POOR
254
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delena, and Maria Costanza Bentivoglio, from the
celebrated Monaster}- of San Lorenzo-in-Panisperma,
came to America by direction of Pius IX in response to
a petition presented by Mother Ignatius Hayes of the
Third Order Regulars of St. Francis. After vainly seek-
ing to found convents in New York, Cincinnati, and
Philadelphia, they went to New Orleans, but soon re-
moved to Cleveland, Oliio, where they were joined by a
community of German Poor Clares to whom they relin-
quished the convent. The new German communitj-
remained in Cleveland and have since founded an-
other convent in Chicago; they follow the reform of St.
Colette. Meanwhile the Italian sisters found a per-
manent home in Omaha, thanks to the munificence of
Mr. John Creighton. On 14 July, 1SS2, the canonical
enclosure was established in the new mon;isterj-.
From the monaster}- of St. Clare in Omaha have sprung
directly, or indirectly, the foundations of the order at
Xew Orleans; Evans\-ille, Ind.; Boston; and Borden-
town, X. J.
VII. The daily Ufe of the Poor Clares is occupied with both work and prayer. It is a life of penance and contemplation. The rule says that the sisters shall fast at all times except on the Feast of the Xativity. The constitutions explain that meat may not be used even on Christmas. The great silence" is from Com- pline until after the conventual Mass. During the day there is one hour of recreation except on Friday. Meals are taken in silence. The Divine Office is re- cited, not sung. The Franciscan breviary is used. The habit is a loose fitting garment of gray frieze; the cord is of linen rope about one-haLf inch in thickness ha\-ing four knots representing the four vows; the san- dals are of cloth.
VIII. Among the saints of the order may be men- tioned: the founder, Clare of Assisi (d. 1253); Agnes of -\ssisi (d. 1253); CoUette of Corbie (d. 1447); Catharine of Bologna (d. 1463); Veronica Giuliani (d. 1727). Holzapfel enumerates seventeen Blessed of the order (Manuale, 63S), of whom the follo^\-ing are the more important : Agnes of Bohemia (d. 12S0) ; Isa- bel of France (d. 1270); Margaret Colonna (d. 12S4); Cunegundis of Hungarj- (d. 1292); Antonia of Flor- ence (d. 1472).
IX. According to the census of the Poor Clares, taken in October, 1909, the following is the present status of the order: Italv, Houses lOS, ^Members 1S16; Sardinia, H. 3, M. 40: Corsica, H. 1. M. '24; Palestine, H. 2, M. 54; Tyrol, H. 1, M. 50; Dalmatia, H. 1, M. 15; Prussia, H. 4, M. 126; Bavaria, H. 3, M. 100; Holland, H. 4, M. 112: Belgium. H. 39, M. S70; Ire- land, H. 9. M. 17S; England. H. 11, M. 1'29; France, H. 31, M. 760; Spain, H. '247, M. 5543; Portugal, H. 3, M. 40 (now dispersed); Peru, H. 1, M. 34; Columbia, H. 5, M. 136; Ecuador, H. 5. M. 155; Boh\-ia, H. 2, M. 36; -Argentina, H. 1, M. 36; Brazil, H. 2, M. 3(?); Mexico, H. 14, M. 204; Canada, H. 1, M. 20; United States, H. 7, M. 125; Total H. 505, M. 10,586.
TaoMAS OF Cehn-o. Vila S. Clam in Acta SS.. II. Aug. (ed. Paris, 1S67), 754-67; RoBlxsox, Life of Si. Clare (Philadelphia. 1910) : Seraphic/x tegislationis textus originales (Quaracchi. 1S97) containing of interest to the Second Order the following docu- ments: the Bull "Solet annuere" with the Rule of 1253 (49-76), '* Privilegium seraphicae paupertalis" granted by Gregorj- IX (97-S). "Testus originales Constitutionum Coletse" in fifteen chapters, with the Bull of confirmation bv Pius II (99-175), "Testamentum S. ClarK" (273), "Benedictio S. Clare" (281), and the "Testamentum S. Coletse" (29S-301) ; Migcet, Rigle de Sle Claire (Chamb^rv-, 1693) ; FRAXgois dv Pris. La tie et Ugcnde de Madame Sle Claire (ed.. Paris, 1902) ; CirfRANcf , Sle Claire d' Assise (Paris, 1901) : Balfocr. The Life and Legend of the Lady SI. Claire (London. 1910); Sb.ikalea. Bullarium Pranciscanum. I-IV (Rome, 1759-6S), continued by Eubel. V-VII (Rome, 1S9S- 19(M); AnaL Francisc.. I-IV (Quaracchi, 1885-1906); Wadding, Annates Minorum (Rome. 1731-6) ; De Guberxatis, Orbis Sera- phicus, I-IV (1682-5): /lrc*ic. francisc. Hislor.. I-III (Quaracchi. 1908-10); PiDOUX, Sle ColleUe (Paris. 1907); Germaix, Sle Col- letle de Corbie (Paris. 1904); Ubald d'.\lexCOX, Documents sur la Rlforme de Sle ColleUe en France in Archiz. Francis, llisl.. II. 447; Leumens, Die Anfange des Klarissenordens in R6m. Quarlalschr., XVI. pts. i-ii; Lempp. Briegers Zeilschr. fur Kirchenge.'ich., Xll
il893), 181; XXIII. 626; Lazzebi. Documenia conlrorersiam inter 'P. Juinores el Clarissas spectanlia (1J6S-97) in Archit. Francis.
