Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 6.djvu/345

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293

FRIARS


293


FRIARS


(d. about 1522) ; Thomas surnamcd lUyricus (d. 1529) ; Jean Tisscrand (d. H'.I4 ); Etionne Brulefer (d. about 15(17). The following illustrious Spanish theologians and preachers of the sixteenth century were P'riars Minor: Alphonsus de Castro (d. 1558); Didacus de Estella (d. 1575); Luis de Carvajal (d. about 1560); John of Carthagena (d. 1617); St. Peter of Alcantara (d 1562). Renowned Italian Franciscans were: Francesco Panigarola (d. 1594); Bartholomew of Saluthio (d. about 1631)); St. Leonard of Port Maurice (d. 1751); Bl. Leopold of Gaiches (d. 1815); Luigi Parmentieri of Casovia (d. 1885); Luigi Arrigoni (d. 1875), Archbishop of Lucca, etc. Other well-known French Franciscans were: Michel Vivien (seventeenth century), Zacharie Laselve etc.; and of the Germans mention may be made of Heinrich Sedulius (d. 1621), Fortunatus Hueber (d. 1706) and Franz .\mpferle (d. 1646). Even to-day the Friars Minor have amongst their number many illustrious preachers, especially in Italy.

IX. Influence op the Order on the Liturgy AND Religious Devotions. — St. Francis prescribed for his order the abrirlged Breviary then reserved for the Roman Curia. As this and the Missal were re- vised by the general, Haymo of Faversham, at the command of Gregory IX, and these liturgical books have by degrees, since the time of Nicholas III (1277- 80), been universally prescribed or adoptetl, the order in this alone has exercised a great influence. The Breviary of General Quinonez (152.3-28) enjoyed a much shorter vogue. To the Franciscan Order the Church is also indebted for the feasts of the Visitation of the B. V. M. (2 July), the Espousals of the B. V. M. (22 now 23 January), the Holy Name of Jesus, and ' to some extent for the feast of St. Joseph (19 March) and that of the Blessed Trinity. The activity of the Franciscans in promoting devotion to the Immaculate Conception, since Scotus (d. 1308) defended this doc- trine, is well known. St. Francis himself laboured earnestly to promote the adoration of Our Lord in the Blessed Eucharist, and Cherubino of Spoleto founded a sodality to accompany the Blessed Sacrament to the houses of the sick. In 1897 Leo XIII declared Pas- chal Baylon (d. 1592) patron of Eucharistic Leagues. The Christmas crib was introduced and popularized by the order (see Crib) to which — especially to St. Leon- ard of Port Maurice (d. 1751) — is also due the spread- ing of the devotion known as "the Stations of the Cross". The ringing of the Angelus morning, noon, and evening, was also inaugurated by the Franciscans, especially by St. Bonaventure and Bl. Benedict of Arezzo (d. about 1250).

X. Franciscan Missions. — St. Francis devoted himself to missionary labours from 1219 to 1221, and devoted in his rule a special chapter (xii) to missions. In even,' part of the world, the Franciscans have laboured with the greatest devotion, self-sacrifice, enthusiasm and success, even though, as the result of persecutions and wars, the result of their toil has not always been permanent. The four friars sent to Mo- rocco in 1210 under Berard of Carbio (q. v.) were mar- tyred in 1220. Electus soon shared their fate, and in 1227 Daniel with six companions was put to death at Ceuta. The bishops of Morocco were mostly Franci.scans or Dominicans. In 1420 the Observants foimded a convent at Ceuta, and here St. John of Prado died at the stake in 16.32. This mission was entrusted to the province of S. Diego in 1641, and to the province of Santiago (Galicia, Spain) in 1860, after it had been constituted a prefecture Apostolic in 1859. In Oran, Libya, Tunis, Algiers, as well as throughout Egypt, Franciscans have laboured since the thirteenth century, and .signalized their exertions by a glorious array of martyrs in 12S.S, 1345, 1358, 1370, 1373, etc. This mission was under the juris- diction of that in the Holy Land. In 16,86 Upper Egypt was separated, and became in 1697 an inde-


pendent prefecture Apostolic. Lower Egypt con- tinued its connexion with the Holy Land until 1839, when both (with Aden, which was again separated in 1889) were formed into a vicariate Apostolic, in which state they still remain. In Lower Egypt there are now sixteen monasteries, controlling parishes and schools. In Upper Egypt, from which the Copts were separated in 1892, are eight monasteries with parishes connected.

