Newspaper Page Text
AUGUST 30, 1924.
THE BULLETIN OF THE CATHOLIC LAYMEN’S ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIA
7
The Ursuliue Nuns
Order Founded Four and Half Centuries Ago By St.
Angela Merici—Nuns Came to Labor in the Diocese
of Charleston Over Ninety Years Ago.
By JOSEPH J. DORNEY
The Ursuliue Order was founded
by St. Angela Merici, who was born
in 1474 at Desenzano, Northern
Italy. This high-minded woman
joined to an eminent spirit of
prayers and penace an extraordinary
zeal for the salvation of souls, and,
therefore, devoted her life to all
works of charity. She became a
mother to the poor and helpless.
She particularly endeavored to in
struct the poor and neglected chil
dren in the truths of our Holy Faith.
In her later years Brecia became
the center of her erasable activities.
Attracted by her example, zealous
young women gathered around her,
resolved to imitate her life of self-
sacrifice. It was at Brescia, Novem
ber 25, 1535, that Angela founded,
with twelve companions, her Order
to which she gave the name of
Company of St. Ursula.
Angela and her first companions
did not lead a monastic life in the
strict meaning of the word. They
remained with their families; came
together at fixed times for their de
votions and spiritual conferences,
and observed the rule prescribed by
Angela, who also regulated their
works of charity. Angela’s rule was
approved by Cardinal Francis Cor-
naro of Brescia, and later, in 1544
by Pope Paul III who on that oc
casion, said to St. Ignatius of Loyola:
“Today I have given sisters to you.”
And, indeed, the similarity between
the Jesuits and Ursulines have been
pointed out by writers of the latter
Order.
r
St. Charles Borromeo, Archbishop
of Milan, having heard of the suc
cessful work of the Ursulines at
Brescia, asked for and obtained
from the Bishop of Brescia twelve
Ursulines for his own Archdiocese
in 1568. It is his merit to have in
troduced the community life iti the
Institute of St. Angela. Since that
time the Ursulines have made the
three religious vows. A new appro
bation by Pope Gregory XIII in 1572
sanctioned this change. Now the
Order spread quickly in Northern
Italy and in 1594 the first Ursuline
convent was founded in France.
While Angela and her companions
practised all the different works of
charity, the Order soon regarded
the education of girls as its special
field. Until that time this great
task had, in general, been left en
tirely to the mothers. The Ursuline
Order is the first that established
schools and boarding houses in
order to give girls an education and
instruction adequate to the needs
and exigencies of practical life. It
is not surprising that the principal
cities of France vied with one an
other in securing a convent of Ursu
lines and the number of communi
ties increased with every year. They
followed the rules and customs of
their mother houses. hut each
house became independent.
In accordance with the decrees of
the Council of Trent, the houses of
St. Ursula were changed into clois
tered monasteries, Paris leading in
the transformation in 1612. Soon
the need of changing the rules be
came obvious. The constitutions of
Paris and Bordeaux, France, became
best known and were most widely
adopted by the other houses. Both
are based upon the rule of St. Au
gustine, the prescriptions of St.
Angela and the Constitutions of St.
Ignatius. They differ only slightly.
Meanwhile the Order spread to
Belgium, England. Germany, Austria
and Ireland. America, too, was to
share the blessings of the Institute
of St. Angela, through the Venerable
Mother Mary of the Incarnation, one
of the greatest glories of the Order
and often called the St. Theresa of
the New World. From the Ursuline
convent of Tours, France, Mother
Mary led several Nuns to Quebec,
Canada, in 1639, whepe they devoted
themselves'to the education of chil
dren of the Indians as well as those
of the French colonists. Later from
Quebec Ursulines went to Cuba and
Mexico. In the past century French
Ursulines established houses in Ohio
and Michigan, while Nuns from
Hungary and Bavaria founded the
convent at St. Louis and that of East
Morrisania, near New York.
