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# Catholic Encyclopedia (1913)/Charles O'Conor (2)

From volume 11 of the work.
Often called "the Venerable", b. at Belanagare, Co. Roscommon, 1710; d. 1791, was descended from an ancient and princely Catholic family. Cultured, educated, an Irish scholar, O'Conor was almost the only Irishman of his time who studied the records of his country, and who did what he could to preserve the Irish manuscripts. He scanned these with a calculating and mathematical mind, continually figuring up and noting upon the margins the dates of kings, princes, prelates, foundations etc., and pointing out conflicting dates. He was the only Irishman with whom Samual Johnson corresponded with reference to Irish literature. Irish was his native language, so that he was one of the last great Irishmen who continued the unbroken traditions of their race. His private diaries and note-books in which he jotted down household affairs, expenses etc. (now preserved by his direct descendant the O'Conor Don H.M.L. at Clonalis) were written largely in classic Irish. His best known work is his "Dissertations on the History of Ireland" published in 1753 which led to his correspondence with Dr. Johnson, who urged him to write an account of pre-Norman Ireland. His collection of Irish manuscripts passed to his grandson, the younger Charles, and later formed the renowned Stowe Collection in the possession of the Duke of Buckingham, whose librarian the younger Charles became. This collection, including the famous Stowe Missal and the original of the first part of the "Annals of the Four Masters," was for years inaccessible to Irish scholars, but has now been deposited in the Royal Irish Academy. A man of affairs, he was one of the founders of the Roman Catholic Committee in 1757, and with Dr. Curry, may be looked upon as the real lay leaders and representatives of the Irish Catholics during the middle of the eighteenth century. Charles O'Conor (grandson of the above), wrote the "Memoirs of the Life and Writings of the late Charles O'Conor of Belanagare". This is a very rare book, the author having suppressed it, and destroyed the manuscript of the second volume when ready for press. Its destruction was a great loss to the Irish history of the period. The present O'Conor Don possesses many of his letters; others are in the Gilbert Library now acquired by the Corporation of Dublin.
O'CURRY, Manuscript Materials (Dublin, 1878), p. 115; O'CONOR DON, The O'Conors of Connaught (Dublin, 1891); WEBB, Compendium of Irish Biography (Dublin, 1870).
Douglas Hyde.
# Catholic Encyclopedia (1913)/Charles Nerinckx

From volume 10 of the work.
Missionary priest in Kentucky, founder of the Sisters of Loretto at the Foot of the Cross, born in Herffelingen, Belgium, 2 Oct., 1761, died at Ste. Genevieve, Mo., 12 August, 1824. He was the eldest of the fourteen children of Dr. Sebastian Nerinckx and Petronilla Langendries. He studied at Enghien and Gheel, made his philosophy at Louvain, and entered the theological seminary of Mechlin in 1781. Ordained in 1785, he became vicar at the cathedral of Mechlin, where he was noted for his zeal among the working classes. In 1794 he obtained the pastoral charge of Everberg-Meerbeke, where the devotion to the spiritual interest of his people developed that deep love for children which later characterized his missionary labours in America. During his incumbency he wrote several theological treatises the manuscripts of which are still preserved in the parish archives. The French Directoire resented his activity and ordered his arrest, but he eluded the gens d'armes (1797) and for four years was in hiding at the Hospital of Dendermonde, where he continued his ministry amid continual dangers. He came to America in 1804, Bishop Carroll assigning him to Kentucky in 1805. The district given to his charge was over two hundred miles in length and covered nearly half the State. He lived in the saddle; every year of his apostolate was marked by the organization of a new congregation or the building of a church. Of all the missionaries who worked in that field none deserves so well the title of "Apostle of Kentucky". His direction of souls was so efficient and enlightened that to this very day the grandchildren of his penitents are still prominently known for the earnestness of their faith and the solidity of their virtue. His well-deserved fame reached Baltimore and Bishop Carroll induced the Holy See to appoint him Bishop of New Orleans, but Father Nerinckx refused the honour. The Catholic education of children was his most cherished work and to secure its permanency he founded the Congregation of the Sisters of Loretto in 1812. He crossed the ocean twice to secure help and labourers for the missions; he thus became instrumental in bringing from Belgium the first Jesuits who settled in the West, notably Father De Smet and Bishop Van de Velde. He brought to America a number of paintings which are to this day the most valuable art treasures of the Diocese of Louisville. Persecution was not wanting to him, and for the sake of peace he went to Missouri in 1824, intending to consecrate the last years of his life to the Indians, but death overtook him at Ste.Genevieve. His mortal remains were brought back to Loretto. The Sisters erected a marble statue of their founder at the motherhouse in 1910.
Camillus P. Maes.
# Catholic Encyclopedia (1913)/Charles Rollin

