indulgences of the Sta-
tions at Borne. Sixtus IV., May 30, 1478.

12. S. Clare of Assisi, Virgin, Foundress of the Second
Order. Sixtus V., September 28, 1686 ; Inno-
cent XI., August 26, 1680 ; Clement XII., Au-
gust 11, 1733 ; Benedict XIV., March 16, 1751.
f 13. B. Peter of Molean, Confessor, of the First Order.

Pius IX., June 2, 1851.
111. B. Sanctes of Mont-Fabrice, Confessor, of the First
Order. Pius EX., June 2, 1851.

15. The Assumption of the Most Holy Virgin Mary.
General Absolution. Leo X., March 29, 1516 ;
Pius IX., March 12, 1866.

10. S. Roch of Montpellier, Confessor, of the Tliird
Order. Clement XIV., December 11, 1772 ; Pius
VI., March 10, 1781 ; Gregory XVI., January 3,
1844.

IH. B. Clare of Montefaucon, Virgin, of the Third
Order. Pius IX., December 11, 1858.

IS). S. Louis, Bishop of Toulouse, Confessor, of the
First Order. Sixtus V., September 28, 1685 ;
Innocent XI., August 26, 1680.

25. S. Louis, King of France, Patron of the Brothers
and Sisters of the Third Order. Clement XIL^
March 20, 17^4; ^wieAicX^XXM .,^^^^ ^ ^^:v^^

286 PBmCIPAL IKBULGENCIES.

Septkmtber.

1. B. Isabella of France, Sister of S. Louis, Virgin,

of the Second Order. Pius IX., December 11,.

1858.
;|3. BB. John and Peter, Martyrs, of the First Order.

Pius IX., June 2, 186L
4. S. Rose of Viterbo, Virgin, of the Third Order^

Clement XI., January 14, 1701 ; Clement XII.,

June 17, 1782.
8. The Nativity of the Most Holy Virgin Mary. Ge-
neral Absolution. Leo X., March 29, 1515 ; Pius

IX., March 12, 1856.
fO. B. Seraphin of Sforza, "Widow, of the Third Order.

Pius rX., June 2, 1851.
11. B. Bernard of OfGlde, Confessor, of ilie First Order,

Capuchin. PLusVL, August 14,1787; PiusVU.,

January 18, 1820.

17. Feast of the Stigmata of our Seraphic Father S.

Francis. Clement XII., August 30, 1731.

18. S. Joseph of Cupertina, Confessor, of the First

Order. Clement XIII., December 2, 1767 ; Pius
VI., March 10, 1781.

25. S. Pacificus of San Seyezino, Confessor, of the

First Order. Gregory XVI., March 27, 1840.

26. B. Lucia of Calatagerona, Virgin, of the Third

Order. Pius DL, December 11, 1858.

October.

-1^1. B. Louisa of Savoy, Widow, of the Second Order.

Pius IX., June 2, 1851.
4. Feast of our Seraphic Father S. Francis of Assisi,
Founder of the Three Orders. General Absolu-
tion. Leo X., March 29, 1515 ; Sixtus V., Sep-
tember 28, 1585 ; Innocent XI., A ugust 26, 1680 ;.
Benedict XIV., March 15, V151.

PRINOIPAL mDULOENOES, ] 287

5. Commemoration of the deceased Brothers and Sis-
ters of the Three Orders. Hus IX., September
30, 1852.

7. B. Marie-Frances of the Five Wounds, Virgin, of
the Third Order. Kus IX., December 11, 1868.
f 8. S. Bridget, Queen of Sweden, Widow, of the Third
Order. Pius IX., June 2, 1851.

12. S. Seraphin of Montegranaro, Confessor, of the

First Order, Capuchin. Benedict XTV., June 6,
1745 ; Clement XTV., July 6, 1773.

13. SS. Daniel and Companions, Martyrs, of the First

Order. Clement XI., July 29, 1716; Clement
Xn., June 13, 1739 ; Pius VI., March 10, 1781.

19. S. Peter of Alcantara, Confessor, of the First Order.

Clement IX., October 2, 1669.

20. S. Elzear, Count of Arian, Confessor, of the Third

Order. Pius IX., December 11, 1858.

23. S. John of Capistrana, Confessor, of the First Or-
der. Alexander VIII., December 5, 1690 ; Cle-
ment XI., October 11, 1713.

20. B. Bonaventura of Potenza, Confessor, of the First
Order. Pius VI., March 10, 1781.

27. S. Ives of Britain, Confessor, of the Third Order.
Pius IX., December 11, 1858.

31. B. Angelus of Acri, Confessor, of the First Order,
Capuchii^ Gregory XVI., January 27, 1837;
Pius IX, December 11, 1858.

November.

1. Feast of All Saints. General Absolution. Leo
X., March 29, 1515 ; Pius IX, March 12, 1855.
12. S. Didacus of Alcala, Confessor, of the First Order.
Clement Vni., March 26, 1598; Clement XII.,
August 11, 1733; Kus VI., Aa!^ffv&t.9k,W'^'^»

288 PRINCIPAL INDULGENCES.

14. B. Gkibriel Ferretti, Confessor, of the First Order.

Pius IX., December 11, 1858.
f 16. S. Agnes of Assisi, Virgin, of the Second Order.

Pius DC, June 2, 1861.
f 17. B. Salome, Princess of Poland, Virgin, of the Second

Order. Pius IX., June 2, 1851.
19. S. Elizabeth of Hungary, Patroness of the Sisters

of the Third Order. Clement XII., March 20,

1732 ; Benedict XTV., March 17, 1755.
21. The Presentation of the Most Holy Virgin Mary

in the Temple. General Absolution. Leo X.,

March 29, 1515 ; Pius IX., March 12, 1855.
26. S. Delphine, Countess of Arian, Virgin, of the

Third Order. Pius IX., December 11, 1858.

28. S. James of Marchia, Confessor, of the First

Order. Benedict XIII., August 14, 1727 ; Cle-
ment XII., March 3, 1732.

29. Feast of all the Saints of the Three Orders. Re-

newal of Profession. Clement XII., April 16,
1735 ; Clement XIII., September 6, 1765 ; Pius
VI., March 10, 1781.

Decembeb.

8. The Immaculate Conception of the Most Holy

Virgin Mary, Patroness of the ^hree Orders of

Saint Francis. Benedict XIII., September 26,

1729 ; Clement XI., June 4, 1745.
10. B. Elizabeth of Waldsech, called "the Good,'*

Virgin, of tlie Third Order. Pius IX., June 2,

1861.
12. Invention of the Body of our Seraphic Father

St. Francis. Pius IX., December 11, 1858.
^^. S. Leonard of Port Maurice, Confessor, of the

First Order. Piua IX., D^dember 11, 1858.

PRINOIPAL INDULGENCES. 289

+17. B. Margaret Colonna, Virgin, of the Second Or-
der. Pius DC., June 2, 1851.
25. The Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ. General
Absolution. Leo X., March 29, 1516 ; Pius EX.,
March 12, 1855.

Various Plenary Indulgences which the Tertians may
gain, provided that they exactly fidfil the prescribed
conditions.

1. The day of clothing or taking the habit, on con-
fessing, communicating, visiting a church, and praying
therein for the intentio^ of the Sovereign Pontiff. Paul
v., March 11, 1607; Benedict XIV., March 15, 1751;
Pius Vn., February 24, 1818.

2. The day of profession, on the same conditions as
on the day of clothing. Paul V., May 23, 1606 ; Pius
vn., April 27, 1823.