In 1630 the Congregation of Propaganda sent Fa- thers Mark of Scalvo and PMward of Bergamo to Tripoli, and in 1643 appointed Paschal Canto, a Frenchman, Prefect Apostolic of Barbary — an office which still exists. The acti vi ty of this mission, like the others in these countries, is not so much directed to the conversion of Mohammedans as to the support and help of the Cathohc settlers. Abyssinia (Ethiopia, Habech) was first visited by John of Montecorvino (c. 1280). Later, Bl. Thomas of Florence was sent thither by Albert of Sarteano, and Sixtus IV, after the other missions had failed, sent Girolamo Tornielli. Many missionaries were put to death, and in 1687 a special prefecture was instituted for the conversion of the Copts. This was reinstituted in 1815, and in 1895 a special hierarchy was erected for the same object. In 1700 Father Krump undertook the founda- tion of a new mission in Ethiopia, when in 1718 three missionaries were stoned to death.

The two Genoese ships which circiminavagated Africa in 1291 had two Minorites on board. Others accom- oanied Vasco da Gama. In 1446 the Franciscans \-isited Cape Verde where Roger, a Frenchman, zeal- ously preached the Gospel. In 1459 they reached Guinea, of which Alphonsus of Bolano was named prefect Apostolic in 1472. They thence proceeded to the Congo, where they baptized a king. In 1500 they went to Slozambique under Alvarez of Coimbra. The French Recollects laboured here during the seven- teenth century, but since 1898 the Portuguese Fran- ciscans have had charge of the mission. At the be- ginning of the sixteenth century Friars Minor settled in Melinda and on the Island of Socotra near Aden. In 1245 John of Piano Carpinis (Piano di Carpine) was sent by Innocent IV to the Great Khan in Tatary, and penetrated thence into Mongolia. By order of Louis IX William of Rubruck (Rubruquis) proceeded thence through Armenia and Central Asia to Karakoram. The accounts of the travels of the last-mentioned two intrepid missionaries enjoy a well-earned historical and geographical renown. In 1279 Nicholas III sent five Franciscans to China, among them John of Monte- corvino, who preached on the outward journey in Armenia, Persia, and Ethiopia and on his return jour- ney in the same countries and in India. Having con- verted thousands and translated the New Testament and the Psalms into Chinese, he completed in 1299 a beautiful church in Peking. In 1307 Clement V appointed him Archbishop of Cambaluc and Primate of the Far East and gave him six sufTragan bishops, only three of whom reached Peking (1308). (See China, Vol. 111,669-70.) From 1320 to 1.325 Odoricof Pordenone laboured in Persia, India, Sumatra, Java, Borneo, Canton, Tibet, and China. In 1333 John XXII dispatched twenty-seven Franciscans to China, Giovanni Marignola of Florence following them in 1342. In 1370 William of Prato was sent as arch- bishop to Peking with twenty fellow-Minorites. The appearance of the Ming dynasty in 1368 brought about the ruin of all the missions. On 21 June, 1579, Fran- ciscans from the Philippines penetrated to China once more, but the real founder of the new mission in China was Antonio de S. Maria (d. 1669), who was sent to China in 1633. and later laboured in Cochin- China and Korea. China was also visited in 1661 by Bonaventura Ibafiez (d. 1691) with eight friars. Henceforward Franciscan missions to China were constant. In 1684 came the Italian fathers under the