Hist. (1910), tasc. iv; Sabatieb, Speculum Per/eetionis; Legenda
antiquissima S. Francisci (Paris, 1898); Fiege, Princess of Po^
eriy (Evansville, 1900); Holzapfel, Manuale histortce Ordinis
Fralrum Minorum. tr. (1909); Idem. Handbuch der Gesch. d.
Franciscanerordens (Freiburg, 1909) ; Bohmer, Analekten zur
Gtsch. des hi. Fram (Tubingen, 1904) ; Hisl. abregee de Vordre de Ste
Claire d'.lssise (2 vols., Lyons and Paris. 1906); Waceb, £nls/e-
hung u. .iusbreitung d. Klarissenordens, be^onders in den deutschen
Minoritenprotimcn (Leipzig, 1906).
Edwin V. O'Hara.
Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ, a community founded by Catherine Kasper, a native of Dernbach, Germany. She was born 26 May, 1S20, of humble parents, and at an early age resolved to consecrate her hfe to God. She was animated with the spirit of Mary and the acti\-ity of Martha and wished to combine the contemplative and the active life in the service of her Master. She and two companions took vows and professed themselves Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ, on 15 August, 1851. Sister Marj- (Cath- erine Kasper) was chosen mother-general of the newly founded community and continued as such until her death, 2 Feb., 1S98, when the community had branches throughout Germany, Austria, England, Holland, and Xorth America.
Mother Mary Kasper had at first simply desired that her community be devoted to the sick and needy and especially the orphan; but it soon engaged in the work of teaching and began to conduct in Germany parochial schools, academies, boarding schools, kin- dergartens, and industrial schools. The Kulturkampf compelled the sisters to abandon their parochial schools, but they continued the other works of charity. The constitution of the community was temporarily approved by Pius IX in 1870 and finally confirmed by Leo XIII.
Through Bishop Luers and Rev. Edward Koenig, pastor of St. Paul's Church at Fort W'a\-ne, the com- munity began to labour at Hesse Cassel in the Diocese of Fort Wayne on 3 August, 1S63. From this place three sisters were called to Chicago in 1869 by the Verj- Rev. Peter Fischer, ^icar general, to take charge of the German orphan asylum, which opened with twelve children, but now shelters more than six hun- dred orphans. On 9 May, 1869, the Rockliill property at Fort Wayne was purchased and converted into a hospital. To this was added a convent and chapel in 1883 at a cost of 832,000. The convent is the pro- vincial mother-house of the community in Amer- ica.
The first parocliial school conducted by the sister- hood in this country was St. Paul's in Fort Wayne, of which they took charge on 6 October, 1S69. Xow the community is represented in the Dioceses of Fort Wayne, Belleville, Alton, Superior, and in the Arch- dioceses of St. Paul, Chicago, Philadelphia, and St. Louis. The sisters are engaged in teaching, and nursing the sick in hospitals and private homes. Of the 3500 members which the community now num- bers, 500 labour in the United States.
Mother M. Secuxda.
Poor Laws are those legal enactments which have been made at various periods of the world's history in many countries for the relief of various forms of distress and sickness prevailing amongst the destitute. In England this is not strictly accurate, as certain laws have been enacted for the special benefit of the poor, which have not been classified as poor laws, in order to avoid classifying the recipients of relief as paupers, a name much disliked amongst the poor. A person of seventy years of age in receipt of relief from the guardians of the poor would be classed a pauper, but if the relief were granted under the Old Age Pension Act such would not be the case, as the grant would be made up, to a large extent, from im- perial taxation instead of local rates and the guardians of the poor would have no control over its distribution.
