Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 4.djvu/648

 CURATE

570

CURATE

situated in the Caribbean Sea, the former off the Venezuelan coast, 12° N. lat. and 69° W. long., the latter about. 621 miles north-east of the former, in 18° N. lat. and 63° W. long. The former were discovered by Alonzo de Ojeda in 1499. The first missionaries were Spanish Hieronymites (Order of St. Jerome) from Santo Domingo, whose names have been for- gotten. Until 1634 Curai,-ao remained subject to Spain, and Spanish priests attended the mission. Two cliurches, one at Santa Barbara the other at Groot-Kwartier, bore witness to their zeal

In 1634 Curasao came into the possession of the Dutcli West-Indian Company, which forbade, under severe penalties, the practice of the Catholic religion. A few Jesuits, among them Father Micliael Alexius Schnabel, continued to work with success from 1701 to 1742. In 1772 Curasao received its first prefect Apostolic. Arnold de Bruin, a secular priest. In 1776 Fathers Pirovani and Schenck, Dutch Fran- ciscans, took up the work, but were obliged to leave it on account of the small number of priests in Holland. The last of these priests died in 1821. In 1824 M. J. Nieuwindt (d. 1860), in every respect a great man, was appointed prefect Apostolic. In 1842 Curai^ao was made a vicariate Apostolic, the first vicar Apostolic being Monsignor Nieuwindt. In the same year a Catholic sisterhood came to the mission. In 1868 the vicariate was confided to the care of the Dutch Dominicans. Nine-tenths of the people, especially the lower classes, are Catholics, prin- cipally because in the past the slaves were not allowed to have the same religion as their masters (Dutch Protestants); as they had to profess some reUgion, they were allowed to become Catholics. The re- lations between CathoUcs and Protestants are most peaceful. Monsignor Nieuwindt (consecrated 1843) was succeeded as vicar Apostolic by J. F. A. Kiste- maker (1860); P. H. J. A. van Ewytc (1869); C. H. J. Reynen (1886); H. A. M. Joosten (1887). and J. J. A. van Baars (1897). The Catholic population of the vicariate is about 45,000; the Protestants number 7000 and the Jews 850. There are in the vicariate 35 priests, 3 seculars and 32 regulars, principally Dominicans; 27 brothers; 191 sisters. The parochial schools number 29, with 2626 boys and 2625 girls. There are 17 churches and 11 chapels.

The institutions under religious direction are : a college for young ladies with 70 pupils; a liospital for the insane, 114 patients; a leper hospital, 19 patients; 2 orphan asylums, 87 orphans; a hospital, 166 patients. The theological seminary for Venezuela (Merida) is at present closed. There are 2 Catholic news- papers, the "Amigoe di Curasao", a Dutch weekly, founded in 1883, and "La Cruz", a weekly in the Papiamento dialect of the island, founded in 1900.

Miisiones CathoHca (Rome, 1907), 649-.'>0; Battaniiier, Ann. pont. calh. (Paris. 1907), 346; The Statesman's Year- Book (London, 1907). 1201-02,

J. J. A. VAN Baahs.

Curate (Lat. citratus, from ntra, care), literally, one who has the cure (care) or charge of souls, in which sense it is yet used by the Church of England, ''All Bishops and Curates. In France, also, the cognate cure (Spanish, cura) is used to denote the chief priest of a parish. In English-speaking countries, however, the word eurnte has gradually become the title of those priests who are :i.ssistants to the rector, or parish priest, in the general parochial work of the [)arish or mission to which they are sent by the bishop of the diocese or his delegate. Technically speaking the curate is the one who exercises the cure of souls, and his a.ssistants are vicars and coadjutors; l)ut in tliis article the word curette is used in its accepted English sense, viz. assistant priest, and corresponds, in a gen- eral way, to the vicarius temporalis, auxiliaris pres- byter, coadjutor parochi.

In the first three centuries of the Church there was but one church in each diocese, located generally in the principal city, i. e. in the city where the bishofi resided. To this church the faithful of the city and the surrounding villages went on Sundays and feasts to assist at Mass and receive the sacraments. When the faithful became more numerous as the Church developed, the number of churches was increased not only in the city but also in the surrounding country, and services were performed in these churches by priests, who, however, were not permanently ap- pointed; i. e. the bishop remained the only parish priest, but had a certain number of priests to assist him in the administration of the sacraments in his parochia, or diocese (Lesetre, La Paroisse, Paris, 1906; Duchesne, The Origin of Christian Worship, London, 1906, 11-13), .\fter the fourth century parishes be- gan to be formed in the rural districts, but it was not until after the year 1000 that they were formed in episcopal cities (Lupi, De parochiis ante annum mil- lesiinum, Bergamo, 1788; Vering, Kirchenrecht, 3d ed., 1893, p. 598). From this it will be seen that just as the bishop foimd his diocese too large for individual ministrations and care, so the parish priest, in the course of time, found it necessary to secure the aid of other priests in attending to the spiritual needs of his people.

In English-speaking countries, also in a number of European states, at the present day, the curate holds his faculties directly from the bishop, but exercLses them according to the wish and direction of the parish priest or rector. This applies not only in the case of a true parish priest or a missionary rector (both irre- movable), but also in the case of a simple rector, who by the authority of the bishop governs a given area styled a mission. Curates are, in general, removable at the will of the bishop. Nevertheless, this power of the bishop ought to be exercised with prudence and charity, and in such a way that the curate shall suffer no loss of reputation, e. g. by being sent without just and reasonable cavise from one mission to another, such arbitran.' change being legitimately interpreted by common consent as tantamount to a punishment. In such a case, if the curate feels that he has been unfairly treated, he has (in England) the right of appeal to the Commission of Investigation, which exists in each diocese. MeanW'hile he must obey the order of the bishop. The form of investigation and trial is the same for curates as for rectors and parish priests (see Wernz, op. cit. below, II, 1052). It is to be noted that the Commission of Investigation provided for the United States by a degree of Propa- ganda (20 July, 1878; cf. Acta et Deer. Cone. Bait. Ill, 292-96) was abrogated by the Propaganda In- struction of ''Cum Magnopere" of 1884, which pro- vides in each diocese for a summary, but substantially just, process in all criminal and disciplinary cau.ses of ecclesiastics (Cone. plen. Bait. Ill, cap. Ill, 308-<i6. cf. Acta et Decreta, 2S7-92). This Instruction ob- tains in Scotland, and has lately been extended to England for the larger dioceses (Taunton, p. 220).

The general law of the Church with regard to curates is mainly concerned with their appointment and their right to proper support. By common ec- clesiastical law the appointment of curates belongs to the parish jiriest aiul not to the bishop (c. 30, X, 3, 5; Council of 'Prciit, Se.ss. XXI, cap. iv, de Ref.). But the bishop can ol)lige the parLsh priest to accept a curate when the former cannot do his work, either on account of physical or mental weakness or on account of ignorance; and it belongs to the bishop, and not to the parish priest, to judge whether one or more curates are necessarj', also to jjrovidc for their examination, approbation, and the issuing of faculties to them. In English-speaking countries, also in France, Spain, Cermany, and .\ustria, curates are appointed by the bishop (or vicar-general), who