Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 8.djvu/591

 JOSEPH

519

JOSEPHITES

The bishop died the following year and Joseph left, though urgently requested to remain. He hurried to Calasanza only to be present at the death of his father. He was then called by his Bishop of Urgel to act as vicar-general for the district of Trempe. In 1592 he embarked for Rome, where he found a protector in Cardinal Marcantonio Colonna who -chose him as his theologian and instructor to his nephew. Rome offered a splendid field for works of charity, especially for the instruction of neglected and homeless children, many of whom had lost their parents. Joseph joined a Confraternity of Christian Doctrine and gathered the boys and girls from the streets and brought them to school. The teachers, being poorly paid, refused to accept the additional labour without remimeration. The pastor of S. Dorotea, Anthony Brendani, offered him two rooms and promised assistance in teaching, and when two other priests promised similar help, Joseph, in November, 1597, opened the first public free school in Europe. Pope Clement VTII gave an annual contribution and many others shared in the good work, so that in a short time Joseph had about a thousand children under his charge. In 1602 he rented a house at S. Andrea della Valle and com- menced a community life with his assistants and laid the foundation of the Order of Piarists. Much envy and opposition arose against him and his new institute, but all were overcome in time. In 1612 the school was transferred to the Torres palace adjoining S. Pan- taleone. Here Joseph spent the remaining years of his life in his chosen calling. He lived and died a faithful son of the Church, a true friend of forsaken children. His body rests in S. Pantaleone. His beatification was solemnized on 7 Aug., 1748, and his canonization by Clement XIII, 16 July, 1767.

The Life of St. Joseph Calasanciius has been written by — Timon-David (Marseilles. 1883); Hubert (Mainz, 1SS6); ToMASEo (Rome. 1S9S); Heidenreich (1907). Cf. Hist, polit. Blatter, CXX, 901; Fehr in Kirchenlexicon, s. v.

Francis Mershman.

Joseph Calasanctius, Pious Workers of Saint, of the Mother of God, founded at Vienna, 24 Novem- ber, 1SS9, by Father Anton Maria Schwartz for all works of charity, but especially the apostolate among workingmen. The members of the congregation, who comprise both priests and lay brothers, follow the Rule of the Piarists, modified in some particulars.

The mother-house is the College of Mary Help of Christians, at Vienna, with which is connected a church. The Pious Workers teach Christian doctrine in schools, establish elementary and trade schools, build homes for apprentices and all workmen, open oratories, form associations of working-men, and pro- mote the diffusion of good literature. At Vienna, which has been so far the chief scene of their activity, in addition to undertaking the works already men- tioned, they have taken charge of the reformatory (1904), have opened a pubhc library, and have founded among other associations a Guard of Honour of the Most Blessed Sacrament. They have three colleges at Vienna, and other foundations at Deutsch-Goritz in Styria and Wolfsgraben. The prayer-book for working-men compiled by Father Schwartz has already gone through five editions. Other fathers of the society have published dramas for presentation by clubs under their charge, a book of recitations, anil a number of biographies. The organ of the con- gregation is "St. Calasanctius-Blatter ", a monthly issued at Vienna since 1SS8.

Heimbccher. Orden und Kongregationen, III (Paderbom, 1908), 524 sqq.; Siman, Die Kongr. der frommcr Arbeiter (Vienna, 1894).

F. M. RODGE.

Josephine, Empress. See Napoleon I. Josephinism. See Joseph II. Josephinum, Pontifical College. See Pontifi- cal Colleges,

Josephites (Sons of St. Joseph), a congregation devoted to the Christian education of j'outh, founded in the Diocese of Ghent (Belgium) by Canon van Crombrugghe, in 1817. Father van Crombrugghe was at that time a simple village priest acting as cur- ate at Heusden, when he made the acquaintance of a young man named van den Bossche, of remarkable talent and great piety. Together they conceived the idea of forming a body of men, under the patronage of St. Joseph, to work among the poor. Father Crom- brugghe drew up a few rules, which were the basis of the future constitutions, and the first community of Josephites opened at Grammont, 1 May, 1817, a house known as Jerusalem. This was the year of famine, and the poor suffered great privations, which the Josephites were able to relieve in great measure by giving them employment and teaching them to weave. So many now flocked to their protection that on 2 November they rented a part of the old CarmeUte monastery. The next year the founder gave a con- stitution to his religious, and the first Jo.sephites bound themselves by the three customary vows. In 1819 a school for paying students was started next to the free school, but, by order of the Government, the day-school w-as closed because the congregation was not yet recognized. In 1823, in spite of the proscrip- tion, the Josephites for the first time wore their re- ligious habit, but in 1826 were ordered by the Govern- ment to close their church, and the following year all religious and novices admitted since 1823 were obliged to leave the community. During the first thirteen years of its existence, between three and four thousand boys had been indebted to it for their education. In 1830, when the Belgians threw off the yoke of Holland, and the National Congress placed liljerty of instruction in the new constitution, the Josephites began to take an active part in the work of education. Bishop van de Velde of Ghent approved their rules, and Father Ignatius van den Bossche became the first superior general. On all sides the Sons of St. Joseph were in demand for the direction of schools and colleges, so that the original object of the institute, which had been the instruction of the poor, was gradually modi- fied. The house of Grammont remained the mother- house, appointed as such by the Holy See. A thor- ough course of professional studies was organized, in accordance with the official government programme, and later on a school of agriculture was added. This latter obtained such success in numerous exhibitions that it was granted the support and recognition of the State.

Under the generalship of Father Ignatius, many new houses were opened, the two most important be- ing those at Melle and Louvain. The college of Melle is established in a former priory of the Canons Regu- lar of St. Augustine, founded in 1431. These canons had a college at Melle in the seventeenth century, but this was closed by order of Joseph II. After passing through several hands, the property at length came into the possession of M. van Wymelbeke, the brother- in-law of Father Crombrugghe, and in 1837 was given over to the Josephites. Here they established for the first time a complete course of commercial edu- cation, which course was afterwards adopted in all the higher schools of commerce. Their museum of commercial products and merchandise has a Eu- ropean reputation. By a royal decree of 11 May, 1901, the Higher School of Commerce of Melle was given the right to confer degrees in commercial science. In 1900 the college of Melle founded a .school of in- dustries, with a maritime and a colonial section for the benefit of students who do not intend to pursue university studies. The new University of Louvain was opened by the Belgian bishops in 18i?5, and seven years later, at the request of Cardinal Sterckx, the Josephites established a course of classical and pro- fessional studies at Holy Trinity College, founded by