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Btill of any coiiBidprnWo amount, the superiors must take the advice of their councils. A council should at once be appointed if there is none already existing (cf. "Periodica de Religiosis", n. 331, vol. 5, 1 1 sqq). The bishop must test the vocation of po.itvilants before they take the veil, and before profession; he presides over chapters of election, permits or forbids collections from door to door; is responsible for the observance of partial enclosure, such as is compatible with the ob- jects of the congregation. No house can be estab- lished -n-ithout his consent. To him also belongs the supreme spiritual direction of the communities, and the nomination of the chaplain and confea.sors. The Holy See reserves to itself the vows, even temporary ones. The dismissal of a professed sister under per- petual vows must be ratifii>d by the Holy See. The dismissal of a novice or of a professed sister imder tem- porary vows is within the power of the general coun- cil, if "justified by grave reasons ; but this dismissal does not relieve from vows for which recourse must be had to the Holy See. The Holy See alone can authorize the suppression of houses, the erection or transfer of a novitiate, the erection of a province, the transfer of a mother-house, and any important alienations of prop- erty, and borrowings above a certain sum.

The Holy See permits, though it does not make oblig- atory, the division of a community into choir sisters or teaching sisters, and lay sisters. Though not op- posed to the formation of associations which help the work of the congregation and have a share in its mer- its, it forbids the establishment of new third orders. A period of temporary vows should precede the taking of perpetual vows. Such is the general law. At the expiration of the term, temporary vows must be re- newed. The vow of poverty does not generally forbid the acquisition and retention of rights over property, but only its free use and disposal. A dowry is gener- ally required, of which the community receives the in- come only, until the death of the sister, and the fruits of their labours belong entirely to the congregation. The vow of chastity creates only a prohibitorj' impedi- ment to marriage. The bishops generally regulate the confessions of the reUgious under simple vows, by the same rules as those of nuns in strict enclosure ; but in public churches sisters may go to any approved con- fessor. In all that concerns communions and direc- tion of conscience, the decrees "Quem ad modum" and "Sacra Tridentina" apply to these congregations as well as to monasteries of nuns. These religious con- gregations have not generally any obligation of choir, but recite the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin and other prayers. They are bound to make a daily medi- tation of at least half an hour in the morning, some- times of another half hour in the evening, and an annual retreat of eight days.

(b) Pious societies which can only be called congre- gations by a wide extension of the word, are those which have no perpetual vows, such as the Daughters of Charity, who are free for one day in each year, or those which, if they have perpetual vows, have no out- ward sign by which they can be recognized: this single fact is sufficient to deprive them of the character of religious congregations (see answer of 11 August, 1889, "De Religiosis Institutis", vol. 2, n. 13).

VI. Diocesan Conoreo.\tions. — For a long time the bishops had great latitude in approving new con- gregations, and gave canonical existence to various charitable institutions. In order to avoid an excessive increaise in their number, Pius X by his Motu Propria "Dei Providentis" of 16 July, 1906, required the pre- vious authorization of the Sacred Congregation before the bishop could establish, or allow to be established any new tliocesan institution ; and the Sacred Congre- gation refuses to authorize any new creation except after approval of the title, habit, object, and work of the proposed community, and forbids that any sub- stantial change should be made without its authority.

Notwithstanding that pontifical intervention, the con- gregation remains diocesan. 'I'he bishop approves the constitutions only in so far as they are in accordance with the rules approved by the Holy See. As it re- mains diocesan we may conclude that the Roman dis- ciplinary decrees do not affect it imless this is clearly stated. Diocesan congregations have the bishop as their first superior. It is his duty to control admis- sions, authorize dismissals, and dispense from vows, except that one reserved to the Holy See, the absolute and perpetual vow of chastity. He must be careful not to infringe the rights acquired by the community. Not only does he preside over elections but he confirma or annuls them, and may in case of necessity depose the superior, and make provision for filling the vacancy. These congregations are sometimes composed of houses indejjendent of one another; this is frequently the case with Sisters Hospitallers, and sometimes sev- eral houses and local superiors are grouped under one superior general. Some of the congregations are con- fined to one diocese, while others extend to several dio- ceses: in the latter case, each diocesan ordinary has under him the houses in his dioceses with power to authorize or suppress them. The congregation itself depends on the concurrence of the bishops in whose dioceses any houses are situated; and this concurrence is necessary for its suppression. Such is the common law of the constitution "Conditae". Before it can spread into another diocese, a diocesan congregation must have the consent of the bishop to whom it is sub- ject, and often by agreement among bishops a real superiority is reserved to the bishop of the diocese of origin. As to the laws by which they are governed, a great number of congregations, especially those de- voted to the care of the sick in hospitals, follow the rule of St. Augustine and have special constitutions; others have only constitutions peculiar to themselves; others again form commimities of tertiaries. The curious institution of Beguines (q. v.) still flourishes in a few cities of Belgium.

