Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 16.djvu/23

 BARRON

BARZYNSKI

restored her to liberty, for fear, as he said, of drawing upon himself the Divine vengeance, and gave his con- sent to her becoming a mm. On 14 Nov., 1481, Bap- tista entered the monastery of the Poor Clares at Urbino. Not long afterwards her father founded a new monastery of that order at Camerino, and pre- sented it to his daughter. Baptista introduced the primitive observance of the rule there, and thence- forth her vigorous and impressive personality found scope not only in the administration of this mon- astery, of which she became the first abbess, but also in the production of various literary works. These include the: "Recordationes et instructiones spirit- uales novem", which she wrote about 1491; "Opus de doloribus mentalibus D. N. J. C", written during 1488-91 and first pubhshed at Camerino in 1630; "Liber sua; conversionis", a story of her life, written in 1491 and first published at Macerata in 1624. These works have been edited by the Bol- landists in connexion mth some of Baptista's letters. But most of her "Epistolae spirit ualcs ad devotas personas" as well as her "Carmina pleraque latina et vulgaria" are stiU unpubUshed.

As a whole the writings of Baptista are remarkable for originahty of thought, striking spirituality, and vividly pictorial language. Both fit. Phihp Neri and St. Alphonsus have recorded their admiration for this gifted woman who wrote with equal faciUty in Latin and ItaUan, and who was accounted one of the most brilliant and accomplished scholars of her day. Baptista died on the feast of Corpus Christi, and was buried in the choir of her monastery. Thirty years later her body was exhumed and was found in a state of perfect preservation. It was reburied to be again exhumed in 1.593. The flesh was then reduced to dust but the tongue still remained quite fresh and red. The immemorial cultus of Baptista was ap- proved by Gregory XVI in 1843, and her feast is kept in the Franciscan Order on 2 June.

Ada SS. May, VII (Antwerp, 1688), 476-514; Wadding, An- nates MinCTum ad annum 1509, n. 25: Idem, Scriptores ord. Min. (3rd ed., 1906), 36; Sbaralea, Supplemmtum, pt. I (1908), il3-114: Leon de Clary. Lives of the Saints and Blessed of the Three Orders of St. Francis, II (Taunton, 1886), 315-48; De Rambuteau, Im Bienheureuse Varani, Princesse de Camerino et Teligieuse franciscaine (Paris, 1906): Jorgensen, / det Hoje (Copenhagf^n, 1908), German tr. in Excelsis (Kempten and Alunich, 1911), which contains a charming sketch of Baptista and gives us a glimpse of her poetic talent. For an appreciation, of her poetry see Crescimbeni, Utoria delta volyare poesia, I, lib. 2, cap. xilL

Stanislaus \\'oywod.

Barron, Edward, missionarj', b. at Waterford, Ireland, 1801; d. at Savannah, Georgia, U. S. A., 12 Sept., 1854. His ecclesiastical studies were made at the Propaganda College, Rome, where he received the degree of Doctor of Divinity. Several years were then spent in Ireland, after which he volimtecrcd for the missions in the United States, attaching himself to the Diocese of Philadelphia, where he became in time pastor of St. Mary's Church, Philadelphia, president of St. Charles Borromeo's Theological Seminarj', and then vicar-general of the diocese. When in 1840 the Holy See requested the American bishops to care for the negro Catholics of Liberia, Africa, he offered his ser\'iccs with those of the Rev. John Kelly of New York, and li'ft Baltimore, 21 Dec., 1841, for Cape Mesurado. The work there was successfid at first, and so Barron returned to Europe and the United States for more help. While in Rome he was consecrated, 22 Jan., 1842, titular Bishop of Constantia and Vicar Apostolic of the two Guineas. He returned to Africa, 30 Nov., 1813, with several missionaries of the Society of the Sacred Ileart of Jesus and continued his labours in the mission until 184.5, when he was forced by fever he had contracted to resign his vicariate and lo return to the Uni1c(l States. Here, as far .-us his impaired health tdlowed. he again took up the duties of a missionary priest and

assisted in the work of the episcopate in Philadelphia, St. Louis, and Florida. He died of yellow fever at Savannah while helping the bishop of that see during an epidemic. (See Liberia.)