3. The twenty-fifth and fiftieth anniversary of cloth-
ing or profession, on the same conditions as on the day
of clothing. Pius V., June 6, 1776.

4. Each time they recite the crown of our Lord, or
rosary composed of thirty-three Paters and Ave Marias.
The sick and aged who are unable to recite this rosary
may gain the same indulgence by reciting any psalm
or hymn in honour of our Lord or the Blessed Virgin.
Leo X., September 14, 1517; Paul V., June 8, 1608;
Innocent XI., May 15, 1688.

5. Each time they recite the Franciscan crown, or
rosary composed of seventy-three Ave Marias and eight
Paters, in honour of the mortal life of the Most Holy
Virgin. The sick and aged who are unable to recite
this rosary may gain the oajxiQ \ii<i\i\%<^T^^^\r^ x^^^^iiQis^

290 TKmOlBM, mDVLSSNCSEB.

any psalm or hymn to our Lord or to the Blessed
Virgin. Leo X., September 14, 1517 ; Paul V., June
8, 1608 ; Innocent XL, May 15, 1688.

6. Each time they recite the Office of the Dead, or
the Seven Penitential Psalms, or the Gradual Psahns
for the relief of the souls in purgatory. The sick and
aged who are unable to recite them may gain the same
indulgence by reciting any psalm or hymn to our Lord
or to the Blessed Virgin. Leo X., July 21, 1517.

7. On reciting the third part of the Bosary, or the
usual rosary of five decades, and in addition five Paters,
Ave Marias J and Gloria PatriSy before the Blessed
Sacrament, or, if they cannot do this, in any place
whatever, the Tertiaries may gain, once daily, a plenary
indulgence by way of suffirage, and deliver, if it please
God, a soul from purgatory. Benedict XIIL, December
21, 1729.

8. By concession of the Sovereign Pontiffs Pius H.,.
Si^tus rV., Leo X., Urban Vlii., Pius VII., and re-
cently confirmed by Pius IX., the Tertiaries gain all the
indulgences, plenary and partial, attached to all the
basilicas, all the churches and sanctuaries of Bome, of
Jerusalem, of the Portiuncula, and of St. James of Ga-
licia, each time they recite, in a state of grace, in any
place whatever, six Paters, Ave Marias, and Gloria
Patris for the prosperity of Holy Church and for the
intention of the Sovereign Pontiff.

The Sacred Congregation of Indulgences assembled
in the Vatican Palace, March 31, 1856, having been
consulted on the authenticity of this great privilege,
declared that the Tertians of all countries may gain
these indulgences in everyplace and each time that they
recite the prescribed prayers ; that it is hot necessary
to add other prayers to tie six Paters, Ave Marias, and
Gloria Patris ; that coBies^u MaA. CQ>TftT;vwi\^(ffl are not

PRINdPAIi INDULGENCES. 291

required ; and, in fine, that all these indulgences are
applicable to the souls in purgatory.

The Sacred Ck)ngregation has only observed that,
in conformity with the decree Delate 84spiuSf confirmed
by Innocent^XI., March 7, 1676, the indulgences, pro-
perly called of the Stations of Rome, can only be gained
on the days indicated in the Boman Missal, and that
a plenary indulgence, granted for a visit to a church, or
for any other work of piety on the day fixed, can be
gained only once each day.

These decisions of the Sacred Congregation have
been approved and confirmed by our Holy Father Pope
Pius rX., April 14, 1856.

9. The Tertiaries may gain all the indulgences of the
Stations of Rome by visiting a church or public chapel
of the Order, or, if prevented, by visiting any church on
the days appointed in the Roman Missal for the Stations.
Paul v., May 23, 1006 ; Innocent XI., March 7, 1678;
Benedict XIV., March 15, 1761.

10. Each time the Tertiaries recite six Paters, Ave
Marias, and Gloria Patrls before the Blessed Sacra-
ment in any church whatsoever, they gain the indul-
gences of the seven principal basilicas of Rome and the
indulgences of Jerusalem. These basilicas of Rome are :
St. John of Lateran, St. Peter in the Vatican, St. Paul
without the Walls, St. Mary th^ Greater, St. Cross
of Jerusalem, St. Laurence without the Walls, and St.
Sebastian. The indulgences granted on visiting these
churches are innumerable. Pius VII., April 21, 1823.

11. Every Sunday in the year, and on the feasts of
our Lord and of the Blessed Virgin, the Tertiaries may
gain a plenary indulgence for the departed, on confess-
ing, communicating, visiting a church, and praying
therein for the intention of the Soverei^ P^si^k^a^. V^-
nocent VHI., September 24, 14^ft.

292 PRINOIPAL INDULGENCES,

12. By concession from Leo X., Dum prtBexoelsa,
June 19, 1515, and Dudumper nos, December 10, 1619,
the Tertiaries may gain a plenary indulgence each time
they receive Holy Commilnion.

13. The Tertiaries may gain a plenary indulgence,
and receive from a confessor, authorised for that pur-
pose, the general absolution : 1. At each festival of our
Lord, viz. Christmas, the Circumcision, the Epiphany,
Easter, the Ascension, Pentecost, the Most Holy Trinity,
and Corpus Christi ; 2. On the following festivals of the
Most Holy Virgin : the Purification, the Annunciation,
the Visitation, the Assumption, the Nativity, the Pre-
sentation, and the Lnmaculate Conception ; 3. On the
festivals of All Saints, of St. Peter and St. Paul, Apos-
tles, of the Seraphic Father St. Francig, of St. Clare of
Assisi, and of St. Catherine, Virgin and Martyr; 4. On
every day of Holy Week ; 5. Once during life, at choice
of the Tertiary, and at the article of death. Leo X.,
March 29, 1616, and April 28, 1519 ; Pius IX., Msgcch
12, 1866.

14. Four times annually, on days chosen by them-
selves, the Tertiaries may receive from a confessor, ap-
proved for this purpose, plenary absolution and papal
benediction. Leo X., September 20, 1616; Pius VII.,
April 21, 1823; Pius IX., March 12, 1866.

16. On meditating for half an hour, or at least a
quarter of an hour, daily for a month, the Tertiaries may
gain a plenary indulgence on a day of their choice,
provided they confess, communicate, visit a church,
and pray therein for the intention of the Sovereign
Pontiff. Innocent XI., December 24, 1692.

16. Plenary indulgence on the day of the monthly as-

jsemblj, on confessing, communicating, visiting a church,

praying therein for the intention of the Sovereign

Pontiff, and assisting at ttve CoTL^%^>aOT«\ kss^^-o&kVj,

hSTertianes, however, la^i^riully i^ice^eviXA^ tt«ai ^"C^^

PRINCIPAL INDULGENCES. 293

the assembly, or fulfilling the other conditions, gain
this indulgence by performing, as far as they are able*
the works prescribed. Pius VI., November 29, 1782 ;
Pius VII., April 21, 1823 ; Pius IX^, July 10, 1855.

17. Plenary indulgence for following an eight days'
spiritual retreat, and confessing and communicating.
Alexander VII., June 11, 1659 ; Pius VI., June 6, 1776.

18. Plenary indulgence for the Tertiary priest the
day he celebrates his first Mass, and for the Tertiaries
who assist, provided they receive Holy Communion on
that day. Paul V., May 23, 1606.

19. Plenary indulgence on the titular feast-day of
each of the churches, chapels, or public oratories of the
three Orders, on confessing, communicating, visiting a
church, and pra3dng therein for the intention of the
Sovereign Pontiff. Benedict XIV., March 15, 1761;
Clement XIII., January 17, 1769 ; Pius VI., July 9,
1771 ; Pius VII., February 24, 1818.