Historical: Besse, Les Minnef- d'Orient anlh-ieurs au concile de Chalchidoine U.Sl) (Paris, 1900); Le Monachisme Africain, IV- VI. 5 (Paris, 8. d.) ; Butler, The Lausiac Hist, of Patladius (Cam- bridge, 1898): De Buck-Tinnebroeck, Examen Historicum et canonicum lihri R. D. Verhoeven, De Regiilarium et Scpcutarium iuribus et officiis, I (Ghent, 1847) ; Duchesne, Les origines du cuUe chrHien (Paris) ; Funk, Lehrbuch der Kirchengesch, (Paderbom, (1898): Gasquet, Saggio slorico delta Costituzxone monastica (Rome. 1896) ; Heimbucher, Die Orden und Kottgregationen der Katholischen Kirche (3 vol., Paderborn, 1896-1908); H^lyot. Hist, des ordres monastiques, religieux et militaires (8 vol., Paris, 1714-19) ; Ladeuze, Etude sur le cinobitisme Pakhomien pendant le IV^ si^cle et la premiere moitiS du V' (Louvain, 1898): Marin, Les Moines de Constantinople depuis la fondation de la ville jusqu'd la mart de Photius (Paris, 1897), (cf. Pargoire infra); Mart^ne, Cojnmentariua in regulam S.P. Benedicti, De antiquis monachorum ritibus; Pargoire. Les debuts du monachisme a Constantinople in Revue des questions historiques (vol. 65, 1899); Schiewietz, Z)a» morgenldndische Monchtwn (Mainz, 194) : Spreitzenhofez. Die Entwicklung des alien Monchtums in Jtalien von seiner ersten An- fdngen bis zum Auftreten des hi. Benedict (Vienna, 1894) ; Thomab- 8IN, Veins et nova Ecclesim disciplina, I, 1, 3; Wilpert. Die Gottge- tveihien Jungfrauen in der ersten Jahrhunderten der Kirche (Frei- burg im Br., 1892) ; Doctrinal, besides the general works of the classical authors: Bastien, Directoire canonique A Vusage des Con- gregations d voEur simples (Maredsous, 1911) ; Battandier, Guide canonique pour les Constitutions des Tnstituts d vaux simples (4th ed., Paris. 1908); Bouix, Tractatus de iure regularium (2 vols., Paris, 1856): Pellizarius, Tractatus de Monialibus (1761); Piat, Prcelecliones iuris Regularium (2 vol., Tournai, 1898) ; Rotarius, Theolagia moralis regularium, 3 vols.; Tamburini, De iure abba- tissarum et aliarum Monialium: Vebmeehsch in De Religiosis In- stitutis et Personi.1 2 vols. (1st vol., 2nd ed., 1907; 2nd vol., 4th ed., 1910) ; De Religiosis et Missionariis Periodica, ab anno 1905.

A. Vermeehsch.

Nuoro. See Galtelli-Nuoro, Diocese of.

Nuptial Blessing. See Mass, Ncptiai.

Nuremberg (Xijrn'berg), second largest city in Bavaria, .situated in a plain on both sides of the river Pegnitz. Of uncertain origin, it is first mentioned as Noremberc in a document issued by Emperor Henry III at a diet held in the town. The palace was recon- structed as a fortified castle between 1025 and 1050.