self the discipline three times before preaching, to draw down the blessing of God on himself and his audience. Led no doubt by the Spirit of God, whose designs are unsearchable, he changed from the Observantins to the Capuchins, and then, after some years, returned to the Observantins. When someone expressed surprise at this, he replied, "I can but do the will of God. The religion of our Father St. Francis is holy, most holy, in all its branches. The Capuchin Fathers are holy, the Observantin Fathers are holy, the Recollect Fathers are holy; and the Conventual Fathers are likewise holy." God called this fervent religious unto Himself, and he breathed his last repeating the words of the Psalm, "Lætatus sum in his quæ dicta sunt mihi, in domo Domini ibimus,"—"I was glad when they said unto me, We will go into the house of the Lord." He was beatified by Pope Pius VI. ON THE INDULGENCES GRANTED TO THE THIRD ORDER. ARTICLE I. GENERAL CONCESSIONS OF SPIRITUAL FAVOURS AND INDULGENCES TO THE THIRD ORDER. BEFORE entering into detail of the principal indulgences accorded to the Third Order, let us first refer to the general concessions which have been granted to it by the Sovereign Pontiffs. I. Sixtus IV., Leon X., Innocent XI., and still more particularly Innocent XII., in his constitution Sua nobis, of December 16, 1695, confirmed by Benedict XIII., Pius VII., and Pius IX., have communicated to the Third Order all the spiritual privileges and all the indulgences, personal and local, granted to the two other Orders of St. Francis. By virtue of this communication, the Tertiaries may gain the same indulgences as the Brothers Minor and the religious of St. Clare; and the churches or public chapels of the Third Order, even when these chapels form part of a parish church, enjoy the same privileges as the other churches of the Order of St. Francis. For example, the chief altar of these churches is privileged; Tertiaries may gain there the indulgence of the Portiuncula, &c. The only difference that exists in this respect between the churches and public chapels of the Third Order secular and the other churches of the Order is, that, in the latter, indulgences granted directly, and not by communication, may be gained by all the faithful without distinction; whilst in churches of the Third Order both, unless by special privilege, can be gained by the Tertiaries only. The Sacred Congregation of Indulgences has declared it several times, especially on May 24, 1819, for the Congregation of the Third Order of Faenza, under the direction of the Brothers Minor Observantins,1 and on April 14, 1856, for the Congregations of the Third Order in France.2 But now our most holy Father Pope Pius IX., by the following brief, has deigned to extend to all the faithful, on visiting the churches or chapels of the Third Order, the favour of gaining the indulgences granted to the churches of the Order of St. Francis, provided that these churches or chapels are in places where no church of the Brothers Minor Capuchins exists. PIUS P.P. IX. AD FUTURAM REI MEMORIAM. "Expositum est Nobis in Galliarum diœcesibus mire auctas, ac propagatas fuisse sodalitates Tertii-Ordinis S. Francisci Cappuccin. nuncupat. et in ecclesias, in quibus dictæ sodalitates erectæ existunt, magno numero Christifideles concurrere. Modo vero dilectus Filius hodiernus Procurator Generalis Fratrum Ordinis Minorum S. Francisci Cappuccin. nuncupat. enixas preces Nobis porrexit, ut majori bono, ac commodo spirituali Christifidelium è prædictis Diœcesibus consulere de benignitate Nostrâ Apostolicâ dignaremur, facultatem concedentes, cujus vi Christifideles ecclesias, ubi memoratæ sodalitates canonicè erectæ existunt, visitantes frui possent iisdem indulgentiis, ac si dicti Ordinis ecclesias visitarent. Nos ad augendam Fidelium re 1 Ferraris, verb. Indulg. Appendix, vol. iv. p. 27, edition of Mont Cassin. 2 Analecta Juris Pontif. vol. ii. p. 274 b. ligionem, et animarum salutem cœlestibus Ecclesiæ thesauris piâ charitate intenti, precibus nobis porrectis, quantùm in Domino possumus, annuere voluimus. Quare de omnipotentis Dei misericordiâ ac BB. Petri et Pauli Apostolorum ejus auctoritate confisi, omnibus, et singulis utriusque sexûs Christifidelibus, qui ecclesias sodalitatum Tertii Ordinis Minorum S. Francisci Cappuccin. nuncupat. in Galliarum diœcesibus existentes visitaverint, eas omnes, et singulas Indulgentias etiam de Portiunculâ nuncupatas, peccatorum remissiones, ac pœnitentiarum relaxationes consequi liberè ac licitè Auctoritate Nostrâ Apostolicâ concedimus, quas consequerentur, si quamlibet ecclesiam præfati Ordinis Minorum S. Francisci devotè visitarent, dummodo tamen ecclesiæ dictarum sodalitatum sint in iis locis ubi ecclesiæ, et conventus prædictorum Fratrum-Minorum Ordinis S. Francisci Cappuccin. nuncupat. haud existant, et fideles ea omnia, quæ pro Indulgentiis consequendis injuncta sunt, ritè præstiterint. Non obstantibus Nostrâ et Cancellariæ Apostolicæ regulâ de non concedendis Indulgentiis ad instar, aliisque Constitutionibus et Ordinationibus Apostolicis, cæterisque contrariis quibuscumque. Volumus autem, ut præsentium Litterarum transumptis, seu exemplis etiam impressis manu alicujus notarii publici subscriptis, et sigillo personæ in Ecclesiasticâ dignitate constitutæ munitis, eadem prorsus fides adhibeatur quæ adhiberetur ipsis præsentibus, si forent exhibitæ vel ostensæ. Præsentibus ad decen nium tantùm valituris. 66 'Datum Romæ apud S. Petrum, sub annulo Piscatoris, die xx. Maii MDCCCLIX., Pontificatûs nostri anno decimo tertio. L.+S. Pro Domino Cardinali MACCHI, PIUS IX., POPE. "Our beloved son, the Procurator-General of the Brothers Minor of St. Francis, called Capuchins, having stated to us recently that the congregations of the Third Order of St. Francis, directed by them, have so wonderfully increased in the dioceses of France, and that the faithful resort in crowds to the churches where these congregations are established, has requested us, with urgent entreaties, to open our apostolic heart towards the faithful of these dioceses, and to favour their progress in goodness by deigning to accord to all the faithful who shall visit the churches where these congregations are canonically established, the faculty of gaining the same indulgences as if they visited the churches of the First Order. As for us, whom a tender charity ever disposes to act for the increase of piety among the faithful, and for the salvation of souls by the dispensation of the heavenly treasures of the Church, we are willing to assent to these prayers as far as we are able in the Lord. Wherefore, fully confiding in the mercy of Almighty God, and the authority of His blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, and by virtue of our full apostolic authority, we grant to all the faithful of both sexes who shall visit the churches of the congregations of the Third Order of the Brothers Minor of St. Francis, called Capuchins, established in the dioceses of France, the power of gaining all indulgences without exception, even those of the Portiuncula, all the remissions of sins, and all the relaxations from penances, which they would obtain by devoutly visiting any church whatsoever of the said Order of Brothers Minor of St. Francis, provided, however, that the churches of the said congregations are situated in places where the Brothers Minor of the Order of St. Francis, called Capuchins, have no church, and that the faithful exactly fulfil all the con |