Shea, Hist. Cath. Ch. in U. S. (New York, 18.56); Clarke, Lives Deceased Bishops, U. S., II (New York, 1872), appendix; KiRUN. Catholicity in Philadelphia (Philadelphia, 1909); Flynn, Cath. Church in New Jersey (Morristown, 1904); Catholic Al- manac, 1856; Freeman's Journal (New York, 1854-55), files.

Thomas F. Meehan.

Baxzynski, Vincent, b. at Stdislawice, Sandomir, Russian Poland, 1838; d. at Chicago, 2 May, 1899. The son of Joseph and Mary (Sroczynska) Barzynski, in baptism he received the name Michael, but dm-ing a grievous illness was placed under the protection of St. Vincent Ferrer and henceforth called Vincent. Because of frail health he was educated privately. In 1856 he entered the diocesan seminary at Lubhn and was ordained priest, 28 Oct., 1861. After six months illness spent at the home of his father, he was appointed vicar at Horodlo, member of the chapter of the collegiate church of the Zamojscy, and later transferred to Tomaszew, which was the scene of great miUtary activity during the uprising of 1863. As or- ganizer, appointed by the secret Pohsh national Gov- ernment, he provided the insurrectionists with mili- tary suppUes. Compelled soon after to flee to Cra- cow, he foimd refuge with the Franciscan fathers in that city. After fifteen months of wandering he re- ceived his passport enabUng him to leave for Paris in 1865. Here he fell under the influence of that re- markable band of mystics, Semenenko, Kajsewicz, Jelowicki, and Micldewicz, the poet, who dreamed of Poland's resun-ection tlirough the spiritual regenera- tion of the Poles. Going to Rome, he joined the newly founded Congregation of the Resurrection and soon after receiving the special blessing of Pius IX set out for America (1866). After several years' labour in the Diocese of San Antonio, Texas, he was ap- pointed pastor of St. Stanislaus parish, Chicago, in 1874. The parish then comprised about 450 families; in 1881 the number of baptisms was 988, and in 1887 reached 1700.

Vincent Barzynski became the dominant influence throughout the most critical period of Polish immi- gration. He first gave the American Poles a class consciousness, amalgamated the various units into a compact working phalanx, and despite seemingly in- surmountable difficulties crushed the forces that threatened the faith of Pohsh immigrants. Criticized for centralizing within his own person all authority, it must be recalled that he had to deal single-haiicled with every difficulty, that in large part the Pohsh American clergy of his day were deserving of little confidence, that the mass of Polish immigration was from the oetty artisan and peasant class, and that the smaU number of brighter minds coming to America had left an imsavoury past behind them. It is clear that there was no alternative. The spirit of re- bellion, "independence", schism w.as fanned by the Pohsh National Alliance, and thi.s organization Father Barzj-nski so successfully combated that it was only after his death that the Alhance grew in members.

St. Stanislaus parish, divided again and again, seenied never to decrease; Father Barzynski there or- ganizetl nearly forty societies, confraternities, and sodahties. He a.ssisted in the organization of nearly every Pohsh parish in Chicago established before his death. He built the magnificent St. Sl:iMislaus Chiu-ch and the great school (since destroyed by fire and rebuilt), where seventy nuns teach ne;irly five thf)U.>ian(l children; g:ive the Poles an orphanage; founded St. St:uiisl:tus College; introduced the Sisters of the Holy Fiitiiily of N:iz:irclli into the United S(ites; fornieil witji very niw materiid a corps of Polish te;ich(Ts in his own .school; interested the School Sisters of Notre Dame in Polish immigi-ation. Largely due to his influence, 800 Polish women