The Express.
London, England, 1851-06-28 00:00:00

respondent proposed to his wife that thenceforth they
should live in constant and perfect chastity, abst.in-
ing from sexual intercourse. in order to the more
fully devoting themselves mutually to the service of God,
and with a special view to the respondent's declared wish
and intention to take orders in the holy Roman catholic
ehuch—that she agreed to the proposition, and in pursuance
of such verbal agreement they had stedfastly maintained
the same ever sines; and in furtherance of their object the
respondent placed the appellant, in May, 1842, in the con-
vent of the Sacred Heart, at Grand Coteau, and then left
America for Rome, in order to make arrangements which
were requisite to be made prior to his being admitted as an
ecclesiastic in the church of Rome, In July, 1843, the re-
spondent returned to Philadelphia, near which city the
convent was situated, and in July, 1843, they proceeded to
I Rome, where they arrived on the 7th of December follow- I
Mg, and where they lived in a state of chastity, the object
lof their visit being to obtain a formal decree tantamount to,
° or in effect being a sentence of separation from each other,
which was necessary in order that he might take orders in
the Roman catholic church, and that she might become al
nun. They accordingly presented a petition embodying I
the requisite statements to Pope Gregory
.XVI., which was
referred by him to the Cardinal Vicar General and Judge
Ordinary of Rime, who, after duly examining the facts of
the ease, pronounced in effect a etntokee of separation, I
which was as follows:

"In the name of God, amen. His Holiness our Sore
reign Lord, Pope Gregory the Sixteenth, having been
pleased to assent to and approve of the amlicatien made by
the married parties, Peter Connelly, sou of the late henry,
and of the living Mrs. Elizabeth Pierce, a native of Phila-
delphia, who has entered the bosom of the holy catholic
church, after having abjured the errors of the heretical
episcopalians in the year 1836, here in Rome, as well as
that made by the same writing on behalf of his wife, Cor-
nelia Pico, daughter of the late Raphael and of the late
Maria Suopp, als of Philadelphia, and which married
parties have determined to live in perfect chastity, after
mature deliberation, and in pursuance of the counsels of
most respectable ecclesiastics, and are now steadfast in their
intention of carrying their resolution into effect—that is to
say, the former, Mr. Peter Connelly, to enter into the in-
stitute of the Society of Jesus, having been already, accepted
by the very rev. father the superior general of the so-
ciety, and to devoted himself wholly to the ecclesiastical
state, and to be promoted to holy orders, and thelatter, Mrs.
Cornelia, to embrace the institute of the Ladies of the
Sacred Heart, haring been already accepted by the com-
munity of the Holy Trinity of Monti in order to live in
constant and perpetual chastity, having provided for the
future education and subsistence of three children, 'Mercer,
Adelina Maria, and Peter Francis, his holiness himself in
the audience of the 16th of March last, committed all the
necessary and suitable faculties to his Eminence the Most
Reverend Cardinal Constantino Patrizi, his Vicar-general,
to the intent that, on observing the required formalities,
the wishes of both petitioners may be complied with. His
must reverend eminence therefore, by virtue of the afore-
said apostolical faculties, being desirous that the pious wish
of the two said married parties may be accomplished, has,
oby a special act, registerod in the Archives of the Secrets-
nate of the Vicariate, on the Ist day of April, deputed me,
the undersigned, promoter fiscal of the said tribunal, for
the purpose of receiving from the aforesaid married parties.
Peter Connelly and Cornelia Tice, the necessary and proper
mutual convent, in conformity with the sacred canons, by
which they may freely consent, each for his or her part, to
allow of the fulfilment of the above-mentioned deterniina-
tion to live perpetually in a state of perfect chastity. Mr.
Peter Connelly and Mrs. Cornelia rho having therefore
taceiVzddibgaoperetnivie
antt
the emeuntumrettdreing,
osnituttLint
floor, I interrogated them as to whether they are now
steadfast rind constant in the determination expressed
sad humbly represented to the holy father, and they having
replied in the affirmative, I further interrogated them as
ti whether they were or are induced by any worldly respect
to carry out the aforesaid determination, to which they re-
plied that no worldly consideration had induced or does
induce them thereto, hut solely the divine inspiration and
the desire of greater perfection. These protestations pre-
mised, I culled upon Mrs. Cornelia Pico, the wife of Mr.
Peter Connelly, freely to give her consent to her husband,
Mr. Peter, and to permit him to enter the institute of the
society, to live perpetually in perfect chastity, and to be
promoted to holy orders as far us to the priesthood, where-
upon she gave her full consent thereto. .11r. Peter Connelly
the husband of Mrs. Cornelis) Pico, being thereupon all: l
upon to permit her to enter the institute of the Ladies of
the Sacred Heart, to live perpttuatly in perfect chastity,
he likewise gave his full consent thereto. Their mutual
consent having been pronounced as above to be ratified as
within the term of one Tear, or even sooner, with the requi-
site special apostolical faculties, both the married parties
were called upon to sign the present act, together with two
witnesses who are present, namely, the Rev. Don Giuseppe
Boceacani, priest of the diocese of Sarni, son of Mr. Con-
stantino and of Mrs. Maria Ventura, domiciled in the in-
cumbency of St. Eoque at Rome, and Mr. Robert Berkeley,
of Spetchley, in Worcestershire, in Englend, son of Mr.
Robert and Mrs. Henrietta Beata!, domiciled in the same
parish—An act done as above, this Ist day of April, 1811.
I, Peter Connelly, give consent as above; I Cornelia Con-
nelly, give consent as above; 1, Giuseppe hoectuatni, was
witness to the said consent; I, Robert Berkeley, was wit-
ness to the said consent ; Francesco Anivitti, Canon Pro-
moter Fiscal, delegated as aforesaid."

