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 CANONS

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CANONS

their various Letters and Bulls, are quoted by the historians of the order, to prove distinctly that St. Augustine, Bishop of Hippo, only restored, or caused to reflourish, the order of canons regular, which was first instituted by the Apostles. St. Antoninus, Vin- cent of Beauvais, Sigebert, Peter of Cluny, Fagnani, and many others tell us that the canonical order traces back its origin to the earliest ages of the Church. It will suffice to give here the authority of Suarez, who sums up the case very clearly. After having stated that the Apostles taught by Christ Himself formed the first order of clerics, and that the order did not perish with the Apostles, but was preserved by con- tinuous succession in their disciples, as proved by letters of Pope St. Clement and Urban I (though these letters are Pseudo-Isidorian in character), the writer continues: " We read in the Life of St. Augustine that when he was made priest, he instituted a monastery within the church and began to live with the servants of God according to the manner and rules constituted by the holy Apostles. Many therefore suppose that the Order of Regular Clerics, or Canons Regular, was not instituted by St. Augustine, but was either re- formed by him or introduced by him into Africa and furnished with a special rule, Pius IV maintains that the Order of Regular Clerics was instituted by the Apostles, and this Benedict XII confirms in his pref- ace to the Constitutions of the Canons Regular. There is no question as regards the continuance of this state from the time of St. Augustine to this time, although with great variety as far as various institutes are con- cerned." To this we may add that when a contro- versy arose between the Benedictine monks and the canons regular with regard to precedence, the ques- tion was settled by Pius V in favour of the canons, on account of their Apostolic origin. We may then con- clude with the words of Cardinal Pie, who, addressing the canons regular of the Lateran Congregation, whom he had established at Beauchene in his diocese, says: " These that are clothed in white robes, who are they, and whence come they? These Canons Regular, who are they, and whence do they come? Who they are and whence they come, I will tell you. Their origin is nothing else but the society and the common life of Jesus and His Apostles, the original model of com- munity life between the bishop and his clergy. On that account they chiefly come from Hippo and from the home of Augustine, who has given them a Rule, which they still glory to observe."

The name Austin (or Augustinian) Canons is com- monly used instead of Canons Regular, and there are some who think that Austin Canons are so styled be- cause they were instituted by St. Augustine. This is a wrong notion. St. Augustine did not found the order of canons regular, not even those who are called Austin Canons. There were canons regular before St. Augustine. The various authorities quoted in this article prove it. All St. Austin did was to induce his clergy to live secundum regulam sub Sanctis Apostolis constitutam, which he had seen practised at Milan, adding to the Apostolic Pule hitherto observed by clerics living in common, some regulations, afterwards

called the " Hi lie of St. Augustine". Or, in the won Is of Pope Paschal 11. in a Bull quoted by Pennett,

"Vitse regularis propositum in primitiva ecclesia cog-

noscitur ab Apostolis institutum quam P. August inus

tam gratanter amplexus est ut cam reguhs infor-

(A regular mode of life is recognized in the

Early Church a- instituted by the Apostles, and

adopted earnestly by Blessed Augustine, who pro- vided it with new regulations) "Mist. Tripart.", Lib. II. c. iv, 1. These regulations which St. Austin had given to the (levies who lived with him soon spread and were adopted bj o1 her religious communi- ties of canons regular in Italy, in France, and el , where. When, in and after the eleventh century, I lie various congregations of canons regular were Is

and adopted the Rule of St. Augustine, they were usually called Canonici Regulares Ordinis S. Augus-

tini Congregationis. . ., in England Austin Canons, or Black Canons. But there have always been canons regular who never adopted the Rule of St. Augustine. ( riraldus Cambrensis mentions some in his day in Eng- land. In a word, canons regular may be considered as the genus, and Austin Canons as the species; or we may say that all Austin Canons are canons regular, but not all canons regular are Austin canons.

If further proofs of the Apostolic origin of the can- onical order are desired, many may be found in the work of Abbot Cesare Benvenuti (see bibliography at end of this article), who century by century, from councils, Fathers, and other ecclesiastical sources, proves that from the first to the twelfth cent- ury there had always been clerics living in common according to the example of the Apostles. It will be enough to cite here the authority of Dollinger who, after saying that from the time of the Apostles there have been in the Church, virgins, laymen, and eccles- iastics named ascetics, continues: "At Vercelli the holy Bp. Eusebius introduced the severe discipline of the Oriental monks among his clergy both by word and example. Before the gate of Milan was a cloister for monks under the protection of St. Ambrose. . . . St. Augustine, when a priest, founded a cloister at Hippo, in which with other clerics he lived in humility and community of goods. When Bishop his episcopal residence was converted into a cloister for ecclesias- tics" ("Eccl. History", tr. by the Rev. E. Cox. II, 270). To this again may be added, among many others, the words of Benedict XII, Eugenius IV, Pius IV, and Pius V, in their Bulls, all asserting almost in as many words, what has been here said. The follow- ing words, taken from the Martyrologium for canons regular and approved by the Congregation of Sacred Kites, will suffice for the purpose: "Ordo Canoni- corum Regularium, qui in primsvis Ecclesia? sreculis Clerici nominabantur utque ait S. Pius V. in Bulla (Cum ex Ordinum 14 Kal. Jan., 1570): 'ab Apostolis originem traxerunt, quique ab Augustino eorum Re- formatore iterum per reformat ionis viam mundo geniti fuere', per universum orbem diffusus innumera- bilium SS. agmine fulget " (The order of canons regu- lar, who in the early ages of the Church were called clerics, and who, as St. Pius V says in the Bull "t urn ex Ordinum", 1570, derived their origin from the Apostles, and who later were born anew to the world, through a process of reformation, by their reformer, Augustine, being spread throughout the universe, are renowned for an army of innumerable saints).

Development. — This rule, which, in the words of Giraldus Cambrensis. "happily joins the canonical and clerical life together", was soon adopted by many prelates, not only in Africa, but elsewhere also. After the death of the holy Doctor, it was carried into Italy and France by his disciples. One of them, Pope Gelasius, about the year 4'.'2, re-established the regu- lar life in the Lateran Basilica. From St. John Lateran (the Mother and Mistress of all Churches) the reform spread till at length the Rule was universally adopted by almost all the canons regular. It was in the same Lateran Basilica, tradition tells us, that St. Patrick, the future Apostle of ireland. professed the canonical institute which he afterwards introduced, with the Christian Faith, into his own country. At the voice of the great apostle the Irish nation not only embraced Christianity, but many also, following his example, embraced the canonical life. On the au- thority of Sir James Ware. Canon Burke (Life and Labours of St. August ine) asserts that "all the monas- teries founded in Ireland by St. Patrick were for canons regular". This opinion is also maintained by Allemande, who affirms (Hist, monastique de l'lr- lande) that "the Regular Canons of St. Augustine were so early or considerable in Ireland before the