Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 12.djvu/646

 PXTRGATORIAL

574

PURGATORIAL

kirche zu Aachen", 5S, 157, 161 sq.)- In 1355 there existed at Glocknitz a lay confraternity for the dead, which accepted members from other parishes (Monum. Boica, IV, 16S sqq. ) and cared especially for the burial of the poor. Ducange-Favre (s. v. Purgatorium) speaks of a pious association, founded in 1413, ex- pressly under the name of purgatorj', in the old church of Maria Deaurata (Daurade) at Toulouse.

These confraternities concerned themselves almost exclusively with the souls of deceased members and benefactors, while the distinguishing mark of the later associations is their foundation for all poor souls. Provision for burials was first made by "La Com- pagnia della Pieta", founded in Rome, 144S (cf. .\. Berignani in "Archivio storico R. di Stor. Patr.", XXXIII, 5 sqq.), and nearly related to the confra- ternities here describetl. In the newly-erected church of the German cemetery (Campo Santo), a confrater- nity, "in honour of the bitter Passion of Christ and of the Sorrowful Mother, to comfort and assist all the faithful souls ", was erected (1-14S) by the penitentiarj-, Johannes Goldener of Xiiremberg. later titular Bishop of Accon and AuxiUarj- Bishop of Bamberg (cf. De Waal, "Der Campo Santo der Deutschen zu Rom", Freiburg. 1S96, pp. 46 sqq.). and in 1579 raised by Gregon,- XIII to an archconfratemity, enriched with new indulgences, and empowered to aggregate other confraternities throughout the world (loc. cit., 107 sqq.). Although it has undergone many changes, this confraternity still exists, combined towards the end of the nineteenth centurj- with a special Requiem Mass Association for assisting souls of deceased members Ooc. cit., 307; cf. Beringer, "Die Ablasse", 13th German ed., 1906, pp. 685 sqq.), and it is the first purgatorial society according to the present meaning of the name. The "Black Penitents", who marched in procession through Rome under the banner of mercy, were founded in 14SS to assist before execu- tion those condemned to death, and afterwards to pro- vide for their burial, exequies, and Requiem Mass [cf. Raynald, "Aimales", XI (Lucca, 1754), 17S sq. ad an." 1490]. The Confraternity of Our Lady of Suffrage (S. Maria del Suffragio) existed in Rome from 1592, expressly for the relief of the poor souls. It had numerous members, and since 1615 has aggregated other confraternities with the same object (Deer, auth. S. C. Indulg., n. S3, p. 67; Moroni, II, 309; LI, 32S).

The Archconfratemity of Death and Prayer (mortis el orationis), founded in Rome, 153S, to pro\-ide for the burial of the poor and abandoned, still exists (cf. Berignani, loc. cit.); at the beginning of the seven- teenth century- it was granted new indulgences by Paul V (Rescr! auth. S. C. Indulg., n. 26, pp. 44S sqq"; Moroni, II, 303). About 16S7 the rules of a special confraternity "for the Relief of the Most Xeedy Souls in Purgatorj'" under the invocation of the Sacred Xames of Jesus, Man.-, and Joseph were approved in Rome (Moroni, XVI, 130). The confraternity for the relief of the departed under the title of "Jesus Christ on Mount Calvarj- and the Sorrowful Mother" en- joyed special popularity and inaugurated, S Sept., 1760, the processions of the Way of the Cross in the Roman Cohseum; among its illustrious members was St. Leonard of Port Maurice (Rescr. auth. Summ. 39, pp. 497 sqq.; Moroni, loc. cit.). The Ingoldstadt Mass Association, formed by the Franciscans of In- goldstadt in 1726 to procure for all members the grace of a happy death and for those already deceased speed}' assistance and liberation from the pains of purgatorj', was erected into a formal ecclesiastical confraternity under the title of the Immaculate Con- ception in 1874. .\n ancient, highly venerated picture of the Mother of God was adopted as the titular pic- ture of the a.«.sociation. which has received all the in- dulgences of the confraternity of the same name in the Ara Coeli at Rome, i. e. the indulgences of the Blue

Scapular (Rescr. auth. n. 393; Summ. 58, pp. 580 sqq.). It numbers its members by tens and hundreds of thousands; almost 2000 Masses are daily cele- brated for the intentions of the Marian Mass .Associa- tion, which includes the intention of particularly assisting the most recently deceased members.