From volume 13 of the work.
Born in Paris, 1661; died there, 1741. The son of a cutler, intended to follow his father's trade, he was remarkable for the piety with which he served Mass and which secured for him a collegiate scholarship. He studied theology and received the tonsure, but not Holy Orders. He was assistant professor, and then professor of rhetoric at the Collège de Plessis; of Latin eloquence at the Collège Royal (1688), and at the age of thirty-three was appointed rector of the university. In 1696 he became principal of the Collège Beauvais, from which post he was dismissed in 1722 because of his opposition to the Bull "Unigenitus". He was a member of the Academy of Inscriptions from 1701. His works were written during his retirement. He was nearly sixty when he began the "Traité des Etudes", sixty-seven when he undertook his "Histoire Ancienne", seventy-seven when he became engaged on his "Histoire Romaine", which death prevented him from finishing. The "Traité des Etudes" (in 12°, 1726-31) explains the method of teaching and studying belles-lettres; it contains ideas which seem hackneyed, but which then were fairly new, e.g. the necessity of studying national history and of making use of school-books written in the vernacular. The "Histoire Ancienne" (1730-38) consists of twelve volumes in 12°. The "Histoire Romaine", of which he was able to finish only five volumes out of the nine composing the work, displays facility, interest, enthusiasm, but lack of a critical spirit. Rollin was a talented writer, though according to his own statement he was sixty years old when he decided to write in French. He was upright and serene, a pious and sincere Christian, whom it is deplorable to find concerned in the ridiculous scenes at the cemetery of St. Médard near the tomb of the deacon Paris. Without the annoyances due to his Jansenism, his pure conscience, sweet gaiety, vigorous health, and the esteem he enjoyed should have made him one of the most fortunate men of his times.
TROGNON, Eloge (Paris, 1818); GUENEAU DE MUSSY, Traite des Etudes de Rollin (Paris, 1805); SAINTE-BEUVE, Causeries du lundi, VI (Paris, 1851-62).
GEORGES BERTRIN
# Catholic Encyclopedia (1913)/Charles Patrick Meehan

From volume 10 of the work.
Irish historical writer and translator, b. in Dublin, 12 July, 1812; d. there 14 March 1890. His parents, natives of Ballymahon Co., Longford, where his ancestors for thirteen centuries were custodians of the Shrine of St. Molaise, now one of the most famous relics in the royal Irish Academy, Dublin, sent him to the Irish College, Rome, to study for the priesthood. Ordained priest in 1834, he returned to Ireland, then in enjoyment of five years of Catholic Emancipation. His first mission was the rural parish of Rathdrum in Wicklow, from which he was soon transferred to the metropolitan parish of Sts. Michael and John, where he remained until his death. While working zealously in the ministry, he was untiring in historical research. From materials gathered while in Wicklow, he compiled a "History of the O'Tooles, Lords Powerscourt", published without his name and long out of print. His other works, with date of publication, are: "History of the Confederation of Kilkenny" (1846); "The Geraldines, their Rise, Increase and Ruin" (1847); translation of Manzoni's "La Monaca di Monza" (1848), out of print; "Portrait of a Christian Bishop, Life and Death of the Most Rev. Francis Kirwan, Bishop of Killala, translated from the Latin of Archdeacon John Lynch" (1848); "Lives of the most eminent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects, of the Order of St. Dominic, translated from the Italian of Vincenzo Marchese" (1852), out of print; "Fate and Fortunes of the Earls of Tyrone and Tyrconnell" (1868); "Rise and Fall of the Irish Franciscan Monasteries and Memoirs of the Irish Hierarchy in the Seventeenth Century" (1870). These works, all published in Dublin, have earned renown, and, except those marked out of print, have gone through numerous revised editions. Father Meehan wrote "Tales for the Young", and translated others which he named "Flowers from Foreign Fields". He edited Davis's "Essays" (1883), Mangan's "Essays and Poems" (1884), and Madden's "Literary Remains of the United Irishmen" (1887). He also wrote some graceful verse, which is to be found in various anthologies.
SILLARD in Catholic World (Sept., 1890).
Peter A. Sillard.
# Catholic Encyclopedia (1913)/Judas Machabeus