20. Plenary indulgence in articulo mortis on invok-
ing the holy name of Jesus by word and in the heart,
or at least in the heart, with contrition. Paul V.,
March 11, 1607; Benedict XIV., March 15, 1751.

21. The same in articulo mortis on receiving the
general absolution in use among the Order, from a con-
fessor having the power of granting it. Sixtus TV.,
July 25, 1478.

22. Plenary indulgence for dying with the holy
habit of the Order upon one, or at least upon the bed,
and requesting to be buried in the same habit. Per-
sons not belonging to the Order may also gain this in-
dulgence. Leo X., September 1, 1518.

23. By communication with the First Order, the
Tertiary priests, on celebrating, at an altar appointed
by the Superior, three Masses for their deceased pa-
rents, have applied to them the ixsji\3i^e\i<t^'^ ^^"^^ ^&kl

294 FRINGIPAL INDULGENCES.

of St. Gregory, or of the altar of Si Sebastian at Borne.
Paul v., December 1, 1609.

24. The Tertiary priests, by celebrating a Mass for
their fether, mother, and other relations^ or for the
Monks of the First Order, the Nuns of the Second Order,
the Tertiaries, the Brothers and Sisters of the Cord, and
other persons afBiliated to the Order of St. Francis, or
possessing a right to the snfGrages, and who are de-
ceased, deliver these sonls, if it please God, from the
pains of purgatory. Clement VHI., June 20, 1596.

25. By communication with the Camaldolites and
the Brothers Minor Capuchins, the Tertiaries who, hay-
ing confessed and communicated, recite the 19th Psahn,
JExaudiat te Domiiius, with the prayers following it, or
who, if they cannot read, recite three Paters and Ave
Marias for the intention of the Sovereign Pontiff, gain
the innumerable indulgences, both plenary and partial,
of aU the churches, basilicas, and of all the sanctuaries
in the whole world. Urban Vlll., December 23, 1623 ;
Clement EX., October 15, 1669; Gregory XVI., June 20,
1837 ; Pius IX., November 22, 1852.

Psahn xix.

Exaudiat te Dominus in May the Lord hear thee
die tribulationis : protegat in the day of tribulation :
te nomen Dei Jacob. may the name of the God

of Jacob protect thee.
Mittat tibi auxilium de May he send thee help
sancto : et de Sion tueatur from the sanctuary : and
te. defend thee out of Sion.

Memor sit omnis sacri- May he be mindful of
ficii tui: et holocaustum all thy sacrifices: and may
tuum pingue fiat. thy whole burnt - offering

be made fat before him.
Trihuat tibi secundxmi "MuOj "k^ ^^^ -vaaJio thee

PIONQIPAIi Qn>UL(3BNCB&

29^

cor timin: et omne oon-
siliunx tunm oonfizmet.

Lsetabimur in salutari
ttto : et in nomine Dei nos-
tri magnificabinmr.

Lnpleat BoKmnns onuMS
petitiones tuas : nunc eog-
novi qnoniam salviua fecit
Dominus Christum suiim.

Exaodiet* illmn de eoelo
sancto suo : in potentatibus
aalus dextersB ejus.

Hi in curribus, et hi in
equis: nos autem in no-
mine Domini Dei nostd
lYOcabimaEu

Ipsi obligati sunt, et
cecidenmt: nos autem sur-
reximus, et ereeti sumus.

Domine, salyum £bu3 re-
gem : et exaudi nos in die
qua invocaverimus te.

Gloria Patri, kc.

Kyrie eleison, Christe
eleison, Kyrie eleison.

Pater noster.
V. Et ne nos inducsks in
tentationem.

R. Sed libera nos a malo.

according to thy heart
and confirm all thy counsel.

We wiU r^ioioe in thy
salvation: and in the name
of our God shall we b«
exalted.

May the Lord fulfil all
thy petitions : now know I
that the Lord hath saved
his Anointed.

He will hear him from
his holy heaven: the sal-
vation of his right hand 19
in powers.

Some upon chariots, an4
some upon horses : but we
will call upon the namo of
the Lord our God.

They are fast bound, and
hftite fallen: but we are
risen, and stand upright.

O Lord, save the king:
and hear us in the d«y
that we shall call upon
thee.

Glory, &c.

Lord have mercy, Christ
have mercy, Lord have
mercy.

Our Father.

V. And lead us not into
temptation.

R, But ddiver us from

296

FBINCIPAL INDULGENCES.

V. Oiemns pro Domino
nostro Fftpa A^.

R. Dominus conservet
enm, et vivicet emu, et
beattmi £ctciat enmin tenra,
et non tradat enm in ani-
mam inimicornm ejus.

V. Oremns pro benefEu;-
toiibns nostris.

R. Betribnere dignare,
Domine, omnibus nobis
bona fiacientibns propter
nomen tuiun Titam seter-
nam. Amen.

V. Memor esto Congre-
gationis tiue.

R. Qoam possedisti ab
initio.

V. Oremus pro fidelibns
defdnctis.

R. Requiem setemam
dona eis, Domine, et lux
perpetua luceat eis.

V. Domine, exaudi ora-
tionem meam.

R. Et clamor mens ad
te yeniat.

V. Dominus vobiscum.

R, Et cum spiritu tuo.

Oremus.
Eoolesise turn, qus&su-

V. Let us pray for our
Sovereign Pontiff N.

R. The Lord preserve
bim, and give bim life, and
make bim blessed upon the
earth ; and deliver bim not
up to the "vnll of bis ene-
mies.

V. Let us pray for our
bene&ctors.
R. Vouchsafe, O Lord,
* for thy name's sake, to ro-
ward with eternal life all
them that do us good.
Amen.

V. Remember thy con-
gregation.

R. Which thou hast go-
verned from the first.

V. Let us pray for the
fedthfal departed.

R. Eternal rest give un-
to them, O Lord; and let
perpetual light shine upon
them.

V. O Lord, hear our
prayer.

R. And let our cry come
unto thee.

V. The Lord be with
you.
R, And with thy spirit.

Let us pray.
'H.eax \3tife ^Ta:^^^ of thy

PRINCIPAL INDULGENCES.

297

mus, Domine, preces pla-
catus admitte; ut destruc-
tls adversitatibas, et erro-
ribus universis : secura tibi
serviat libertate.

Deus omnium fidelium
Pastor et Bector, famulum
tuTim N. quern Pastorem
Ecclesise tuse prseesse volu-
isti, propitius respice; da
ei, quoBsumus, verbo, et ex-
emplo, quibus prseest, pro-
ficere, ut ad vitam una
Cimi grege sibi credito per-
veniat sempitemam.

Omnipotens sempiteme
Deus, qui vivorum domi-
naris, simul et mortuorum,
omniumquemisereris, quos
tuos fide, et opere futuros
esse praenoscis : te suppli-
ces exoramus; ut pro qui-
bus effimdere preces decre-
vimus, quosque vel prse-
Bens sseculum adhuc in
came retinet, vel futurum
jam exutos corpore susce-
pit, intercedentibus omni-
bus Sanctis tuis, pietatis
tu8B dementia, omnium de-

Church, Lord, we be-
seech thee, and turn away
thine anger from us; that
all adversities and errors
being done away, we may
freely and securely serve
thee.

O God, the Pastor and
Governor of all the faith-
ful, mercifully look upon
thy servant N.j whom thou
hast been pleased to ap-
point the Pastor of thy
Church; grant, we beseech
thee, that both by word
and example he may edify
those over whom he is set;
and, together with the flock
committed to his care, may
attain everlasting life.

