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 CAFUOIATI

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CAPUCIATI

friars. From the days <>f Father Mathew, the Irish friars have been to the front in forwarding the tem- perance movement initiated by him; but in October,

1905, the Irish hierarchy formally entrusted to them the preaching of a national crusade of temperance. I hen tli' 1 friars are to be found in all parts of the country carrying out their mission.

On the American continent the Capuchins not only have flourishing; missions in Central and South Amer- ica, they have also two provinces in the United States, a missionary district in California, served by the English province, and missions in Canada, served by French friars. The present establishment of the friars in the United States dates from 1857; but there were missionary Capuchins in the present territories of the United States and Canada early in the seven- teenth century. In 1032 friars of the province of Paris were put in charge of the missions in Acadia. The centre of the mission was at Port Royal, now Annapolis, but it extended from Hancock County, in Maine, northwards, to the Bay of Chaleur. They seem also to have had missions in the Antilles, for in 11)4 1 the friar. Father Pacifique, was murdi red there whilst on a visitation of the missions. The missions in Acadia were in a flourishing condition when the English Puritans broke up the settlement in 1655 anil ex- pelled the friars. Yet in 1656 the friars were still at work amongst the Micmac Indians. In 1714 French Capuchins were invited to undertake missions in Louisiana by the coadjutor Bishop of Quebec, de Mornay, himself a Capuchin Friar. They remained there till 1770, when, for political reasons, Spanish friars took the place of their French brethren. They had missions in New Orleans, St. Louis, Galveston, Mobile, Pensacola, Natchez. Natchitoches, and other Hut in 1800 the friars were withdrawn. In I7N7 two German friars were in charge of the Holy Trinity Church, Philadelphia.

But. as has been said, the present establishment of the friars m the United States dates from 1S.">7; and its history is one of romantic incidents in the history of the reform. The chance visit of a young Swiss from the United States to his native land, and his recital of the spiritual needs of America, inspired two secular priests in Switzerland with the idea of intro- ducing the Capuchin Order into the United States. They resigned their parishes and. going out to Amer- ica, were given Mt. Calvary. Wisconsin, as the site of a Capuchin convent, by the Bishop of Milwaukee. Al the express wish of Pope Pius IX these two secular priests were then clothed with the religious habit and commissioned to lay the foundation of a new province. \t tin- present day this province has houses at Mt. Calvary, Milwaukee. New York, Brooklyn, Detroit, Appleton, and Yonkers. In New York they have four parishes, and three parishes in Milwaukee; at Ml. Calvary they have a flourishing college, begun in 1864. Besides the province of Mt. Calvary, there is also fhe province of Pennsylvania, established by Bavarian and Westphalian friars, driven from their native home by the Kidturkampf. The first house of this province was established at Pittsburg in 1874; I. Hi if was not till 1882 that tie 1 province became au- tonomous, at which time it had houses in Pittsburg, Herman. Pa.; Victoria, Kan.: Peoria. Metamora, III.,

ind Cumberland, Md. The fathers of this province

have introduce.! into tic United States a charitable institution which has had remarkable success in Ger- many, the Strap) ■ t rl; — the "Seraphic Work of Charity". This society aims at assisting destitute Catholic children to obtain ( 'atholic educa- tion, by placing them in institutions or in private families. The centre of this work is at the Capuchin convent, 1'ittsburg. Pa.

In Canada, the French Capuchins have houses in Ottawa and Quebec, and a missionary centre for work amongst the Micmac Indians at Sainte-Anne de

Kestigouche. The work carried on here is reminis- cent of the heroic days of the Canadian mission. From the mission cent re the fat hers make missionary lours amongst the scattered Indians. The Micmac number about four thousand ; they are much attached to their religion and language, and show no signs of decay.

Amongst Capuchins of note who have laboured in North America, mention must be made of Ignazio Persico, Bishop of Savannah from 1870 till 1872, and afterwards cardinal. Another cardinal still living, Cardinal Vives y Tuto, took his vows as a Capuchin Friar at Santa Clara College, San Francisco, in 1872, and was for a time a member of the community at Milwaukee. Nor may we omit the name of Bishop Charbonel, who resigned the See of Toronto to take the Capuchin habit. It was he who invited the saintly friar, Louis of Lavagna, founder of fhe pres- ent English province, to take up missionary work in Toronto in 1856. The friar only lived nine months after reaching Toronto, dying on 17 March, 1857; yet during that short period he had gained the repu- tation of a saint.

Thus are the Capuchins, together with their breth- ren of the other families of the Franciscan Order, taking up again in English-speaking lands the tradi- tions of past centuries with renewed vigour. The troubles of the past may have purified, they have not broken, the Franciscan spirit.

By way of distinction from other religious, the Capuchin Friars in most countries append the sign ". M. Cap." (Ordinis Mirwrum, Capuceinorum) after their names: but in England and Ireland they sign "O. S. F. C." (Ordinis Sancti Francisd, Capwxxnorurn) in accordance with the use of the ancient English province.

CoUectio AvXhenHca Ordinaiionum Cavit. Gen. in Analecia On/, Cop., V. VI: Bovertos, AnnaLet Ord. S. AY. Cap. (Lyons, 1832), I. II: /.''■ -Hi i .,,, : |(,„„p. 1710); Innsbruck, 1883-4); BMiotheca Script Ord. Cap. (Venice. 1717 1; chronica Fr. Joannis Romai, in inaleda Ord Cap., WII; d'Arem- bergh, Flares Seraphici (Cologne, 1640); Pellegrino da FoB.u,AmtaliCiipi>nmrii iMilan. ls.s.'i; I;.,,,., i,v Cksinale. 1/ .„„• dei Cappucniu Pan-. 1S671; Chronicle of the English l'r, ,,,,,<:;, in Fmnasmn Annah (Crawley, Knckindl. XIII; The Capjichins in English-speaking Lands, in S.rapluc Child of Mary (pub. by the Capuchins of Pennsylvania), IV, V.

Father Cuthbert.

Capuciati (from caputium, hood), so named from the headgear which was one of their distinctive marks.

I. A short-lived confraternity founded in 1 182 or 1183 in France for the restoration and maintenance of peace. It was one of the various attempts to put an end to the incessant wars and feuds which were spreading ruin and desolation throughout that country during the twelfth century. The origin of the Capuciati is traced to a poor carpenter of Le Puy, named Durand, who claimed to have had an appari- tion of the Blessed Virgin Mary in 1 182. In this vi- sion he received a paper on which there was a represen- tation of the Blessed Virgin seated on a throne with a figure of the child Jesus in her hands, and bearing the inscription, "Lamb of God who takes! away the sins of the world give us peace". An association was to be formed whose members should hind themselves to keep and procure peace and. as distinctive signs, wear a white hood and a medal bearing a reproduction of the picture and inscription.

Durand met with astounding success in the execu- tion of these instructions. A confraternity was or- ganized under the direction of the clergy exactly on the lines of Catholic confraternities of the present day. The Church of ( 'ur Lady of Le Puy became the c.ntre of the movement, which spread with extraordi- nary rapidity over the provinces of France, south of the Loire. The Capuciati. in addition to pledging themselves not to swear falsely, not to blaspheme, not to play dice, enter taverns, or wear costly gar- ments, also promised to do all in their power to re-