Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 10.djvu/598

 MONTHS

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MONTHS

whom wc arc indebted for a new art that will make an epoch in the history of human science". Etienne re- ceived the decoration of Saint-Michel for himself, and letters of nobility for his father. Jo.seph obtained a pension, and 40,1)00 livres for the construction of an experimental dirigible balloon. This he was unable to realize.

He was noted for extraordinary bodily strength and for courageous philanthropy. During the stormy days of the Revolution he otTered and ensured pro- tection and asylum to many proscribed persons, who were often not known to him even by name. "Siding with no faction, he sub- mitted to the po- litiral laws unless they were in op- position to the laws of humanity, and awaited with confidence the re- turn of order". His business hav- ing been ruined, he went to Paris, where the new Government wel- comed and re- warded him. He was called to the consulting bureau of arts and manu- factures, was named demon- strator of the Conservatory of .A.rts and Trades, was received at the Institute, 1807, as the successor of Coulomb, and was made a Knight of the Legion of Honour.

.\part from a few memoirs in "Journal des Mines" and "Journal de I'Ecole polytechnique", he pub- lished very little, viz.: "Discours sur I'aerostat" (with his brother Etienne), Paris, 1783; "Voyageurs aeriens" (with Etienne), Paris, 1784; "Meraoires sur la machine aerostatique", Paris, 1784; "Notes sur le holier hydraulique", Paris, 1803.

Delambre, notice in Memoires de Vlnstitut, Sciences math, et phys., 1810 (Paris. 1811); Wise, System o/ Aeronautics (Philadel- phia, 1S50).

William Fox.

Months, Special Devotions for. — During the Middle \ges the public functions of the Church and the popular devotions of the people were intimately connected. The laity assisted at the daily psalmody, the sacrifice of the Mass, the numerous processions, and were quite familiar with the liturgy. Those few religious practices outside of official services, e. g. the Rosary (asubstitute for the 150 Psalms) originated in the liturgy. Later, however, especially since the six- teenth centur}', popular devotion followed its own channels; unliturgical practices like the Stations of the Cross, the Quaranl 'Ore, various litanies and rosaries (corona), prevailed everj' where; novenas and series of Sundays and week-days in honour of particular saints or mysteries were instituted. Entire months of the year were given over to special devotions. Following is a list of the more common devotions with the in- dulgences attached: (1) January, the Holy Name of Jesus (feast of the Holy Name, second Sunday after Epiphany); indulgences, one hundred days each day if the devotion is made privately, three hundred days each day, if the devotion be in a public church or chapel, plenary indulgence for daily assistance at the pubhc functions, under t he usual conditions (Leo XIII, "Brief", 21 Dec, 1901; "Acta S. Sedis", XXXIV, 42.5). (2) March, St. Joseph (feast, 19 March); in-

dulgences, three hundred days daily for those who I)rivately or iiublicly perform some pious practice in honour of .'^t. Jo.seph, during the month, a plenary in- dulgence on any day of the month under the usu.'il conditions (Pius IX, "Rescript Congr. Indiilg.", 27 April, 1865). This monthof devotions may commence in February and be concluded 19 March (Pius IX, 18 July, 1877). March can be replaced by any other month in case of legitimate inipcdiiiii'iit (Uaccolta, 404). The practice of a triduiiin lirfim- the feast of St. Jo.seph has been recommended by Leo XlII (I'^neycl. "t^uamquampluries", 15 August, 1SS9). (ii) May, the Blessetl Virgin Mary. The May devotion in its present form originated at Rome where Father Latoniia of the Roman College of the Society of Jesus, to counteract infidelity and immorality among the students, made a vow at the end of the eighteenth century to devote the month of May to Mary. From Rome the prac- tice spread to the other Jesuit colleges and thence to nearly every Catholic church of the Latin rite (Albers, "Bluethenkranze", IV, 531 sq.). This practice is the oUlest instance of a devotion extending over an entire month. Indulgences, three hundred days each day, by assisting at a public function or performing the devotion in private, plenary indulgence on any day of the month or on one of the first eight days of June under the usual conditions (Pius VII, 21 March, 1815, for ten years; 18 June, 1822 in perpetuum).

(4) June, the Sacred Heart. This devotion, long privately practised, was approved by Pius IX, 8 May, 1873 (Rescr. auth., n. 409), and urgently recommended by Leo XIII in a letter addressed by the Cardinal Pre- fect S.R.C. to all the bishops, 21 July, 1899. Indul- gences : ( a) seven years and seven quarantines each day for performing the devotion publicly or privately; (b) if the devotion is practised daily in private, or if a per- son assists at least ten times at a public function, a plenarv indulgence on any day in June or from 1-8 July (beer. Urbis et orbis, 30 May, 1902); (c) the in- dulgence /o(ies quoties on the thirtieth of June or the last Sunday of June (26 Jan., 1908) in those churches where the month of June is celebrated solemnly. Pius X (8 Aug., 1906) urged a daily sermon, or at least for eight days in the form of a mission (26 Jan., 1908); (d) to tho.se priests, who preach the sermons at the solemn functions in June in honour of the Sacred Heart and to the rectors of the churches where these functions are held, the privilege of the Gregorian Al- tar on the thirtieth of June (Pius X, 8 -Aug., 1906) ; (e) plenary indulgence for each Communion in June and to those who promote the solemn celebration of the month of June ("Acta Pontificia", IV, 388, 8 Aug., 1906). (5) July, the Precious Blood (feast of the Precious Blood, first Sunday of July). This devotion was propagated by Bl. Caspar Buffalo (d. at Rome, 28 Dec, 1837), founder of the Congregation of the Pre- cious Blood of Jesus Christ. Indulgences, for the pub- lic devotion: seven years and seven quarantines each day; plenary indulgence on any day in July or 1-8 August, after having assisted eight times at a public function under the usual conditions; if the devotion be held privately three hundred days each day with plenary indulgence on 31 July, or 1-8 of August (Pius IX, 4 June, 1850). For this practice any other month or any period of thirty days during the year may be chosen (Raccolta, 178). (6) September, the Seven Dolours of the Blessed Virgin Mary (feast of the Seven Dolours, third Sunday in September); indulgences, three hundred days each day and the devotions may be performed in public or private; plenary indulgence on any day of September or 1-8 October under the usual conditions (Leo XIII, "Raccolta", 27 Jan., 1888, 232).

(7) October, the Holy Rosary (feast of the Holy Rosary, first Sunday in October). Leo XIII person- sonally instituted this practice in an Encyclical (1 Sept., 1883) in which he admonished the faithful to