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 SODALITY

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SODALITY

succeeding pope has distinguished it by praise and re- newed approval. Finally in 1904 Pius X made St. Francis Xavier its patron, and raised the feast of the saint to a greater double for the entire Church. The society has received many indulgences and privileges. It is directed by two general councils composed of ecclesiastics and laymen, the one council hav- ing its seat at Lyons (12 Rue Sala), the other at Paris (20 Rue Cassette). These directorates and their presidents settle together the apportionment of the funds to the various missions. In the dioceses there are diocesan or administrative councils, and in the parishes or cities directors who are at the head of each 10, 100, or 1000 members, in order to collect and re- mit the contributions of the respective divisions. The conditions for reception and membership are very simple, the main ones being the daily repetition of an Our Father and a Hail Mary with the addition "St. Francis Xavier, pray for us", and a monthly contribu- tion of at least five cents paid to the director. More than 300,000 copies of the bi-monthly issued by the societ.v are published in twelve languages. It gives reg- ularly the most interesting and edifying news from the missions of the entire world. The annual income of the society is more than $1,200,000; in 1890 for the first time it was over $1,400,000. In 1904 the in- come was $1,352,017, of which sum more than half was collected in France. These figures give clear evidence of the beneficial labours of the society, (b) The "Association of the Holy Childhood", in connexion with the Guardian Angel societies. This society was established in 1843 at Paris by the Bishop of Nancy, Charles de Forbin-Janson. Its aim is to teach Christian children from earliest childhood to exercise Christian charity for the temporal and eter- nal salvation of poor heathen children and for the joy thereby given to the Divine Child Jesus. In 1S58 the society was canonically erected by Pius IX; he, as well as Leo XIII and Pius X, praised the great services of the society and recommended it to all the faithful. In order to be a member of the society a monthly contri- bution of one cent for the heathen children must be paid and a Hail Mary must be said daily, with the ad- dition "Holy Virgin Maiy, pray for us, and the poor little pagan chikh'en". The constitution and organization of the society is very simple and practi- cal. The society is widely spread over the Catholic world, and has accomplished a great work. The first year (1843) the income of the society was $4,580; the annual amount now is about $712,500. In 1900 and 1901 the income was nearly $950,000, of which amount Germany alone gave nearly one-third. In 1904 the society aided 223 missions, with 1112 orphanages, 7207 schools, 2805 industrial schools; altogether 11,134 institutions. There were 401,059 heathen children baptized, and 359,053 children were taught and cared for. In Germany since 1895 it has become customary to unite the Societies of the Holy Childhood with the Societies of the Guard- ian Angel, for the benefit of poor Catholic children in the mission districts of Germany. The mem- bers pay about one cent more monthly, and collect money at their own First Communion in order that the many poor children in the missions may also have the blessing of the First Commvmion and receive good religious instruction. About $19,000 were collected in this way in 1896, and in 1904 more than $23,750. The seat of the central committee of the Association of the Holy Childhood is at 146, Rue de Bac, Paris; there are managing committees for the different coun- tries, each diocese having its own diocesan committee, with which the parish committees are connected, (c) The " Missionary Union of Catholic Women and Girls". This sodality was first founded in 1893 for the .Vfrican missions; then in 1902 it was reor- ganized for the support of all missions. It has changed its headquarters from Fulda to Coblenz, in the Dio-

cese of Trier. In 1910 it received a new summary of indulgences from Pius X, containing large indul- gences and privileges especially for priests who con- duct or promote the society. The whole body of so- dalities of different countries, as those of Austria, Switzerland, and Rumania, have united with the main society, and this action is contemplated for the United States also, (d) In 1894, at Salzburg, Austria, the "St. Peter Claver Sodahty" was founded by Countess M. Theresia Led6chowska to aid the African missions and to foster the pious work of freeing slaves. Leo XIlI favoured the organization by granting indul- gences and privileges the very same year. The sodality includes: (1) the members of a female re- hgious institute who devote themselves totally as helpers of the work of the African missions. These lead a community Ufe in civilized countries and have their headquarters at Rome (via dell' Olmate 16) ; (2) laymen and women, who devote themselves, as far as their state in life permits, to the work of the sodahty, especially by managing the succursals; (3) common helpers of either sex, who foster the work by contributions and other means. From the outset the work of the sodahty was carried on with great zeal and has borne much fruit.

C. — The third class includes those sodalities which have for their chief aim the promotion of the pros- perity of certain classes of society.

(1) There are sodahties for the benefit of the Chris- tian familj'. In 1861 Father Francoz, S.J., founded such a society at Lyons. As the labours of ihis so- ciety proved very beneficial Leo XIII in 1892 en- larged it, with some changes, to embrace the whole world. The pope personally confirmed the new stat- utes, and granted new indulgences and privileges. The title of the sodality is: "The General Pious Asso- ciation of Christian Families in Honour of the Holy Family of Nazareth". Another similar sodality, which existed before the founding of this one, and still exists, is the "Archconfraternity of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph" (see Holt Family, Archconfr.\ternity of the).

(2) The "Archconfraternity of Christian Mothers, under the patronage of Our Lady of the Seven Dolours, established at Notre-Damede Sion, Paris", having for its object the development of truly Christian mothers, who will bring up their children according to the will of God and under the du-ection of the Church. A so- dality of this kind was first formed at Lille in 1850; in 1856 this was raised to an archconfraternity. This society has now unlimited power of aggregation, and has its seat at Paris in the chapel of the Sisters of Our Lady of Sion (Notre-Dame des Champs). The So- dality of Christian Mothers, founded in 1863 at Rome in the Church of St. Augustine, has also a general power of aggregation. In 1865 this sodahty was raised to the rank of a societas primaria Similar as- sociations have appeared in Germany also since 1860, especially one in 1868 at Ratisbon. In 1871 this so- ciety was raised to an archconfraternity, and since 1883 it has had the right in all places where German is the most commonly-spoken language to incoi-porate with itself confraternities having the same name. The title of the sodality is: "The Society of Christian Mothers under the Patronage and Intercession of the Sorrowing Virgin Mary ". Since 1878 there has been a confraternity of Christian mothers for the Ilnited States at Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. In 1881 it waa made an archconfraternity for the whole of North America. Its headquarters are at the Church of St. Augustine at Pittsburg. A monthly periodical is published at New York, under the title "The Chris- tian Mother".

(3) To bring the great blessing of the True Faith to poor heathen children, "The Association of the Holy Childhood ' ' was est ahlished for Catholic children, and has richly blessed both (see above). A Confra-