O Almighty and eternal
God, who hast dominion
over the living and the
dead, and art merciful to
all, whom thou foreknowest
shall be thine by faith and
good works ; we humbly be-
seech thee, that they for
whom we have determined
to oflfer up our prayers,
whether this present world
still detain them in the
flesh, or the world to come
hath already received them
out oi Vk)^ V^«^^ "ai»?5^

298

FBIKGIPAIi INDULGEI^CES.

lictomm suoruui Temam
conseqasntar. Per Domi-
mmi nostnun Jesmn
Christum FUinm tanm,
qui tecnm viTit et regnftt,
Ac. Amen.

V. Dominus Tobiscam.

B. Et cum spiriin tuo.

V. Exaudiat nos omul-
potens, et miserieors Do-
minus.

M. Amen.

V. Et fidelium animsB
per misericordiam Dei re-
quiesoant in pace.

M. Amen.

by the demenej of thy
goodness^ all thy saints in*
tereeding lor them, obtain
pardon of all their sins,
through onr Lord Jesns
Christ, thy Son, who liveth
and reigneth with thee, &c.
Amen.

F. The Lord be with
you.

E. And with thy spirit

V. May the Almighty
and merciful Lord gra-
ciously hear us.

B. Amen.

V. And may the souls
of the fedthfol, through the
mercy of God, rest in
peace.

B. Amen.

III.
Principal Partial Indulgences.

1. Forty days for visiting the Blessed Sacrament at
any hour whatever. Alexander IV., December 23, 1256.

2. One hundred days for spending a quarter of an
hour in mental prayer. Innocent XII., Dec. 24, 1692.

3. One hundred days for assisting at Holy Mass or
other divine offices in the churches or chapels of the
Order. Benedict XIV., March 15, 1751.

4. One hundred days for assisting at the general or
private assemblies of the Third Order, in whatever
place they may be held. Benedict XIV., March 16,

irsi.

PRINCIPAL INDULGEKGES. 299

5. One hundred days for assisting at the processions
authorised by the Ordinary; far accompanying the
Blessed Sacrament when it is carried to the sick ; or,
being prevented fxom doing so, fat reciting at the time
five Paters and five Aves, or at least one PcUer and one
Ave for the necessities of the Chnrch and for the faithful
departed. Benedict XIV., March 15, 1751.

C. One hundred days for giving hospitality to poor
people, or trying to reconcile those at enmity, or bring-
ing back sinners to the way of salvation ; for instructing
the ignorant in the commandments of God and whatever
concerns their salvation; in fine, for performing any
work whatever of piety or charity. Benedict XTV.,
March 15, 1751.

7. One hundred days for teaching in public or in
private the Christian doctrine or Catechism. Innocent
XI., May 30, 1686.

8. Two hundred days for those who visit the sick for
consolation or instruction. Innocent XI., May 30,
1686.

9. Five hundred and sixty days for attending the
reading or explanation Of the Bule on the day of the
monthly assembly. Clement V., May 8, 1305.

10. Seven years and seven quarantines for confessing,
communicating, visiting a church, and therein praying
for the intention of the Sovereign Pontiff, on the Feast
of the Stigmata of our Father St. Francis, St. Louis
king of France, St. Elizabeth queen of Portugal, St.
Margaret of Cortona, and twelve other days in the
year appointed by the Superior. Benedict XIV.,
March 15, 1751.

11. Tlic following indulgences have been granted to
fill the faithful who assist at the offices of the churches
of the Order on the Feast of Corpus Christi, the Imma-
culate Conception, and during the Oc;^»^^(ei\

300 PRINOIPAL INDULGENCES.

The Day of the Feast.
Four hundred days for Matins. Four hundred days
for Mass. Four hundred days for Vespers. One hun-
dred and sixty days for each of the other hours of the
divine office.

The Octave.
Two hundred days for Matins. Two hundred days
for Mass. Two hundred days for Vespers. Eighty days
for each of the other hours of the office.

12. Every Friday in Lent the Tertiaries may gain an
indulgence of seven years and seven quarantines, and on
one of these Fridays, at choice, a plenary indulgence, on
confessing, communicating, visiting a church, and therein
praying for the intentions of the Sovereign Pontiff.
Clement XIV., November 23, 1772.

13. For assisting at the Novenas previous to the
Feasts of the Lnmaculate Conception, St. Francis, St.
Anthony of Padua, St. Joseph of Cupertino, the Ter-
tiaries may gain each time an indulgence of one hundred
days, and & plenary indulgence on one of the days of the
Novena, provided that, having confessed and communi-
cated, they visit the church and pray therein for the
intention of the Sovereign Pontiff. Clement XUT.,
April 17, 1761 ; Clement XIV., November 23, 1772.

14. An indulgence of seven years and seven quaran-
tines on each day of the Novena previous to the Feast
of Christmas, and a plenary indulgence on the first and
last day on the usual conditions. Clement XIV.,
November 23, 1772.

DECRETUM.

Sacra Congregatio Indulgentiis Sacrisque Beliquiis
prseposita prsefatum Indulgentiarum Sunmiarium Tertii
Qrdinis Sancti Francisci revisum et cum suis origina-

INDULGENOES TO HOLY PLACES. 301

libns collatum, uti authenticmu recognoTit, typisque
gallico idiomate ixnprimi ac publican posse permisit.

Datum Homse ex Secretarm ipsius Sacrse Congrega-
tionis Indulgentiarum, die 26 Martii 1859.

F. Card. Asquinius, PrcBf,
L. + s. A. Archip. Prinziyalli, Subititutm,

Abticle m.

INDULGENCES ATTACHED TO HOLY PLACES.

For the consolation of Tertians we here insert the
principal ^plenary indulgences attached to the holy
places, as they are indicated in the coUeotion of Bulls
of the Holy Land, after the concessions of the Sovereign
Pontiffs, especially those of Pius IV., Sixtus V., Bene-
dict Xm., Benedict XTV., Pius VI., and Gregory XVI.
The partial indulgences are very numerous, but the
enumeration of them would lead us too far. Tertiaries
will not forget that all these indulgences are attached
to several of the practices noted in the catalogue of
indulgences.

1. Plenary indulgence ^ the sacred Guest Chamber,
where our Divine Saviour instituted the Holy Eu-
charist.

2. Plenary indulgence ^ the chapel of St. Thomas,
Apostle, where the Lord appeared to him.

3. Plenary indulgence ^ the chapel where the Holy
Spirit descended on the day of Pentecost.

4. Plenary indulgence, the place where our Blessed
Lady died.

5. Plenary indulgence, the house of Annas, high-
priest of the Jews, where Jesus Christ was basely
scourged.

302 QEDDLOKSrCiES TO BQLY PLAGES.

6. Plemuy imdmlgemee^ on Momift Sion, the plice
whefe James the Leas was martyred.

7. Plenary indidgemee^ihBei£iiin.i^TO<^w\y^
Saviour's croaawas fixed, and where He ea^iied for onr
salvation.

8. Plenary indulyenee, the place where the Saviour
was deposited from the cross into the arms of His Holy
Mother.

0. Plenary indulgence, the Holy Sepnlchre.

10. Plenary induhjfmce, the place where Jesns Christ
was crucified.

11. Plenary indulgence, the chapel in which the Holy
Cross was found hy St. Helena.

12. Plenary indulgence, the house where the Blessed
Virgin was bom.

13. Plenary indulgence, the palace of Pilate.

14. Plenary indulgence, the temple of Solomon,
where the Blessed Virgin was presented.

15. PUmary indulgence, the Golden Crate by which
the Saviour ent^ed on Pakn Sunday.

10. Plenary indulgence, the Garden of Olives, where
tlio Saviour prayed three times, and sweated blood and
water.

17. Plenary indulgence, at the Brook Cedron, the
place where the marks of the Saviour's footsteps were
imprinted on the rock.

