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10-11

Psalm of the month 11

Saints of the month

12-15

Mass readings

15-16

Pope of the month 17-18

Proverb

19

Papal encyclical

19-28

Mission statement 28

Papal encyclical

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O C T O B E R

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Saint of the month

Saint of the month

SPECIAL
POINTS OF
INTEREST:

2 ,

St Basil the Great

Bishop of Caesarea, and
one of the most distinguished Doctors of the
Church. Born probably
329; died 1 January, 379.
He ranks after Athanasius
as a defender of the Oriental Church against the
heresies of the fourth century. With his friend Gregory of Nazianzus and his
brother Gregory of Nyssa,
he makes up the trio
known as "The Three Cappadocians", far outclassing
the other two in practical
genius and actual achievement.
Life
St. Basil the Elder, father
of St. Basil the Great, was
the son of a Christian of
good birth and his wife,
Macrina (Acta SS., January,

II), both of whom suffered

for the faith during the
persecution of Maximinus
Galerius (305-314), spending several years of hardship in the wild mountains
of Pontus. St. Basil the
Elder was noted for his
virtue (Acta SS, May, VII)
and also won considerable
reputation as a teacher in
Caesarea. He was not a
priest (Cf. Cave, Hist. Lit., I,
239). He married Emmelia,
the daughter of a martyr
and became the father of
ten children. Three of
these, Macrina, Basil, and
Gregory are honoured as
saints; and of the sons,
Peter, Gregory, and Basil
attained the dignity of the
episcopate.
Under the care of his fa-

events

Upcoming events
Join other young adult Catholics for mass and fellowship.
Date: Oct 2, 2015
Location: Sts. Peter and Paul Church 82 south 2nd Street
Brooklyn, NY
Time: 7pm
Music by Alverlis Pena

St Basil

ther and his grandmother,

the elder Macrina, who
preserved the traditions of
their countryman, St.
Gregory Thaumaturgus (c.
213-275) Basil was formed
in habits of piety and
study. He was still young
when his father died and
the family moved to the
estate of the elder Macrina
at Annesi in Pontus, on the
banks of the Iris. As a boy,
he was sent to school at
Caesarea, then "a me-

PAGE

Saint of the month

St Basil the Great

Basil was already

distinguished for
brilliancy of mind
and seriousness of
character

OCTOBER

tropolis of letters", and

conceived a fervent admiration for the local
bishop, Dianius. Later, he
went to Constantinople,
at that time
"distinguished for its
teachers of philosophy
and rhetoric", and
thence to Athens. Here
he became the inseparable companion of Gregory of Nazianzus, who, in
his famous panegyric on
Basil (Or. xliii), gives a
most interesting description of their academic
experiences. According
to him, Basil was already
distinguished for brilliancy of mind and seriousness of character and
associated only with the
most earnest students.
He was able, grave, industrious, and well advanced in rhetoric, grammar, philosophy, astronomy, geometry, and
medicine. (As to his not
knowing Latin, see Fialon, Etude historique et
littraire sur St. Basile,
Paris, 1869). We know
the names of two of
Basil's teachers at Athens
Prohaeresius, possibly
a Christian, and
Himerius, a pagan. It has
been affirmed, though
probably incorrectly, that
Basil spent some time
under Libanius. He tells
us himself that he endeavoured without suc-

NEWSLETTER

cess to attach himself as

a pupil to Eustathius (Ep.,
I). At the end of his sojourn at Athens, Basil
being laden, says St.
Gregory of Nazianzus
"with all the learning
attainable by the nature
of man", was well
equipped to be a
teacher. Caesarea took
possession of him gladly
"as a founder and second
patron" (Or. xliii), and as
he tells us (ccx), he refused the splendid offers
of the citizens of NeoCaesarea, who wished
him to undertake the
education of the youth
of their city.
To the successful student
and distinguished professor, "there now remained", says Gregory
(Or. xliii), "no other need
than that of spiritual perfection". Gregory of
Nyssa, in his life of
Macrina, gives us to understand that Basil's brilliant success both as a
university student and a
professor had left traces
of worldliness and selfsufficiency on the soul of
the young man. Fortunately, Basil came again
in contact with Dianius,
Bishop of Caesarea, the
object of his boyish affection, and Dianius
seems to have baptized
him, and ordained him
Reader soon after his

return to Caesarea. It was at the

same time also that he fell under
the influence of that very remarkable woman, his sister
Macrina, who had meanwhile
founded a religious community
on the family estate at Annesi.
Basil himself tells us how, like a
man roused from deep sleep, he
turned his eyes to the marvellous truth of the Gospel, wept
many tears over his miserable
life, and prayed for guidance
from God: "Then I read the Gospel, and saw there that a great
means of reaching perfection
was the selling of one's goods,
the sharing of them with the
poor, the giving up of all care for
this life, and the refusal to allow
the soul to be turned by any
sympathy towards things of
earth" (Ep. ccxxiii). To learn the
ways of perfection, Basil now
visited the monasteries of Egypt,
Palestine, Coele-Syria, and Mesopotamia. He returned, filled with
admiration for the austerity and
piety of the monks, and founded
a monastery in his native Pontus,
on the banks of the Iris, nearly
opposite Annesi. (Cf. Ramsay,
Hist. Geog. of Asia Minor, London, 1890, p. 326). Eustathius of
Sebaste had already introduced
the eremitical life into Asia Minor; Basil added the cenobitic or
community form, and the new
feature was imitated by many
companies of men and women.
(Cf. Sozomen, Church History
VI.27; Epiphanius, Haer., lxxv, 1;
Basil, Ep. ccxxiii; Tillemont,
Mm., IX, Art. XXI, and note
XXVI.) Basil became known as

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Saint of the month

St Basil the Great

the father of Oriental monasticism, the forerunner of

St. Benedict. How well he
deserved the title, how seriously and in what spirit he
undertook the systematizing
of the religious life, may be
seen by the study of his Rule.
He seems to have read Origen's writings very systematically about this time, for
in union with Gregory of Nazianzus, he published a selection of them called the
"Philocalia".
Basil was drawn from his
retreat into the area of theological controversy in 360
when he accompanied two
delegates from Seleucia to
the emperor at Constantinople, and supported his
namesake of Ancyra. There
is some dispute as to his
courage and his perfect orthodoxy on this occasion (cf.
Philostorgius, Hist. Eccl., IV,
xii; answered by Gregory of
Nyssa, Answer to Eunomius'
Second Book I, and Maran,
Proleg., vii; Tillemont, Mm.,
note XVIII). A little later,
however, both qualities
seem to have been sufficiently in evidence, as Basil
forsook Dianius for having
signed the heretical creed of
Rimini. To this time (c. 361)

may be referred the

"Moralia"; and a little later
came two books against
Eunomius (363) and some
correspondence with Athanasius. It is possible, also,
that Basil wrote his monastic
rules in the briefer forms
while in Pontus, and
enlarged them later at
Caesarea. There is an account of an invitation from
Julian for Basil to present
himself a court and of Basil's
refusal, coupled with an admonition that angered the
emperor and endangered
Basil's safety. Both incident
and correspondence however are questioned by some
critics.
Basil still retained considerable influence in Caesarea,
and it is regarded as fairly
probable that he had a hand
in the election of the successor of Dianius who died in
362, after having been reconciled to Basil. In any case
the new bishop, Eusebius,
was practically placed in his
office by the elder Gregory
of Nazianzus. Eusebius having persuaded the reluctant
Basil to be ordained priest,
gave him a prominent place
in the administration of the
diocese (363). In ability for
the management of affairs
Basil so far eclipsed the
bishop that ill-feeling rose
between the two. "All the
more eminent and wiser
portion of the church was
roused against the

bishop" (Greg. Naz., Or. xliii; Ep. x),

and to avoid trouble Basil again
withdrew into the solitude of
Pontus. A little later (365) when the
attempt of Valens to impose Arianism on the clergy and the people
necessitated the presence of a
strong personality, Basil was restored to his former position,
being reconciled to the bishop
by St. Gregory of Nazianzus.
There is an
There seems to have been no
further disagreement between account of an
Eusebius and Basil and the latter invitation from
soon became the real head of
Julian for Basil
the diocese. "The one", says
Gregory of Nazianzus (Or. xliii),
to present
"led the people the other led
their leader". During the five
himself a court
years spent in this most important office, Basil gave evidence and of Basil's
of being a man of very unusual refusal,
powers. He laid down the law to
the leading citizens and the imperial governors, settled disputes
with wisdom and finality, assisted
the spiritually needy, looked after
"the support of the poor, the entertainment of strangers, the care of
maidens, legislation written and
unwritten for the monastic life, arrangements of prayers, (liturgy?),
adornment of the sanctuary" (op.
cit.). In time of famine, he was the
saviour of the poor.
In 370 Basil succeeded
to the See of Caesarea,
being consecrated according to tradition on
14 June. Caesarea was
then a powerful and
wealthy city (Sozomen,
Church
1081, John, PatriSt. Basil
arch of Constantin-

PAGE

Saint of the month

St Basil the Great

The need of a man

like Basil in such a
see as Caesarea
was most pressing,
and he must have
known this well.

OCTOBER

History V.5). Its bishop

was Metropolitan of
Cappadocia and Exarch
of Pontus which embraced more than half of
Asia Minor and comprised eleven provinces.
The see of Caesarea
ranked with Ephesus immediately after the patriarchal sees in the councils, and the bishop was
the superior of fifty
chorepiscopi (Baert).
Basil's actual influence,
says Jackson
(Prolegomena, XXXII)
covered the whole
stretch of country "from
the Balkans to the Mediterranean and from the
Aegean to the Euphrates". The need of a man
like Basil in such a see as
Caesarea was most
pressing, and he must
have known this well.
Some think that he set
about procuring his own
election; others (e.g. Maran, Baronius, Ceillier)
say that he made no attempt on his own behalf.
In any event, he became
Bishop of Caesarea
largely by the influence
of the elder Gregory of
Nazianzus. His election,
says the younger Gregory (loc. cit.), was followed by disaffection on
the part of several suffragan bishops "on whose
side were found the

NEWSLETTER

greatest scoundrels in
the city". During his previous administration of
the diocese Basil had so
clearly defined his ideas
of discipline and orthodoxy, that no one could
doubt the direction and
the vigour of his policy.
St. Athanasius was
greatly pleased at Basil's
election (Ad Pallad., 953;
Ad Joann. et Ant., 951);
but the Arianizing Emperor Valens, displayed
considerably annoyance
and the defeated minority of bishops became
consistently hostile to
the new metropolitan.
By years of tactful conduct, however, "blending
his correction with consideration and his gentleness with firmness" (Greg. Naz., Or.
xliii), he finally overcame
most of his opponents.
Basil's letters tell the
story of his tremendous
and varied activity; how
he worked for the exclusion of unfit candidates
from the sacred ministry
and the deliverance of
the bishops from the
temptation of simony;
how he required exact
discipline and the faithful
observance of the canons from both laymen
and clerics; how he re-

buked the sinful, followed up the

offending, and held out hope of
pardon to the penitent. (Cf. Epp.
xliv, xlv, and xlvi, the beautiful
letter to a fallen virgin, as well as
Epp. liii, liv, lv, clxxxviii, cxcix,
ccxvii, and Ep. clxix, on the
strange incident of Glycerius,
whose story is well filled out by
Ramsay, The Church in the Roman Empire, New York, 1893, p.
443 sqq.) If on the one hand he
strenuously defended clerical
rights and immunities (Ep. civ),
on the other he trained his clergy
so strictly that they grew famous
as the type of all that a priest
should be (Epp. cii, ciii). Basil did
not confine his activity to diocesan affairs, but threw himself
vigorously into the troublesome
theological disputes then rending the unity of Christendom. He
drew up a summary of the orthodox faith; he attacked by word of
mouth the heretics near at hand
and wrote tellingly against those
afar. His correspondence shows
that he paid visits, sent messages, gave interviews, instructed, reproved, rebuked,
threatened, reproached, undertook the protection of nations,
cities, individuals great and
small. There was very little
chance of opposing him successfully, for he was a cool, persistent, fearless fighter in defence