From volume 8 of the work.
Third son of the priest Mathathias who with his family was the centre and soul of the patriotic and religious revolt of the Jews against the King of Syria (I Mach., ii, 4). Various conjectures have been put forth as to the origin of his surname. The name appears to be derived from the Syriac word maqqaba (a hammer or mallet) and it was bestowed with reference to the crushing prowess displayed by Judas against the enemies of the nation, being equivalent to the name Martel given to Charles Martel. Judas was designated by his dying father as the new leader of the band of guerrilla warriors in year 167 B.C., and he remained in command until the year 161. He was animated with a great confidence in the help of the Lord in the good cause. He began his military operations by surprising and burning down many towns which had held out for the enemies of Israel, and when regular armed forces were sent to put a stop to his ravages, he did not refuse to meet them in the field (II Mach., viii, 1-7). He proved himself to be an excellent tactician as well as an intrepid warrior. Among his military exploits are mentioned the defeat and slaying of Apollonius the recent plunderer of Jerusalem, and the utter rout of the Syrian forces led by the deputy governor Seron in an encounter at Bethoron (I Mach., iii, 10-24). Other Syrian leaders were also vanquished by Judas, viz., Gorgias and Nicanor, Timotheus, Bachides, and Lysias (I Mach., iii, 10-iv, 35).
These victories afforded a respite during which Judas turned his attention to the condition of the ruined city of Jerusalem and that of the Temple which had been ignominiously profaned. Having appointed a body of armed men to hold in check the Syrian garrison still occupying the citadel, the Jewish leader set about renovating and purifying the sanctuary, being aided in the work by the priests. When the renovation was completed the new Temple service was inaugurated by a feast of re-dedication which lasted eight days, and it was decreed that henceforth in memory of this event an annual feast also of eight days should be celebrated (I Mach., iv, 36-59; II Mach., x, 1-8; John, x, 22). Some of the neighbouring tribes, alarmed at the progress of the Jews, took up arms against them, but they were easily vanquished by Judas, who then bent all his energies to bring a successful issue the war of independence against Syria. For three years he pursued this arduous task with relentless energy and patience and with varying success. In the meantime he sent messengers to Rome in order to secure the protection of the Government against the oppression of the Syrians. The mission was diplomatically successful, but before the negotiations had time to become known in the East, Judas had been defeated and slain on the battlefield at Laisa (161 B.C.) (I Mach., iv, 60-ix, 18; II Mach., x-xv).
BEURLIER in VIGOUROUX, Dict de la Bible, s.v. Judas Machabée; GIGOT, Outlines of Jewish History, xxviii, § 2, 1.
James F. Driscoll.
# Catholic Encyclopedia (1913)/Julia Kavanagh