In the course of time the little
seed planted by St. Angela had de
veloped into a mighty tree, spread
ing its branches far and wide. One
of these branches is the Congrega
tion of Calvarienberg near Ahr-
weiler. It traces its descent from
Liege, Belgium, a monastery affili
ated with Bordeaux, France. From
Calvarienberg in 1900, came Ursu
lines to the Diocese of Bismarck, in
North Dakota, where they were
placed in charge of the parochial
schools at St. Anthony. N. D., and
Strasbourg, N. D. In 1912 the Sis
ters opened St. Agnes School, Ken-
mare, Ward County, N. D., which
also is their novitiate.
There are numerous Ursuline con
vents throughout the country, some
of them affiliated with European
mother house and some independent,
practically all of them conducting
schools and academies of their own
or teaching in parish schools. Among
the better known of the Ursuline
convents and novitiates are the fol
lowing: Ursuline Convent, Brown
County Ohio; Ursuline Convent
and Academy. 2112 South 12th Street,
St. Louis, Mo. Convent of the Im
maculate Conception, 3115 -Cherokee
Drive, Louisville, Ky.; St. Joseph's
Ky.; Ursuline Convent, 2413 Col-
lingswood Avenue, Toledo, O : St.
Ursula Convent. 1339 East McMillan
Street, Cincinnati, 0., and Ursuline
Convent, 198tli Street and Marion
Avenue Bedford Park, New York
City.
The Ursuline Nuns conduct the
Ursuline Convent and Academy of
the Immaculate Conception in Co
lumbia. S C. and the Ursuline Acad
emy of the Sacred Heart in Green
ville, S. C. The Ursuline Nuns
came to South Carolina ninety
years ago. in the days of Bishop
John England, the first Bishop of
Charleston. The oldest educational
institution in the United States still
existing was founded by the Ursu
line Nuns in New Orleans.
u
The World” and Evolution
The Brooklyn Tablet Comments on New York Paper’s
Criticism of Action of Georgia State Legislature.
Evolution Not an “Undisputed Fact.”
What’s in a Name?
From the Baltimore Cath
olic Review.
“What’s in a name?”
That is what the poet once asked.
There is much in a name if one
is to judge from a perusal of the
list of members of the American
hierarchy.
The announcement of the appoint
ment of Monsignor Francis C.
Kelley to the episcopal see of Okla
homa City led us to read over the
list of archbishops and bishops in
this country. We found that:
His Eminence, William Cardinal
O’Connell is archbishop of Boston;
the Right Rev. Denis J. O’Connell
is bishop of Richmond.
The Most Rev. Michael J. Curley
is archbishop ' of Baltimore; the
Right Rev. D. J. Curley is bishop
of Syracuse.
The Right Rev. William A.
Hickey, is bishop of Providence and
the Right Rev. Thomas F. Hickey
is bishop of Rochester.
The Right Rev. M. J. Hoban is
bishop of Scranton; the Right Rev.
Edward F. Hoban, auxiliary bishop
of Chicago.
The Right Rev. Rev. Edmund M.
Dunne is bishop of Peoria, 111., and
the Right Rev. John J. Dunn, auxil
iary bishop of New York.
The Right Rev. Francis W.
Howard is bishop of Covington,
Ivy.; the Right Rev. Edward W.
Howard, bishop of Davenport.
The Right Rev. Edward D. Kelly
is bishop of Grand Rapids; the
Right Rev. F’rancis C. Kelley, bishop-
elect of Oklahoma City.
There were, until recently, two
bishops in this country by the name
of Walsh—the Right Rev. Louis S.
Walsh of Portland, Maine, and the
Right Rev. Thomas J. Walsh, bishop
of Trenton. Bishop Louis Walsh
died a few weeks ago.
The Right Rev. Edmund F. Gib
bons, bishop of Albany, was con
secrated bishop of that see two
years before the death of Cardinal
Gibbons.
The Position of Catholics
Catholic Laymen’s Association of Georgia Correct Pub
lished Misstatements About Catholics Made by
Georgia Non-Catholic Minister in Sermon.