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Saint of the month

St Basil the Great

both of doctrine and of principles. His bold stand against

Valens parallels the meeting
of Ambrose with Theodosius.
The emperor was dumbfounded at the archbishop's
calm indifference to his presence and his wishes. The
incident, as narrated by
Gregory of Nazianzus, not
only tells much concerning
Basil's character but throws
a clear light on the type of
Christian bishop with which
the emperors had to deal
and goes far to explain why
Arianism, with little court
behind it, could make so little impression on the ultimate history of Catholicism.
While assisting Eusebius in
the care of his diocese, Basil
had shown a marked interest
in the poor and afflicted;
that interest now displayed
itself in the erection of a
magnificent institution, the
Ptochoptopheion, or
Basileiad, a house for the
care of friendless strangers,
the medical treatment of the
sick poor, and the industrial
training of the unskilled.
Built in the suburbs, it attained such importance as to
become practically the centre of a new city with the

name of he kaine polis or

"Newtown". It was the
motherhouse of like institutions erected in other dioceses and stood as a constant reminder to the rich of
their privilege of spending
wealth in a truly Christian
way. It may be mentioned
here that the social obligations of the wealthy were so
plainly and forcibly preached
by St. Basil that modern sociologists have ventured to
claim him as one of their
own, though with no more
foundation than would exist
in the case of any other consistent teacher of the principles of Catholic ethics. The
truth is that St. Basil was a
practical lover of Christian
poverty, and even in his exalted position preserved that
simplicity in food and clothing and that austerity of life
for which he had been remarked at his first renunciation of the world.
In the midst of his labours,
Basil underwent suffering of
many kinds. Athanasius died
in 373 and the elder Gregory
in 374, both of them leaving
gaps never to be filled. In
373 began the painful estrangement from Gregory of
Nazianzus. Anthimus, Bishop
of Tyana, became an open
enemy, Apollinaris "a cause
of sorrow to the
churches" (Ep. cclxiii),
Eustathius of Sebaste a traitor to the Faith and a personal foe as well. Eusebius of

Samosata was banished, Gregory of Nyssa condemned and

deposed. When Emperor Valentinian died and the Arians recovered their influence, all
Basil's efforts must have
seemed in vain. His health was
breaking, the Goths were at the
door of the empire, Antioch was
in schism, Rome doubted his
sincerity, the bishops refused to
be brought together as he
wished. "The notes of the
church were obscured in his
part of Christendom, and he
had to fare on as best he might,-admiring, courting, yet coldly
treated by the Latin world, desiring the friendship of Rome,
yet wounded by her reserve,-suspected of heresy by Damasus, and accused by Jerome of
pride" (Newman, The Church of
the Fathers). Had he lived a little longer and attended the
Council of Constantinople (381),
he would have seen the death
of its first president, his friend
Meletius, and the forced resignation of its second, Gregory of
Nazianzus. Basil died 1 January,
379. His death was regarded as
a public bereavement; Jews,
pagans, and foreigners vied with
his own flock in doing him honour. The earlier Latin martyrologies (Hieronymian and Bede)
make no mention of a feast of
St. Basil. The first mention is by
Usuard and Ado who place it on
14 June, the supposed date of
Basil's consecration to the episcopate. In the Greek "Menaea"
he is commemorated on 1 January, the day of his death. In

the social
obligations of
the wealthy
were so plainly
and forcibly
preached by St.
Basil

PAGE

Saint of the month

St Basil the Great

In fact, the impress

of his genius was
stamped indelibly
on the Oriental
conception of
religious life.

OCTOBER

ople, in consequence of a
vision, established a feast
in common honour of St.
Basil, Gregory of Nazianzus, and John Chrysostom, to be celebrated
on 30 January. The Bollandists give an account of
the origin of this feast;
they also record as worthy
of note that no relics of St.
Basil are mentioned before the twelfth century,
at which time parts of his
body, together with some
other very extraordinary
relics were reputed to
have been brought to
Bruges by a returning Crusader. Baronius (c. 1599)
gave to the Naples Oratory
a relic of St. Basil sent
from Constantinople to
the pope. The Bollandists
and Baronius print descriptions of Basil's personal appearance and the
former reproduce two
icons, the older copied
from a codex presented to
Basil, Emperor of the East
(877-886).
By common consent, Basil
ranks among the greatest
figures in church history
and the rather extravagant
panegyric by Gregory of
Nazianzus has been all but
equalled by a host of other
eulogists. Physically delicate and occupying his
exalted position but a few
years, Basil did magnificent and enduring work in
an age of more violent

NEWSLETTER

world convulsions than

Christianity has since
experienced. (Cf. Newman, The Church of the
Fathers). By personal
virtue he attained distinction in an age of
saints; and his purity, his
monastic fervour, his
stern simplicity, his
friendship for the poor
became traditional in the
history of Christian asceticism. In fact, the impress of his genius was
stamped indelibly on the
Oriental conception of
religious life. In his hands
the great metropolitan
see of Caesarea took
shape as the sort of
model of the Christian
diocese; there was
hardly any detail of episcopal activity in which he
failed to mark out guiding lines and to give
splendid example. Not
the least of his glories is
the fact that toward the
officials of the State he
maintained that fearless
dignity and independence which later history
has shown to be an indispensable condition of
healthy life in the Catholic episcopate.
Some difficulty has
arisen out of the correspondence of St. Basil
with the Roman See.
That he was in communion with the Western
bishops and that he

wrote repeatedly to Rome asking

that steps be taken to assist the
Eastern Church in her struggle
with schismatics and heretics is
undoubted; but the disappointing result of his appeals drew
from him certain words which
require explanation. Evidently he
was deeply chagrined that Pope
Damasus on the one hand hesitated to condemn Marcellus and
the Eustathians, and on the
other preferred Paulinus to Meletius in whose right to the See
of Antioch St. Basil most firmly
believed. At the best it must be
admitted that St. Basil criticized
the pope freely in a private letter
to Eusebius of Samosata (Ep.
ccxxxix) and that he was indignant as well as hurt at the failure
of his attempt to obtain help
from the West. Later on, however, he must have recognized
that in some respects he had
been hasty; in any event, his
strong emphasis of the influence
which the Roman See could exercise over the Eastern bishops,
and his abstaining from a charge
of anything like usurpation are
great facts that stand out obviously in the story of the disagreement. With regard to the
question of his association with
the Semi-Arians, Philostorgius
speaks of him as championing
the Semi-Arian cause, and Newman says he seems unavoidably
to have Arianized the first thirty
years of his life. The explanation
of this, as well as of the disagreement with the Holy See, must be
sought in a careful study of the
times, with due reference to the

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Schedule of Events
October 2nd catholic youth

PAGE

OCTOBER 2015

mass 7pm

October 14th St.. Callistus

Sun

Mon

Tue

Wed

Thu

Fri

Sat

pope and martyr

October 17th St. Ignatius of

Antioch bishop and martyr

October 18th St. Luke the

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evangelist

October 28th Sts. Simon and

Jude apostles

Saint of the month

St Basil the Great
unsettled and changeable condition of theological distinctions, the
lack of anything like a
final pronouncement by
the Church's defining
power, the "lingering
imperfections of the
Saints" (Newman), the
substantial orthodoxy of
many of the so-called
Semi-Arians, and above
all the great plan which
Basil was steadily pursuing of effecting unity in a
disturbed and divided
Christendom.
Writings
Dogmatic
Of the five books
against Eunomius (c.

364) the last two are

classed as spurious by
some critics. The work
assails the equivalent
Arianism of Eunomius
and defends the Divinity
of the Three Persons of
the Trinity; it is well
summarized by Jackson
(Nicene and Post Nicene
Fathers, Series II, VIII).
The work On the Holy
Spirit, or treatise on the
Holy Spirit (c. 375) was
evoked in part by the
Macedonian denial of
the Divinity of the Third
Person and in part by

charges that Basil himself

had "slurred over the
Spirit" (Gregory Naz., Ep.
lviii), that he had advocated
communion with all such a
should admit simply that
the Holy Ghost was not a
creature (Basil, Ep. cxiii),
and that he had sanctioned
the use of a novel doxology,
namely, "Glory be to the
Father with the Son together with the Holy
Ghost" (De Sp. S., I, i) The
treatise teaches the doctrine of the Divinity of the
Holy Ghost, while avoiding
the phrase "God, the Holy

PAGE

Saint of the month

St Basil the Great

Twenty-four
sermons, doctrinal,
moral, and
panegyrical in
character, are
looked upon as
generally genuine,

OCTOBER

the necessity of some such

reticence on Basil's part.
(Cf. Jackson, op. cit., p.
XXIII, note.) With regard to
Basil's teaching on the
Third Person, as expressed
in his work against
Eunomius (III, i), a controversy arose at the Council
of Florence between the
Latins and the Greeks; but
strong arguments both
external and internal,
availed to place Basil on
the side of the "Filioque".
The dogmatic writings
were edited separately by
Goldhorn, in his "S. Basilii
Opera Dogmatica Selecta" (Leipzig, 1854). The
On the Holy Spirit, was
translated into English by
Johnston (Oxford, 1892);
by Lewis in the Christian
Classic Series (1888); and
by Jackson (op. cit.).
Exegetical
These include nine homilies "On the Hexaemeron"
and thirteen (Maran)
genuine homilies on particular Psalms. A lengthy
commentary on the first
sixteen chapters of Isaias
is of doubtful authenticity
(Jackson), though by a
contemporary hand. A
commentary on Job has
disappeared. "The Hexaemeron" was highly admired by Gregory of Nazianzus (Or. xliii, no. 67). It
is translated entire by
Jackson (op. cit.). The
homilies on the Psalms are

