Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 8.djvu/708

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EERSSENBROCH


628


EERSSENBROCH


preserved in the Bodleian Library at Oxford. It begins with a general history of the great empires of the world down to A. D. 430. The remainder, and the more valuable portion of the Annals, contains a brief chronicle of Ireland to 1319. This monastery, owing to its situation, escaped the ravages of the Danes, who had worked such ruin on other churches in Kerry. Unfortunately, there are few records of the early bishops either of Ardfert or .^ghadoe previous to the Norman invasion in the twelfth century. All we know is, each had its distinct succession of bishops, and each cathedral had its separate chapter. But these, in the days of persecution, were allowed to lapse. The chapter of Kerry was re-established by Brief of His Holmess, Pius IX, in 1858. Owing to persecution, and the disturbed state of the country, this diocese had no bishops from 1610 to 1641, and again from 1653 to 1703, being governed during both these periods by vicars .4postolic. From this latter date there has been no interruption in the episcopal suc- cession. Many of its bishops have been men of dis- tinction. We may mention Dr. Richard O'Connell (1641-1653), who at a very trying time successfully resisted the determined attacks of heresy on the faith of the people. In modern times Kerry had Dr. David Moriarty (1856-1877), a most accomplished pulpit orator, and Dr. Daniel McCarthy (1878-1881), for many years professor in the College of Maynooth, and author of valuable works on Sacred Scripture. The religious orders were introduced into the diocese chiefly through the piety and zeal of some of the ancient lords of the county. The Franciscans came to Ardfert in 1253, to Muckross in 1440, and to Lis- laughtin in 1464. The Dominican convent in Tralee was founded in 1213. The Cistercians built the Abbey of Kyrie Eleison in Odorney in 1154, while at a much earlier period religious communities existed at Kil- lagha in the parish of Kilcoleman, at Derrinane, at Rattoo, etc. During the reigns of Henry VIII and Elizabeth all those religious establishments were de- stroyed, the priests were expelled, while their property was confiscated. The successful career of Cromwell and his lieutenants had a still more disastrous effect on the religious condition of this remote see in south- west Munster. In modern times there has been a satisfactory revival. Though these ancient monas- teries, and the parochial churches throughout the diocese, were utterly ruined in days of persecution, there has been a complete restoration from the wreck and disaster of those sad times. The Dominicans are again established in Tralee, while the Franciscans flourish — if not in lovely Muckross, still in Killarney not far away. The parish churches, which were mostly thatched cabins not so long ago, are now magnificent stone structures raised through the zeal and energy of a faithful priesthood, aided by the generosity and religious spirit of the laity of the county. The ancient cathedrals at Ardfert and Aghadoe are now in ruins, but the modern cathedral of Kerry, canonically erected in the ancient parish of Aghadoe by special Brief dated 18 May, 1858, sur- passes even old Ardfert — still magnificent, though in ruins. It was designed by Pugin and was begun under Bishop Egan in 1840. For over fifty years it remained in an unfinished state, but the present occu- pant of the See of Kerry and Aghadoe, Most Rev. Dr. John Mangan, has with characteristic energy under- taken the completion of this magnificent structure according to the original designs of its celebrated architect. Dr. Mangan was born in the parish of Listowel in 1843, and was educated at Killarney and Maynooth, where he won the highest academical distinctions. His missionary life in Kerry was mainly spent in the parishes of Glengariff and Kenmare, which, owing to their extent, always demand great labour on the part of their pastor. As a reward for his energy and zeal, he was appointed archdeacon of


Aghadoe, parish priest of Kenmare, and vicar-general of the diocese in 1901. He was raised to the episco- pate, 21 July, 1904. This diocese consists of 51 par- ishes, has 49 parish priests, two administrators, and 69 curates. It has 99 churches, 2 friaries, 5 monas- teries, and 17 convents.

Healy, Ireland's Ancient Schools and Scholars; O'Donoghde, St. Brendan The Voyager; Archdale, Monasticon Hibernicum; Brady, Episcopal Succession in England, Scotland and Ireland, ed. Mohan, II, 52-63; Smith, History of Kerry (Dublin, 1756); CusACK, History of the Kingdom of Kerry (Dublin, 1.S71); references in Ware-Habris, Works (Dublin, 1739); O'Han- LON, Lives of the Irish Saints, passim.

Denis O'Connor.

Eerssenbroch (Kerssenbroick), Hermann von, teacher and historian, b. at Monchshof, near Barn- trup (Lippc), about 1520; d. at Osnabriiek, 5 July, 1585. He attended school first at Paderborn, and after 1533 at Munster until his parents were banished from that city by the Anabaptists. He completed his studies at Cologne, where, in 1541, he received his degree of Bachelor of Philosophy and the Liberal Arts. In 1545 he left Cologne to teach in a superior school, probably at Diisseldorf, after which he was rector at Hamm (1548-50), and head of the Pauline Gymna- siiun at Munster, which had formerly held a high reputation. After twenty-five years of fruitful ac- tivity there, he was obliged to leave Munster, and he was placed in charge of the Schola Salentina at Diissel- dorf, founded by the Electoral Prince Salentin of Cologne, where he remained, however, only three years. In 1578 he took charge of a superior school at Werl, which he soon gave up to return to Osnabriiek, where he remained as rector of the cathedral school for the rest of his unsettled life. He was a remarkab.e teacher, and it is chiefly owing to his farsightedness that the school system of Westphalia, which was on the decline, began in a short time to show signs of new life. His first care was to place on a better financial footing the wretchedly paid teachers of the time who were chiefly dependent on the meagre contributions from the parents of their pupils. A still extant pro- gramme of studies of the Pauline Gymnasium for the year 1551, entitled "Ratio studiorum schols Monas- teriensis saeculi XVI" (in Driver, " Bibliotheca Monas- teriensis", Munster, 1799, 165-72), shows that as teacher he laid greatest stress on a thorough grounding in Latin and Greek, advocating also the study of Hebrew, but utterly disregarding the exact and historical sciences (Realien). He required a high de- gree of skill in the preparation of WTitten work, and careful and constant practice in oral recitation. Pupils flocked to him as to a revered master, while as a practi- cal organizer of the school system he was received everywhere with open arms.

But while in his capacity of teacher he was held in high repute, as historian he suffered much unpleas- antness and even persecution ; his literary work had a strong influence on his career, being the cause, as it was, of his frequent change of habitation. His first known work, written while he was at Cologne, was a poem in dactylic hexameters, "Brevis descriptio belli Monasteriensis contra anabaptistica monstra gesti", skilful in workmanship, but of .slight importance. His principal work deals with the same subject, " His- toria Anabaptistarum Monasteriensiuni ". As might be expected from a humanist it is emlicllished with rhe- torical flourishes which produce at times an unpleasant effect. It was written on a broad scale, forming a his- tory of the whole city from 1524 to 1554. The author had at his disposal ample sources of information, in addition to the accounts of many eyewitnesses and his own experiences, which placed him in a position to give a complete picture of the bloody disturbances of tliese times. He lacked, however, tlu'cssciiti.-ij qualiflcations of an historian, the critical faiulty and an impartial judgment, so that the work, written at the instance and with the assistance of the cathedral chapter, was in