Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 7.djvu/775

 INCARNATE

705

INCARNATE

the vicar capitular (q. v.) has no power to grant per- petual letters of excardination, nor can he receive a cleric into the diocese in perpetuity, but for a time he may do cither in any cases which present themselves during his period of office ("Clement.", I: "De hseret.", Reiffenstuel ad tit. " Ne sede vacante", n. 77).

In course of time special legislation on this subject has become necessary in various countries. The fol- lowing is a brief resume of the same. Where clerics are ordained ad tiluhim missionis they are bound thereby not only to the diocese, but to the province also, "so that priests thus ordained may, with the consent of both ordinaries, be transferred from one diocese into another merely by conferring a fresh title without the necessity of taking a fresh oath". In Scotland a three years' trial is recommended before such transfer be made. The Third Plenary Council of Baltimore made obligatory on the bishops of the United States a three years' trial (or even five, but no more) for a strange priest, unless the bishops of both dioceses shoukl agree to the immediate reception of the applicant. This is called by the council formal in- cardination. If, after the lapse of this period, the bishop does not formally reject the applicant, he is legally presumed to have accepted him (nos. 63, 66). This council also reminds all ordinaries of the special rules to be observed in the case of clerics who have taken the " mission oath ", and of members of religious orders desirous of joining a diocese (nos. 64, 65; cf. Cong. Prop., 30 Nov., 1885, and 17 April, 1871). To obtain uniformity of action, the council recommends that bishops use an identical printed formula for ex- cardination and ineardination. A decree of the Con- gregation of the Council (14 Nov., 1903) concerns sec- ular clerics who wish to go to North .America or the Philippine Islands. It again calls attention to a cir- cular sent to the .American and Italian bishops in 1890, which instructed the latter not to allow their clergy to emigrate to America imle.ss they have an excellent record concerning their previous ministry, are of mature age, are likely to edify by their zeal, piety, and prudence, and also are able to assign a valid and seri- ous reason for leaving home. This circular now ap- plies to all priests who propose to emigrate to .America or the Philippines, or even to make prolonged visits to those countries without the consent of the congrega- tion. In case of real and urgent necessity the bishops can only grant permission for absence during six months, and in each case they are bound to inform the congregation of the permission given. The bishops of Brazil have lately adopted the same precautions. In the Third Plenary Council of Baltimore (no. 69) the Fathers approve of the custom of bishops having an abundant supply of priests, lending to more needy bishops some of such priests, but such transfers to be of a temporary nature. The Holy See approved the custom of the American bishops. The councils of Westminster contain a command received from Propa- ganda and imposed upon all bishops in missionary countries and also prefects and vicars Apostolic, that without any hesitation they require strange clerics and priests to present commendatory letters from their bishops. Those who have them not are in no way to be received. A priest who wishes to leave the dio- cese to which he is attached must be furnished with a letter of excorporation, i. e. excardination (com- monly called an exeat) from his ordinary, and no bishop can aggregate to his diocese any strange priest who is not possessed of such letter (First Synod of Westminster, no. 19, c. vii). Further, no bishop shall ordain a cleric born in the diocese of another bishop without a testimonial or dimissorial letter from that bishop. This rule should be oljserved also in the case of converts who wish to enter the sacred ministry. For the special rules which govern the sojourn at Rome of ecclesiastics belonging to other dioceses, see the VII.— 45

decree of the S. Cong, of the Council, 22 Dec, 1894, and the instruction of Pius X, 6 Aug., 1905.

Besides the aforesaid decrees of the Councils of Westminster and Baltimore, and of the Congregations of the Council and Propaganda, see Bouix, De Episcopo; Ferraris. De regimine diwceseos sede vaeante (reprint, Paris, 1676); (jASParri, De sacra ordinatione (Rome. 1S93); Bargilliat, Prcelect. juris canonici (Paris, 1907); Taunton, Law of the Church (St. Louis, 1906), s. V. Excardination.

David Dunford.

Incarnate Word, Sisters of Charity of the. — ■ This congregation, with simple vows, was founded by Rt. Rev. C. M. Dubuis, Bishop of Galveston. In 1866, this prelate travelled as far as France in search of religious, who would devote themselves to works of mercy in his large diocese. He addressed himself to Mother Angelique, Superioress of the Convent of the Incarnate Word, at Lyons, and requested her to train some worthy subjects for the missions of Texas. Mother Angelique complied with his demand, re- ceived into her community two or three postulants, and prepared them in a special manner for their future work; thus was formed the nucleus of the new con- gregation, which was to be known as the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word. The three sisters embarked for Texas soon after, and landed at Gal- veston in December, 1866. Arrived at their mission, they devoted themselves to the care of the sick. In 1867 and 1868 other bands of zealous sisters, educated and professed in the same convent at Lyons, came to their assistance; their arrival opened for the congre- gation a new era : the existing works were perfected, and others established. On 31 March, 1869, Bishop C. M. Dubuis sent from Galveston a colony of these sisters to found a convent at San Antonio; in 1870, he erected this new community into an independent centre, on the occasion of vesting the first postulants admitted into the San Antonio novitiate. Previous to 1874, the sisters had been solely occupied in caring for the sick, the aged, and orphans, but following the counsel of Rt. Rev. A. D. Pellicer, first Bishop of San .Antonio, they then engaged in educational work. The community of San .Antonio, with its dependent houses, was organized into a gencralate in August, 1897, with the sanction of Bishop .John A. Forest.

At present, the congregation is governed by a superioress general and her council composed of si.x members. The mother-house, novitiate, and normal department are situated in San Antonio, Texas. The probation as postulant and novice lasts two years. Perpetual profession is preceded by five years of annual vows. The constitutions, based upon the Rule of St. Augustine, were approved by the Holy See in 1905. The congregation, as its name indicates, is especially consecrated to the Incarnate Wortl. The sisters foster the pious and constant amliition to learn and to teach how to know, love, and serve more and more God made Man; they endeavour to reproduce in their daily conduct His two favourite virtues, charity and obedience. The sisters also cultivate a particular devotion to the Blessed Sacrament and to Mary Immaculate. The congregation has de- veloped considerably during the past forty years. From a small colony of three sisters in 1869, it has grown to a flourishing community of five hundred and forty-two members, and has under its direction five colleges, thirteen academies, twenty-eight schools, four orphanages, nine hospitals, and two homes for the aged. These establishments are distributed throughout the States of Texas, Missouri, and Okla- homa, and the Republic of Mexico.

Penaud, Vie de Jeanne de Matel, Fondatrice de I'Ordre du Verbe Incame et du Tres Saint Sacrenient (P.iris, 1S.S.3) ; Parlsot AND Smith, History of the Catholic Church in the Diocese of San Antonio, Texas (San Antonio. Texas, 1897); Wheelaran, Historical Sketch of the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word (San Antonio, Texas, 1909).

Jas. P. Canning.