At the close of the Middle Ages the old confra- ternities, generally confined to a to^^Ti or small dis- trict, gradually disappeared, as did also many of the later ones in the confusion at the end of the eighteenth centurj', while others preser\-ed only a semblance of life. Since the beginning of the nineteenth century they have been replaced by vigorous new associations, which, richly endowed with indulgences by eccle- siastical authorities, have rapidly extended to the entire Church. By Brief of 5 October, 1818, Pius VII endowed the Archconfratemity of Our Mother of Sorrows and the Poor Souls in Purgatory (Archicon- fraternitas B. M. V. Dolorosa sub invocatione Ani- marum purgatorii), which was erected in the basilica of S. Maria in Trastevere, with rich indulgences (Rescr. auth. Summ. 28, pp. 455 sqq.). First among the later confraternities which have extended through- out Christendom is the "Archconfratemity for the Relief of the Poor Souls in Purgatorj- under the title of the Assumption of Marj- in the Redemptorist church of S. Maria in Monterone at Rome", founded in 1S41. It rapidlj- developed, especiallj- in England and Xorth America, and was endowed with indul- gences in lS41-fi3. Priests empowered to receive the faitliful into the confratemitj" enjoj- various other faculties. This confratemitj- is especiallj- adapted for rapid expansion, because in 1861 it w-as expressly authorized to aggregate everj- confratemitj- of what- ever name and object and to communicat* to them its graces and pri\-ileges, provided thej- added to their original titles "and for the Relief of the Poor Souls in Purgatorj-"; thej- must not, however, be already aggregated to another archconfratemitj-, nor have been endowed with indulgences on their own account (Rescr. auth. Summ., n. 48, pp. 543 sqq.). The Re- demptorist fathers conduct this archconfratemity (cf. Seeberger, "Kej- to the Spiritual Treasures", 2nd ed., pp. 296 sqq.).

,\t Ximes in France a confratemitj- similar to that of Our Ladj' of Suffrage was established in 1857, re- ceived the facultj- of aggregating other confraternities in the Diocese of Ximes in 1858. and in 1873 received the same right for the whole world. In addition to the indulgences of the Roman confraternity, that of Ximes has received others: the recital of the Rosarj- of the Dead was approved especiallv for its members by Pius IX in 1873 (Beringer, "Die Ablisse", II, 3rd ed., pp. 470 sqq.). In accordance with its ancient traditions, the Benedictine Order formed a twofold Confratemitj- of the Poor Souls at Lambach, Diocese of Linz, .\ustria. In 1877 the .\rchconfratemitj- of the Perpetual Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament under the Protection of St. Benedict for the Poor Souls in Purgatorj- was erected with right to aggregate other confraternities of the same name and object in Austria-Kungarj-. In 1893, with the same title and objects, this confraternity was erected in the abbej' church of St. John the Baptist at Collcge\ille, Min- nesota: it shares in all the indulgences of the Lambach confraternity, and possesses, as the archconfratemity for Xorth America, the faculty of aggregating all con- fraternities of the same name and communicating to them its indulgences. Finally, by Brief of 2 March, 1910, Pius X granted to the Lambach archconfra- temitv the right of aggregation for the whole world (.\cta.\p. Sed., Ill, 93 sqq.). There was also founded, in 1878, in the same abbej- church of Lambsch a Priests' As.sociation under the Protection of St. Benedict for the Relief of the Poor Souls in Purgatory, This was approved and recommended bj- the diocesan bishop, Franz Joseph Rudigier. Many other bishops,