18. Plenary indulgence, the Tomb of the Blessed
Virgin.

19. Plenary indulgence, the place from which our
Lord ascended into heaven.

20. Plenary indulgence, the place called Viri Galilm,
where our Saviour appeared to the Apostles after his
Resurrection.

al. I^lenary indulgence, the place wh^e Lazarus.
waa buried and afterwaxda xaiaedL icom ^Ibii^ ^^%^.

INDXTLGENCES TO STATIONS IN BOSIE. 303

22. Plenary indulgence , in the grotto of Bethlehem^
the place where our Divine SayiQur was bom.

23. Plenary indulgence, the manger of the Infant
Jesus.

24. Plenary indulgence^ the place where Jesus was
adored by the Magi.

25. Plenary indulgence, the place where the Angels
appeared to the Shepherds in order to announce the
Saviour's birth.

26. Plenary indulgence, the house at Nazareth.

27. Plenary indulgence, the house where St. John
Baptist was bom.

28. Plenary indulgence, atEnmiaus,the house where
the disciples recognised the Saviour.

29. Plenary indulgence, Cana in Galilee.

30. Plenary indulgence, the Eiver Jordan.

31. Plenary imlulgence, Mount Tabor.

Akticle rv.

INDULGENCES ATTACHED TO THE STATIONS IN ROME.

The Sovereign Pontiffs Paul V., Innocent XI., and
Benedict XTV., granted to the Tertiaries all the indul-
gences, plenary and partial, attached to the Stations of
the churches of Borne, provided that they visit a church
of one of the three Orders, or, if prevented, any church
or public chapel whatever, on the days fixed in the
Boman Missal for these Stations. These days and in-
dulgences are indicated in a decree of the Sacred Con-
gregation of Indulgences, July 9, 1777, approved by our
Holy Father Pope Pius VI.

During Lent.
Ash Wednesday, and the fourth Sunday in Lenti
indulgence of fifteen years and Ji/teen quttTowXvRA^*

304 INDULGENCES TO STATIONS IN ROME.

Holy Thursday : plenary indulgence.

Good Friday and Holy Saturday: indulgence of
thirty years and thirty quarantines.

All other days in Lent : indulgence of ten years and
ten quarantines.

From Easter to Advent.

Easter Sunday : plenary indulgence.

Every day in the Octave, till the Sunday in AUns
inclusively : indulgence of thirty years and thirty qua-
rantines.

The Feast of St. Mark the Evangelist, and the three
Eogation-days : indulgence of thirty years and thirty
quarantines.

Ascension-day : plenary indulgence.

The Saturday before Pentecost: indulgence often
years and ten quarantines.

The Sunday of Pentecost and all the days of the
Octave till the Saturday inclusively : indulgence of
thirty years and thirty quarantines.

The three Ember-days in September: indulgence
of ten years and ten quarantines.

From Advent to Lent.

The first, second, and fourth Sundays in Advent:
indulgence of ten years and ten quarantines.

The third Sunday in Advent : indulgence of fifteen
years and fifteen quarantines.

Christmas-eve, Christmas-night, and at the Mass
at dawn : indulgence of fifteen years and Jif teen quaran-
tines.

Christmas-day : plenary indulgence.

The three days after Christmas, the Circumcision,
tlie Epiphany, and the Sundays of Septuagesima, Sexa-
gesima, and Quinquagesima : indulgence of thirty years
and thirty quarantines.

THE FRANCISCAN CROWN. 305

Abticle V.

THE FRANCISCAN CROWN.

We think ourselves compelled, in the interest of the
Tertiaries, to say something about tliis precious devotion,
so rich in indulgences. Its origin is as follows : about
the year 1420, a young man, deeply devoted to our
Lady, took the habit of St. Francis. Before joining the
Order he had, among other practices, been accustomed
daily to make a chaplet of flowers, and with it to crown
a statue of the Blessed Virgin. Having, in his novi-
tiate, no longer an opportunity of making tliis crown
for his Most Beloved Queen, he, in his simpUcity,
thought that she would mthdraw her affection from
him ; this temptation of the devil disturbed his voca-
tion, and he resolved to abandon the cloister. The
merciful Mother appeared to him, and gently rebuking
him, strengthened him in his vocation by telling him
to offer her, instead of the chaplet of flowers, a crown
much more pleasing to her, composed of seventy-two
Ave Marias with a Pater after each decade of Ave
Marias, and to meditate at each decade upon the seven
joys she had experienced during the seventy- two years
of her exile upon the earth. The novice immediately
commenced reciting tlie new crown or rosary, and de-
rived therefrom many spiritual and temporal graces.
This pious practice quickly spread through the whole
Order, and even tliroughout the world ; the Roman Pon-
tiff's granted divers indulgences to those who recited
this crown, in addition to the plenary indulgence which
was for the Franciscans only. This devotion became
veiy popular imder different names : some called it tlie
Crown of the Madonna , as if to mark its excellence ;
others, tlw Grown of tlie Franciscans^ on account of its
origin ; and otliers lastly, the Crown of the Se^ew Jo\\*^
because of the mysteries meCal^V.^ \x^avi ^M3to% '^isa^

306 THE FRANCISCAN CROWN.

recitation. In order to say it well, the Tertians must
recite it in the following manner :

V. Dens, in adjntorium V. O God, come to my

menm intende. assistance.

B. Domine, ad adjuven- E. O Lord, make haste

dnm me festina. to help me.

Gloria Patri, &c. Glory, &c.

First joy of Mary at her Annunciation and Divine
Maternity. Pater Noster, ten Ave Marias, Gloria Patri.

Second joy of Mary at her Visit to St. EHzabeth.
Pater noster, ten Ave Marias, Gloria Patri.

Third joy of Mary at the Birth of Jesus. Pater
noster, ten Ave Marias, Gloria Patri.

Fourth joy of Mary on the Adoration of the Magi.
Pater Noster, ten Ave Marias, Gloria Patri.

Fifth joy of Mary on finding Jesus in the Temple,
after having lost Him, where He was disputing with the
doctors. Pater noster, ten Ave Marias, Gloria Patri.

Sixth joy of Mary at the glorious Resurrection of
her Divine Son. Pater noster, ten Ave Marias, Gloria
Patri.

Seventh joy of Mary on her Assumption into heaven,
in body and in soul. Pater noster, ten Ave Marias,
Gloria Patri.

Two Ave Marias are still further recited ; and then
a Pater and an Ave for the Sovereign Pontiff. The
Rosary is concluded with the following prayers :

V. In Conceptione tua, V. In thy Conception,

Virgo, immaculata fuisti. O Virgin Mary, thou wast

immaculate.

B. Ora pro nobis Pa- B. Pray for us to the
trem, ciyna Filium pepe- Father, whose Son thou

THE FRANCISCAN CROWN. 307

Oremns. Let us pray.