From volume 8 of the work.
Novelist and biographer, born 7 Jan., 1824, at Thurles, Ireland; died 28 October, 1877, at Nice, France. She was an only child. Her father, Morgan Kavanagh, a poet and philologist, was the author of some curious works on the source and science of languages. At an early age she accompanied her parents to London, but soon removed to France, where she received her education and remained till her twentieth year. This lengthy residence in France, with several other long visits later in life, gave her an insight into French life and character, which she portrayed most faithfully in many of her works. In 1844 she returned to London, and at once embraced literature as a profession. She began by writing tales and essays for the periodicals of the day. Her first book, "The Three Paths", a tale for children, appeared in 1847. It was followed by "Madeleine" (1848), a story founded on the life of a peasant girl of Auvergne. This gave her a literary reputation which was increased by her historical biographical works: "Women in France during the Eighteenth Century" (1850), "Women of Christianity Exemplary for Acts of Piety and Charity" (1852), "French Women of Letters" (1862), and the companion volume "English Women of Letters" (1862). As a biographer she shows great power and a fine sense of discrimination in portraying her characters, though the claims she makes for her heroines are at times somewhat exaggerated. It is, however, as a novelist, that she is best known. Her studies of French life and character, which are worked into almost all her stories, are excellent and show her at her best. Her plots, though not of great depth, are well developed and of sufficient action to hold the interest. "Her writing", remarked a contributor to the London Athenæum at the time of her death, "was quiet and simple in style, but pure and chaste, and characterized by the same high-toned thought and morality that was part of the author's own nature." She wrote about twenty novels, which have had a wide circulation in America and in England, and have been translated into French. The best known are "Madeleine" (1848), "Nathalie" (1851), "Daisy Burns" (1853), "Rachel Gray" (1855). About 1853 she made a prolonged tour of the Continent, and in 1858 published her experience under the title of "A Summer and Winter in the Two Sicilies". Her life was rather uneventful; a great part of her time was devoted to the care of her widowed mother, who was an invalid. At the outbreak of the Franco-German War, Miss Kavanagh, who was living in Paris with her mother, moved to Rouen and thence to Nice, where she died in her fifty-fourth year. After her death appeared a collection of short tales bearing the appropriate title: "Forget-me-nots" (1878).
READ, Cabinet of Irish Literature (London, 1891); Academy (10 Nov., 1877, London); Athenæum (17 Nov., 1877, London); Irish Monthly, VI; preface to Forget-me-nots (1878).
Matthew J. Flaherty.
# Catholic Encyclopedia (1913)/Judica Sunday

From volume 8 of the work.
Name given to the fifth Sunday of Lent, and derived from the first words of the Introit of that day: "Judica me, Deus" — "Judge me, O God" (Psalm 42). Passion Sunday is the more common name, and in Germany this day is called "Black Sunday", from the custom of veiling the crosses and statues in the church, which was formerly done at the words in the Gospel "Jesus hid Himself", but is now done on the previous evening. Martène says that in very early times this day was called "Dominica mediana", a title that seems more properly to belong to mid-Lent Sunday. On Judica Sunday several significant changes take place in the Church's Liturgy. The Judica psalm is not again said at the beginning of Mass until Easter Day; the Gloria is omitted, to signify the ignominy of Christ's Passion, when His glory was for the time being laid aside; and the whole spirit of the Office and Mass is one of solemn preparation for the great events of the coming Holy Week. At Rome the station on this day was formerly observed in the Vatican Basilica.
DURAND, Rationale Divine Officii (Venice, 1568); MARTÈNE, De Antiq. Mon. Ritibus (Lyons, 1690); GUÉRANGER, L'Année Liturgique, tr. SHEPHERD (Dublin, 1867); LEROSEY, Hist. et Symbolisme de la Liturgie (Paris, 1889).
G. CYPRIAN ALSTON
# Catholic Encyclopedia (1913)/Jules Verne

