The Irish standard., 1915-01-23
from the National Capitol
y stautsu Lavtsa

- Sta
OO090H0aONOSOOAOS0S
FRANclscANs SUFFER IN THE
HOLY LANDS.
The entraue. VI AucAey into the Eu-
ropean war Ii nlaA4nE Atseli seAlvusAy
feat among Tue rrauclscan MISSIONS IA
tue t7vly Land, winch comprise an
the cOnvenls aud sta.lons OF the Or-
der IN falesLne, SYRIA, ASIA Mlnoi,
Egypt ana the lsiano OF cyprus. Tne
up OF more than SUI rellslous OF the
Order OF trlars MINOR, VINO nave jur.
isalctlon over 65,UVU sous, speaking
eleven altferent Languages. The Frau
clscans MAINTAIN b5 sanctualies. y
converts, AZ residences, ~ parishes.
IL MISSION churcaes, "a chapeis, one
Serapnlc Louege, SIX Houses or STUDY,
five Tree dispensaries, two orphan asy-
lums shelLerlng three hundred ana
AASy Va QAAeS440g GSAAO VA40 QAAAS4A6 V44ANVs
iu.y a4sv conuucl one commercial COL
lege, ten trade schools and fifty.two
elementary schools which are attended
by four thousand pupils. The Fran
ciscans. moreover, maintain four hun
dred and fifteen houses. where poor
families are lodged gratuitiously, be-
sides which they give support to sew
eral thousand poor. IN addition to
these institutions they have nine hos
pices for pilgrims, in which cordial
hospitality has always been extended
to visitors, regardless of creed or ma
tionality. The records Of these hos
pices show how highly the visitors
have appreciated the hospitality of the
Friars. who do everything in their
power to make visitors feel at home
without asking any compensation.
For over seven hundred years, the
members of the Franciscan Order
have worked to gain possession of the
Sacred Shrines, to restore them, to
beautify them, and to keep them open
for Christianity. This has not been
done without great sacrifice, but the
Franciscans. aided by the aims of
Catholics the world over, have re-
NAMED steadfast and loyal to the trust
conf1ded to them by Holy Church. For
centuries they have battled with the
hatred and rancor of the Turk; they
have suffered Imprisonment. hunger
and death, and the depleted ranks of
the unselfish and selfsacrifcing Fran
ciscan Missionaries have been con.
stantly filed by their confreres from
every country.
The present war threatens to be no
less severe on the Franciscans and
their missions than the cruel treat
ment melted out to them in the past.
Fortunately their good services to the
people are not entirely overlooked just
now, for the Turks have still left them
in possession Of their convent Of Saint
Saviour in Jerusalem, but from nearly
all Of their converts in Armenia, Up
per Syria and Galilee. they have been
driven out. In Nazareth, however. per.
mission was obtained to leave a few
Religious in the Convent Of the An
nunciation.
In Jerusalem the. flourishing com.
munities Of the Assumptionists, Do
minicans, Fathers Of Sion, and the
White Fathers, the Benedictines and
Carmelites Sister. the Poor Clares,
and several others, were put into the
street by the Turks. In their sad
dilemma these poor men and women
turned to the Franciscans. who took
them in. accommodating the priests
and brothers in their convent of Saint
Saviour and in the parochial school,
and turning over to the Sisters the
use Of the Casa Nova, which usually
serves as hospice for pilgrims. On.
der these circumstances every provi-
sion was made to make them as com.
Portable as possible. This is no new
experience for the Franciscans, as at
other similar crises, Christians Of all
nationalities and denominations have
found protection and hospitality with
the Franciscans in the Orient.
This considerable and sudden in.
crease has brought about the newt
able result in the Franciscan convent.
Food supplies are failing and famine
Is staring them in the face. This
startling news has just been received
by the Very Rev. Godfrey schilling,
o. f. NJ, Commissary General Of the
Holy Land In the United States (sta-
toned at Washington, whose duty it
is to collect aims for the missions Of
the Holy Land and to give letters Of
Introduction to pilgrims visiting Pales.
tine.
The State Department has shown
deep interest and concern in the mat
ter. and at the request of Father schill.
ing, sought to transmit the aims col.
lected in the United States for the