The Moultrie Observer, the Americus Times Recorder and the
Macon Telegraph published in their columns late in July an account
of a sermon by a Moultrie, Ga., minister in which there were several
misstatements about Catholics and their beliefs. The Catholic Lay
men’s Association of Georgia sent the following letter to the editors,
and they did Catholics the justice of printing it in these columns:
Liturgical Melodies
Syrian and Chaldean
The pending action of the Georgia
Legislature in excluding from State
support any school espousing the
doctrine of evolution aroused the
ire of the New York “World.”_StiH
holding to its pleasing !it«-ary
style it takes a most untenable posi
tion. For the “World” it is incred
ible that “any body of mature citi
zens of the United States could seri-
‘‘ously dispute the scientific explana
tion of the origin of species.” For
any student who has studied the
arguments for, and against evolution
it' is laughable that such a matter
should be adjudged the concern of
“mature citizens.” If anything, it is
strictly a scholar’s problem w.ich
the average citizen must take on
faith as to its solution.
We have not taken it upon our
selves to justify the course of
Georgia in legislating on a matter
which other States have passed
over in silence. We do join other
men and women ot Christian educa
tion and views who show amazement
at the statement of a big metropol
itan daily that the question of evolu
tion is beyond dispute. It certainly
js within the limit of serious and
pronounced dispute from our ac
counts of present day education.
The shortest acquaintance in the
. lecture room with the professors
who teach evolution would convince
the open-minded that these leaders
of “university thought” are framing
their concept of the world and its
parts in a skeleton that dethrones
God from consideration. It is just
one of the vital points that have led
the Catholic Church to insist on our
women and men receiving their
philosophy of 1 fe in a Catholic aud
Christian surrounding, where it is
not forgotten that God exists and
has parts in every explanation of the
universe that is sound.
“The World” might have told its
widening reading public that while
Christian thinkers are'one in oppo
sition to that form of evolution
which knows not God they _are di
vided among themselves whether the
rich variety of species ;r. the reah-n
of plant- animal and human life has
come to pass through a process of.
direct creation or through a gradual
unfolding from one or a few' orig
inal forms. Since the arguments,
marshalled for either side, are grave
and worthy of men and women of
talent, the matter cannot be sounu-
Iy held to have reached the posi
tion of “scientific explanation.” It
is the safer and the truer view of
the question to consider it still in
the stage of a theory that evolution
explains the variety of spei 's that
might be seen through afi cU’erva-
tion of life in this world. It. would
be* well for Catholics to insist that
the truth demands this position and
to rid the newspaper, magazine and
even schoolroom sphere of the am
bitious claim that evolution, even
»Christain evolution is now acknowl
edged as a fact by all persons of
advanced education.
The author of the above titled
work (in the French Language),
Dom J. Jeannin, O.S.B., visited the
Orient many times with the inten
tion of recording by notation the
Syrian and Chaldean melodies which
up to that time, were transmitted
by oral tradition. Besides the two
volumes which will contain about
1500 liturgical pieces offered to the
public, the work will include a third
volume in the form of an Intro
duction- wherein may be studied
Syrian music alone as well as by
means of comparison with the Oc
cidental music, Gregorian and mod
ern.
This erudite contribution to lit
urgical literature is edited by E.
Laroux, 28, Rue Bonaparte, Paris and
is to be priced at 60 francs the
volume, first volume to be issued
about September.
Among the problems examined
and to which the author brings
forth a new solution, let us cite that
of the origin of the modern major
and minor. Heretofore, we saw this
origin through the Gregorian art
in the Greek-Latin art. D. Jeannin,
on the contrary, proves that this
origin must be found in the autoch
thon oriental traditions.
Another problem of greater im
portance and of more serious and
more lengthy study is that of Gre
gorian rhythm. After having proved
that trom its origin the liturgical
melody of the Orient knew a true
measure, the author, basing him
self on the manuscripts of the best
epoch as well as on the texts of
the mediaeval musicologists, con
cludes without the least hesitation
that Gregorian measure existed but
as a measure differing greatly from
that put forth by' various mensural
systems up to this time. We may
ask: How could the School o‘f
Solesmes, whose influence is so
wide-spread in the entire world, par
ticularly' in • America, have made
false routes in the interpretation of
the paleographic decouments pub
lished? The answer may be given
m a few words. This school has
considered most frequently the signs
of elongation of the manuscripts
as simple variations of value, while
Dom Jeannin proves the significa
tion of this lengthening. ' This
leads us to this conclusion: The
Gregorian rhythm i£ essentiallv
based on an alternacy of long and
short notes.
