them. Thus during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries the history of these confraternities is somewhat obscure. We find, however, that Boniface IX, in his Constitution Hodie, dated 31 October, 1401, granted indulgences for visiting the altar of the Confraternity in the Dominican Church of Schusen, Saxony.
Portugal, now almost in a state of anarchy and sadly in need of a Holy Name Society to renew the faith of its men, and to imbue them with courage for the defense of their religion, has the honor of having organized the Holy Name Society, practically in the form in which we have it to-day. For some years the retired Dominican Bishop Andre Diaz preached energetically devotion to the Holy Name, urging the establishment of a confraternity. There was raging a plague in Lisbon during the year 1432. The saintly prelate, putting his trust in the Sacred Name, besought the faithful to join the confraternity as a means of delivering their affected city, assuring them that the compassionate Master would not turn a deaf ear to their petitions. He blessed water in honor of the Sacred Name of Jesus, distributing it among the plague-stricken people. The effect seemed miraculous. The bishop was regarded as an instrument in God's hands for the deliverance of the people. Taking advantage of his influence, he assembled the faithful of the Confraternity in honor of the Holy Name, i January, 1433, to give thanks to God. Statutes for the Society were drawn up. It was then determined that the Feast of the Circumcision should be the principal feast of the Confraternity, as it was on that day Jesus received His Name. A ruling was also adopted that on i January there should be a solemn procession in which an image of the Infant Jesus should be carried.
Some years previously St. Vincent Ferrer (d. 1419) had powerfully preached on devotion to the Holy Name. This great Dominican saint, known as the preacher of the Apocalypse, on leaving Italy announced the advent of another saint, his brother in the Franciscan family, Bernardine of Siena, who became the renowned promoter of the devotion in Italy. In the sixteenth century Charles V and Philip II of Spain, wishing to suppress in their kingdoms blasphemies,