From volume 15 of the work.
Novelist, b. at Nantes, France, 1828; d. at Amiens, 1905. His first literary venture was a little play, Les pailles rompues", which was produced on the stage in the early fifties, but the difficulty he experience in overcoming the ill-will of the theatre managers discouraged him, and he began to publish, in the "Musée des Familles", novelettes after the fashion of Edgar Allan Poe. One of them, "A Drama in the Air", attracted the attention of the public. The subject is this: a madman embarks by mistake in the car of an aeronaut, and while in the air he tries to kill his companion. Verne had discovered his forte and it was his good fortune at this juncture to find in his publisher, Mr. Herzel, a man of sound judgment, who advised him not to waste his strength, but to limit his energies to the kind of novel he seemed to have discovered. Verne followed this advice, and success crowned his talent and strenuous work. Most of his novels have had a vogue that has been denied many a masterpiece of French literature, and this vogue has not been limited to France; it has spread beyond its frontiers. Verne was wont to show to visitors, not without a certain legitimate pride, the translations of his works kept in his library, where they occupied a goodly number of shelves, on which every language seemed to be represented. This wonderful success was undoubtedly due to the charming talent of the writer and the public's fondness for novels of adventure, but there was another cause for it, at least in so far as France was concerned. The French reading public had become tired of the pale copies of Dumas' stories that were published in the early fifties, and it was Verne's good luck and merit to revive in an attractive manner a kind of novel that seemed to be exhausted. With no less dexterity, and, it must be said, with no greater regard to accuracy, then that displayed by Dumas in his adaptation of history to the whims and fancies of story-telling, he brought science into the realm of fiction, and whatever may be the final verdict on the value of his work, he deserves the commendation that none of his books contains anything offensive to good taste or morals. Verne lived and died a Catholic.
The following are the best-known of his novels that have been translated into English: "Around the World in Eighty Days"; "Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea"; "Michael Strogoff"; "A Floating City, and the Blockade Runners"; "Hector Servadac"; "Dick Sands"; "A Journey to the Centre of the Earth"; "The Mysterious Island"; "From the Earth to the Moon"; "The Steam House"; and "The Giant Raft".
P. Marique.
# Catholic Encyclopedia (1913)/Hubert-André Dumont

From volume 5 of the work.
Belgian geologist, b. at Liège, 15 Feb., 1809; d. in the same city, 28 Feb., 1857. When only twenty years old he received the gold medal of the Academy of Brussels for his "Description géologique de la province de Liège". This memoir marked an important advance in stratigraphical geology. In 1835 he won a doctorate in mathematical and physical science and in the same year was appointed professor of geology and mineralogy at the University of Liège. He held this position until his death, serving also for a time as rector of the university. His native city has erected a statue in his honour. Dumont was a devout Catholic, and one of his sons entered the Society of Jesus. His principal achievement was his geological map of Belgium, the preparation of which engaged his attention for a number of years. The first edition was issued in 1849. Later and more complete editions followed, the last being "La carte geologique de la Belgique et des contriees voisines representant lea terrains qui se trouvent en dessous du limon hesbayen et du sable campinien au 800,000e".
Dumont's work, together with that of Gosselet on the palaeozoic rocks of Belgium, served as a foundation for a subsequent research in that region. The former in 1848 had divided the Terrain Ardennais into the Devillien, Revinien, and Salmien groups, the Terrain Rhenan into the Gedinnien, Coblentzien, and Ahrien groups, and the Terrain Anthraxifere into the Eifelien, Condrusien, and Houiller groups. This classification, though based on purely local characteristics, was an excellent one both from a lithological and a stratigraphical point of view. He did not, however, deem it necessary to make any extended comparison between the subdivisions which he had distinguished in Belgium and similar groups in other countries. It was his opinion that the same fauna never extended over the whole earth, so that extreme caution was necessary in establishing a parallel between widely separated rocks on the basis of fossils contained in them. Besides the works already mentioned, Dumont was the author of a number of papers characterized by careful observation and great clearness. Among them are: "Notice sur une nouvelle espèce de phosphate ferrique" (Bull. de l'Acad. de Belgique, V); Observations sur la constitution géologique des terrians tertiaires de l'Angleterre comparés à ceux de la Belgique" (Ibid., XIX); "Mémoire sur les terrians traisique et jurassique de la province de Luxemburg" (Mém. de l"Acad., XV). "Etude sur les terrians ardennais et rhénan de l'Ardenne, du Rhin, du Brabant, et du Condroz" (Ibid., XX-XXII).
Fayno, André Dumont, sa vie et ses travaux (Liège, 1858); D'Omalius D'Halloy, Notice sur André Dumont (Brussels, 1858); Zittel, History of Geology and Palaeontology (London, 1901); Kneller, Das Christentum u. die Vertreter der neuren Naturwissenschaft (Freiburg, 1904).
HENRY M. BROCK