Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 14.djvu/639

 THEODOTION

579

THEODULF

and the conventual houses. The unfortunate Sonder- bund war had broken the power and confidence of the Cathohcs, and the victorious Radical party forced upon the country a constitutional leaftuc pledged to the destruction of Catholic interests, in consequence of his zealous defence of the Church, FatherTheodosius was forced to fly to .Vlsace in 1S41. But in August of the same year he returned, and brought his experi- ence to bear on plans for the welfare of the Church and people. First he founded the Institute of the Franciscan Sisters of the Holy Cross. In the Ca- puchin church at Altorf on 16 Oct., 1844, the first three sisters received the habit of the Third Order of St. Francis. Their constitutions enjoin upon them to make themselves .all to all in order to win souls to Christ and to do nothing which might repel any from their mode of life. From this foundation grew the congregation of teaching sisters, with their mother- house at Memingen, which has now about 1200 members. Later on Father Theodosius founded the congregation of Sisters of Mercy at Lngenbohl, which numbers 5251 sisters in 878 institutions. These con- gregations have been approved by the Holy See. Both are actively engaged in educational works; they have foundUng asj'lums, orphanages, kindergartens, poor .schools, boarding-schools for girls, and seminaries for teachers. Both have in their homes for girls a patron- age, as the French call it, for servant girls, factory workers, shop assistants, and others. The Sisters of Mercy have, besides, homes for the poor and sick, and undertake private nursing.

In the meantime Father Theodosius was himself busy as a schoolmaster. He superintended the people's schools (Volksschulen), which are attended by others besides the poor. He promoted continu- ation schools and was in favour of technical instruc- tion for apprentices and workmen. He founded anew the suppressed Jesuit College, Maria-Hilf zu Schwyz, where there are now more than 400 pupils. It com- prises a gjinnasium, lyceum, and an industrial school with technical and mercantile departments. To stir up anew Catholic life he engaged in popular missions and retreats for priests. To provide for the needs of Catholics in Protestant parts of Switzer- land he founded the home missions for which he provided a special fund. The institution of the annual conference of the Swiss bishops was largely due to his efforts. To bring Swiss Catholics together, to strengthen Catholic feeling, and to organize social works, he founded the Pius Society. For this society Father Theodosius worked harder than for all else; it was in connexion with this that he more fully expounded his Christian social ideas. He was very keen upon the care and inspection of the helpless and dependent, such as boarded-out children, apprentices, neglected children, and discharged prisoners. With regard to the labour question Father Theodosius ex- pressed himself very fully in his speech at Frankfort in 1863. In demanding the Christianizing of indus- try, trade unions, and workmen's credit banks, he said: "Formerly monasteries were turned into fac- tories, now factories must become mon.asteries, and the profits must be shared with the workers". Factories were established to carry out this idea, but they failed, owing to a lack of business capacity in the founders. At lngonbf)hl Father Theodosius founded a printing and book-binding establishment and a society for the distribution of good books. Among his own writings arethe " LegencLs of t he Saint s " in four volumes. His spirit was well expressed in the saying of St. August- ine which on the eve of his death he wrote in the note- book of a teacher: "In necessariis unitas, in dnibiis libcrtas, in omnibus charitas". A favourite maxim of his was: "Whatever is the need of the time, is God's Will".

Kraitthahn, p. Thecxlonut (St. Gall, 186.5); Elseneb, P. Theodosius (Lucerne, 1865); Fuhrer. Leben u. Wxrken dc3 P.

Theodosius (lngenbohl, 1S7S); Planta. P. Theodosius (Bern. 1893); Vesch, P. Theodosius Florentini (lngenbohl, 1S97).

Father Cuthbert.

Theodotion Version. See Versions of the Bible.

Theodotus of Ancyra, Saint, martyr. On 18 May the Roman Martyrology says; "At Ancyra, in Galatia, the martyr Saint Theodotus and the saintly virgins Thecusa, his aunt, Alexandra, Claudia, Faina, Euphrasia, Matrona, and Juhtta", etc. They are mentioned in all the menologies, and Theodotus has a special feast on 7 June (Nilles, "Kal. man.", I, 162, and II, 583). He is patron of innkeepers. Em- blems: torches and the sword. According to the Acts (Acta SS., May, IV, 147) Theodotus was a married man who kept an inn at Ancyra, the capital of Gala- tia. He is described as a man very zealous in the per- formance of his Christian duties, endowed with many virtues, especially charity towards his neighbour. He brought sinners to repentance and strengthened many in their faith during the persecution which Theoc- tenus, the governor of the province, was carrying on, about 303, in accordance with the edict of Diocletian. The name of a certain Victor is mentioned as one who grew weak in his profession of Christianity and re- ceived much encouragement from Theodotus. The governor ordered that all provisions exposed for sale should first be offered to the idols. Theodotus laid in stores of goods and his house became a refuge for the Christians, a hospital for the sick, and a place for Divine worship. At Malos, about five miles from Ancyra,he sought out the body of the martyr, Valens, and gave it Christian burial. Returning to Ancyra he found the Christians in great trouble. The seven virgins mentioned above had been called before the judges and made a valiant profession of their faith; they were then sent to a house of debaucliery, but pre- served their purity. Then they were obliged to sufTer cruel torments and were cast into the sea with stones attached to their bodies. Theodotus succeeded in rescuing the bodies and honourably burying them. In consequence he was arrested, and after many suf- ferings was killed by the sword; his body was miracu- lously brought to Slalos and there entombed by the priest Fronto. A chapel was built over the grave, and the saint was held in great veneration. The legend is told by Nilus who claims to have been an eye-wit- ness to a great part of what he describes. Ruinart (page 372) places it among his "Acta sincera et se- lecta". Pio Franchi produced a critical edition of the Acts in "Studi e Testi" (Rome, 1901). He consid- ered them trustworthy, but later changed his opinion. Delehaye (Anal. Boll., XXII, 320, and XXIII, 478) says: "The kernel of the legend is a tale narrated by Herodotus, while the existence of the hero of the nar- rative is not vouched for by any historic document."

Bdtler, LiKs a/ the. Saints; Diet, of Christ. Biog.. IV, 580; Rom. Quarlalschrift, XVIII. 289; Der KathoHk (1895), 569: Leclebcq. Les Martyrs, II, VIII (Paris, 1903); Chevalier, Bio-Bihl. II,


 * '*29. Francis Mershman.

Theodulf (Theodttlfus, Theodulfe), Bishop of Orleans, a writer skilled in poetic forms and a learned theologian, b. in Spain about 760; d. at Angers, France, 18 Dec, 821. By descent a Goth, he be- came before 794 a member of the court of Charle- magne, where he was, next to Alcuin, the most dis- tinguished and learned person. Charlemagne granted him (about 798) the Bishopric of Orl(''ans and several abbeys. He labourefl successfully m hi.s diocese as a reformer both of the clerg>- and people, .as is shown by his two Capitularic..;, one of which has forty-six chapters; he also encouraged schools. In 798 he was sent, with Bishop Leidrad of Lyons, as a royal mes- senger (miHxus dominicua) to the southern part of France. In his poem, "Versus contra judices", in which he complains of the severity of Fr.ankish law and addresses earnest warnings to the judges, he