NEWSLETTER

moral and hortatory

rather than strictly exegetical. In interpreting
the Scripture, Basil uses
both the literal and the
allegorical methods, but
favours the literal system
of Antioch. His second
homily contains a denunciation of usury which
has become famous.
Homiletical
Twenty-four sermons,
doctrinal, moral, and
panegyrical in character,
are looked upon as generally genuine, certain
critical difficulties, however, remaining still unsolved. Eight of these
sermons were translated
into Latin by Rufinus. The
discourses place Basil
among the very greatest
of Christian preachers
and evince his special gift
for preaching upon the
responsibilities of
wealth. The most noteworthy in the collection
are the homilies on the
rich (vi and vii) copied by
St. Ambrose (De Nabuthe
Jez., v, 21-24), and the
homily (xxii) on the study
of pagan literature. The
latter was edited by Fremion (Paris, 1819, with
French translation), Sommer (Paris, 1894), Bach
(Mnster, 1900), and
Maloney (New York,
1901). With regard to
Basil's style and his success as a preacher much

has been written. (Cf. Villemain,

"Tableau d'loq. Chrt. au IVe
sicle", Paris, 1891; Fialon,
"Etude Litt. sur St. B.", Paris,
1861); Roux, "Etude sur la prdication de B. le Grand", Strasburg,
1867; Croiset, "Hist. de la litt.
Grecque", Paris, 1899.)
Moral and ascetical
This group contains much of spurious or doubtful origin. Probably
authentic are the latter two of
the three prefatory treatises,
and the five treatises: "Morals",
"On the Judgment of God", "On
Faith", "The Longer Monastic
Rules", "The Shorter Monastic
Rules". The twenty-four sermons
on morals are a cento of extracts
from the writings of Basil made
by Simeon Metaphrastes. Concerning the authenticity of the
Rules there has been a good deal
of discussion. As is plain from
these treatises and from the
homilies that touch upon ascetical or moral subjects, St. Basil
was particularly felicitous in the
field of spiritual instruction.
Correspondence
The extant letters of Basil are
366 in number, two-thirds of
them belonging to the period of
his episcopate. The so-called
"Canonical Epistles" have been
assailed as spurious, but are almost surely genuine. The correspondence with Julian and with
Libanius is probably apocryphal;
the correspondence with Apollinarus is uncertain. All of the 366
letters are translated in the
"Nicene and Post-Nicene

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Saint of the month

St Basil the Great
Fathers". Some of the letters
are really dogmatic treatises,
and others are apologetic
replies to personal attacks.
In general they are very useful for their revelation of the
saint's character and for the
pictures of his age which
they offer.
Liturgical
A so-called "Liturgy of St.
Basil" exists in Greek and in
Coptic. It goes back at least
to the sixth century, but its
connexion with Basil has
been a matter of critical discussion (Brightman,
"Liturgies, Eastern and Western", Oxford, 1896, I; Probst,
"Die Liturgie des vierten
Jahrhunderts und deren Reform", Mnster, 1893, 377412).

Editions of St. Basil

The editio princeps of the
original text of the extant
works of Basil appeared at
Basle, 1551, and the first
complete Latin translation at
Rome, 1515 (autograph
manuscript in the British Museum). The best edition is
that of the Maurist Benedictines, Garnier and Maran
(Paris, 1721-30), republished
with appendixes by Migne
(P.G., XXIX-XXXII). For fragments attributed to Basil
with more or less certainty,
and edited by Matthaei, Mai,
Pitra, and others, see
Bardenhewer,
"Patrologie" (Freiburg,

1901), 247. Portions of letters

recently discovered in Egyptian
papyri were published by H.
Landwehr, "Grieschische Handschriften aus Faym", in
"Philologus", XLIII (1884).
McSorley, Joseph. "St. Basil the
Great." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 2. New York: Robert
Appleton Company, 1907. 26
Sept. 2015 <http://
www.newadvent.org/
cathen/02330b.htm>.

Some of the
letters are really
dogmatic
treatises, and
others are
apologetic
replies to
personal
attacks.

Joke of the month

Two men considering a religious vocation were having a conversation. "What is similar about the Jesuit and
Dominican Orders? " the one asked.
The second replied, "Well, they were both founded by Spaniards -- St. Dominic for the Dominicans, and
St. Ignatius of Loyola for the Jesuits. They were also both founded to combat heresy -- the Dominicans to
fight the Albigensians, and the Jesuits to fight the Protestants."
"What is different about the Jesuit and Dominican Orders?"
"Met any Albigensians lately?"

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Classic literature
Imitation of Christ by St. Thomas Akempis
The Imitation of Christ
by Thomas A'Kempis This

BE WATCHFUL
and diligent in
Gods service and
often think of why
you left the world
and came here.

OCTOBER

book can be downloaded for

free here: http://
www.ccel.org/ccel/kempis/
imitation.html. Book one:
Thoughts helpful in the life
of the soul.
Chapter 25: Zeal in
Amending our Lives
BE WATCHFUL and diligent in Gods service and
often think of why you left
the world and came here.
Was it not that you might
live for God and become a
spiritual man? Strive earnestly for perfection, then,
because in a short time you
will receive the reward of
your labor, and neither fear
nor sorrow shall come upon
you at the hour of death.
Labor a little now, and soon
you shall find great rest, in
truth, eternal joy; for if you
continue faithful and diligent in doing, God will undoubtedly be faithful and
generous in rewarding. Continue to have reasonable
hope of gaining salvation,
but do not act as though you
were certain of it lest you
grow indolent and proud.
One day when a certain man
who wavered often and anxiously between hope and
fear was struck with sadness, he knelt in humble
prayer before the altar of a
church. While meditating on
these things, he said: Oh if
I but knew whether I should
persevere to the end! Instantly he heard within the
divine answer: If you knew
this, what would you do? Do
now what you would do
then and you will be quite
secure. Immediately consoled and comforted, he
resigned himself to the diNEWSLETTER

vine will and the anxious

uncertainty ceased. His curiosity no longer sought to
know what the future held
for him, and he tried instead
to find the perfect, the acceptable will of God in the
beginning and end of every
good work. Trust thou in
the Lord and do good, says
the Prophet; dwell in the
land and thou shalt feed on
its riches. Ps.37:3. There is
one thing that keeps many
from zealously improving
their lives, that is, dread of
the difficulty, the toil of
battle. Certainly they who
try bravely to overcome the
most difficult and unpleasant obstacles far outstrip
others in the pursuit of virtue. A man makes the most
progress and merits the
most grace precisely in
those matters wherein he
gains the greatest victories
over self and most mortifies
his will. True, each one has
his own difficulties to meet
and conquer, but a diligent
and sincere man will make
greater progress even
though he have more passions than one who is more
even-tempered but less concerned about virtue. Two
things particularly further
improvementto withdraw
oneself forcibly from those
vices to which nature is
viciously inclined, and to
work fervently for those
graces which are most
needed. Study also to guard
against and to overcome the
faults which in others very
frequently displease you.
Make the best of every opportunity, so that if you see
or hear good example you
may be moved to imitate it.
On the other hand, take care

lest you be guilty of those things

which you consider reprehensible,
or if you have ever been guilty of
them, try to correct yourself as soon
as possible. As you see others, so
they see you. How pleasant and
sweet to behold brethren fervent
and devout, well mannered and
disciplined! How sad and painful to
see them wandering in dissolution,
not practicing the things to which
they are called! How hurtful it is to
neglect the purpose of their vocation and to attend to what is not
their business! Remember the purpose you have undertaken, and
keep in mind the image of the Crucified. Even though you may have
walked for many years on the pathway to God, you may well be
ashamed if, with the image of
Christ before you, you do not try to
make yourself still more like Him.
The religious who concerns himself
intently and devoutly with our
Lords most holy life and passion
will find there an abundance of all
things useful and necessary for him.
He need not seek for anything better than Jesus. If the Crucified
should come to our hearts, how
quickly and abundantly we would
learn! A fervent religious accepts
all the things that are commanded
him and does them well, but a negligent and lukewarm religious has
trial upon trial, and suffers anguish
from every side because he has no
consolation within and is forbidden
to seek it from without. The religious who does not live up to his
rule exposes himself to dreadful
ruin, and he who wishes to be more
free and untrammeled will always
be in trouble, for something or
other will always displease him.
How do so many other religious
who are confined in cloistered discipline get along? They seldom go
out, they live in contemplation,
their food is poor, their clothing
coarse, they work hard, they speak
but little, keep long vigils, rise

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Classic literature
Imitation of Christ by St. Thomas Akempis

early, pray much, read frequently, and subject themselves

to all sorts of discipline. Think
of the Carthusians and the Cistercians, the monks and nuns of
different orders, how every
night they rise to sing praise to
the Lord. It would be a shame if
you should grow lazy in such
holy service when so many religious have already begun to
rejoice in God. If there were
nothing else to do but praise the
Lord God with all your heart
and voice, if you had never to
eat, or drink, or sleep, but could
praise God always and occupy

yourself solely with spiritual

pursuits, how much happier you
would be than you are now, a
slave to every necessity of the
body! Would that there were no
such needs, but only the spiritual refreshments of the soul
which, sad to say, we taste too
seldom! When a man reaches a
point where he seeks no solace
from any creature, then he begins to relish God perfectly.
Then also he will be content no
matter what may happen to him.
He will neither rejoice over
great things nor grieve over
small ones, but will place himself entirely and confidently in
the hands of God, Who for him
is all in all, to Whom nothing
ever perishes or dies, for Whom
all things live, and Whom they
serve as He desires. Always
remember your end and do not
forget that lost time never returns. Without care and dili-

gence you will never acquire

virtue. When you begin to grow
lukewarm, you are falling into
the beginning of evil; but if you
give yourself to fervor, you will
find peace and will experience
less hardship because of Gods
grace and the love of virtue. A
fervent and diligent man is
ready for all things. It is greater
work to resist vices and passions
than to sweat in physical toil.
He who does not overcome
small faults, shall fall little by
little into greater ones. If you
have spent the day profitably,
you will always be happy at
eventide. Watch over yourself,
arouse yourself, warn yourself,
and regardless of what becomes
of others, do not neglect yourself. The more violence you do
to yourself, the more progress
you will make.

ners: Lift not up the horn.

6 Lift not up your horn on
high: speak not iniquity
against God.
7 For neither from the east,
nor from the west, nor from
the desert hills: 8 for God is
the judge.
One he putteth down, and
another he lifteth up: 9 for
in the hand of the Lord there
is a cup of strong wine
full of mixture.
And he hath poured it out
from this to that: but the
dregs thereof are not emp-

tied: all the sinners of the

earth shall drink.
10 But I will declare for ever: I will
sing to the God of Jacob.
11 And I will break all the horns of
sinners: but the horns of the just

When a man
reaches a
point where he
seeks no
solace from
any creature,
then he begins
to relish God
perfectly.