From this short statement one
can easily* infer the great interest
liturgical students may find in Dom
Jeannin’s work. It is highly signi
ficant to state that the subscrip
tions for the publishing of this
monumental work are head'ed by the
following:
The Sovereign Pontiff, 15,000 lires.
Government of France, 3,500
francs.
Oriental Institute. 3500 francs.
Mr. John Stoddard (America),
8900.
Every large library should be the
proud possessor of this valuable and
learned effort.
DOM W1LARD BOURILLIERS,
. O.S.B., M.A., L.M.
Organist, Belmont Abbey Cathe
dral, Belmont, N. C.
To the Editor:
Two statements in the sermon of
Rev. Dr. Binns published in your
columns July 25, bearing on the at
titude of Catholics toward Ameri
can institutions, should be correct
ed.
While the reverend speakers state
ments regarding the belief of Ca
tholics in respect to forgiveness of
sin, mediation, infallibility and such
doctrines are both inadequate an in
accurate, they may be passed over;
if Catholics are satisfied with their
beliefs in these matters. non-Cath-
olics should be satisfied without
them.
The two statements which call for
corrections affect the relations of
Catholics toward their fellow-citi
zens who are not Catholics. They are
as follows: “The Catholics believe in
union of church and state where the
pope shall exercise authority over
civil matters . . . The Catholics
believe that the public school sys
tem should be abolished.”
Neither of these statements is
true. As to the first, the true posi
tion of Catholics is based on the
Constitution of Christian States as
follows.
“Almighty God has appointed the
charge of the human race between
two powers, the ecclesiastcal and the
evil, the one being set over divine
and the other over human things.
Each one has fixed limits within
which it is contained and each in
its sphere a supreme. Whatever is of
of a sacred character, whatever be
longs either of its own nature or
by reason of the end to which it is
referred, to the salvation of souls or
to the worship of God, is subject to
the power and judgment of the
church. Whatever is to he ranged
under the civil and political order
is rightfully subject to the civil
authority.”
As to the second, there is no more
warrant in saying that Catholics op
pose the public schools than there
is for saying that the denomination
of Rev. Dr. Binns, the Baptist, op
poses them, as these statements
from The Western Recorder, one of
the oldest and best known Baptist
weeklies in the country, in its ed
ucational number of 916, must
show:
“Secularism is a failure. It has
been tried in the balance and found
wanting . . . God never spoke
more urgently to the Israelites than
He is speaking to us today to go
forward in the matter of denomina
tional educaton.”
“It is a shame to let our children
grow up and come out of educa
tional institutions without a con
science. The education that fits only
for this world must dies, and bring
ruin upon the world tself in the
end.”
“Do I want my boy to go out in
to the world nothing but an educat
ed fool, a blatant unbeliever, a fool
ish agnostic? Or with the simple
Christian faith he learned in the
home, rounded out and developed
into stalwart Christain integrity?
Whejj will we ask the question on
bended knees before God, and learn
that the positive inevitable answer
is, we must do more than we have
ever done for our denominational
schools? ’
“The moral or spiritual sense, ne
glected or perverted, is no longer a
reflecton of the divine mind and
the education guilty of this sin is
the wickedest functioning agency
in the world.”
“The heathen never contemplated
education apart from religion . . .
and the most startling trend of reli
gion and political liberty in modern
times, is to break from God in ed
ucation and this religion out of
this great department of life.”
“In all education, whether in the
home or school, the religious ele
ment ought to pre-dominate. The
obligation to educate religiously is
upon us. TO do ths denominational
schools have to be planted.”