This decree ►havingbeen pronounced, the respondent placed
his wife in the Convent of the Sacred Heart, Trinita de;
Monti, at Rome, on the Bth of April, 1811; on the 9th he
entered himself in the College di Nobili, and the nest day
he received the first clerical tonsure, and assumed the ec-
clesiastical drew. In June, 1845, he responded,being about
to take orders in the Roman Catholic Church, it was neces-
sary that the appellant should bind himself by a !Amon
vow of perpetual chastity, and although she warned him
of the diffii ulties and trials of the state into which he was
about to enter, and offered to release hint from all such
difficulties and trials by returning to their previous mode
of life, the respondent persisted in his intention, and ac-
cordingly the appellant signed a written vow of perpetual
chastity, which was likewise signed by the respondent, and
was as follows :

" Almighty and Eternal God, I, Cornelia, the lawful wife
of Peter Connelly, 0 usting in thine infinite goodness and
mercy, and animated with the desire of serving thee more
perfectly, with the consent of my husband, who intends
shortly to take holy order, do make to thy Divine Majesty a
vow of perpetual chastity, at the hands of the Rev. Father
Jena Louis Rosaven, of the Society of Jesus, delegated for
that purpose by his Eminence the Cardinal Vicar of his
Holiness fur the city of Rome, supplicating thy divine good-
ness, by the precious blood of Jesus Christ, to be pleased to
accept this offering of thy unworthy creature, as a sweet-
smelling savour, and that as thou bast given me the desire
and the power to make this offering unto thee, so thou
wouldst also grant me abundant grace to fulfil the sante.—
Rome, at the sacred heart of Jesus of the Trinity of the
Mount, 18th June, 1815."
This vow having been taken, the respondent received sub-
deacon's orders on the 22nd of June, deacons orders on the
29th, and on the 16th of July was made a priest. In May,
1846, the respondent left Rome for England, where he he-
came private chaplain tothe Earl of Shrewsbury; and in
April, in the same year, the appellant proceeded to Paris, and
from thence to Derby, in England, where she founded a com•
munity of religious women, under the title of " The Congre-
gation of the Holy Child Jesus," of which she is now the
Superioreas, and which she governed by rules which had
been submitted to and sanctioned by competent ecclesias-
tical authority before she quitted Rome. The community
had since removed from Derby to Hastings. On the 21st
day of December, 1847, the appellant took the necessary
vows of poverty and obedience; at the same time renewing
her former vow of perpetual chastity ; the Roman catholic
ordinary being present. The vow of poverty and obedience
was as tollows:
" Almighty and everlasting God, I, Cornelia Connelly,
being most unworthy of thy divine regard, but confiding
nevertheless in thy infinite pity and mercy, and moved by
the desire of serving thee, vow in the presence of the most
blessed Virgin Mary, and all the heavenly court, to thy
divine Majesty poverty and obedience (renewing also my
vow of chastity formerly made) in the Congregation of the
Holy Child Jesus; and I promise to enter it, to live and
die in it, intending to do all things according to the
constitutions of this congregation. And this vow I make in
the presence and under the sanction of the Right Rev. N.
Wiseman, Bishop of Melipotamus, coadjutor of the right
reverend the Vicar Apostolic of the central district, as
ordinary for tho time being of this house and community.
Coxgrnia CosNELLY.
" Nictionsts, Bishop of Melipotamus.
" STE. ABPERTI
"Dec. 21, Feast of St. Thomas, 1817."
The respondent having, in the month of April, 1847, been
anxious that his wife (the appellant) should take the vows of
poverty and obedience without delay, later in the year dis-
sented from her doing so, on the ground that he was re-
sponsible fur her debts, and drew tip a protest, which was
sent to 1/r. Asperti, the spiritual director of the community
where the appellant was; hut, subsequently having dis-
cussed the matter with the dock', he withdrew his protest.
In January, 1818, the respondent went to Rome, but re-
turaial in the month of May, and in the beginning of June
presented himself at the convent at Derby, and desired to
have an interview with his wife. She had removed to
Hastings, but no preventative to an interview was inter-
posed save by the appellant herself, who declined to see him,
and communicated her wishes through the medium of Dr.
Asperti; and subsequently the respondent wrote to Dr. As-
perti the following fetter:
" Alton Towers, June 5, 1818.
" Very dear Don Samuele—l thank you from my heart
for your kind note and its affectionate sympathy. I
humbly beg your pardon for the scandal I must
have given you in a moment of weakness, at a blow
falling on me I never had expected, and was wholly
unprepared for. I shall be obliged to you to thank the
reverend mother for the letter she was good enough to
send me from my little boy, the first I have seen for
more than five months. I return it to her in case she
should wish to keep it.—Ever dearest Don Samuele, in the
bonds of our Lord, your faithful and affectionate
" Pirace Corssrsum.
Don Samuel:, Asperti, D.D."
Thead
jartrumrneendts of counsel were not concluded when the
court