Psalm of the month

Psalm 74
There is a just judgment to
come: therefore let the wicked
take care.
1 Unto the end, corrupt not, a
psalm of a canticle for Asaph.
2 We will praise thee, O God:
we will praise, and we will call
upon thy name.
We will relate thy wondrous
works: 3 when I shall take a
time, I will judge justices.
4 The earth is melted, and all
that dwell therein: I have established the pillars thereof.
5 I said to the wicked: Do not
act wickedly: and to the sin-

11

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Saints of the month

If you know any saints that have been missed please email amandapiw@hotmail.com
and we will get them posted and next year they will be there. Our source for the
names is the roman martyrology from 1925 so at the moment we do not have a
source that contains the most recently cannonized.
October 1st- St.Remigius bishop in france, Aretas and 504 other martyrs in rome,
Priscus, Crescens, Evagrius in tomis, Verissimus and his sisters maxima and julia martyrs in lisbon, St.. Piaton priest and martyr in tourna, St dominius martyr in thessalonica, St Bavo in ghent, St. Severus priest in orvieto.
October 2nd- St. Eleutherius with countless other martyrs in nicomedia, blessed
leodegarius martyr in arras, gerinus martyr in arras, Primus, cyril, secundarius martyrs
in antioch, St. theophilius monk in constantinople, St. Thomas bishop in hereford.
October 3rdSt. Candidus, martyr in rome, Denis, Faustus, Cains, Peter, Paul, and four others martyrs in rome, two martyrs called Ewaldus priests in westphalia,St. Maximian, bishop
martyrs in africa, St. Hesychius in palestine, St. Gerard abbot in belgium.
October 4th- At Assisi, St. Francis, confessor, At Corinth, Saints Crispus and Cams,
In Egypt, the martyrs Mark and Marcian, an almost countless multitude of both sexes
and of all ages, At Damascus, St. Peter, bishop and martyr, At Alexandria, priests and
deacons Caius, Faustus, Eusebius, Chseremon, Lucius, and their companions, At Athens, St. Hierotheus, At Bologna, St. Petronius, bishop At Paris, St. Aurea.
October 5th- At Messina,martyrs Placidus, monk, and his brothers and sister
Eutychius and Victorinus, and Flavia; also of Donatus, Firmatus, deacon, Faustus, and
thirty other monks, blessed Thraseas, bishop martyred at Smyrna. At Treves, martyrs
Palmatius and his companions, St. Charitina, martyr, At Auxerre, deacon Firmatus
Flaviana, his sister, At Ravenna, St. Marcellinus, bishop, At Valence, St. Apollinaris, St.
Attilanus, bishop, At Leon, St. Froilanus, bishop At Rome, St. Galla.
October 6th- In Calabria, St. Bruno, At Laodicea, the blessed bishop and martyr
Sagar, At Capua, martyrs Marcellus, Castus, milius, and Saturninus. At Agen, St.
Faith, virgin and martyr, Also, St. Erotis, martyr, At Treves, almost numberless martyrs, At Auxerre, St. Eomanus, bishop and martyr. At Oderzo, St. Magnus, bishop, At
Naples, St. Mary Frances of the Five Wounds of Our Lord.
October 7th- At Rome, St. Mark, pope, Euphrates, martyrs Sergius and Bacchus,
Sergius At Rome, martyrs Marcellus and Apuleius, Euphrates, St. Julia, martyr, At Padua, St. Justina, martyr, At Bourges, St. Augustus, priest, Rheims, St. Helanus, priest.
In Sweden,St. Bridget.
October 8th- at rome St. Bridget, blessed Simeon, At Caesarea,St. Reparata, virgin
and martyr, At Thessalonica, St. Demetrius, St. Nestor, martyr. At Seville, St. Peter,
martyr. At Laodicea, St. Artemon, a priest martyr, Laon, St. Benedicta, virgin and martyr. At Ancona, Saints Palatias and Laurentia, At Rouen, St. Evodius, bishop and confessor. At Jerusalem, St. Pelagia.
October 9th- At Paris, martyrs Denis the Areopagite, bishop, Rusticus, priest, and
Eleutherius, deacon. Abraham, At Julia St. Domninus, martyr, At Cassino, St.
Deusdedit, abbot, In Hainaut, St. Gislenus, bishop and confessor, At Valencia, St. Louis
Bertrand, At Jerusalem, the Saints Andronicus, and Athanasia, his wife. At Antioch, St.
Publia, abbess.

OCTOBER

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Saints of the month

October 10th- At Rome, blessed John Leonard, confessor, Crete, blessed Pinytus, At Cologne, St.
Gereon, martyr, with three hundred and eighteen others, martyrs Victor and his companions. At
Bonn, martyrs Cassius and Florentius, with many others. At Nicomedia, martyrs Eulampius, and his
sister, the virgin Eulampia, with two hundred others, At York, bishop Paulinus, At Piombino, St. Cerbonius, bishop and confessor, At Verona, St. Cerbonius, bishop. At Capua, St. Paulinus, bishop. At
Rome, St. Francis Borgia.
October 11th- At Tarsus, martyrs Tharacus, Probus, and Andronicus, In Vexin,martyrs Nicasiuc,
bishop, Quirinus, priest, Scubiculus, deacon, and Pientia, virgin, Saints Anastasius, priest, Placidus,
Genesius, and their companions. In Thebais, St. Sarmata, At Besanon, in France, St. Germanus,
bishop and martyr. At Uzes, St. Firminus, bishop and confessor. In Ireland, St. Kenny, abbot. At Lier,
St. Gummarus, confessor. At Eennes, St. milian, confessor. At Tarsus, Zenaides and Philonilla, sisters, At Verona, St. Placidia, virgin. At Calotium, St. Alexander Sauli, bishop and confessor.
October 12th- At Rome, martyrs Evagrius, Priscian, and their companions. At Ravenna, St. Edistius,
martyr. In Lycia, St. Domnina, martyr, In Africa, four thousand nine hundred and sixty-six holy confessors and martyrs, At Cilly, St. Maximilian, bishop, At York, in England, St. Wilfrid, bishop and confessor. At Milan, St. Monas, bishop. At Verona, St. Salvinus, bishop. In Syria, St. Eustachius, priest and
confessor. At Ascoli, St. Seraphinus.
October 13th- In England, St. Edward, king, At Troas,St. Carpus, At Cordova,martyrs Faustus, Januarius, and Martial. At Thessalonica, St. Florentius, In Austria, St. Colman, martyr. At Ceuta, in Morocco, seven martyrs of the Order of Friars Minor, Daniel, Samuel, Angelus, Domnus, Leo, Nicholas,
and Hugolinus. At Antioch, bishop Theophilus, At Tours, St. Venantius, abbot, and confessor. At
Subiaco, St. Chelidonia, virgin.
October 14th- At Rome, blessed Callistus, pope and martyr, At Caesarea,St. Fortunata, virgin and
martyr, Saints Carponius, Evaristus, and Priscian, brothers of blessed Fortunata, martyrs, Saints Saturninus and Lupus. At Rimini, St. Gaudentius, bishop and martyr. At Todi, St. Fortunatus, bishop, At
Wurtzburg, St. Burchard,At Bruges, St. Donatian, bishop, At Treves, St. Rusticus, bishop. St. Dominic
Loricatus. In Italy, St. Bernard, confessor.
October 15th- At Avila, St. Theresa, virgin, At Rome,St. Fortunatus, martyr. At Cologne, three hundred martyrs, At Carthage, St. Agileus, martyr, In Prussia, St. Bruno, bishop and martyr, At Lyons, St.
Antiochus, bishop, At Treves, St. Severus, bishop and confessor. At Strasburg, St. Aurelia, virgin. At
Cracow, St. Hedwiges.
October 16th- In Africa, two hundred and seventy holy martyrs, Saints Martinian and Saturnian
with their two brothers, Saints Saturninus, Nereus, and three hundred and sixty-five other martyrs, At
Cologne, St. Eliphius, martyr, St. Bercharius, abbot and martyr, Near Bourges, St. Ambrose, bishop of
Cahors. At Mayence, St. Lullus, bishop and confessor. At Treves, St. Florentinus, bishop. At Arbon,St.
Gall, abbot, On Mount Cassino, blessed Victor III, At Muro, St. Gerard Majella.
October 17th- St. Hedwiges, At Antioch, St. Heron, martyrs Saints Victor, Alexander, and Marian. In
Persia, St. Mamelta, martyr, At Constantinople, St. Andrew of Crete, monk, At Orange, St. Florentinus,
bishop, At Capua, St Victor.
October 18th- blessed Luke, in Bithynia, At Antioch, St. Asclepiades, bishop, martyrs, Beauvais, St.
Justus, martyr, At Neocsesarea,bishop Athenodorus, martyr, In Mesopotamia, St. Julian, hermit. At
Rome, St. Paul of the Cross, confessor, At Rome, St. Tryphonia.
October 19th- At Arenas, St. Peter of Alcantara, At Rome, martyrs Ptolemy and Lucius, At Antioch,
martyrs Beronicus, the virgin Pelagia and forty-nine others. In Egypt, St. Varus, At Evreux, St.
Aquilinus, bishop and confessor. Orleans, St. Veranus, bishop. At Salerno, St. Eusterius, bishop.

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Saints of the month

In Ireland, St. Ethbin, abbot. At Oxford, in England, St. Frideswide, virgin.

October 20th- In Poland, St. John Cantius, priest and confessor, At Abia,blessed
Maximus, deacon and martyr, At Agen, St. Caprasius, martyr, At Antioch, St. Artemius,
At Cologne, martyrs virgins Martha and Saula, with many others. At Minden, St. Felician, bishop and martyr. At Paris, martyrs, George, deacon, and Aurelius. In Portugal,
St. Irene, virgin and martyr. Rheims, St. Sindulphus, confessor.
October 21st- In Cyprus, abbot Hilarion. At Cologne,Saints Ursula and her companions, martyrs, At Ostia, St. Asterius, priest and martyr, At Nicomedia, Saints Dasius,
Zoticus, Caius, and twelve other soldiers martyrs, At Maronia, St. Malchus, monk. At
Lyons, St. Viator, deaconAt Laon, St. Cilinia.
October 22nd- Jerusalem, blessed bishop Mark martyr, At Adrianople,martyrs
Philip, bishop, Severus, priest, Eusebius, and Hermes, martyrs Alexander, bishop,
Heracilus, soldier, and their companions. At Fermo, St. Philip, bishop and martyr. At
Huesca, in Spain, the holy virgins Nunilo and Alodia, sisters, martyrs At Cologne, St.
Cordula, martyr. At Hierapolis, St. Abercius, bishop, At Rouen, St. Melanius, bishop, In
Tuscany, St. Donatus, of Scotland, bishop of Fiesoli. At Verona, St. Verecundus, bishop
and confessor. At Jerusalem, St. Mary Salome.
October 23rd- Ossuma, martyrs Servandus and Germanus, At Antioch, priest Theodore martyr, At Granada,blessed Peter Paschasius, bishop and martyr, At Constantinople, St. Ignatius, bishop, At Bordeaux, St. Severin, bishop and confessor. At Rouen, St.
Romanus, bishop. At Salerno, St. Verus, bishop. In Picardy, St. Domitius, priest. In Poitou, St. Benedict, confessor. Villack, St. John of Capistran, confessor.
October 24th- At Venosa, in Basilicata, the birthday of the holy martyrs Felix, African bishop, Audactus and Januarius, priests, Fortunatus and Septimus, lectors. In the
time of Diocletian, after having been a long time loaded with fetters, and imprisoned
in Africa and Sicily by the governor Magdellian, as Felix refused absolutely to deliver
the sacred books, according to the emperor's edict, they finally closed their lives by
being beheaded. At Nagran, in Arabia, Felix, the passion of the Saint Aretas and his
companions, to the number of three hundred and forty, in the time of the emperor
Justin, under the Jewish tyrant Dunaan. After them was burned alive a Christian
woman, whose son, five years old, confessed Christ lisping, and as he could neither by
caresses nor threats be stopped, he rushed into the fire in which his mother was
burning. At Cologne, St. Evergistus, bishop and martyr. At Constantinople, St. Proclus,
bishop. In Bretagne, the departure from this life of St. Maglorious, bishop, whose
body rests at Paris. In Campania, St. Mark, solitary, whose renowned actions have
been recorded by St. Gregory.
October 25th- At Rome, martyrs Chrysanthus, and Daria, forty-six holy soldiers,
Theodosius, Lucius, Mark and Peter. At Soissons, martyrs Crispin and Crispinian, At
Florence, St. Minias martyr, At Torres, martyrs Protus, priest, and Januarius, deacon,
At Constantinople, martyrs Saints Martyrius, sub-deacon, and Marcian, chanter, At
Rome, St. Boniface, pope and confessor. At Perigueux, St. Fronto, At Brescia, St.
Gaudentius, bishop, At Javols, St. Hilary, bishop.
October 26th- At Rome, St. Evaristus, pope and martyr,In Africa, martyrs Rogatian,
priest, and Felicissimus, At Nicomedia, martyrs Lucian, Florius and their companions,
St. Quodvultdeus, bishop At Narbonne, St. Rusticus, bishop and confessor, At Salerno,
OCTOBER