More recently, on July 20, 1922,
we find the following in The West
ern Recorder:
“Let these words sink Into the
hearts of our people. This alone
justifies separate denominational
schools—they generate a spiritual
atmosphere. Public schools never
have and never will—in the nature
of the case they cannot—generate
such an atmosphere. Baptist parents
may ignore this distinction think
ing it fanciful, but they will pay
the penalty for their lack of dis
cernment in the frozen hearts of
their sons and daughters. Contrary
to common belief, the public school
is too narrow in its scholastic pol
icy. It neglects the most important
part of the student. To develop a
physical and mental giant with a
dwarfish soul is to turn loose upon
society a human monstrosity.”
Very truly yours,
RICHARD REID,
Publicity Director Catholic
Laymen s Association of
Georgia.
Augusta, Ga., August 5, 1924.
Catholic Symbols and Customs
The Episcopal Vestments
By Rt. Rev. Msgr. H.T. Henry, Litt.D.
The vesting of a bishop for the to have their feet “shod with the
celebration of solemn Mass is a.
lengthy and, to the eyes of an ordi
nary congregation, a complicated
ceremony. It is not the purpose of
this paper to describe the ceremony
but merely to mention the vest
ments employed and to comment
briefly on the symbolism sometimes
conferred upon them. Some of the
vestments, like the buskins, sandals,
gloves, are quite obviously things
having a discernibly utilitarian char
acter, while others, such as the tunic
and dalmatic, represent, in their
present form and ornamentation,
many centuries of liturgical evolu
tion.
Durandus Bishop of Mende in
Languedoc in the Thirteenfh Cen
tury, summarizes well the general
intent of such distinctive vestments,
for the bishop who is to celebrate
Mass puts off his everyday clothes
and puts on garments “pure and
holy,” blessed and specifically dedi
cated to holy functions.
Six vestments are common to
priest and bishop. These are:
amice, all), cincture, maniple, stole,
and chasuble. The tunic is the dis
tinctive outer garment of the sub
deacon, and the dalmatic is the
distinctive outer garment of the
deacon. All the sacred orders find
their representation in the vest
ments of the bishop in one or
other of his functions. The six
priestly garments have been al
ready described in a previous paper,
and we shall concern ourselves here
only with the others.
Stockings Never Black
The Buskins or Stockings, of silk
and sometimes ornamented, follow
the color of the feast or season, but
are never black—although buskins
founds in the tomb of Pope Boni
face VIII were black.
The Sandals recall the warning
of St. Paul to the Ephesians (6:15)
preparation of the Gospel of peace.”
Durandus thinks the feet typify the
affections, which must be kept free
from the stains of this world and
checked (as by sandals) from pur
suit of forbidden things; and as
the right hand represents prosperity
and the left adversity, the right
sandal is put on first to show that
one must run with alacrity to with
stand the greater danger of pros
perity.
The Tunic is worn under the dal
matic. Its symbolism is perceived
in the words used by the bishop
when investing^the subdeacon: “May
the Lord clothe thpe with the tunic
of joy and the garment of re
joicing.”
The Dalmatic finds its symbolism
similarly expressed at the investing
of the deacon at ordination: “May
the Lord clothe thee with the gar
ment of salvation and with the
vesture of praise, and may He cover
thee with the dalmatic of righteous
ness forever.” It follows the color
of the-chasuble. Durandus finds it
symbolic of piety and self-mortifica
tion.
Gloves Only For Dignitaries
The Gloves were at one time com- •
mon to both priests and bishops.
They are now appropriated to
bishops and cardinals and can be
worn also but only with a special
papal privilege, by abbots and some
other ecclesiastical dignitaries. The
gloves are to have the same color
as the chasuble. Sometimes they
are highly ornamented. -Durandus
finds in them a reminder that the
left hand is not to know what the
right hand doeth (Matt. 6:3): and
in the occasional removal of the
gloves (for example at the washing
of the hands at Mass), an intima
tion that good works are to be
hidden at times in order to avoid
vanity and are to be manifested at
times for neighborly edification.
The Mitre is of sufficient general
interest to merit a special bri*#^
paper devoted to it exclusively.