Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1918-10-31
MONKS MAKE GOOD
IN ALLIED ARMIES
Are at the Front In Great War
and frequently Cited
For Bravery.
BY N WOOD.
.ited Press STAFF Corre.oo,a.,

Rome (by mai)-out Of q world
wide membership Of 9,262, a total of
1876 Capuchin monks are now serving
In the allied armies in Italy, France.
England and Belgium.
The order Of the Capuchin monks,
which Is q branch of the famous Fran.
ciscan Brotherhood, and whose bare.
headed, b%arefooted. brown-robed mem
bers are known all over the world.
has Just completed its statistics for
the first halt Of the present year.
Aside from showing the unusually
large percentage OF monks o serv-
ing under arms, figures reveal a CON
dition in the Capuchin Brotherhood
that Is unQuestiOnably to be found in
all the other monastic orders, namely,
that the war has practically put an
n to the entrance OF new members.
Members OF the various brothehoods
OF monks come almost exclusively
from h ranks Of ardent young men.
AS all young men in the allied coun-
tries for four years past have now en-
tered the army h moment they were
OF age, there have been practically no
novices received into the monasteries.
Whether this condition will continue
after the war and result in gradual
diminutton IL not disappearance of the
religious brotherhoods remains to be
seen.
capuchins in the province of Paris
for 1917 had only two novices, while
the provinces of Lyons and Toulon
counted only eight novices, clerks and
converts each for the entire year.
The same condition exists in Italy,
and In The provinces of Rome and
Parma there wal not a single novice
for 1917.
On the other hand, Capuchin monks
who have been called to the colors in
the various allied countries have been
covering themselves and their BROTH
erhood with glory. They have demon.
strated that they can fight as valiant
~ as n formerly prayed and strove
for the conversion Of members both to
the church and to their brotherhood.
In Italy the number of Capuchin
monks modified is 1858. besides 122
who are serving as military chaplains
n ~ who served as chaplains in the
Red Cross. OF the entire number that
Italian army. 4s have been killed. "a
wounded, 50 made prisoners and IA
have disappeared. Altogether 22 have
been decorated with the Italian medal
for valor on the field Of battle.
In France there are 20 Capuchin
monks who have reached the full grade
OF officer while 290 others are seryinR
as u~nder-officers or trivates. Thirty
seven have been killed in France and az
wounded.
One hundred and one Of these BROTH
$ers IN France have received a total Of
1872 citations for bravery and heroism.
eight have been awarded h coveted
Medatlle Militaire, 90 have been deco.
rated with the croix de guerre. two
have received the supreme distinction
Of the Legion Of Honor, while many
others have received the French Med
allie des Epidemles, besides Serbian,
Belgian and Russian decorations.
E~ighty-five have received promotions
In the French army.
OF the 48 Capuchians modified in
Belgium. where the members of these
religious orders are not required to
serve as combatants, 10 are serving as
armp chaplains. % as stretcher bearers,
and seven in other departments. There
! army. three wounded. and one dis
appeared, presumably q prisoner,
OF the entire 48. 10 have been cited
IN the order OF the day before the Bel
CLAN army, n decorated with the Or.
der Of Leopold. one with the French
Legion OF Honor, three with the croix
de guerre md two with the medaille
militaire.
In addition. two other Capuchian
o for the allied propaganda which
they have conducted in De Belgiche
French government with the palms of
officers Of the French academy.
In the English army there are regu-
larry. enrolled 16 C~apuchians as army
chaplains and ive as stretcher bearers.
Of whom one has been wounded.
Among the Irish Capuchians, four
are serving as chaplains. one Of whom
has been decorated with the English
military cross.
In addition to all these, 40 other
C~apuchian missionaries Of Belgian,
French and Italian nationality are
serving az chaplains with the English
troops in India.