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Saints of the month

St. Gaudiosus, bishop. At Pavia, St. Fulk, bishop. At Hildesheim, in Saxony, St. Bernward, bishop
and confessor, St. Quadragesimus, sub-deacon.
October 27th- apostles Simon and Jude. At Avila, Saints Vincent, Sabina and Christeta martyrs, At Tilchatel, St. Florentius, martyr. In Cappadocia,martyrs Capitolina, and Erotheides, In
India, St. Frumentius, bishop. In Ethiopia, St. Elesbaan, king.
October 28th- apostles Simon the Cananean, and Thaddeus martyrs, At Rome, St. Cyrilla,
virgin, martyrs Anastasia the Elder, virgin, and Cyril. At Como, St. Fidelis, martyr, At Mayence,
St. Ferrutius, martyr. At Meaux, St. Faro, bishop and confessor. At Naples, St. Gaudiosus,
bishop, At Vercelli, St. Honoratus, bishop.
October 29th- In Lucania, martyrs Hyacinthus, Quinctus, Felician and Lucius, At Sidon, St. Zenobius, a priest martyr, bishops Maximilian, martyr, and Valentine, confessor. At Bergamo, St.
Eusebia, virgin and martyr. At Jerusalem, blessed Narcissus, a bishop At Autun, St. John, bishop
and confessor. At Cassiope, St. Donatus, At Vienne, blessed Theodore, abbot.
October 30th- In Africa, two hundred and twenty martyrs. At Tangier, in Morocco, St. Marcellus, martyr, At Alexandria, thirteen martyrs, Saints Julian, Eunus and Macarius martyrs, St.
Eutropia, martyr, At Cagliari, St. Saturninus, martyr, At Apamea, St. Maximus, martyr, At
Leon,martyrs Claudius, Lupercus, and Victorius,At gea, martyrs Saints Zenobius, bishop, and
Zenobia, his sister, At Altino, St. Theonestus, bishop and martyr, At Paris, St. Lucanus, martyr. At
Antioch, St. Serapion, At Capua, St. Germanus, bishop and confessor, At Potenza, St. Gerard,
bishop. At Palma, St. Alphonsus Rodriguez.
October 31st- At Rome, Nemesius, deacon, virgin Lucilla martyrs, Saints Symphronius, Olympius, tribune, Exuperia, his wife, and Theodulus, Saints Ampliatus, Urbanus and Narcissus, At
Saint-Quentin, St. Quinctinus martyr, At Constantinople, St. Stachis, bishop, At Milan, St. Antoninus, bishop and confessor. At Ratisbon, St. Wolfgang, bishop.

Mass readings of the month

Thu the 1st:
Fri the 2nd:

Memorial of Theresa of the Child Jesus, virgin. Neh 8:1-12; Ps 19:8-11; Mark 1:15;
Luke 10:1-12
Memorial of Guardian Angels. Bar 1:15-22; Ps 79:1-9; Ps 95:8; Luke 10:13-16

Sat the 3rd:

Bar 4:5-29; Ps 69:33-37; Matt 11:25; Luke 10:17-24

Sun the 4th:

Psalter III, Ordinary Time Week 27. (Memorial of Francis of Assisi.)

Gen 2:18-24; Ps 128:1-6; Heb 2:9-11; 1 John 4:12; Mark 10:1-16

Mon the 5th:

Jonah 1:1-2:11; Jonah 2:3-8; John 13:34; Luke 10:25-37

Tue the 6th:

Optional memorial of Bruno, priest. Jonah 3:1-10; Ps 130:1-8; Luke 11:28; Luke 10:38
-42

Wed the 7th:

Thu the 8th:

Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary. Jonah 4:1-11; Ps 86:3-10; Rom 8:15; Luke 11:1-4
Mal 3:13-20; Ps 1:1-6; Acts 16:14; Luke 11:5-13

15

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Mass readings of the month

Fri the 9th:

Sat the 10th:

Sun the 11th:
Mon the 12th:
Tue the 13th:
Wed the 14th:
Thu the 15th:
Fri the 16th:
Sat the 17th:
Sun the 18th:
Mon the 19th:
Tue the 20th:
Wed the 21st:
Thu the 22nd:
Fri the 23rd:
Sat the 24th:
Sun the 25th:
Mon the 26th:
Tue the 27th:
Wed the 28th:
Thu the 29th:
Fri the 30th:
Sat the 31st:

OCTOBER

Optional memorial of Denis, bishop and martyr, and companions,

martyrs. Optional memorial of John Leonardi, priest. Joel 1:13-15;
2:1-2; Ps 9:1-16; John 12:31-32; Luke 11:15-26
Joel 4:12-21; Ps 97:1-12; Luke 11:28; Luke 11:27-28
Psalter IV, Ordinary Time Week 28. Wis 7:7-11; Ps 90:12-17; Heb 4:1213; Matt 5:3; Mark 10:17-30
Rom 1:1-7; Ps 98:1-4; Ps 95:8; Luke 11:29-32
Rom 1:16-25; Ps 19:1-5; Heb 4:12; Luke 11:37-41
Optional memorial of Callistus I, pope and martyr. Rom 2:1-11; Ps
62:1-9; John 10:27; Luke 11:42-46
Memorial of Teresa of Jesus, virgin and doctor. Rom 3:21-30; Ps
130:1-6; John 14:6; Luke 11:47-54
Optional memorial of Hedwig, religious; Margaret Mary Alacoque,
virgin. Rom 4:1-8; Ps 32:1-11; Ps 33:22; Luke 12:1-7
Memorial of Ignatius of Antioch, bishop and martyr. Rom 4:13-18;
Ps 105:6-43; John 15:26, 27; Luke 12:8-12
Psalter I, Ordinary Time Week 29. (Feast of Luke, evangelist.) Isa 53:10
-11; Ps 33:4-22; Heb 4:14-16; Mark 10:35-45
Optional memorial of Paul of the Cross, priest. Rom 4:20-25; Luke
1:69-75; Matt 5:3; Luke 12:13-21
Rom 5:12-21; Ps 40:7-17; Luke 21:36; Luke 12:35-38
Rom 6:12-18; Ps 124:1-8; Matt 24:42, 44; Luke 12:39-48
Rom 6:19-23; Ps 1:1-6; Phil 3:8-9; Luke 12:49-53
Optional memorial of John of Capistrano, priest. Rom 7:18-25; Ps
119:66-94; Matt 11:25; Luke 12:54-59
Optional memorial of Anthony Claret, bishop. Rom 8:1-11; Ps 24:16; Ezek 33:11; Luke 13:1-9
Psalter II, Ordinary Time Week 30. Jer 31:7-9; Ps 126:1-6; Heb 5:1-6;
Mark 10:46-52
Rom 8:12-17; Ps 68:2-21; John 17:17; Luke 13:10-17
Rom 8:18-25; Ps 126:1-6; Matt 11:25; Luke 13:18-21
Feast of Simon and Jude, apostles. Rom 8:26-30; Ps 13:4-6; 2 Thess
2:14; Luke 13:22-30
Rom 8:31-39; Ps 109:21-31; Luke 19:38; 2:14; Luke 13:31-35
Rom 9:1-5; Ps 147:12-20; John 10:27; Luke 14:1-6
Vigil of Solemnity of All Saints. Rom 11:1-29; Ps 94:12-18; Matt 11:29;
Luke 14:7-11

NEWSLETTER

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Pope of the month

Pope St. Eleutherius
Pope (c. 174-189). The Liber
Pontificalis says that he was
a native of Nicopolis, Greece.
From his contemporary
Hegesippus we learn that he
was a deacon of the Roman
Church under Pope Anicetus
(c. 154-164), and evidently
remained so under St. Soter,
the following pope, whom
he succeeded about 174.
While the condition of Christians under Marcus Aurelius
was distressing in various
parts of the empire, the persecution in Rome itself does
not seem to have been violent. De Rossi, it is true,
dates the martyrdom of St.
Cecilia towards the end of
this emperor's reign; this
date, however, is by no
means certain. During the
reign of Commodus (180192) the Christians enjoyed a
practically unbroken peace,
although the martyrdom of
St. Appollonius at Rome took
place at the time (180-185).
The Montanist movement,
that originated in Asia Minor, made its way to Rome
and Gaul in the second half
of the second century, more
particularly about the reign
of Eleutherius; its peculiar
nature made it difficult to
take from the outset a decisive stand against it (see
MONTANISTS). During the
violent persecution at Lyons,
in 177, local confessors
wrote from their prison concerning the new movement
to the Asiatic and Phrygian
brethren, also to Pope

Eleutherius. The bearer of

their letter to the pope was
the presbyter Irenus, soon
afterwards Bishop of Lyons.
It appears from statements
of Eusebius concerning these
letters that the faithful of
Lyons, though opposed to
the Montanist movement,
advocated forbearance and
pleaded for the preservation
of ecclesiastical unity.
Just when the Roman Church
took its definite stand
against Montanism is not
certainly known. It would
seem from Tertullian's account (Against Praxeas 1)
that a Roman bishop did at
one time address to the
Montanists some conciliatory letters, but these letters, says Tertullian, were
recalled. He probably refers
to Pope Eleutherius, who
long hesitated, but, after a
conscientious and thorough
study of the situation, is supposed to have declared
against the Montanists. At
Rome heretical Gnostics and
Marcionites continued to
propagate their false teachings. The "Liber Pontificalis"
ascribes to Pope Eleutherius
a decree that no kind of food
should be despised by Christians (Et hoc iterum firmavit
ut nulla esca a Christianis
repudiaretur, maxime fidelibus, quod Deus creavit, qu
tamen rationalis et humana
est). Possibly he did issue
such an edict against the
Gnostics and Montanists; it
is also possible that on his

own responsibility the

writer of the "Liber Pontificalis" attributed to this
pope a similar decree current about the year 500.
The same writer is responsible for a curious
and interesting assertion
concerning the early missionary activity of the Roman Church; indeed, the "Liber
Pontificalis" contains no other
statement equally remarkable.
Pope Eleutherius, says this
writer, received from Lucius, a
British king, a letter in which
the latter declared that by his
behest he wishes to become a
Christian (Hic accepit epistula a
Lucio Brittanio rege, ut Christianus efficerentur per ejus
mandatum). Whence the author of the first part of the
"Liber Pontificalis" drew this
information, it is now impossible to say. Historically speaking, the fact is quite improbable, and is rejected by all recent critics.
As at the end of the second
century the Roman administration was so securely established in Britain, there could no
longer have been in the island
any real native kings. That
some tribal chief, known as
king, should have applied to
the Roman bishop for instruction in the Christian faith
seems improbable enough at
that period. The unsupported
assertion of the "Liber Pontificalis", a compilation of papal
biographies that in its earliest
form cannot antedate the first

the Montanist
movement,
advocated
forbearance
and pleaded for
the
preservation of
ecclesiastical
unity.