Deus, qui per immacu- O God, who didst pre-
latam Virginis Oonceptio- pare for thy Son a worthy
nem, dignum Filio tuo habitation, by the Imma-
habitaculum prseparasti, culate Conception of the
qusBsumus, ut qui ex morte Blessed Virgin Mary, we
ejusdem Filii sui prsevisa beseech Thee that, as
earn ab omni labe prceser- Thou didst preserve her
vasti, nos quoque mundos, from every stain of sin,
ejus intercessione ad te through the merits of the
pervenire concedas. Per preordained atonement of
eundum Christum Domi- Jesus Christ, so Thou
num nostrum. Amen. wouldst grant that we also

may come without spot to
Thee. Through the same
C/hrist our Lord. Amen.

All the children of St. Francis of Assisi, whether
they belong to the First, Second, Third Order, or to
the Archconfratemity of the Cord, gain a plenary in-
dulgence on all occasions when they recite the Crown
of tie Seven Joys ; and, by way of suflBrage, they may
apply it to the souls in purgatory.

St Bemardin of Sienna used to say that it was by
the Crown of the Seven Joys that he had obtained all
the graces which Heaven has heaped upon him. Is
not this a stimulant for us to resolve on embracing
with fervour this holy practice ?

Article VL

the little ohaplet of the immaculate concept ion
of the blessed virgin.
This Chaplet owes its origin to «i "BTQ»\3aKt '^Kxs^'sst
'Capuobin of ike provinoe oilBolo^^. ^Sa ^«sss^^«»^

308 LITTLE OHAPLET OF THE IM. CONOEP.

of fifteen beads in three divisions, with a medal of the
Immaculate Conception generally attached to it. In
order to gain the indulgence thereunto attached, it
should be blessed by a priest having the faculty. This
faculty was accorded by our Holy Father, Pope Pius
IX., to all the priests of the Order of Brothers Minor
Capuchins, with faculty to the Procurator-General of
the same Order to delegate it to all priests, secular or
regular.

The Manner of Reciting the Chaplet.

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of
the Holy Ghost. Amen.

Blessed be the Holy and Immaculate Conception of
the ever-blessed Virgin Mary.

One Pater y four Ave Marias, one Gloria Patri, and
Blessed be, &c. is repeated.

One Pater, four Ave Marias, one Gloria Patri, and
Blessed be, &c. is repeated.

One Pater, four Ave Marias, and one Gloria Patri.

Indulgences,

Our Holy Father, Pope Pius IX., has deigned by
the Brief, Longe inter Ghristi fideles, of June 22, 1856,
to grant for ever to all the faithful :

1. A plenary indulgence once a month, provided
they recite the Little Chaplet every day in the month,
and that they confess and communicate on the day
they wish to gain this indulgence.

2. An indulgence of 300 days each time they recite
it, being at least contrite for their sins.

All these indulgences are apphcable to the souls in
purgatory.

Die 22 Septembris 1858.
S. Congregatio Ind\ilgeii\aia aactvac\vie Reliquiis prse-
posita suprsL enuntiatas mdx(l^eii\i».^^ic»l^\a.TCL^QtQ^^

INDULGENCES. 309

lam recitantibus concessas, uti authenticas recognovit,
ac publican posse permisit.

Datum RomflB ex Secretaria ejusdem S. Congrega-
tionis ludulgentiarum.

F. Card. Asquinius, Proif.
A. Archip. Prinzivalli,
L. + s. Substitutus.

All the privileges enumerated in this chapter prove,
as we have already said, the affection and solicitude of
the Sovereign Pontiffs for the Third Order, and the
care they have taken to recommend it more and more
to the esteem of the people by unceasingly enriching
it with new favours. We then exhort our Brothers
and Sisters of the Third Order to partake bountifully
of tliis precious and inexliaustible treasure which is
opened to them. They will find therein for themselves
the greatest benefits by paying to divine justice the
debts they have contracted by sin ; and they will per-
form an act of charity, well-pleasing to God, towards
the souls in purgatory. Let them recall to mind the
coimsel which St. Louis, king of France, that model of
true Tertiaries, addressed to his son : My soUy be mindful
to gain the indulgences of Holy Cliurch. St. Teresa
relates that a nun, who had many an imperfection to
reproach herself with, went straight to heaven after
her death, without even passing through the flames of
purgatory, on account of her great faith in indulgences
and her exactness and devotion in gaining them.

APPENDIX,

AROHOONFRATERNITY OF THE CORD OF THE
SERAPHIC FATHER ST. FRANCIS.

The Franciscan spirit has manifested itself in every
form, and although it does not enter into our plan to
speak of all the admirable works of which it has been
the source, we cannot pass over in silence the Arch-
confraternity of the Cord of our Father St. Francis.
Nor do we thus diverge from the principal subject of
this book; for experience has proved that the Arch-
confraternity of the Cord, wherever it has been insti-
tuted, has powerfully contributed to the spiritual benefit
(tf the Third Order, either by preparing for it sound and
tried vocations, or by satisfyAg the piety of persons
who, unable to observe the Rule of the Third Order,
2i«yertheless desire to belong to St. Francis.

The origin of the devotion to the Cord of our Father
St. Francis brings us back to the time when this sera-
phic patriarch was still living upon the earth. The
confidence of the people in this man of God was such
that all wished, in some manner, to be connected with
him — ^to place themselves under his direction, and to
belong to his family. The Chronicle of the Order was
filled with facts which prove that at this time the devo-
tion to this holy cord was very widely spread. The
most illustrious example presented to us is that of
St. Dominic, the glorious patriarch of the Brother
Preachers, who obtained, after long and earnest en-
treaties, the coarse cord which our Father Francis
wore, and girded his loins with it, and did not part
ffitb it until his death. TMa iac\. \a svx:g^^T^fc^\il ^Jasj

ARCHOONFRATERNITY OF THE CORD. 311

testiinony of St. Bonaventure and St. Antonius, of the
Order of Brother Preachers, and Archbishop of Flo-
rence.^

After the death of St. Francis, this devotion spread
over the whole world with his Order, and numerous
miracles manifested how acceptable it was to our
Lord. The Sovereign Pontiflfe enriched it with in-
dulgences, and in order to participate therein it was
sufficient to wear this holy cord blessed by a Superior
of the Brothers Minor. This pious practice became
very popular in France, and in the fourteenth century
it was held in great veneration also among the princes
and nobles of the earth. Indeed, about this period the
Duke of Brittany encircled his arms with the cord of
St. Francis; Louisa of Auvergne, Duchess of Bur-
gundy, made the Franciscan cord an article of adorn-
ment; and, later on, Francis I. substituted it for the
cord of St. Michael ; Louisa, his mother, introduced it
in the coat-of-arms of her house. The armorial bear-
ings of Maria of Cleves, the mother of Louis XII., are
still enriched with the same cord.

Until that period the devotion to this holy cord
cfxisted without a place of association. Pope Sixtus V.,
who had belonged to the Order of St. Francis before
his elevation to the sovereign pontificate, wished to
place it under some Rule. By the constitution, Ex
sxtpernce depoaitionhy of November 19, 1585,^ he insti-
tuted tlie Archconfratemity of the Cord of St. Francis
in the church of the Sacro Convento of the Conventual
Brothers Minor at Assisi, in which reposes the body of
our Seraphic Father ; he bestowed on it numerous in-

^ Chronicles of the Brothers MinoTf book i. oh. zlviiL leo.
428 ; Watint; ad an. 1219.

