The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1921-04-23

CELEBRATION OCCASION FoF
URGING IMITATION OF POWER
ELLo'S Es-MASTERFul
PICTURE OF EVILS OF WoRCI
AND THEIR REMEDY.
The full text of the Encyclical let
ter issued by the Holy Father for the
seventh centenary anniversary of the
institution of the Third Order of st
Francis is as follows:
H The Letter.
Venerable Brothers, Greeting and
Apostolic Benediction:
Truly opportune We deem the ap
preaching celebration of the seventh
centenary of the institution of the
Third Order of Penitence; and to rec
ommend it with all the strength OF
Our authority, We are induced not
only by the certainty that it will re,
suit in great advantage for the
Christian people, but also by the CRATE.
full remembrance of something that
personally concerns Us. In fact, when
in 1882, amidst the affectionate ap-
plauSe of the good, the birth of the
great Saint of Assist was solemniZed,
We wished to enter his family, and
in the famous Basilica of Santa Maria
in Ara Coeli, We put on the habit of
a Franciscan Tertiary. Now, that, by
Divine disposition, We were raised
to this Chair of Peter, with all Our
heart, even by reason of Our devotion
toward st. Francis, We take advan-
tage of the occasion offered to Us, in
order to eXhort all the devoted chill
dren of the Church to enroll in this
Order or, if already enrolled, to re-
main faithful to this institution of
the Poor Man of Assist, which is Won
derfully suited to the wants of our
present times.
Character of Saint Francis.
1t is, however, necessary first of
all, that everyone have an exact idea
of the character of st. Francis; be-
cause that parsonage of. Assist, of
purely moderniSt invention, presented
today as not very obedient to this
Apostolic See, and as an eXemplar of
a vague and shadowy mysticism, can
not really be called either Francis of
Assist or Saint.
Now, the great and imperishable
merits of st. Francis towards Chris
tianity-for which he was justly call
ed a support given by God to the
Church in one of the most troubled
periods-found their crowning in the
Third Order, which, better than any
other of his enterprises, brings to
light the magnitude and the intensity
of his ardor in propagating every
where the glory of Jesus Christ. In
fact, considering the evils which then
afflicted the Church, he was moved
by an immense desire to renovate all
according to Christian principle; and
to this end he founded double Or
der, one of brothers and another of
sisters who, processing solemn vows,
were to follow the humility Of the
Cross; but being unable to receive all
those who from everywhere f1ocked to
put themselves under his discipline
he supplied means to reach perfec
tion even to those living in the world
and instituted a true Order, that OF
Tertiaries. not bound by religious
vows as the preceding ones, but equal
ly inspired by simplicity of customs
and spirit of penitence.
Friend Of the People.
He was thus the first who conceived
and happily effected, with the divine
help, what no other founder of Regu
lars had till then devised, namely, tc
render common to all the tenor of re
ligious life; on this point We will re
call the beautiful words of Thomas
of Celano: "Artificer truly excellent
under whose religious formation, will
praise worth exalting, the Churcl
Of Christ renovates herself in boil
sexes, and a threefold crowd of peo
pie who want to be saved, triumph.
From the testimony of so authorita
tive man, contemporary of the Saint
it is easy to understand how deepl.
st. Francis with this institution stir
red the multitudes and what salutar.
renovation it worked among them
Therefore, as it is impossible to doub
that ST. Francis was the true founde
of the Third Order, as he had beer
the founder of the First and the Sec
ond, so, without any doubt, he was it
most wise legislator. In this matte
he was greatly assisted, as it j
known, by Cardinal Ugolino, the sam
who afterwards, under the name Q
Gregory TX, illuminated this Apos
tolic See, and who, after the death c
the Patriarch of Assist, whose int
mate friend he remained while h
lived, erected on his tomb such
beautiful and magnificent temple
And nobody forgets that the Rule
the Tertiaries has been solemn
sanctioned and approved by Oul Pre-
ecessor Nicholas w.
But we need not enlarge on thl
matter, because our chief purpose
to demonstrate the character and tn
inner spirit of the Third Order frol
which, as in St Francis time, in th]
period so antagonistic to virtue an
Faith, the Church expects great ben
fits for the Christian people. That e.
cellent judge of present times. lie
XIII. to render the discipline }of TIE
-. ,xaose;1,Ia 10 ayA,.v. f.a 7,