17

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Pope of the month

Pope St. Eleutherius

Church recently
established from
Rome.

OCTOBER

quarter of the sixth century, is not a sufficient

basis for the acceptance
of this statement. By
some it is considered a
story intended to demonstrate the Roman origin of the British Church,
and consequently the
latter's natural subjection to Rome. To make
this clearer they locate
the origin of the legend
in the course of the seventh century, during the
dissensions between the
primitive British Church
and the Anglo-Saxon
Church recently established from Rome. But
for this hypothesis all
proof is lacking. It falls
before the simple fact
that the first part of the
"Liber Pontificalis" was
complied long before
these dissensions, most
probably (Duchesne) by
a Roman cleric in the
reign of Pope Boniface II
(530-532), or (Waitz and
Mommsen) early in the
seventh century. Moreover, during the entire
conflict that centered
around the peculiar customs of the Early British
Church no reference is
ever made to this alleged
King Lucius. Saint Bede is
the first English writer
(673-735) to mention the
story repeatedly (Hist.
Eccl., I, V; V, 24, De tem-

NEWSLETTER

porum ratione, ad an.

161), and he took it, not
from native sources, but
from the "Liber Pontificalis". Harnack suggests
a more plausible theory
(Sitzungsberichte der
Berliner Akademie, 1904,
I, 906-916). In the document, he holds, from
which the compiler of
the "Liber Pontificalis"
drew his information the
name found was not Britanio, but Britio. Now
this is the name (BirthaBritium) of the fortress
of Edessa. The king in
question is, therefore,
Lucius lius Septimus
Megas Abgar IX, of
Edessa, a Christian king,
as is well known. The
original statement of the
"Liber Pontificalis", in
this hypothesis, had
nothing to do with Britain. The reference was to
Abgar IX of Edessa. But
the compiler of the
"Liber Pontificalis"
changed Britio to Brittanio, and in this way
made a British king of
the Syrian Lucius.
The ninth-century
"Historia Brittonum"
sees in Lucius a translation of the Celtic name
Llever Maur (Great
Light), says that the envoys of Lucius were Fagan and Wervan, and
tells us that with this

king all the other island kings

(reguli Britanni) were baptized (Hist. Brittonum, xviii).
Thirteenth-century chronicles
add other details. The "Liber
Landavensis", for example (ed.
Rees, 26, 65), makes known
the names of Elfan and
Medwy, the envoys sent by
Lucius to the pope, and transfers the king's dominions to
Wales. An echo of this legend
penetrated even to Switzerland. In a homily preached at
Chur and preserved in an
eighth- or ninth-century manuscript, St. Timothy is represented as an apostle of Gaul,
whence he came to Britain and
baptized there a king named
Lucius, who became a missionary, went to Gaul, and finally
settled at Chur, where he
preached the gospel with great
success. In this way Lucius, the
early missionary of the Swiss
district of Chur, became identified with the alleged British
king of the "Liber Pontificalis".
The latter work is authority for
the statement that Eleutherius
died 24 May, and was buried
on the Vatican Hill (in Vaticano) near the body of St. Peter. His feast is celebrated 26
May.
Kirsch, Johann Peter. "Pope St.
Eleutherius (Eleutheros)." The
Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 5.
New York: Robert Appleton
Company, 1909. 3 Oct. 2015
<http://www.newadvent.org/
cathen/05378a.htm>.

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Proverb of the month

Proverb 4 verse 1
Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend, that you may know
prudence.

Papal encyclical
Pope Clement Exivi de Paradiso
Declaration of the supreme
Pontiff on the Rule of the
Friars Minor
"When I went forth from
Paradise, I said: I will water
the garden of plantings,"
said that heavenly Farmer,
who being the true fount of
wisdom, the Word of God,
flowing from the Father into
the Father, begotten from
eternity, in these last days
(by being formed by the Holy
Spirit) made flesh in the
womb of the Virgin, went
forth as a man to accomplish
the arduous work of the redemption of the human
race: by giving Himself as
exemplar of heavenly life,
proffering to men His very
own Self. But because man
was very frequently pressed
by the solicitudes of mortal
life, he was turning aside the
sight of his mind from the
intuition of this kind of exemplar: our true Solomon
made upon the throne of the
Church Militant a certain
garden of delight among others, distanced from the
stormy waves of the world,
in which one might more
quietly and securely be freed

for the sake of

from beholding and observing labors of this kind, He

himself as an exemplar entered into this world, to water it by the fecund waters of
grace and doctrine. This garden is indeed the holy Religion of the Friars Minor,
which firmly enclosed by the
wall of regular observance,
contented within herself
with God alone is adorned
abundantly by new seedlings
of sons. The beloved Son of
God coming upon this reaps
the myrrh of mortifying penitence with aromatics, which
with a marvelous sweetness
sprinkle about in all places
an odor of attracting holiness. This is that heavenly
form of life, and rule, which
that excellent Confessor of
Christ Saint Francis wrote
down; and taught equally by
word and example to be observed by his sons.
The Popes clarify the rule.
Because the professors and
devout emulators of the said
holy rule were truly striving,
as both pupils and true sons
of such a Father, just as even
they fervently do strive, to
observe firmly, without miti-

gation, and entirely the aforehaving a

mentioned rule: attending to
certain things which might pro- clarification of
duce a doubtful sense conthese very same
tained in the text of the very
things they had
rule, for the sake of having a
clarification of these very same recourse
things they had recourse prudently at one time to the peak prudently at one
of Apostolic dignity, that certified through Her, at whose feet time to the peak
even by the rule itself they are of Apostolic
subject, they might attend to
dignity,
the Lord (all doubts having
been driven away) with full
clarity of conscience. Likewise
Our predecessors the Roman
Pontiffs directing their ears and
souls to their pious and just
supplications clarified one after
another (as was right) those
things which seemed to be
doubtful: they added some
things and conceded others, as
seemed to disentangle the
consciences of the Friars, and
the status of this unmitigated
observance. Truly
and very frequently where
there is no fault,
befrighted consciences, which
fear greatly any
deviation in the
way to God, are
accustomed to
Caption describing picture or
fear it.
graphic.

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Papal encyclical
Pope Clement Exivi de Paradiso

Wherefore through
these Friars We
have been humbly
supplicated

OCTOBER

From the said clarifications the consciences of

all of the said Friars have
not been entirely quieted, nay rather there
are born and arise waves
concerning those things
pertaining to the rule
and to the condition of
those doubting in these
matters, as have been
brought to our ears
many times, both from
many public and private
consistories. Wherefore
through these Friars We
have been humbly supplicated, in order that
from the benignity of the
Apostolic See We might
care to employ opportune remedies to the
aforesaid doubts, which
have occurred, and
which can occur in the
future.
The affection of the Pontiff towards the professors of the rule
Therefore We, whose
soul from a tender age
by pious devotion was
inflamed by the professors of this kind of rule,
and by the whole Order
itself: now however from
the common pastoral
care of governing, which
We, unworthy, bear, We
have been summoned as
much more ardently to
those things which We
have more sweetly cherished and by gracious
favors more attentively

NEWSLETTER

pursued, as more frequently with intent mind

We have opened the rich
fruit, which We continually discern to come
forth from their exemplary life, and salutary
doctrine for the entire
universal Church, moved
as We are by so pious an
intention of the supplicants, to accomplish diligently to what is sought,
We have considered
those things which have
been directed to our examination: and We have
caused those very
doubts to be diligently
examined by many
Archbishops, and Bishops, and Masters in Theology, and other cautious
and discrete, lettered
men.
The Friars are not bound
to every Evangelical
counsel. The Friars are
bound to all that pertains to the three vows.
Therefore first of all
since from that which is
in the beginning of the
said rule: "The Rule and
life of the Friars Minor is
this: namely to observe
the Holy Gospel of Our
Lord Jesus Christ, by living in obedience, without property, and in
chastity." Likewise there
follows: "Having truly
finished the year of probation, let them be received into obedience

promising always to observe this

very life and rule." Likewise
about the end of the rule: "That
We may observe, as We have
firmly promised, the poverty,
humility, and Holy Gospel of Our
Lord Jesus Christ": it had been
hesitated, whether the Friars of
this same Order are bound from
the profession of their rule to
everything, the precepts as well
as counsels of the Gospel: by
certain ones saying, that they are
obliged to all: others however
asserting, only to those three
counsels, namely, to live in obedience, in chastity, and without
property, and to those things,
which are proposed under
obligatory words in the rule. We,
adhering to the footprints of Our
predecessors concerning this
article, and pursuing this very
article for the sake of something
more clear, have considered that
to the said hesitation it must be
replied, that since one judges the
determinate vow of whomsoever
to fall sub certo, one vowing the
rule cannot be said to be held
from the force of a vow of this
kind to those Evangelical counsels, which are not proposed in
the rule, and indeed this is
proved to have been the intention of blessed Francis, the author of the Rule, from this that
certain Evangelical counsels are
proposed in the rule, others
omitted. For if by this passage:
"The Rule and life of the Friars
Minor is this: etc." he had intended to oblige them to every
evangelical counsel, he would
have expressed superfluously

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Papal encyclical
Pope Clement Exivi de Paradiso
and frivolously in the rule
certain of those things, while
suppressing others. Since
however one judges this by
the nature of a restrictive
term, that it so excludes the
extraneous from itself, that
it circumscribes all things
pertaining to itself: We declare and say, that the said
Friars are not only obliged
merely and absolutely to
those three vows ratified by
the profession of their rule,
but they are bound even to
fulfill all those, pertaining to
the aforesaid three, which
are proposed by the Rule
itself. For if according to
these aforesaid three so
briefly and merely promising
themselves to observe the
rule by living in obedience,
chastity, and without property, and not even to every
thing contained in the rule,
which these three modify,
they are constrained for
nothing and vainly they have
professed these words: "I
promise always to observe
this Rule": from which by
these words no obligation
would arise. Nor for all that
is it to be thought, that
blessed Francis intended the
professors of this rule to be
equally obligated, as much
as to every thing contained
in the rule which modifies
the three vows, or to others
expressed in the same;
rather he patently more ably
distinguished, that in respect
to certain things from the
force of the words the transgression of which is mortal,
and in respect to certain
other things, not so: since he
adds the word of "precept"
to certain things of the

same, or of "equipollent" to
another, and in respect to
other things he is content to
use other words. 5. Likewise
because besides those
things, which are proposed
in the rule expressly by word
of precept, and exhortation,
or admonition: some such
things are inserted by word
of imperative mood negatively or affirmatively, in as
much as it has been doubted
whether they are bound to
these things, as to things
having the force of precept.
And because as We have
understood, this doubt is not
diminished, but augmented
from that which Our predecessor, Pope Nicholas III, of
happy memory, is known to
have clarified, that the Friars
themselves from the profession of their rule are bound
to those evangelic counsels,
which in the rule itself are
expressed preceptorily or
inhibitorily, or under equipollent words; and no less to
the observance of all those
things, which are indicated
to themselves in the same
rule under obligatory words;
the aforesaid Friars have
supplicated Us, that We
might deign to clarify for
their consciences the things
to be observed, which ought
to be judged by them as
equipollent and obligatory in
precept. And thus We, who
are delighted in their sincere
consciences, attending to
these because in that which
respects the salvation of
souls, the pars securior must
be held so as to avoid grave
remorse of conscience: We
say that it is licit that the Friars not be bound to the ob-

servance of all those things,

which are proposed in the rule
under words of imperative
mood, as to precepts or equipollent to precepts: it is expedient however for the Friars
themselves to observe the purity and rigor of the rule, because they know themselves to
be obliged to those things, as
to equipollent to precepts,
which here following are annotated. But as these things are
to be held, which might seem
to be equipollent to precepts
from the force of the words, or
at least by reason of the matter about which they pertain,
or from both sub compendio:
We declare them to be that
which is proposed in the rule
concerning not having more
than one tunic with a capuche,
& another without a capuche;
likewise concerning not wearing footwear, & not riding
horseback outside of the case
of necessity: likewise that the
Friars are to wear cheap clothing. Similarly that they are
bound to fast from the Feast of
All Saints up to the Nativity of
the Lord, and on Fridays: likewise that the Clerics are to recite the divine office according
to the ordo of the Holy Roman
Church: likewise that the Ministers, and the custodies for
the necessities of the infirm,
and for the clothing
of the Friars are to
exercise a solicitous
care: likewise that if
any of the Friars
might fall into infirmity, the other friars
ought to take care of
him: likewise that
the Friars may not
preach in the