3 BtUl. Roman, BuH, Capttc, voL i. p. 4Q v Auu« M\\v*^0^

312 APPENDIX.

diligences, besides a full participation in all those en-
joyed by the Brothers Minor; and he moreover con-
ferred on the Minister-General of the Brothers Minor
Conventual the power of instituting confraternities of
the cord in all the churches of the divers branches of
the Order of Conventuals, Observantins, and Capu-
chins, and of associating them with the Archconfra-
temity of Assisi. In another constitution, Divin<B
charitatis altitudo, of August 29, 1587,^ the same Pope
confirmed the favours he had previously granted, ac-
corded new ones, and authorised the Minister-General
of the Brothers Minor of the Observantins to institute
the Confraternity of the Cord in all the churches of his
Order, but only in those places where the Conventual
Brothers Minor did not exist, and in those where the
Confraternity had not been previously established by
them. These concessions were confirmed by Clement
VIII. in his apostolic letters, Unigeniti, of March 14,
1600, as well as by several other Sovereign Pontiflfe.
Finally, Benedict XIII., in a brief, Sacrosancti Aposto-
latus ministeriumy of September 30, 1724, confirmed
the Minister-General of the Brothers Minor Conventuals
in all his powers over the Archconfcatemity of the
Cord, and moreover granted him by apostolic authority
full and entire permission and power to establish and
instittUe, with the consent of the ordinaries of the dis-
trictSy Confraternities of the Cord in all the towns,
countries, and places where no church of the Order
existed, and to associate all the confraternities thus
established by him with the Archconfraternity of As-
sisi, with entire participation in all the privileges, in-
dults, favours, exemptions, concessions, indulgences, even
plenary ones, remission of sins, relaxations from penal-
ties, and other favours whatsoever accorded to the said

^MadencoMf N&oa Coltectio, p. 4% •, Ann* M\'a»^<\.'s^au

ABCHCONFRATERNITY OF THE CORD. 313

archconfratemity by Sixtus V. and other Sovereign
Pontiffs, or which should hereafter be accorded.

Thus sustained and protected by the Holy See, the
Archconfratemity of the Cord spread wonderfully, and
everywhere produced abundant fruits of salvation. It
reckoned among its members many holy persons, an4
in these latter days the Lord hath rendered it illus-
trious by his great servant Benedict Joseph Labre. He
received the cord at Assisi by the tomb of our Father
St. Francis, November 20, 1770.

The conditions to be fulfilled in order to share in
the spiritual favours of tlie Archconfratemity of the
Cord are the following :*

1. To enter a Confraternity of the Cord canonically
instituted, and to receive the cord blessed by one of the
Superiors of the Order of the Brothers Minor, or by a
priest delegated by them. These Superiors are, the
Minister-General, the Provincials, the Guardians, and
the Presidents of the Convents, or those who are in
then* place, as is clearly expressed in the bull of Sixtus
v., Divinoi charitatis : We will that the cord of St.
Francis, which the members of the confraternity are to
wear, be blessed by the Superiors of the Brothers
Minor, or the Guardians and Presidents.

2. To have his name entered in the register of the
confraternity. The omission, however, of this formality
would not invalidate the reception.

3. To wear the cord continually, and, as much
as possible, girt around the body. Kit is left oflfby
anyone, that member does not thereby cease to belong
to the confraternity, but is deprived of the indulgences
during the whole time that the cord is not worn. It is

^ Bordoni, Optra^ vol. ilL pan ii. reiol. 72 ; Dt Confrat,
in EccUs, Reg, xu 43. Boderioui, QiMect, iUg« ^^ttJL \« ve^v««
p, 5&

314 APPENDIX.

sufficient that the first cord should be blessed ; this may
be replaced afterwards by another withont having re-
course to a new blessing.

No prayer is obligatory in order to enjoy the favonrs
attached to the Gcmfratemity of the Cord. It suffices
to discharge folly the works prescribed for indulgences.
GreneraUy the members of the confratemiiy recite once
a day five PaterSy Ave Marias, and Glorias, in honour
of the Wounds of our Divine Saviour, and of the stig-
mata of our Seraphic Father St. Francis. To prevent
every kind of scruple, we wiU say with St. Francis de
Sales, " All the Rules of the rosary and of the cord are
not in any way binding under pain of sin, either mortal,
venial, direct or indirect ; and in not observing them no
more sin is committed than by neglecting any other
good work. Do not, therefore, give way to uneasiness,
but serve God cheerfully and with a perfectly free
mind."5

Besides the indulgences of which we are about to
give the summary approved by the Sacred Congrega-
tion, the members of the Confraternity of the Cord may
obtain all the personal indulgences granted directly to
the Brotliers Minor.^ Further, by a briet Ad augen-
dam, of November 24, 1772, Clement XTV. granted them
the power of obtaining, in their churches or public cha-
pels distant a league at least from the churches of the
Brothers Minor, all the indulgences accorded on visit-
ing these churches, provided that they perform precisely
the prescribed works. "When they are legitimately pre-
vented from visiting the church they may participate
in the same indulgences by fulfilling the other con-
ditions.

' Lelt/res Spirit,

^ FerrariB, vex^.Iiidvlgetiha^ act. v. no. 31.

315

SUMMARY

Of the indulgenceSj favours, and privileges granted in
perpetuity by the Sovereign Pontiffs to the Arohcon-
fraternity of the Cord of 8t. Francis, and the Con-
fraternities tliereunto attached.

Pope Paul v., of happy memory, by the brief, Cmn
certas, of March 11, 1607, confirmed by another brief,
Nuper Archiconfrateniitatl Cordigerarum, of September
26, 1607, after having revoked all the indulgences at-
tached by his predecessors to the Archconfraternity of
the Cord, granted the following indulgences ;

1. Plenary indulgence on confessing and communi-
cating on the day of entering the Archconfraternity,
and receiving, in memory of the Father St. Francis, the
cord blessed by a Superior of the Brothers Minor.

2. Plenary iniluhjence to the members of the Con-
fraternity, who, having confessed and communicated,
shall with devotion visit the church or oratory of the
Confraternity on the day of the principal festival, and
shall pray therein for concord among Christian princes,
the extirpation of heresies, and the exaltation of Holy
Church.

3. Plenary indulgence and remission of all sins, in
articulo mortis, to the same members who, being truly
penitent, and having confessed and communicated, or
at least being truly penitent, if they cannot confess and
communicate, shall invoke devoutly with the heart and
moutli, or at least with the heart, the most holy name
of Jesus.

4. Indulgence of three years and three quarantines
to tlie same members who shall assist at the usual
monthly procession of the Coiiiiatercat^ .

316 APPENDIX.

5. Indulgence of one hundred days to the members
of the Confraternity who shall recite jointly the OflBlce
of the Most Holy Virgin, or any other Office.

6. Indulgence of five years and five quarantines to
those members who shall follow the most Blessed
Sacrament, when It is carried to the sick.

7. Indulgence of seven years and seven quarantines
to all those who, being truly contrite and having con-
fessed, shall visit a church of the Order of the Brothers
Minor, and pray therein devoutly on the Festivals of
St. Anthony of Padua, June 13 ; St. Bonaventura, July
14 ; St. Louis, Bishop, August 19 ; St. Bemardin, May
20 ; and St. Clare, August 12.

8. Indulgence of one hundred days to the same every
time they shall follow the body of a faithful departed to
its interment, or shall restore peace among enemies.

9. The same Pope granted that all these indulgences
might, by way of suffrage, be appUed to the souls in
purgatory.

10. Finally, he conferred on the Minister-General of
the Conventual Brothers Minor the faculty of establish-
ing and instituting, in every church of his Order, secu-
lar Confraternities of both sexes, under the denomina-
tion of the Cord of St. Francis^ according to the tenor
of the constitution of Sixtus V., Ex supemce disposi-
tioniSy of November 19, 1585, and of that of Clement
VIII., QuacumquCy of December 7, 1604. He declared,
moreover, that all the confraternities then established,
or which should hereafter be estabhshed, should by the
same be associated with the Archconfratemity at Assisi,
according to the said constitution of Sixtus V. Such
are the dispositions of the brief, Cum certaSt of Paul V.,
granted March 11, 1607.

