Lehre und Wehre St. Louis, Missouri — September 1912, Seite 418

German transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

Cited in Eckhardt's Reallexikon (1907) under: Wiſſenſchaft · Schöpfung 9

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418 Kirchlich⸗Zeitgeschichtliches.

the Church of Portiuncula, and is dedicated to Our Lady of the Angels.
This small, obscure town is the cradle of the illustrious Franciscan order.
Here it was, on February 24, 1208, that the seraphie St. Francis recog-
nized his vocation; here it was that he fixed his permanent abode in the
Fear 1211, after the chapel was given to him by the Benedictine monks
of Cluny; here it was that he died, Oetober 3, 1226. The devil, who, as
St. Peter tells us, goes about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may
devour, vaunts his fury against the saints of God. The great St. Franeis
was not freée from the assaults of the Evil One. To conquer the tempter,
to bring the flesh into subjection, he rolled in a briar bush, which was
changed into a bed of thornless roses. This happened during one of the
nights of October, probably in 1221. Our Lord, after being tempted by
the devil in the desert, and after undergoing His agony in the garden of
Gethsemane, was comforted and strengthened. God also filled the soul
of St. Francis with delight and comforted him by na celestial vision after
he had conquered the tempter by this heroic means. During the same
night our divine Savior, Mary Immaculate, and a host of heavenly spirits
appeareéd to the saint. St. Franeis asked of the Redeemer, through the
intercession of his Virgin Mother, a plenary indulgence for all who would
visit the Church of Our Lady of Angels, or of Portiuncula. Our Lord
heard theé prayer of His faithful servant and granted the petition on con-
dition that the saint would obtain, from the reigning pontiff, Honorius III,
a confirmation of the favor granted. This is the origin of the Portiuncula
Indulgence, the name being deérived from the town of Portiuncula. At
first the indulgence could only be gained in the Portiuncula church, be-
tween the afternoon of August I and sunseèt on August 2. This extraordi-
nary privilege was afterward extended, by several popes, to all the churches
of the three orders of St. Francis. On July 9, 1910, Pius X granted to the
bishops — only for that year, however, — the privilege of appointing one
or more churches, public and semi-public oratories, for the gaining of the
Portiuncula indulgence. This privilege has been renewed for an indefinite
time by a decree of the S. Congregation of Indulgences, March 26, 1911.
The peculiarity of this plenary indulgence is, that it can be gained Foties
quotiées, that is, several times the same day, or as often as a person shall
visit a church or oratory, privileged for that purpose, with the intention
of gaining the indulgence. It is an extraordinary favor, and Pius X, de-
siring to facilitate the gaining of it, has, as we stated above, deemed it
advisable to grant to the bishops the faculty of seleeting one or more
churches, publie and semi publie oratories, in each eity for making the
Pprescribed visit. In virtue of this power we designate the following
churches as the ones in chich the Portiuncula indulgence can be gained.
This privilege holds good for these churches until recalled.“ Nachdem
dann die betreffenden Kirchen seiner Diözese genannt sind, fährt das Zir⸗
kular fort: „In conclusion, we desire to remind you that the Portiuncula
indulgence is applicable to the souls in purgatory. We hope that the
faithful of our diocese will avail themselves of the opportunity of gaining
this indulgence, which is now within reach of nearly all. Strive, by
means of this extraordinary privilege, to cancel the debt which Vou owe
to the justice of God by your transgressions, and endeavor to shorten the
sufferings of your near and dear ones who have departed this life, and

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