But as these
things are to be
held, which
might seem to
be equipollent
to precepts
from the force
of the words,

21

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Papal encyclical
Pope Clement Exivi de Paradiso

Ministers: likewise
everything that is
proposed in the rule
for the form of the
habit both of the
novices,

OCTOBER

diocese of any Bishop,

when they have been
opposed by him: likewise
that no one should dare
remotely preach to the
people, unless he has
been examined and appointed by the Minister
General, or by others, to
whom according for the
aforesaid declaration it
belongs: likewise that
the Friars who might
know that they themselves are not able to
observe spiritually the
aforementioned rule,
ought and can have recourse to their Ministers:
likewise everything that
is proposed in the rule
for the form of the habit
both of the novices, as
well as of the professed:
and also to the manner
of reception, and the
things regarding profession, but not for those
receiving the habit of
Novices (as the rule says)
since it may seem otherwise according to God.
All these (We say) must
be observed by the Friars
as obligatory: likewise
the regimen that is commonly thought, held, and
has been held from antiquity, which is proposed throughout the
rule with this word:
"They are bound
(teneantur)," obtains
force of precept: and
ought to be observed as
such by the Friars.
Whether the Friars
might licitly receive from
the goods of those entering religion, if they
are given by him. CauNEWSLETTER

tions to be observed by
the Friars about the reception of the offering
from those entering religion.
Because the aforesaid
Confessor of Christ said
in the rule, proffering a
means to the Ministers
and Friars, concerning all
those things to be done
and observed about
those who were to be
received into the Order,
that the Friars and their
Ministers should beware,
lest they be solicitous
concerning their temporal things, so that they
may freely do with them
whatever had been inspired in them by the
Lord: the Ministers however may have license to
send them to other God
fearing men if counsel is
requires, by whose counsel they may bestow
their goods to the poor:
many Friars have
doubted and doubt still,
whether it is licit for
themselves to receive
anything from the goods
of those entering if it is
given: and if they might
induce them to give to
persons and convents
without fault: if the Ministers or Friars ought
even to give counsel to
arranging the distribution of such things,
where others, to whom
they may send those
who will enter, might be
found conveniently. We,
however, considering
that Saint Francis attentively considered to distance especially and to-

tally the professors of his rule,

whom he had founded in the
greatest poverty, from the affection of the temporal things of
those very ones entering by the
said words, as much as on the
part of the Friars themselves, the
reception into the Order might
appear holy and most pure, and
lest by any means they seem to
have an eye to their temporal
goods, rather than to free them
for the same divine service: We
say concerning all of this that the
Ministers just as the Friars ought
themselves to abstain giving
both persuasions and also counsels concerning the distribution
to the said inductees, since for
this they ought to be sent to God
fearers of another state, not to
Friars: that they may appear before all truly to be very studios
zealots, assiduous and perfect, of
the salvific, paternal plan. When
truly doing with his own things
what the Lord will inspire him,
the self same rule desires him to
be free from those receiving him,
it does not seem even licit to
receive these, namely having
considered their necessities and
the directions of the declaration
already spoken of; if the one entering wishes freely to give of his
goods just as to other poor by
means of almsgiving: it befits
however the Friars in accepting
such offerings to beware, lest
from a notable quantity of received goods, ill repute might
befall them. Besides since it is
said the in the rule, that those
who have already promised obedience, may have one tunic with
a capuche, and another without
a capuche if they wish to have it:
likewise that every Friar is to
wear cheap clothing: and We
have declared them to be equipollent in precept by the

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aforesaid words: wishing
these things to be determined more fully, We say as
much as regards the number
of tunics, that it is not licit to
use more, unless in necessities, which can happen in
conformity with the rule,
according to that which Our
predecessor of past memory
has clarified more fully. We
however say that the cheapness of the vestments for the
habits as well as that for the
interior tunics, should be
understood to be that which
according to the custom or
condition of the country
ought to be reputed cheep in
value as regards both the
color and the price of the
cloth: for as regards every
region one cannot assign
one determined measure in
such things. We have also
said that the judgment of
cheapness of this kind must
be committed to the Ministers and Custodes or Guardians, responsible as they are
with the consciences of their
subjects concerning this
matter: however in the same
way which they observe
cheapness in vestments, We
relinquish in the same manner to the judgment of their
Ministers, Custodes and
Guardians, for what necessity the Friars themselves
might wear footwear.
Clarification about fasting.
Next since two seasons have
been noted in the rule,
namely from the Feast of All
Saints up to the Nativity of
the Lord, and Great Lent, in
which they are bound to
fast, it may be inferred in the
same rule: that at other seasons, however, they are not

bound to fast except Fridays:

and from this others have
wished to say, that the said
Friars of the Order are not
bound, except from becomingness to other fasts, as to
the former: We declare, that
it ought to be understood
that they are not bound to
fast at other seasons, except
on fasts established by the
Church: for it does not have
the semblance of truth, that
either the Institutor of the
rule, or even the confirmer
intended to absolve them
from observing those fasts,
to which by the common
statute of the Church the
rest of Christians are obliged.
Alms boxes are prohibited.
The Friars are not to have
recourse to money except
for cases mentioned by
Nicholas III. Cautions to be
observed by the Friars about
money when it is so deposited. Concerning the deposit
and the depositor.
Moreover when the said
Saint wishing that the Friars
above all things be totally
alien to coins or money, precepted firmly to all the Friars, that in no manner they
receive coins or money by
themselves, or through an
interposed person: and clarifying that article, Our predecessor, proposed cases and
means, which when observed by the Friars they
might not be said to be (nor
ought they themselves be,
even through another) receivers of money, against
the rule or purity of their
Order. We say that the Friars
are bound to beware exceedingly that for other
cases and under other

means, which the declaration

of Our said predecessors propose, they do not have recourse to those giving money
or to deputed messengers, lest
(if otherwise it would have
been attempted by them) they
might deservedly be called
transgressors of the precept
and the rule: for where something is generally prohibited,
which is not conceded expressly, it is understood that it
has been denied. Wherefore
the every gain of money, and
of offerings, the reception of
money in the church, or elsewhere, boxes or containers
assigned to receive the money
of offerings or donations: and
also even whatever recourse to
money, or the holding thereof,
which by the declaration itself
is not conceded: these, We say,
all these are simply forbidden
to them. Since even recourse
to spiritual friends is expressly
conceded only in two cases
according to the Rule: namely
for the necessities of the sick,
and for the clothing of the Friars: and piously and rationally
having considered the necessity of life, Our said predecessor often reckoned that it must
be extended to other necessities of the Friars occurring for a
time (when alms have ceased)
or even for emergencies: let
the aforementioned
Friars be attentive,
because for no
other cases than the
aforesaid or similar
is it licit for them to
have recourse in the
street or elsewhere
to friends of this
kind, whether they
be

, it is
understood
that it has been
denied.

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Pope Clement Exivi de Paradiso

having money
deputed for their
own necessities, to
posses the same,

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givers of money or selfappointed persons, or

messengers or depositors, or called by whatever other name: even if
the means conceded
through the same declaration about money are
wholly preserved. Lastly
since it is often repeated
in the rule that the same
Confessor eagerly desired the professors of
his rule to be totally detached from the affection and desire for
earthly goods, and especially from money: it is
necessary that the Friars
vigilantly have care, that
when it arises from the
aforesaid causes and
means that they have
recourse to having
money deputed for their
own necessities, to posses the same, whoever
the principals or messengers be, in all things they
are to bear themselves in
such a manner, that they
show themselves to all to
have nothing inwardly to
do with such moneys
(just as they do not posses them). Wherefore let
the Friars know that precepting that and in what
manner money is expended, and exacting a
computation of expenses, or making deposits, carrying away a
chest of money, or its
key, these acts and the

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like are illicit for them:

for to do the aforesaid
things pertains to the
owners alone, who have
given them, and to those
whom the latter themselves have deputized for
this very thing.
The Supreme Pontiffs
receive in their own
name and that of the
Roman Church the dominion of those things of
which it is licit for the
Friars to have the use.
The Friars Minor are not
capable of inheriting
since in these things dominion passes to the
heirs. The Friars cannot
receive annual returns
nor possessions nor their
use.
Hence since the holy
man expressing the manner of poverty professed
in the rule said in the
same: "The Friars are not
to appropriate anything
to themselves, neither
house, nor place, nor any
thing: but as pilgrims and
foreigners in this age, in
poverty and humility
waiting upon the Lord,
let them go about confidently for alms": and so
it stands declared by
some of Our Predecessors the Roman Pontiffs,
that this expropriation
ought to be understood
as much in particular as
also in common, on account of which They receive in Their own name
and that of the Roman

Church the property and dominion both of all the concessions,

offerings, and donations to the
Friars (those things the enjoyment of which and the use in
fact of which certainly is licit to
the Order and to the Friars), it
having been given over to the
Friars themselves in those things
only to the extent of use in simple fact. Those things had been
conveyed to Our examination
which in the Order were said to
be done, and seemed to be repugnant to the aforesaid vow
and the purity of the Order:
clearly, I have established to pursue these further according to
the things themselves which We
believe stand in need of a remedy, that the heirs not only sustain but take care of themselves:
likewise that the Friars receive
the annual returns sometimes in
a very notable quantity, on
which thenceforth the inhabitants of the convent live entirely:
likewise that when business is
conducted even for temporal
goods in the law courts, they
attend with lawyers and procurators, and present themselves
personally in the same matter to
instigate them: likewise that they
take up the execution of last
wills, and conduct them, and
introduce themselves whenever
dispositions or restitutions are to
be made concerning their use, or
worse, their removal: likewise
that in some places they have
not only excessive gardens, but
even great vineyards, from which
much is harvested from olive
trees and grapevines to be sold:

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likewise that at the seasons
of grain and grape harvest so
copiously are grain and wine
gathered by the Friars begging or selling other things,
and both stored up in cellars
and granaries, with which
throughout the remainder of
the year they can even pass
their life without begging
them: likewise that they
build churches or other
buildings or take care to
have them made in quantity
and curiosity of figure and
form, and in a notably excessive sumptuosity, so that
they do not seem to be little
dwellings of the poor, but of
magnates: they even have so
many ecclesiastic vestments
in very many places, and so
notably precious, that they
exceed the great church cathedrals in these things:
moreover they receive indistinctly horses and arms offered to them in funerals:
however the community of
the Friars and especially the
rectors of the Order itself
asserted, that the aforesaid
things, or many of them are
not done in the Order, that
even if the things are discovered to be such they are rigidly punished: and also that
something be done against
such things, very many statutes in the Order have been

made quite strict from ancient times. Desiring therefore to provide for the consciences of the Friars themselves, and to remove all
doubts (as much as is possible to Us) from their own
hearts, We shall respond to
the aforesaid things, in order, which follow: For since
it pertains to the truth of life,
that that which is done externally, present the interior
disposition and habit of
mind: the Friars, who have
withdrawn themselves by
such expropriation from
temporal goods, have need
to abstain from every thing,
which may be or might seem
to be contrary to the said
expropriation. Therefore
because in inheritances not
only the use of the thing, but
even the dominion passes to
the heirs in its proper time:
the aforementioned Friars
however can acquire nothing
for themselves in particular,
or for their Order, even in
common: We say by clarifying, that they are in no way
capable of inheritances of
this kind, which even from
their own nature extend indifferently to money, and
even to other mobile goods,
and to immobile (having
considered the purity of
their vow): nor is it licit to

them to receive the value of

such hereditary goods, or so
much as a part thereof, because this can be presumed to
become fraud, as if receiving
under a manner and form of a
legacy that has been abandoned to them, or things so
remitted: We simply prohibit
such things to them lest they
thus become more desirable.
And since the annual returns
among the immovable goods
may be appraised by law, and
the possession of this kind of
return is repugnant to poverty
and mendicancy, there is no
doubting, that it is not licit to
the aforesaid Friars to receive
or enjoy (their condition having
been considered) from the return whatever things as either
possessions or even the use
thereof (when the concession
to them is not ascertained).
Further, when not only because it is discerned to be evil,
but because it has ever species
of evil, it must be especially
avoided by perfect men: however from such presentations
and instigations in the
law courts, when concerning the affairs it is
pleaded that they be
turned into their own
advantage, they are
truly believed by
those,

We simply
prohibit such
things to them
lest they thus
become more
desirable.

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Pope Clement Exivi de Paradiso

But indeed since the

Friars of the said
Order are to be
strangers not only
from reception,
propriety, dominion

OCTOBER

who stand outside

(concerning which men
outside enjoy to judge),
that in the very affairs
the by- standing Friars
are seeking something as
their own: by no means
should the professors of
this kind of vow and rule
mix themselves up in
such law courts, and litigious acts: that they may
both be thought well of
by those who stand outside, and satisfy the purity of their vow, the
scandal of neighbors in
such a manner is to be
avoided. But indeed
since the Friars of the
said Order are to be
strangers not only from
reception, propriety, dominion, or use of the
money itself, but even
from whatever kind of
handling of the same,
and from these may they
be entirely strangers,
just as Our said predecessor often said plainly
in clarifying this same
rule: and since the said
professors of the Order
cannot seek for any temporal thing before a
judge, it is not licit to the
aforesaid Friars nor are
they competent, nay
rather more ably having
considered the purity of
their own state they
ought to know it to be
forbidden to themselves,
since by executions and
dispositions of this kind
they expose themselves,
when more frequently
they cannot settle these
without litigation and
the handling or adminiNEWSLETTER

stration of money. But

however giving counsel
in these things which
must be prosecuted is
not opposed to their
own state, since from
this act which concerns
temporal goods no jurisdiction or action before a
judge, or dispensation is
attributed to them.
The Friars cannot have
gardens, vineyards, nor
the like. They may not
have churches excessive
in size. They may have
modest and humble
buildings.
Truly it is licit not only
might it be licit, but even
very conformable to reason, that the Friars who
are occupied assiduously
in the spiritual labors of
prayer and study, have
gardens and areas fit for
recollection or recreation
of themselves, and
sometimes to withdraw
themselves corporally
after labors of this kind,
and also to have the necessary garden plots for
themselves: To have
however any gardens to
be cultivated, and olive
trees and other garden
plots to be sold for a
price, and also even vineyards, is repugnant to
their rule and the purity
of the Order, according
to what the said predecessor has declared and
even ordained: that if
such things for nearly the
same said uses, as those
considered a field or
vineyard to be cultivated
and similar things are
bequeathed as a legacy

to the Friars, by every means the

Friars are to abstain from the
reception of such things, since
even having the aforementioned
things to enjoy price of harvest
in their own seasons, approaches
the nature and form of profits.
Again since the aforesaid Saint,
as much in the examples of his
life, as in words of his rule manifested that he wanted his Friars
and sons by leaning upon Divine
Providence to cast themselves
upon God, who pastures the
birds of heaven, which do not
gather into barns, nor sow nor
reap: it does not have the semblance of the truth that he himself wanted them to have granaries or cellars, when by daily begging they should hope to be able
to spend their life. And on that
account they ought not from
light fear to loose themselves to
gather and store up provisions in
this manner: but only when it
might be more credible from
what has been already proven,
that they could not otherwise
find the necessaries of life. This
however We consider is to be
left to the judgment of the Ministers and Custodes, together
and individually in their administrations and custodies (with the
counsel and assent of the
Guardians and of two discrete
priests of the convent of the
place and of the senior Friars in
the Order), for whose consciences they are especially responsible in this matter. Hence it
is that the whole rule cries aloud,
that the holy man wanted to
found his Friars upon most high
poverty and humility, in respect
equally to affection and to execution, just as in conduct: it befits them, that in no manner they
cause to be made one after another, or support to be made

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churches or whatever other
buildings, which (having considered the number of Friars
dwelling there) ought to be
reputed as excessive in multiplicity and size. And for
that reason We wish, that
everywhere in their Order
they be content with moderate and humble buildings
one after the other, lest the
contrary to this so great
promise of poverty, which
lies open to the eyes, be proclaimed outside. Although
even the vestments and ecclesiastic vessels are ordained to the honor of the
Divine Name, on account of
which God Himself does all
things: yet He who is the
knower of things hidden,
looks principally to the soul
those ministering to Him,
not to their hands: nor does
He wish Himself to be served
by those things which are
discordant with the condition and state of His ministers: for which reason they
ought to suffice themselves
with vessels and decent ecclesiastic vestments, suitably
sufficient in number and
size. A superfluity however
or exceeding preciousness,
or whatever curiosity in
these or whatever other
things cannot befit their profession or state: for since
they know these to be a
treasuring up or abundance,
they manifestly derogate so
great a poverty in respect to
human judgment. Where-

fore We wish and command

that the aforementioned
things be observed by the
Friars. Indeed about the offerings of horses and arms
We decree that that is to be
observed in all cases and by
all, which by the aforesaid
declaration is known to have
been limited to alms of
money.
From the aforementioned
things however has grown
up among the Friars a not
too less scrupulous question:
clearly whether from their
profession of the rule they
are obliged to a strict and
tenuous or poor use of
things: by which certain ones
of themselves believing and
saying, that just as regards
dominion over things they
have by vow the strictest
abdication, so it is imposed
upon them as regards use
the greatest strictness and
meagerness: by others on
the contrary asserting, that
from their profession they
are obliged to no poor use,
which is not expressed in the
rule, it being licit that they
are bound to a use moderated by temperance, just as
and more so from becomingness than other Christians.
And so wanting to take care
to quiet the consciences of
the aforesaid Friars, and to
put an end to these altercations, We say by clarifying,
that the Friars Minor from
the profession of their rule
are especially obligated to
the strict or poor use of
things, which is contained in
their own rule: and by that
manner of obligation, under
which the rule restricts or

proposes such use of things.

To say however just as some
affirm to assert, that it is heretical, to hold that poor use is
included or not included under
the vow of evangelical poverty,
We judge to be presumptuous
and temerarious.
Finally because from that
which the rule has said concerning those by whom, and
whither the election being undertaken of the Minister General ought to be made, nothing
is said concerning the election
of the Ministers Provincial, or
of the arrangement lately mentioned, a doubting could have
arisen among the Friars over
this matter: We wishing them
to be able clearly and securely
to proceed in all their undertakings: do declare, even decree and ordain in this constitution the things that will have
force in perpetuity, so that
when any Province will have to
be provided with a Minister, let
the election of the Minister
himself rest in the hands of the
Provincial Chapter, which same
Chapter, on the day following
that on which it had been assembled, is bound to carry out.
However the confirmation of
the election itself pertains to
the Minister General, and if
indeed an election of this kind
is proceeded to by written ballot, and the votes
have been divided
in disagreement,
let it happen that
more elections be
conducted to settle the discord, let
that which had
been conducted by
a majority of the
Chapter (which has
enjoyed

Finally because
from that which
the rule has
said concerning
those by whom

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Pope Clement Exivi de Paradiso

it will have been

annulled, an
election of this kind
reverts to the
Provincial Chapter.

no contribution of jealousy or reward, or respect for persons), not

withstanding the limitation of whatever other
part thereof, be confirmed by the said Minister General with the
counsel of the discrete
members of the Order
(however before the ex
officio act, even as it pertains to him, a diligent
examination is to have
been made), or even annulled: even as it will
have appeared to him
according to God to expedite the matter: and if
it will have been annulled, an election of this
kind reverts to the Provincial Chapter.
Otherwise if the Provincial Chapter neglects to
choose a Minister on the
aforesaid day: the day
after the provision for
the Minister Provincial
devolves freely to the
Minister General. Indeed
if to the aforesaid Minister, and General Chapter
on account of a certain
and reasonable cause, it
seems sometimes in the

provinces beyond the

Irish Sea, Greece, or Romania, in which, in as
much as another manner
of providing is said from
a certain and reasonable
cause, to have been observed, to procure a Minister Provincial, he is to
be appointed by the
Minister General, with
the more able counsel of
virtuous members of the
Order, rather than by the
election of the aforesaid
Chapter: in the Provinces
of Ireland and even notwithstanding those overseas, indeed in Romania,
or Greece when the Minister of the said province
dies, or is dismissed on
this side of the Sea; in
the former case on the
other hand let there be
observed without deceit,
partiality, and fraud
(upon whom We place
the responsibility for
their consciences) that
which concerning it the
said Minister with the
counsel of the said virtuous members will reckon
to be arranged.
Indeed in the case of the

lack of the said Minister Provincials We wish to be observed,

that which about this matter
until now has been observed by
the Order itself. Otherwise if it
might come to pass that they
lack a Minister General, let
there be done by the Vicar of
the Order about this matter,
what would have to be done by
the same Minister up until it is
provided for by the Minister
General.
Henceforth if something might
perhaps happen to be attempted differently concerning
a Minister Provincial of this
kind, that is ipso facto invalid,
and void.
Therefore it is in nowise licit to
any man to infringe this page of
Our declarations, statements,
composition, command, constitutions, judgments, and dispositions, nor it is licit to such a one
to oppose this by rash daring: if
any one however would presume to attempt this, let him
know that he has incurred the
indignation of the Omnipotent
God, and his blessed Apostles
Peter and Paul.
PP. Clement V
At Vienne, in the eighth year of
his Pontificate.

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