SUMMARY OF INDULGENCES, ETC. 317

1. The same Sovereign Pontiff Paul V., by another
brief, Fils Christi fidelium, of June 25, 1610, confirmed
the indulgences and other favours which he had granted
to the Archconfraternity of the Cord ; and he still fur-
ther granted a plenary indulgence to the members who,
being truly contrite, and having confessed and com-
municated, should devoutly visit the church of the
Archconfraternity on the 2d of August, and should pray
for concord among Christian princes, the extirpation of
heresies, and the exaltation of Holy Church.

2. He extended the same concession to aU the Con-
fraternities of the Cord which were at tliat time estab-
Hshed according to the constitution of Clement VIII.,
and associated with the Archconfraternity, declaring
that this indulgence should be communicated with the
other indulgences to the confraternities which should
hereafter be established and associated according to the
same constitution of Clement Vni.

in.

Gregory XV., in a brief. Pins Christi, of November
10, 1002, granted to the members of the Confraternity
of the Cord the follo\^ing favours :

1. An entire participation in the indulgences, re-
missions of sin, and relaxations from penalties granted
to the Brotliers Minor, as regulars.

2. The members of the Confraternity of the Cord
who, on account of poverty, sickness, distance, or any
other legitimate hindrance, are unable to visit the
churches appointed for gaining indulgences, may satisfy
this obhgation and gain the same indulgences by recit-
ing at homo five Paters, five Ave Marias, and five
Glorias in honour of the five wounds of our Lord Jeans
Christ pnd oi St. Francis.

318 APPENDIX.

3. The members may apply, by way of suflErage, to
the sonls in purgatory all the indulgences, remissions
of sins, relaxations from penalties, even those obtained
by Tisiting the churches of the Brothers Minor, on
August 2, the Feast of our Lady of the Angels, or the
PortLuncula.

4. The con&atemities at that time established, in-
stituted, and associated with the Archconfratemity of
Assisi, according to the constitution of Clement Vill.,
«njoy all these favours without any other communica-
tion, concession, or indult ; but those which have since
been estabUshed, instituted, and associated, should ob-
tain communication with these indulgences, as well as
with those granted by Paul V., ever observing the afore-
fiaid constitution of Clement Ym.

IV.

Clement X., in a brief of October 3, 1670, granted
plenary indulgence and remission of aU sins to all the
faithful who, being truly contrite, and having confessed
and communicated, should visit a church of the Bro-
thers Minor Conventuals on August 2, from the first
Vespers to sunset on the day of the feast, and who
should pray for concord among Christian princes, the
extirpation of heresies, and the exaltation of Holy
Church. Alexander VIII., in a brief of January 10,
1690, declared these indulgences applicable to the souls
in purgafery.

Innocent XI., by a brief of August 16, 1680, granted
plenary indulgence and remission of all sins to the mem-
bers of the Confraternity of the Cord who should assist
at the usual processions of the confraternity on one of
the Sundays in every montla., i^xom!i<5i^>i5a3^V»>i«axi%\s^

SUMMARY OF INDULGENCES, ETC. 319

contrite, they confess, communicate, and pray for con-
cord among Christian princes, the extirpation of here-
sies, and the exaltation of Holy Ghnrch.7

VI.

The same Sovereign Pontiff, in another brief pub-
lished abont the same time, granted plenary indulgence
and remission of aU sins to the religious of the Order of
Brothers Minor Conventuals, Capuchins, Observan-
tins, to the Sisters of the same Order, and to all the
fiEiithfal who, being truly contrite, and having confessed
and communicated, should visit a church of the Order
on the Festivals of St. Francis, St. Antony of Padua,
St. Bonaventura, St. Loiiis Bishop, St. Bemardin, and
St. Clare, and should pray therein for the usual inten-
tions.

vn.

According to the concession granted by Gregory XV,
and mentioned above (sec. iii. 1), the members of the
Confraternity of the Cord participate in the following
indulgences granted to the Regulars by Paul V., May
23, 1606 :

1. On devoutly visiting their churches, and th^ein
praying for concord among Christian princes, the extir-
pation of heresies, and the exaltation of Holy Church,
the religious gain aU the indulgences attached to the
Stations of the churches inside or beyond tht walls of
Home, on the days fixed for the Stations. The members

"^ Clement XIV., in a brief, Alias felicis recordationiSy of
September 18, 1772, declared that the members of the Con-
fraternity of the Cord may obtain their indulgence without
assisting at the procession, when legitimately prevented, if
they perform a work of piety prescribed by their confessor.
He likewise permitted them to apply thia inds^kiigsi^sj^ V^ **^&!^
mouIb in pnrgatorjt

320 APPENDIX.

of the Confraternity of the Cord gain the same indul-
gences on visiting their church or chapel, and therein
praying in the same manner as above mentioned.

2. The religious gain an indulgence oi five years
and five quarantines on reciting in their church five
Paters and five Ave Marias. The members of the Con-
fraternity of the Cord gain the same indulgence by re-
citing the same prayers in their chapel.

3. By virtue of tiie same concession of Gregory XV.,
the members of the Confraternity of the Cord prevented
by poverty, distance, infirmity, or any other legitimate
cause, from visiting their chapel when this visit is obli-
gatory for gaining the indulgences, may satisfy their
obligation and substitute for the visit the recitation of
five Paters, five Ave Marias, and five Glorias in honour
of the five wounds of our Lord Jesus Christ, and of the
Father St. Francis. Nevertheless, it must be noted
that these five Paters, Ave Marias, and Glorias do not
dispense from the daily recitation of six Paters, Ave
Marias, and Glorias, to participate in the indulgences
and privileges accorded in a general manner to the
Confraternity.

4. All the religious who during an entire month
shall every day have spent half-an-hour in mental
prayer shall gain on the last Sunday of that month an
indulgence of sixty years .and sixty qiutrantines, pro-
vided that they confess and receive the Holy Commu-
nion. The members of the Confraternity of the Cord
shall gain the same indulgences on performing the
same works.

5. Religious can gain plenary indulgence and remis-
sion of all sins by assisting, for two hours consecutively,
or at various intervals, the prayers of the Forty Hours
ordered by the Superiors on the occasion of the visit ;

provided that, having coniesae^ wi^ e.citarcwcsiifiv\X&\,^^^

SUMMARY OF INDULGENCES, ETC. 321

pray for concord among Christian princes, the extirpa-
tion of heresies, the preservation of the Sovereign Pon-
tifif, the exaltation of Holy Church, and the advance-
ment of discipline and regular ohservance. The mem-
bers of the Confraternity of the Cord may also gain this
indulgence.

Die 14 Januarii 1681,
Sacra Congregatio summa-
xium hoc indulgentiarium
a se recognitum, censuit
imprimi posse, atque ubi-
que promulgari.

H. Card. Homodeus.
Michael Angelus.
RiGGius, S.C. Sec.

L. + S.

On the 14th of Januaxy
1681, the Sacred Congrega-
tion decreed that this sum-
mary of indulgences, exa-
mined and approved of by
them, might be impressed
and everywhere promul-
gated.

H. Card. Homodeus.

Michael Angelus.

RiGGius, S.C. Sec,

L. + S.

END OF VOL. L

LONDON:
BOBSON AND SONS, PRINTERS, PANCRAS ROAD, N.W.